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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Pho is a traditional dish and can be said to represent the entire cuisine of the S-shaped land. One of them, of course, cannot overlook the super attractive chicken pho! What are you waiting for to start cooking with TasteVN to prepare the “beloved dish” right away!
Ingredients for Chicken Pho For 4 people
Pork bones 1.5 kg Local chicken 1.6 kg Quail eggs 100 gr White radish 100 gr Onion 150 gr (3 bulbs) Cilantro 20 gr Green onion 1 stalk Red onion 5 bulbs Lemon 1 fruit Ginger 1 piece Fresh pho noodles 200 gr Chinese medicinal spices 1 pack Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Chicken seasoning powder 3 tablespoons Rock sugar 4 tablespoons Salt/MSG a little
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh chicken
- Fresh chicken is characterized by shiny yellow skin, not darkened, and no unusual bruises on the surface.
- Additionally, the chicken meat should have a bright pink color, with no signs of bruising, and when pressed, it feels soft but not mushy or slimy.
- Moreover, you should pay attention to the size and weight of the chickens, making sure they are not significantly different, as a small chicken with a large weight may have been injected with water.
How to choose fresh pork bones
- Fresh pork bones always have a red color, and the meat should not show any unusual colors or have dark bruises or strange tiny spots on the surface.
- Additionally, when pressing the meat, it should feel firm, have good elasticity, not be too soft and mushy, and not be slimy.
- Moreover, if there is a strong chemical smell, you should definitely avoid buying it as it may be pork bones that have been treated with chemicals for longer preservation.
Where to buy Chinese medicinal spices
- You can easily find Chinese medicinal spices at traditional medicine shops and markets everywhere.
- Additionally, Chinese medicinal spices are also widely sold on online platforms. However, you should choose places with a clear reputable brand and check if the products are moldy.
- Currently, a complete set of Chinese medicinal spices ranges in price from about 8,000 to 13,000 VND/package (price updated in September 2021).
Tools required
Pot, grill rack, pan, knife, cutting board, bowl,…
How to make Chicken Pho
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Prepare and simmer the bones
First, soak the pork bones in diluted salt water for 5 – 7 minutes. Next, rinse them several times with clean water and let them drain.
Then, place a pot on the stove with 1 liter of water over high heat. When the water starts to boil, add all the prepared pork bones and blanch them for about 3 – 5 minutes.
When the pork bones are slightly firm, turn off the heat, rinse the bones directly under cold running water, and let them drain.
Effective ways to eliminate the smell of pork bones
- Method 1: You can eliminate the smell of pork bones by blanching them in boiling water for 3 – 5 minutes, then rinsing them with clean water.
- Method 2: Additionally, use a mixture of salt and white vinegar to rub the meat for 5 minutes, then rinse several times with clean water to remove the odor immediately.
- Method 3: Another common method to remove the smell is to soak the pork bones in rice water for 15 minutes, which is also very effective.
See more: Tips to eliminate the smell of all types of meat you should know
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Prepare other ingredients
After buying the chicken, take a little salt and rub it on the surface of the meat for 3 – 5 minutes, while also removing any remaining dirty blood, then wash it again 2 – 3 times with clean water and let it drain.
For the white radish, cut off the ends, rinse it directly under clean running water, let it drain, and then slice it into rounds. Next, take an onion, peel it, and then slice it thinly.
For green onions and coriander, cut off the roots, wash them clean, let them drain, and then chop them finely.
How to prepare and eliminate the smell of chicken
- To clean the chicken feathers, you can blanch the chicken with boiling water and a few guava leaves for 3 – 5 minutes. After that, vigorously pluck the chicken feathers and rinse it several times with clean water.
- Additionally, the chicken feathers can also be cleaned by blanching the chicken with boiling water and crushed papaya leaves for 3 – 5 minutes.
- You can use vinegar mixed with salt to rub on the surface of the meat for 3 – 5 minutes, then rinse several times with clean water to eliminate any odors.
- Alternatively, you can also use lemon juice mixed with salt and follow the same method to remove the smell.
See details: How to prepare and eliminate the smell of chicken
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Boil chicken and quail eggs
After preparing the ingredients, you place another pot on the stove with 5 liters of water, all the blanched pork bones, 1 free-range chicken, 1.5 tablespoons of salt, and 1 tablespoon of rock sugar, and proceed to boil for 10 minutes on high heat.
Once the water is boiling, you reduce to low heat and continue boiling for another 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked, then you take the chicken out and plunge it into ice water for 5 minutes to firm up the meat, then remove the chicken to drain and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Next, you continue to add all the quail eggs to boil for 5 – 7 minutes. When the quail eggs are cooked, you take them out and place them in a bowl to cool.
How to boil chicken to a golden color, without cracking the skin
- To avoid the chicken skin cracking while boiling, you should put the chicken in when the water is still cold, and the water should just cover the surface of the meat.
- If you want the chicken to have a beautiful golden color, after boiling, you can dilute turmeric powder, use a brush to apply it to the surface of the chicken skin and let it absorb for 15 minutes. Then, drizzle some hot water over the surface of the chicken skin.
See details: How to boil chicken to a golden color, without cracking the skin
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Grilling and roasting ingredients
You place the grill on the stove along with all the sliced shallots, ginger, 2 onions, and white radish, and proceed to grill over low heat for about 3 – 5 minutes, until you smell the aroma of the ingredients, then turn off the heat.
Next, place a pan on the stove along with all the Chinese medicinal spices, and roast over low heat for 3 – 5 minutes. When the spices release their fragrance, you turn off the heat.
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Cook Pho
With the broth pot from earlier, add all the white radish and onion directly, and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes.
At the same time, take a cloth bag or strainer and add all the spices that were just roasted, ginger, shallots, 4 roots of coriander, and the peel of 1 lemon into it. Then, add it all into the broth pot.
Next, remove all the ingredients, then season with 3 tablespoons of chicken seasoning, 1.5 tablespoons of salt, 3 tablespoons of rock sugar, 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, using a ladle to stir well, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, then turn off the heat.
Tip:- You can use kaffir lime leaves instead of lemon peel, however, lemon peel will make the broth more aromatic.
- Since the simmering time is quite long, you should add a little water to the pot every hour!
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Completion
Once the broth is done, place another pot on the stove with 200ml of water on high heat. When the water boils, add all the fresh pho noodles and blanch for 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl.
Finally, add the chicken, quail eggs, green onions, and ladle the broth over the top, then enjoy immediately!
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Final Product
It’s hard to believe that chicken pho can be made so easily, isn’t it?
A steaming bowl of pho with a sweet and clear broth is truly impressive, combined with the soft white rice noodles, fresh and firm chicken, and creamy egg yolks. Oh, it’s so tempting!
Additionally, to make the chicken pho even more complete, you can prepare some fresh herbs and a bowl of chili sauce and soy sauce for dipping!