In this house, light, brothy Chicken Pho is the official leftover rotisserie chicken meal. Shall we get into it?
What is Rotisserie Chicken Pho?
Chicken Pho is a light, brothy soup made from simmered chicken bones ladled over rice noodles, chicken, and served with fresh vegetables and herb garnishes. It is essentially a modified version of Beef Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup, made with a substitute of chicken for beef in the broth and meat, some slightly different spices and seasonings, and with whatever vegetables and herbs, traditional or not, that are available to you.
In the late autumn and into winter, certain vegetables and herbs like bean sprouts and Thai basil may or may not be freshly available, so we make do with what we have.
For this recipe, I used thinly shredded cabbage in place of the bean sprouts, based on a tip I read but can't remember where! Thinly sliced cabbage has the same crisp, crunchy texture and generally neutral flavor as bean sprouts, but is definitely available year-round and in all grocery stores.
Thai basil is a type of basil that has a purple stem and flowers and it's almost always available as an import in Asian grocery stores or at the height of summer at some local farmers' markets. However, if you don't have access to it, your Vietnamese Grandma all-day authentic pho might get mad, but your weeknight express rotisserie chicken pho doesn't care.
Chicken Pho Health Benefits
Depending on your health and dietary needs, Chicken Pho can be part of a healthy lifestyle! The health benefits come from the savory, aromatic stock, the chicken's protein, and all the fresh vegetables and herbs that come alongside each bowl.
As published, this recipe for Chicken Pho is:
- dairy-free
- gluten-free
Some of this of course, depends on the rotisserie chicken. If the original rotisserie chicken was brined with sugar, basted with butter, or marinated in any way with ingredients that contain gluten e.g. soy sauce, your Rotisserie Chicken Pho broth will have some degree of these ingredients as well.
Ingredients You Need for Rotisserie Chicken Pho
Here's what you need for the most aromatic, savory, satisfying bowl of Rotisserie Chicken Pho:
- rotisserie chicken
fresh vegetables and herbs:
- onion, 1 for broth
- red onion, ¼ for garnish
- green onions, ½ cup thinly sliced
- ginger, 1 3-inch piece
- garlic, 8-10 cloves-this is not traditional in pho, but I add it because I just do
- cilantro, 1 bunch leaves and stems separated
- bean sprouts or finely shredded cabbage, 2 cups
- Thai basil, 4 sprigs
- limes, 2
- jalapeño or Fresno pepper, 2
from the pantry/dry:
- rice noodles for pho, 12-16 ounces
- spice bundle: star anise, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick OR Chinese five spice powder
- fish sauce, 2 tablespoons
- sugar, 1 tablespoon (if you like sweeter, restaurant style pho, use 2 tablespoons)
- sea salt , plus more to season at the end
- hoisin sauce, for serving
- sriracha sauce, for serving
How Should I Prep Rotisserie Chicken for Pho?
Remove the good meat from the bones, shred into bite-manageable pieces, and set aside in a covered bowl or container in the refrigerator. You actually don't need all of the chicken meat, just 4-5 cups which can come from just the breast meat.
Keep the bones, including the cartilage-rich wings and their tips. You can use the skin for extra flavor if you don't mind the fat, or just discard skin and other detritus.
The best way to separate the meat and bones I have found, is to just get in there with your hands and start pulling the meat. I wear gloves when I do it because I am a big, dumb baby with itchy, scratchy dry hands from overly frequent, overzealous, but bare hands is straight up like a g.
What Kind of Noodles are Best for Chicken Pho?
I like the flat rice noodles, called "banh pho," that are flat in shape like fettuccine pasta and often used for pho, as pictured above.
Pho is served with rice noodles called bánh phở, which are wider and flat, similar to fettuccine or tagliatelle. They are available both fresh and dried. You may not be able to find rice noodles specifically for pho, but rice noodles labeled for pad thai can work too!
