Thuy Pham’s chicken pho (phó gà)

Name: Thuy Pham’s chicken pho (phó gà)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: Vietnamese recipes
Ingredients: For the broth; Dash vegetable oil; 2 onions, trimmed and halved (no need to peel); 8 shallots, topped and tailed (no need to peel); 1 banana (echalion) shallot, halved; 100g ginger, thickly sliced; 20g star anise; 20g cinnamon sticks; 2 tbsp coriander seeds; 1.5kg whole chicken; 1 daikon/mooli (about 30cm), peeled and cut into thick batons; 70ml fish sauce; 30g rock sugar or caster sugar; 2 tsp fine salt; To serve; 400g dried pho noodles; 200g beansprouts; 8 spring onions, finely sliced and kept in a bowl of iced water to crisp up; 1 red onion, finely sliced; 4 red bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced; 20g thai basil; 20g coriander; 8 tbsp crispy fried shallots; 1 lime, cut into cheeks or wedges; Hoisin sauce to serve; Sriracha to serve

Portion size: Serves 8
Prep time 15 min. Cook time 2 hours
Difficulty: medium

Dairy-free

Freezable

Gluten-free

Recipe by: Thuy Pham

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The king of noodle soups, Thuy Pham’s chicken pho offers everything you need on a cold evening. The combination of fresh toppings, tender poached chicken and slippery rice noodles are brought together by the deeply savoury, aromatic broth.

Born in Vietnam, Thuy moved to the UK aged eight. Years later she went on to host a successful supper club with her husband, before running award-winning restaurant The Little Viet Kitchen in north London. Thuy’s focus now, she says, is on “being Mummy to baby Jacob, writing cookbooks and sharing food in as many ways as possible”. Her latest cookbook, Vietnamese Made Easy (Quadrille £22), is out now. Follow Thuy on Instagram.

Discover more delicious Vietnamese recipes.

Before you start

Don’t waste it The broth freezes well, so it’s worth making the full amount, even if you’re not serving 8. It’s easy to use up extra chicken in salads, sandwiches, pies… The other ingredients can be scaled down to serve 2, 4 or 6 people.

Thuy’s tips…
Charring the onions, shallots and ginger adds colour and a smoky savouriness to the broth, so make sure they’re nice and blackened.

Don’t be scared by the large amounts of whole spices and fish sauce in the broth. Follow the measurements and you’ll be rewarded with a perfectly balanced flavour profile.

A clear, golden broth is key to a good pho – which is why skimming the surface of any impurities is so important. Don’t be tempted to stir or agitate the broth while it simmers, either, as this can make your stock cloudy.

Stainless steel tea strainers are a great way to add the whole spices to your broth and make it easier to remove them. Lift out the other solids with a slotted spoon before straining the broth.

Make sure your serving bowls are warm – fill them with boiling water from the kettle for a few seconds, then empty them out.

Make sure the broth is simmering hot before you ladle it into your bowls. You want it to heat through the chicken and noodles.

In the bowls, submerge the red onion to lightly cook it. Be generous with the herbs, too – along with the lime, they add fresh fragrance.

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Ingredients

For the broth

Dash vegetable oil
2 onions, trimmed and halved (no need to peel)
8 shallots, topped and tailed (no need to peel)
1 banana (echalion) shallot, halved
100g ginger, thickly sliced
20g star anise
20g cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1.5kg whole chicken
1 daikon/mooli (about 30cm), peeled and cut into thick batons
70ml fish sauce
30g rock sugar or caster sugar
2 tsp fine salt

To serve

400g dried pho noodles
200g beansprouts
8 spring onions, finely sliced and kept in a bowl of iced water to crisp up
1 red onion, finely sliced
4 red bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced
20g thai basil
20g coriander
8 tbsp crispy fried shallots
1 lime, cut into cheeks or wedges
Hoisin sauce to serve
Sriracha to serve

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Method

Add a dash of oil to a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the onions, all the shallots and ginger pieces in a single layer,then cook for 6-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until blackened and charred all over (see Thuy’s tips, below). Set aside.
Turn the heat down and add the star anise, cinnamon and coriander seeds to the same pan. Toast for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then set aside.
Pour 3.5 litres water into a large stockpot. Add the chicken and set over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 13 minutes, skimming off any froth that forms on the surface to remove impurities.
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Add the charred onions, shallots and ginger, followed by the toasted whole spices and daikon. Bring back to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, skimming the foam from the surface of the water once more.
Carefully transfer the chicken to a carving board. Carve off the breasts and legs and set aside. Return the chicken carcass to the pot and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the noodles in cold water for 30 45 minutes.
Lift out and discard the solids from the chicken pot, then strain the broth through a fine sieve into another pan. Return to the pot and add the fish sauce, sugar and salt, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then keep simmering over a low heat.
Bring a small pan of water to the boil and get your ingredients ready. Drain the noodles, then submerge them in the boiling water for just 4-6 seconds. Lift out and divide among warm serving bowls (see Thuy’s tips). In the same boiling water, add the beansprouts and blanch for 4-6 seconds, then drain.
Slice or tear the chicken breast and leg meat and arrange on top of the noodles. Ladle over lots of broth, then add the blanched beansprouts, the spring onions, red onion and chillies. Finish with a few sprigs of Thai basil and coriander, and a sprinkling of crispy shallots, then serve with lime wedges and the sauces for dipping the chicken pieces into.