Pho in Five
Pho noodle soup in five minutes? Pass me a spoon.
Is there anything better than a bowl of pho? The broth truly makes the meal with its elusive combination of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise, and coriander. Of course, to have your pho ready in five minutes requires a few more shortcuts, but you can still achieve the same delicious results as you would if you were to make everything from scratch.
This is also a great way to use up leftovers from the fridge and makes perfect use of the leftover bits from your rotisserie chicken still sitting in the fridge. You can also change this dish up endlessly with any number of meats and vegetables, too. —CFG
Ingredients:
Note: This recipe serves pho for two.
4 cups of pho broth (I use the Campbell’s 1 litre carton)
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded OR thinly sliced duck
2 cups baby bok choy OR spinach OR other leafy greens (such as baby kale or arugula), torn/sliced into bite-size pieces
2 cups of fresh bean sprouts
1 serving of Asian-style noodles (this portion is up to you and how ‘noodly’ you like your soup; you can also use any vermicelli/rice/ramen noodle)
1-2 tbsp of soya sauce
Chili pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
Fresh parsley/cilantro, chopped (to taste)
Directions:
Prepare your Asian-style noodles according to directions. (This is typically done by pouring near-boiling water over the noodles to cover completely, then letting the noodles sit for ~5 minutes while periodically checking for desired tenderness. Once ready, drain water and drizzle 1-2 tbsp of soya sauce over noodles — depending on how many noodles you prepared — and toss until fully mixed.)
In a medium saucepan, add in 4 cups of pho broth and bring to a boil.
Whiled the broth is warming up, prepare each serving bowl by placing 1 cup of greens on the bottom of the bowl, then layer 1 cup of bean sprouts on top. Next, add your Asian-style noodles, then top with 1/2 cup of shredded chicken.
Once broth is at a rolling boil, remove from heat and slowly pour 2 cups over each serving.
Top with a few chili pepper flakes (to taste) and pinches of fresh parsley/cilantro (optional).
Serve and enjoy!
Notes: Don’t forget to serve with a variety of sauces like hoisin, sriracha, or fish sauce. You can also substitute just about any vegetable, as long as it’s thinly sliced. I also like to throw a cinnamon stick into the broth while it’s boiling to really ramp up the flavour.