For reference the rice noodles that are round and cylindrical in shape are called "bun" and labeled as rice vermicelli. They are not always super thin like western style vermicelli pasta, and can range in diameter from super thin like angel hair to about as thick as spaghetti.
- This organic rice noodle is labeled as "pho."
- I use brown rice noodles when they are available, or like this.
- For thinner rice vermicelli, this well-known brand is available at Asian markets and online.
Pro (Am) Tip: The flat-shaped rice noodles are easier to pick up with chopsticks, i.e. not as slippery!
What is the Best Fish Sauce for Pho?
tl;dr I love and have been using Red Boat Fish Sauce for years and more recently added Son to my pantry. Both are considered "premium" and are available in Whole Foods where I live, southern California.
Like every condiment and seasoning, there are a lot of brands of fish sauce on the shelves at the market and they all range in quality, flavor, and saltiness. Here is what to look for:
- anchovies (or other fish) and salt as the only 2 ingredients
- if there are additional ingredients, choose the brand/bottle with the fewest ingredients, preferably without added sugar, preservatives, or coloring
- protein content at least 2 g means there is less dilution with water
- color/darkness doesn't indicate quality so you can ignore that.
- some popular, good brands are Squid (Thai) and Three Crabs (Vietnamese)
Almost every Asian cuisine has some sort of fish sauce, and even Italian cooking has one called colatura!
YOU MUST USE FISH SAUCE for pho, even if you think fish sauce is "fishy." The ONLY time not to use fish sauce is when you are vegan or vegetarian, in which case, use vegan fish sauce, which is made from mushrooms.
Additional Ingredients Notes and Resources
Spice Bundle: star anise, black peppercorns, coriander, cinnamon or Chinese Five Spice. Chinese five spice is an actual blend of, you guessed it, five different spices, sometimes a few more. While the exact blend and proportions vary across homemade recipes and store-bought brands, in general, Chinese five spice comprises: 1) star anise 2) fennel 3) cinnamon 4) cloves, and 5) where much of the variation comes in but usally in the "spicy heat" family like ground ginger, pepper, or Sichuan peppercorns. When I buy a prepared blend, this is one I look for, which has white pepper instead of ginger.
Hoisin Sauce. Hoisin sauce is a rich, velvety fermented soy-based sauce commonly used in Chinese cuisine, both by itself as a finishing sauce or condiment, and as an ingredient in other dishes.
Sriracha Hot Sauce. We all know the sriracha sauce that comes in the rooster bottle with the green top, but that is not the only one. I found a (mostly) organic sriracha sauce by Sky Valley at Whole Foods.
Salt. Salt is an obvious and ubiquitous ingredient. I use this Kosher salt.
All other vegetables, herbs and produce I get from the the regular grocery store.
Substitutions and Variations
This Rotisserie Chicken Pho recipe, as with most noodle soups, is generally forgiving and flexible. In terms of ingredient amounts and ratios, you can eyeball/taste a lot of it. There are a few substitutions you can make to fit the recipe into taste preferences and dietary restrictions.
I have made this recipe many times as presented, as well as with the substitutions and variations as noted below:
Chicken Bone Broth. If you, like me, make gallons of bone broth every week and have it, use half Chicken Bone Broth in addition to the water with the ginger, onions, garlic, and spices and just simmer for about 30 minutes!
Rock Sugar or Other Sweetener. Traditional pho uses rock sugar to sweeten the broth, but if you would prefer refined-sugar-free, use half an Asian pear thrown in with the ginger, onion, and garlic, then discard before serving the individual bowls.
Fish Sauce. If you don't have access to fish sauce, or have an allergy, you CAN substitute a tiny bit of soy sauce or tamari, but know that this DRAMATICALLY changes the vibe. Fish sauce and soy sauce are used for both salt as well as their flavors, and they differ a lot. Note: some soy sauces and tamari contain gluten, so make sure to read the package label if you are gluten-free.
