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Ph? ( in Vietnamese; in English, written pho and typically ) is a traditional Vietnamese thinly sliced meat and rice-noodle soup dish.
Ingredients and preparation
Ph? is served as a bowl of white rice noodles in clear beef broth, with thin cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). Variations featuring tendon, tripe, meatballs, chicken leg, chicken breast, or other chicken organs (heart, liver, tongue, etc.) are also available.
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Encyclopedia
Ph? ( in Vietnamese; in English, written pho and typically ) is a traditional Vietnamese thinly sliced meat and rice-noodle soup dish.
Ingredients and preparation
Ph? is served as a bowl of white rice noodles in clear beef broth, with thin cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). Variations featuring tendon, tripe, meatballs, chicken leg, chicken breast, or other chicken organs (heart, liver, tongue, etc.) are also available. 'With the lot' (made with chicken broth and all or most of the shop's chicken and cattle offering, including chicken hearts and livers and beef tripe and tendons) is known as 'Ph? d?c bi?t' (unique ph?). There are also various vegetarian varieties of ph?.
Broth
The broth is generally made by simmering beef (and sometimes chicken) bones, oxtails, flank steak, charred onion, and spices, taking several hours to prepare. Seasonings include Saigon cinnamon, star anise, charred ginger, cloves, and sometimes black cardamom pods.
Noodles
The noodles, called bánh ph? in Vietnamese, are traditionally cut from wide sheets of fresh rice noodles similar to Chinese Shahe fen, although dried noodles (also called "rice sticks") may also be used. Fresh noodles have a chewy, al dente texture, though they are more expensive and highly perishable. Dried pho is much softer and more affordable.
Garnishes
The dish is garnished with ingredients such as green onions, white onions, coriander leaves (cilantro), ng̣ gai (culantro, or long coriander), Thai basil, fresh Thai chili peppers, lemon or lime wedges, and bean sprouts. These items are usually provided on a separate plate, which allows customers to add to their soup to taste. Some sauces such as hoisin sauce, Chinese black vinegar, fish sauce, and the Thai hot sauce Sriracha, are popular additions as well, along with sugar. The herb ng̣ ôm (Limnophila aromatica) is sometimes added as well.
For the ph? connoisseur, other garnishes which may be ordered on the side include hành tr?n (the white "bulb" portion of scallions, blanched in boiling broth) and hành gi?m (sliced white onions with a dash of vinegar). These are only brought to the table when specifically requested, as opposed to the general platter of greens and lime wedges. The diner typically squeezes a few drops of lime juice onto the vinegared onion slices before eating them. The hành tr?n and hành gi?m, when eaten with the beef slices, are believed to cut the fattiness and balance the strong beef aroma that some find overpowering.
Origins and regional differences
There are several regional variants of ph? in Vietnam, particularly divided between northern (Hanoi, called ph? b?c or "northern ph?"; or ph? Hà N?i), central (Hu?), and southern (Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon). One regional ph? may be sweeter, and another variation may emphasize a bolder and spicier flavor. "Northern ph?" tends to use somewhat wider noodles and green onions. On the other hand, southern Vietnamese generally use thinner noodles (approximately the width of pad Thai or linguine noodles), and add bean sprouts and a greater variety of fresh herbs to their ph? instead.
Cultural practices
Ph? can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The noodles are usually picked up with chopsticks and placed onto a soup spoon. The spoon is then dunked into the broth and topped with meat/condiments and eaten. Vietnamese ph? restaurants usually retain the cultural practice of not delivering the bill to a customer's table, since it is considered rude—in the Vietnamese culture, it is seen as a way of trying to rush the customer out the door.
Most tables usually have a numbering system and have chopsticks, spoons, serviettes and condiment dispensers. Hot sauce, usually either an XO sauce or satay chili sauce, and hoisin sauce are also available for those that like to dip their meat in them or add them to the soup.
Styles of ph?
The most common variety of ph? is a beef ph?, called ph? ḅ. Some Vietnamese restaurants have begun catering to non-Vietnamese customers by opening in other areas. Other cultures, such as the Korean culture, have also adapted ph? and provide a larger amount of onions as a side that is usually mixed with Sriracha sauce and Hoisin Sauce. Adapting to local tastes and diets, some Vietnamese restaurants in the United States have also started making chicken-based ph?, called ph? gà, or ph? without visible pieces of meat (called ph? rau), or even vegetarian ph? (called ph? chay) Ph? rau (rau literally meaning "leafy greens," but implying vegetables) may use a meat-based broth, while ph? chay (literally "Buddhist vegetarian ph?") features a broth that is not made from meat. The time it takes to make the non meat-based broth is much shorter and less tedious however has a different and lighter broth taste. , in addition to the traditional beef noodle soup. Seafood-based ph? is also commonly available. Another variation of ph? involves using egg noodles instead of rice noodles, which was based in Northern Vietnam. There are also Korean, Thai, and Lao variants of ph? available. Lao ph? (feu) is usually topped with fried garlic. Another style of ph? which is rare even among Vietnamese is ph? tái lan (ph? with medium-cooked beef).
External links
- Lam, Andrew. "Pho", All Things Considered, National Public Radio, September 2, 1999
- Norris, Michele. "From Pho to Fast Food, an Immigrant's Tale", All Things Considered, National Public Radio, February 6, 2007
- Prakash, Snigdha. "Pho Sells", Morning Edition, National Public Radio, June 3, 2002.
- Sullivan, Michael. "Vietnamese Pho Chain Takes on U.S. Competition", Morning Edition, National Public Radio, March 20, 2007.
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