Uyen Luu

Six of the best pho recipes

From the traditional beef soup to a dry vegan version, these Vietnamese noodle dishes bring deep and rich flavours enlivened by the brightness of fresh, crisp garnishes.

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Vegan pho

Vegan pho: packed with vegetables and tofu.
Photograph: Uyen Luu for the Guardian

Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 6

For the broth:
1 white onion, peeled, topped and tailed, to create flat surfaces for the griddle 
2 large thumbs ginger, peeled and halved lengthways
½ daikon, peeled
3.5 litres water 
1kg mixed root veg (carrot, swede, turnip, celeriac, parsnip)
250g mushrooms (chestnut, oyster or shiitake)
1 fennel bulb
2 celery sticks
½ tsp sugar
25g salt 
20 star anise
1 small cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
Vegetable oil, for frying 120g block firm tofu, sliced into thick, short batons 
75g dry flat rice noodles per person

To garnish: 
Black pepper
Bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced
Spring onions, thinly sliced
1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
A handful of coriander, roughly chopped
16-20 enoki mushrooms
Green leaves (pak choi, chard, cress, spinach)

Char the whole onion, ginger and daikon on a griddle. Boil the water in a large pot. Add the charred veg, root veg, mushrooms, fennel and celery. Add the sugar, salt and spices, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove and set aside the mushrooms, then simmer the broth for 40 minutes. Remove and reserve the remaining vegetables from the pot.

Meanwhile, fry the tofu in hot oil for five minutes on each side, until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper.

To serve, cook the noodles according to packet instructions, drain thoroughly, then portion into bowls and season with black pepper and chilli slices. Top with the tofu, sliced stock veg, spring onion, shallot, coriander, enoki and leaves. Ladle over the hot broth, submerging everything. Serve at once with more of the garnishes.

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Chicken pho

Chicken pho: poached to perfection.
Photograph: Uyen Luu for the Guardian

Prep 20 min
Cook 2 hours
Serves 6

For the broth:
1 large chicken, trimmed of excess skin and fat
6 litres water (or enough to cover the chicken)
1 large onion, peeled, topped and tailed
200g piece ginger, peeled and halved
10cm piece daikon, peeled
20 star anise
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 black cardamom pods
30g rock sugar (or 2 tsp caster sugar)
15g sea salt
Fish sauce
75g dry flat rice noodles per person

To garnish:
Black pepper
Bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced
Red onion, thinly sliced
Spring onions, sliced
Leaves from a few sprigs of Thai basil
1 handful coriander, roughly chopped
Lime wedges

Submerge the chicken in a large pot of boiling water. Bring back to a boil, then leave to simmer.

On a griddle, char the onion, ginger and daikon. Add to the broth with the spices, sugar and salt, and simmer for 45-60 minutes, skimming off impurities, until the chicken is cooked and the juices run clear. Remove the chicken and leave to cool, then tear or slice the meat.

Return the bones and carcass to the stock to simmer for a further 30 minutes, then season the broth to taste with fish sauce.

To serve, cook the noodles according to packet instructions, drain thoroughly, then portion into bowls and season with black pepper and chilli slices. Put the sliced chicken on top, garnish with red onion, spring onion, basil and coriander, then ladle over the hot broth, submerging everything. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

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Beef pho

Beef pho: the addition of oxtail makes the broth wonderfully rich.
Photograph: Uyen Luu for the Guardian

Prep 30 min
Cook 4 hrs
Serves 6

For the broth:
Water
2 large oxtail chunks
1.5kg beef shin, flank or beef rib
1kg beef bones
2 litres chicken stock
1 large onion, peeled and topped and tailed 
200g ginger, peeled and halved
1 hand-size piece of daikon, peeled, halved
30 star anise
6 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 heaped tsp coriander seeds 
1 heaped tsp fennel seeds 
2 black cardamom pods
30g rock sugar (or 2 tsp caster sugar)
3 tsp salt
6 tbsp fish sauce
75g dry flat rice noodles per person

To garnish:
Black pepper
Bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced 
Red onion, thinly sliced
Spring onions, sliced
A handful of coriander, coarsely chopped
Lime wedges

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the meat and bones. Boil for 10 minutes to clean the meat, until froth surfaces. Take them off the heat, discard all the water and rinse the meat.

Wash the pot, fill with four litres of water, bring to a boil, add the meat and stock, cover and simmer. Meanwhile, char the onion, ginger and daikon on a griddle, then add to the broth.

Add the spices, sugar and salt to the broth, and simmer, covered, for two hours, skimming off impurities.

Remove the meat and, once cooled, slice thinly. Leave the bones and oxtail in the broth to simmer for one hour then season with fish sauce to taste.