Noodles. Pho is traditionally served with rice noodles, but if you don't have them, no one is going to call the pho-police (pho-lice?) if you throw egg noodles, spaghetti noodles, spiralized zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash in the broth. The real point here is the broth.
How to Make Rotisserie Chicken Pho
Make the "Flash" Rotisserie Chicken Broth
If you haven't already, separate all the "good meat" from the bones and set aside/refrigerate.
Place rotisserie chicken bones, skin, and any collected gelled juices in a large Dutch oven or stockpot.
Fill the pot with 4 quarts cool clean water or more to cover the bones by at least 1-inch. Set the pot over medium-high heat to begin the cooking process while you prepare the aromatics.
Turn on another burner on your gas stove to medium-high. Using a pair of metal tongs (and wearing a heatproof mitt or glove), place the onions and ginger directly on the burner over the flame, turning them occasionally until they are charred black all over, about 10 minutes.
If you don't have a gas stove, broil onions and ginger under the broiler in the oven turning occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes until charred on all sides.
Add the charred onions, charred ginger, smashed garlic, sugar or Korean pear if using in place of sugar, cilantro stems, and spices to the pot. Bring the pot back to a simmer, cover with a small vent, and cook for 1 hour.
Remove large bones to make straining easier. Pour the remaining contents of the pot through a mesh strainer into another large pot. Discard bones and solids. Stir in fish sauce, taste, and if needed, season with sea salt.
If pulled rotisserie chicken is cold from the fridge, bring the Pho Broth to a simmer, drop the chicken in the pot to heat through. Strain the chicken out to place individual bowls.
Make and Assemble Rotisserie Chicken Pho Bowls
Cook rice noodles according to package, anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the size of the noodles. Divide cooked noodles among 4 soup bowls.
Ladle 2 cups of broth into each bowl over noodles.
Top the bowls with chicken, a handful of sliced onions, sliced green onions, and cilantro leaves.
Serve immediately with garnishes.
How to Serve and Eat Pho
Despite what some "experts" or social media may declare, e.g. "don't squirt sriracha directly into the bowl!" and "must place noodles with chopsticks into spoon!" there is no one single "right way" to serve and eat a bowl of pho. Especially when Rotisserie Chicken Pho is already bucking quite a bit of tradition by using a store-bought shortcut.
It is best to use recipes and how-tos as a general guideline, and in the spirit of old world traditions in new places, enjoy your pho with ingredients that are available to you, and fit your personal taste and dietary requirements.
That being said dot dot dot
There are some helpful things that can make the experience a little richer!
- Use both the spoon and your chopsticks to bundle the noodles into the spoon and dip the spoon into the bowl to get some of the broth to make the perfectly slurpable little bite
- Squeeze of lime juice directly into the bowl brightens the broth and adds some welcome tartness
- Use sriracha and hoisin as "dips" for the meat and vegetables for maximum heat and flavor concentration.
- Add the sprouts to the bowl a little at a time to maintain the crisp texture (my personal preference). However, if you prefer the sprouts to soften, go right ahead and drop them all into the steaming hot bowl immediately and snuggle them into the broth to "cook" a little.
- Tear herbs and stir into the bowl to flavor the broth, but you can also just place a sprig or two into each spooned bite to keep the herbs fresh
Advance Prep, Leftovers, and Storage
Rotisserie Chicken Pho with noodles and all the garnishes already added doesn't keep well. However, you can store extras as separate components.
How Long Can You Keep Rotisserie Chicken Pho Broth in the Refrigerator? You can store leftover Rotisserie Chicken Pho broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three (3) days. I like to use large mason jars with sealing plastic lids. Re-heat in a pot on the stovetop. Cooked pho noodles will last 1 day.
How Long Can You Freeze Rotisserie Chicken Pho Broth? You can freeze Rotisserie Chicken Pho Broth in an airtight container or plastic zipper bags for three (3) months. Re-heat in a pot on the stovetop with a splash or two of water or broth so the frozen soup doesn't burn before thawing out.
