Easy Chicken Pho (Phở gà) - a Shortcut Method for the Famous Vietnamese Soup (plus Vietnam trip photos)

We're back from our amazing bucket list trip to Vietnam over the holidays. What an experience! Stunning, spectacular, and delicious are three words I'd use to describe this beautiful country. We experienced so many unforgetable adventures on our route from the sweltering heat of the south to the cooler north of this long strip of coastal southeast Asian country.

Part of an Intrepid travel adventure, we were a small group of seven keen travelers from around the world, led by our fearless leader, Jay. His gripping stories made the tumultous history of Vietnam come absolutely alive for us, and took us right back to the times of emperoros and dynasties.

He took us on adventures through jungles, rivers, caves, mountains, pagodas, and cities. We traveled by van, plane, boat, bicyle, motorbike, sampan, tuktuk, kayak, and foot. We stayed overnight with locals, slept on a boat, cycled through rice paddies, explored caves and temples, climbed steep hills, and ate the most delicious foods I've ever tasted, plus coffees to blow your mind. My mind is a kaleidescope of colours, tastes, and sounds when I think back to our trip.

We started our trip in the hot and sunny south in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a sea of moving motorcycles, noise, and friendly people. During those first days, we went from watching a performance of ancient Vietnamese dance in the beautiful opera house in Saigon to an overnight stay with a family on the banks of the Mekong River, amidst jungle and swamps. Falling asleep under our mosquito net canopied beds to the sounds of the jungle insects chirping outside the thin walls while the river lapped lazily against the overhanging deck was a magical feeling.

How to Make the Quick and Easy Chicken Pho Broth

In our Hoi An cooking class, one of the delicious dishes we made was this shortcut version of Pho - it was such fun!

You will just need a few simple ingredients to make a chicken pho broth that is pretty close to the authentic long-simmered version. It's light and oh-so-satisfying.

You'll need:

First, you'll need to char the shallots (or onions) and ginger. This imparts that special smoky flavour to the pho broth which makes it taste so complex. You can char them under the broiler, in a hot, dry cast iron skillet, on a gas burner flame, or on a barbecue grill. You just need to get some good black charred bits.

Cook the chicken in a large pot of water for a few minutes, until the foam (which is just cooked protein) rises. Then skim off the foam, add the carrot, celery, charred shallots and ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise, and chicken bones.

Strain the broth by pouring it into a colander set over a large bowl or by fishing out the solids with a spider ladle or slotted spoon. If you want a clearer chicken pho broth you can strain it again through a fine-meshed sieve. Add the salt and fish sauce to taste. Make the broth saltier than you think, to compensate for the noodles and chicken meat you'll add, which are unsalted.

Now you've got two and a half quarts of flavourful, aromatic pho soup broth ready to make up bowls and bowls of delicious soup.

Can I Freeze Pho Broth?

Yes, you can! Keep some in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it for up to a year. You'll only need 1½-2 cups of broth for each bowl of soup, so freeze it in smaller amounts in sealed containers. Thaw the broth and reheat it for instant pho soup whenever the urge strikes.

How to Make up Bowls of Chicken Pho Soup

Once you have that glorious broth made, the rest is easy. Cook up some wide rice noodles (the wide ones are called phở, after which the soup is named), and plop a clump of them into the bottom of the soup bowl. Cover that with a handful of shredded poached chicken or the protein of your choice, then a generous sprinkle of chopped green onions and herbs. Pour over some of the boiling hot broth (it's important that it's very hot so that it heats the other ingredients and cooks the meat if you're using beef), and serve it with a wedge of lime to provide the acidity needed to balance the broth to perfection.

The pho soup can be enjoyed simply just like that (as it was in our cooking class). Or you can go all out and add crunchy bean sprouts, more fresh herbs, a splash of hoisin sauce for sweetness and/or a few drops of sriracha or other chili sauce or sliced fresh chilis for spiciness. You could even add blanched baby bok choy, snow peas, or sliced fresh mushrooms to up the veggie factor. Anything goes.

How to Eat Pho Soup

Squeeze the lime over the soup and add any sauces and toppings you choose. Give the soup a small stir to dunk the veggies down into the broth.

Hold chopsticks in your dominant hand and the soup spoon in your other hand. Pick up a mouthful of noodles or meat with the chopsticks (slurping is absolutely allowed), then use the spoon to sip some broth, then a chopstick of noodles, then a spoon of broth and so on, alternating the two until every last bit of savoury broth is enjoyed.

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Guten Appetit!

Phở gà recipe adapted from Green Mango cooking class in Hoi An.