To serve, cook the noodles according to packet instructions, drain, then portion into bowls and season with black pepper and chilli slices. Top with sliced meat, red onion, spring onion and coriander, then ladle over the broth, submerging everything. Serve with lime wedges.

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Beef stew pho

Beef stew pho: this variation comes with a velvety sauce.
Photograph: Uyen Luu for the Guardian

Prep 30 min
Cook 2 hrs
Serves 4

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped 
3 tbsp vegetable oil
450g braising beef, beef tendons or rib, cut into bite-sized cubes
15g ginger, peeled and finely chopped 
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
4 cloves
400ml coconut water or water
200ml beef or chicken pho stock, beef stock or white wine
1 bay leaf 
10 star anise 
1 cinnamon stick
400g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
200g whole baby carrots 
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
2 handfuls fresh or frozen peas
75g dry flat rice noodles per person

To garnish:
Black pepper
Chilli flakes (optional)
Lime or lemon wedges
Thai basil
A handful of coriander, roughly chopped

Sweat the onion in the oil on a low-medium heat, then turn up the heat and brown the beef on all sides. Add the ginger, garlic and lemongrass, and fry for about five minutes). Add the ground coriander, paprika and cloves, fry for two minutes, then pour in the coconut water and stock. Add the bay leaf, star anise and cinnamon, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Add the potatoes and carrots, season with the salt, sugar and fish sauce, if using, and simmer, covered, for 30-50 minutes, until the meat is tender, with some bite to it.

When ready to serve, stir in the peas, bring back to a boil and cook for five minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to packet instructions, drain and rinse, then portion into bowls and season with black pepper and chilli. Ladle the stew on top, and serve with the garnishes.

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Dry pho with tofu and dipping sauce

Dry pho with tofu and dipping sauce: three elements to be savoured separately.
Photograph: Uyen Luu for the Guardian

Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 2

For the broth:
See vegan pho recipe, top

For the noodles:
60g block of firm tofu, sliced into thick, short batons
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
60g mushrooms, (chestnut, oyster, shiitake), sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar or maple syrup
75g dry flat rice noodles per person
80g beansprouts
1 boiled egg, peeled and halved

For the sauce:
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp cooking oil
100ml vegan pho broth
1 bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp black bean sauce 
Juice of ½ lime

To garnish:
2 spring onions, halved and sliced lengthways
12 sprigs coriander leaves and stalks, chopped
1 red chilli, sliced
2 lime wedges
Thai basil leaves

Follow the vegan pho recipeto make the broth. Fry the tofu in hot oil for five minutes a side until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paperblot. When cool, cut into 1cm cubes.

Wipe clean the pan, then fry the shallots in a dash of oil until soft. Add the tofu, mushrooms, soy and sugar or maple syrup and fry for two minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.

Remove the stock veg from the broth and cut.

For the sauce, fry the shallots in the oil in a small saucepan until light golden. Add the vegan pho rest of the ingredients and a dash of cooking oil, and bring to a gentle boil to reduce for a few minutes.

To serve, cook the noodles to packet instructions with the beansprouts, drain and rinse, then portion into bowls. Top with the cooked vegetables, tofu and mushrooms, half an egg per bowl and the garnishes.

To eat, dip the cold noodles and remaining veg in the sauce, and drink the hot broth from separate bowls, garnished with spring onion and coriander and a squeeze of lime.

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Stir-fried pho with vegetables

Stir-fried pho with vegetables: don’t have much time?
Try this quick version. Photograph: Uyen Luu for the Guardian

Prep 20 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 2-3

For the stir-fry:
400g dry rice noodles
2 vegetable tbsp oil
70g jerusalem artichokes, peeled and thinly sliced
100g sugar snap peas, sliced lengthways
50g celery leaves and tips, chopped
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
200ml pho stock, or white wine, vegetable stock or water
2 pinches black pepper
1 white onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
80g beansprouts

To garnish:
Thai basil
1 handful coriander, roughly chopped

Cook the noodles for a minute short of the packet instructions until al dente, drain and rinse.

Heat a dash of oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until very hot, then fry the jerusalem artichokes, sugar snap peas and celery.

Add a tablespoon each of the oyster and soy sauces, the stock, white wine or water, and cook for a couple of minutes. Season with the black pepper, then transfer to a plate.

Heat another dash of oil in the same pan, then stir-fry the onion for a minute. Add the garlic, noodles and remaining oyster and soy sauces and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the beansprouts and a dash more stock, stir-fry for a further minute, then transfer to serving plates with the vegetables. Serve immediately garnished with Thai basil and coriander.

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Uyen Luu

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Uyen Luu is the author of My Vietnamese Kitchen (Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99).
Get it for £12.99 at the Guardian Bookshop, guardianbookshop.com.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/14/six-of-the-best-pho-recipes