Here are a few ways to freeze Rotisserie Chicken Pho Broth:
- The way that works best for how I maintain my freezer is ladling bone broth directly into freezer-safe quart-sized bags, squeezing out all the air, sealing, and laying flat in the freezer until the broth freezes. Then I stand them up and line them up like thin books on a bookshelf. If you're looking to reduce single-use plastic, these are re-usable ziptop bags.
- Use large format ice cube trays to freeze any Broth into ½-cup or 1-cup servings, pop out the frozen cubes, and throw into a freezer-safe bag.
- Yes, you can put glass mason jars in the freezer. Just make sure to leave at least 1½-inch of air space at the top of the jar and freeze with the lid lightly closed. Once, the bone broth is frozen completely, you can close the lid completely. Make sure the keep the jars on freezer shelves that will hold the jars in place.
Tools and Equipment
As I always say, you don't need any special equipment to make Rotisserie Chicken Pho. You can simply use a knife and cutting board to slice the vegetables. However, that doesn't mean there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make it easier to get your Rotisserie Chicken Pho from board to bowl.
Stock Pot. I use a very large stock pot by this cookware company. It has a heavy bottom and easy-to-hold handles. Any large pot that fits the ingredients will do.
Dutch Oven. If you'd like to make the investment into a Dutch oven, this large oval Dutch oven is the one I use all the time.
Chef's Knife. This is my workhorse chef's knife, slightly more pricey than others, but definitely worth it. I have had it for more than 10 years and use it every day.
Vegetable Peeler. I have both a Y-peeler and regular swivel peeler. Both of them have an easily grippable, non-slip handle.
Extra large, sturdy wooden cutting board. This is the extra large, very sturdy i.e. doesn't slip around, cutting board that I use every day.
Onion Goggles. There are goggles specifically designed for use as "onion goggles" in the kitchen, but why not go ahead and get full-on professional grade safety goggles (amazon) or these that fit like glasses with legs (homedepot) that you can also use when you're in the garage building a bookshelf or something.
Stainless steel tongs to fish out a bouquet garni or transfer larger ingredients between pots and bowls.
FAQ
Rice noodles are traditional for pho.
Store leftover Rotisserie Chicken Pho broth only in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three days, or in the freezer for three months. Rotisserie Chicken Pho that has the cooked noodles already in it does not store well.
Yes! Highly recommend freezing the broth only for those future Don't-Feel-Like-Cooking days. Freeze Rotisserie Chicken Pho broth in an airtight container or plastic zipper bags for three months. Cooked noodles don't freeze well, but the dried noodles cook almost as fast as re-heating anything would!
Best Side Dishes with Rotisserie Chicken Pho Dinner
A steaming bowl of Rotisserie Chicken Pho with filling-but-light rice noodles, chicken as protein, and all those vegetables is an entire meal in and of itself, but if you want to make it a party, here are some snacky appetizer-y things you can also serve before or alongside:
Rotisserie Chicken Pho Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken meat removed and set aside
For the Quick Rotissrie Chicken Pho Broth
- 4 quarts clean, filtered water
- 1 medium onion cut in half, unpeeled
- 1 3-inch piece ginger
- 3-5 cloves garlic peeled and lightly smashed
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 10-12 sprigs fresh cilantro separated into thicker stems and leafier tops
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 pod star anise
- ½ stick cinnamon
- 5-6 whole black peppercorns
For Rotisserie Chicken Pho Bowls
- 8-12 ounces rice noodles
- red onions sliced paper thin
- scallions finely sliced
For Garnish Plate
- 2 cups fresh bean sprouts or finely shredded cabbage
- 4-6 sprigs Thai basil
- 2 jalapeño peppers thinly sliced
- 2 limes cut into wedges
- sriracha hot sauce, garlic chili sauce, and hoisin sauce
Instructions
Make the Pho Soup Base ~ 10 minutes + 1 hour
- Place the picked over rotisserie chicken bones, skin and any accumulated and solidified juices into a large pot with a lid. Fill the pot with 4 quarts cool clean water or more to cover the bones by at least 1-inch. Set the pot over medium-high heat to begin the cooking process while you prepare the aromatics.
