Phở Gà
Phở Gà is not only the traditional Vietnamese chicken noodle soup and the cure for just about everything, it is also the entrée that my wife and I shared on our very first date. It’s pretty tough to eat this soup like a lady or gentleman. It’s very hands-on and chasing around and slurping up spoonfuls of slippery wet noodles is the perfect ice breaker and antidote to the nervous first-date jitters. Again, it cures just about everything and may be a little bit of a love potion as well.
You cannot really dislike Phở Gà because you basically build the soup yourself right at the table. It starts out with a simple chicken stock flavored with cloves, ginger, garlic, anise, cinnamon, and coriander seeds. It is accompanied with chicken and thin rice stick noodles. From there, it’s really up to you. Bean sprouts, limes, red onions, serranos, sriracha, scallions, and an array of fresh Asian herbs are all fair game. You can make this soup spicy, citrusy, fresh, savory, salty, or a combination with a simple flick of a few raw garnishes. My favorite is to add mushrooms and tofu while the soup is still cooking and garnish with a trinity of chopped thai basil, mint, and cilantro. I also like to throw in some wilted Chinese water spinach for a texture and color contrast.
Phở Gà
- 1 block firm tofu, cubed
- 1 cooked chicken carcass, with some meat still left on it
- 2.5 quarts cold water
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed and minced
- 2 inch chunk ginger, minced
- 1 chopped sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 10 dried cloves
- 20 coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon anise extract
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 pound of thin rice stick noodles, cooked
Garnishes:
- red onions, thinly sliced
- limes, sliced into wedges
- Chinese water spinach, chopped
- bean sprouts
- serranos or jalapeños, julienned
- scallions, chopped into rings
- Sriracha chili sauce
- Thai basil, fresh mint, and cilantro
Begin by breaking down our chicken carcass, into legs, wings, thighs, breasts, and the remaining body. In a large stock pot filled with the cold water, add the carcass pieces. Begin to boil and reduce heat to a nice simmer. In a small hot pan add the cloves, coriander, and cinnamon sticks, cover, and cook until they begin to smoke. Toss them every now and again to make sure they don’t catch on fire. You just want a nice smolder to intensify the aromas. After they get a good char, add the spices to the stock pot. Add the garlic, ginger, onion, and sugar. Cover and simmer for one to two hours or until the meat can easily be removed from the chicken. During this time, you will want to skim the surface of the pot every 15-20 minutes or so to remove the foam. Carefully pull the chicken pieces from the broth to a cutting board. Carve the meat from the carcass and reserve. Using a cheese cloth or large sieve, filter out all of the solids from the soup and discard.
Return the broth to the stock pot, add the chicken, tofu, and mushrooms. Simmer for 15 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Serve hot in a large bowl with a portion of rice noodles. Garnish as desired.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (PER SERVING):
Servings: 6
Food energy: 227kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 0.85g
Monounsaturated fatty acids: 4.37g
Polyunsaturated fatty acids: 0.97g
Total fat: 6.19g
Calories from fat: 55
Cholesterol: 3mg
Carbohydrate, by difference: 34.41g
Total dietary fiber: 6.14g
Protein: 11.99g
Total lipid (fat): 7.06g
Water: 207.04g
Ash: 2.06g
Total sugars: 6.10g
Calcium: 223mg
Iron: 3.27mg
Magnesium: 81mg
Phosphorus: 202mg
Potassium: 422mg
Sodium: 41mg
Zinc: 1.75mg
Copper: 0.41mg
Manganese: 2.06mg
Selenium: 19.71μg
Vitamin C: 8.29mg
Thiamin: 0.13mg
Riboflavin: 0.24mg
Niacin: 2.19mg
Pantothenic acid: 1.03mg
Vitamin B6: 0.21mg
Folate, total: 37μg
Folic acid: –
Food folate: 37μg
Folate: 24μg dietary folate equivalents
Vitamin B12: 0.03μg
Vitamin A: 25IU
Vitamin A RAE: 1μg retinol activity equivalents
Retinol: 1μg
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol): 0.35mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone): 5.51μg
Alpha-carotene: –
Beta-carotene: 4μg
Beta-cryptoxanthin: 17μg
Lycopene: –
Lutein+zeazanthin: 5μg
Percent refuse: –