- While the chicken in the pot is coming up to a boil, turn on another one of the burners on your gas stove to medium-high. Using a pair of metal tongs (and wearing a heatproof mitt or glove), place the onions and ginger directly on the burner over the flame, turning them occasionally until they are charred black all over, about 10 minutes. If you don't have a gas stove, you can get the same effect with a grill, the broiler in the oven, possibly a toaster oven.
- Place the charred onion and ginger along with the remaining soup base ingredients-garlic cloves, salt, fish sauce, sugar, cilantro stems, and spices-into the pot with the chicken, which should be about to boil, if not already. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
- Strain the soup base through a colander or a large sieve, pressing down on the skin, bones, onions, ginger and spices to extract all the flavorful liquid. Discard the skin, bones, onions, ginger, and spices. Taste the soup base and adjust the seasoning with any more of salt, fish sauce, or if you must, sugar.
Assemble Quick Chicken Pho Bowls ~ 5 minutes
- Cook rice noodles according to package, anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the size of the noodles.
- Place a loop of rice noodles into each of four bowls. Arrange about 1 cup of shredded chicken breast meat over each bowl noodles. Ladle 2 cups hot soup base into each bowl. Arrange a handful of sliced onions, sliced green onions, and cilantro leaves on top.
- Serve with plates of the remaining garnishes on the side, along with sriracha hot sauce, garlic chili sauce, and hoisin sauce.
YouGuysKnow says
yo. where the pho did you get that pho? looks delish. and I am westside, too, so i like when you do westside! i need to do more Vietnamese.
Kirk says
Sarah - Is that BBQ Pork and Won Ton Egg Noodle soup???? From a pho' place...hehehe
sarah says
EP: you're in CA? In SoCal? In LA? On the Westside?!??! Damn, we need to chow! LOL!
kirk: it's char siu and won ton pho. i don't eat the noodles in pho, so i always have to get some variation that has other sustenance in it. :)
GastroChick says
That's so pretty. What are the pink vegetables if vegetables at all?
Craig says
ms. chick - those are not vegetables, they are fish cakes, mmmmmmmfishcakesmmmmmmm.
btw sarah, peanut butter, pho, i get it you are listing your mosted despised foods in some sort of mid-alphabetical lists...
sarah says
haha!
sadly enough, those sad, pallidly greyish brown flaps of meat are supposed to be char siu - pork.
Craig says
omg - to quote sarah ;)
those appear to be pieces of cilantro, i guess you took a picture of the bowl and then went out for some Indian food.
and please no comments about "mosted" but i was trying to make a point, ha ha :)
Michael says
Thanks for clue'ing me in to a pho restaurant on the Westside - too lazy these days to drive out to the San Gabriel Valley. Have you been to the Golden Deli in Alhambra? Always a wait, but the best pho in LA that I know of.
djjewelz says
I was just at Golden Deli on Monday, so I have to second the recommendation. But we all know how Sarah just LOVES driving over to the ethnic eastside...NOT! I'm telling you Sarah - Golden Deli, Auntie Em's, Europane, and a few others. You could make a day trip out of our little area of the city (and stop off at beard papas on the way back ;))
and I loved your analogy. Boys will be boys...and girls will be girls.
MM says
You could have told me that earlier! My biggest problem is thinking my male mates would never think of me "in that way" and when one of them does, I go into shock and hiding from them for years.
Anyway, I hated pho the first time I ate it too. I thought it tasted bloody weird and refused to eat any Vietnamese food after that. And yes, like you, it chopped away at me. Now, you'll find me making Sunday expeditions to my fave Vietnamese restaurant for pho.
Kate says
Wonderful post - so thorough! Awfully hard on cilantro, though...it's really a very nice herb!
*craves Vietnamese food*
Thanks!
Anonymous says
so guys can't be wooed?? so that's why that jerk davis couldn't forget my lisp...no matter how much i tried not to talk around him. tee hee. all those roses and expensive dinners and nothing. *sigh*
hilarious as always sarah...
MeowMix says
Hi Sarah. In my opinion, Pho 99 has 'decent' pho. I usually go to one of the bajillion pho places in korea town. I think their broth is way better. Also, they give you a plate of sliced onions to smother with sriracha sauce - it's the closest thing to kimchee you can get there. As for the meatballs, it's pretty much the standard for vietnamese meatballs -hard and ....chewy. I like ktown's meatballs better than Pho99's.
sarah says
michael and djjewelz: um, i think i will take ONE day to drive east of the 405 (just kidding, i DO go east of the 405 - to WESTWOOD, LOL!) and do ALL of that, din tai fung (which i've already done, but damn you cain't ne'er get 'nuff of them juicy dumplings!), golden deli, new concept, etc. etc. in one day. marathon eats in the sgv!
mm: yeah, i used to do that too, back when, uh, i actually talked to guys. LOL!
kate: you're right. cilantro's not horrible. i mean, i eat it when it's in my mexican food. but then maybe that's WHY i find it so weird in everything else - like cilantro just doesn't taste right unless it's accompanied by a giant slab of carne asada or something. ;)
anonymous: yesh, sad, but true. it has everything to do with that proverbial "hunt" or challenge, or chase or whatever malarkey. which likely be a focused topic one of these days when i talk about uh, my everquest for fluffy naan.
moewmix: the funny thing is, i think pho is sort of a substitute teacher for korean soup for me. i can't get that here on the westside too much, so i settle for pho. if i go to ktown, i may as well go for some ggori gohm tahng (that's "oxtail soup" for any of the non-korean out there), baby!
Daily Gluttony says
OK, totally un-Pho-related, but I couldn't help but notice the Umberto mention. Do you get coiffed there too? I been goin' there since forevah. Small world I tell ya! =)
(Sorry, I tend to pick the most irrelevant things out of people's writing sometimes!) =P
Silvia says
"from utter contempt for a cocky bastard to head-over-heels for such a confident gentleman." -- genius! it comes down to perspective, ain't it?
That said, am I to understand that you don't like basil unless mozzarella accompanies it? For shame! You can't be a foodie if you dislike basil. Cilantro I understand, I intensely dislike it too. It somehow tastes like soap and rusted metallic piece to me, not that I've eaten either one. Well, soap maybe.
I also have to agree about better Pho, etc. if you make that 17 miles drive.
sarah says
dg: lol! VERY small world, i am finding. VERY SMALL indeed!
silvia: well, basil has always been a tough taste for me to handle. up until last year, i couldn't STAND basil pesto, but i finally made it at home, and am learning to appreciate it. SLOWLY learning. LOL!
truliketrudat says
hu Tieu actually isn't a variety of pho, it is its own distinct seafood (occasionally seafood and pork)flavored soup. hu tieu pho rather than mi just means that that version comes with rice noodles (banh pho).
Though IMO&xp there are distinctions between pho in the North and the South. The Northern stuff was more beefy to me and the table salad wasn't as diverse and the Southern had more fresh herbs.
Pho 99 is so so, though if they had some banh hoi (steamed vermicelli) I might be happier.
sarah says
hey truliketrudat (whoa...that's a tongue twister!)
thanks for helping me out with the terminology!
pho 99 is the closest place to me here on the westside. the other options are le saigon (which i've tried, but not had the pho) and i think i've seen a place called red moon cafe along either sawtelle or sepulveda on ym way down to culver city. there is a new place called pho-reign which i have not yet tried.
which places do you like?
WhatIAte2Day says
I've had Pho 99 and it's not very good and pricey. But hey.. everything Ethnic on the Westside is pricier than it should be.
If you drive up to the valley, there's a couple pho places near the Ranch 99 market on Sepulveda/Victory. I think one of them is Pho 999. An extra 9? It's got to be better. There's also a couple Pho places near Reseda and Sherman Way.
All of them however aren't as good as Golden Deli and it's twin restaurant across the street, Vietnam House (I think).
sarah says
well! alrighty then! that's another vote for golden deli, which means i will most certainly have to make a trek out there :)
hermz says
[sarcasm] Oh yay, I love reading "universal truths" (broad generalizations) regarding how girls and boys interact. [/sarcasm] Yeah yeah, I know it's just part of the entertaining entry, but it's a pet peeve of mine. Sorry, I had to vent.
Not to be repetitious, but I recommend Golden Deli too. Yum! I'll even drive.
truliketrudat says
I'd love to give you some recs but sadly there are no places on the Westside that I have tried and my only chance to get real Vietnamese is when I somehow manage to get a ride to another county. Those times are few and far between unfortunately so I usually have to settle for Pho 99 or Le Saigon.
Foodie Universe says
The waitress at Pho 99 seems to expect you to know what you order the minute you walk in. I'm surprised they even hand out menus!
I wish we could get some good Vietnamese food on the Westside.
sarah says
wouldn't that be awesome? and while we're at it, some good korean food, too!
Anonymous says
christ, learn to sum it up. your review doesn't even start until about 5 paragraphs down. Maybe add a conclusion paragraph.
sarah says
anonymous: thank you for your suggestion. when i am faced with writing an actual restaurant "review," i will likely leave out all my personal musings, and perhaps even consider following a formal structure, like an introduction and a conclusion. but for now, i am not writing "reviews," these are accounts of my personal experiences.
thanks.
Mouse says
Sarah, thanks for a nice post. I really like your sense of humour. Some of your comments about Vietnamese food made me laugh out loud. Anyway, I am Vietnamese so it's always interesting for me to see how foreigners like our foods. Pho seems to be one of the most popular Vietnamese dishes that a lot of people like. I have met people from everywhere, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, England, Germany, Ireland, and of course the US, and the minute they knew that I am Vietnamese, they immediately asked about Pho! It's also funny the way your described how you disliked some of the stuff in Pho. I had the same problem with cilantro when I first ate Pho (since I was little, I guess). I would hand-pick all the cilantro and green onions in the bowl! I also avoided all the herbs/ vegetables to go with Pho. Many Vietnamese friends just joked that I was not Vietnamese at all. But now, since I've been away for some time and am losing my culture, I somehow start trying to become "Vietnamese" again by accepting cilantro and all the herbs in my Pho.
Another funny thing is how you all "adapt" to having Pho. Most of my foreign friends (Japanese, American, etc...) just completely ignore all the extra stuff like chili sauce, sriracha sauce, bean sprouts, and the herbs... One of my Japanese friends even added cold water to her soup because it was too salty and hot for her! But sure, she absolutely likes Pho.
About the noodles, Pho (or we call banh pho) is different from Hu tieu (like someone has mentioned above) and the rest of many other kinds of noodles. While Pho and Hu tieu are both rice noodles, Pho tends to be flat, bigger and softer than Hu tieu. Mi is totally different since it's egg noodle. Another kind which is also very common is bu'n (vermicelli). It's also a kind of rice noodles but small and rounded. Well, in Bu'n Bo`, the noodles are big, but they are still bu'n and rounded. Then we also have tapioca noodles (mien), wheat noodles (banh canh, banh tam), and some more. Are you confused enough??? hahaha...
Anyway, thanks again for loving our food. Also, your comments about guys and girls in relationships are so true, at least to me, another girl ...like you, hahaha...
j says
fyi, fish sauce is awesome...awesome with plain vermicelli and meat and with your deep fried spring rolls