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ByNancyLindahl Pronounced "fuh", (rhymes with "duh"), pho is a Vietnamese broth soup that's easy to fall in love with. Vietnamese beef noo- dle pho has chewy noodles, an amazing aromatic, sa- vory broth, tender slices of beef and crunchy, spicy, leafy garnishes to toss on top. On a cold evening, af- ter a grueling day at work, or on a lazy weekend after- noon, a bowl of piping hot pho is nice to wrap around. The term pho actually re- fers to the noodles, not the soup, and they are pristine white rice-flour noodles, always tender with great body, made daily and sold in the Vietnamese markets. In Vietnam, Pho is a dish that is served primarily at breakfast time and remains a staple of the early-rising Vietnamese population, ac- cording to Matt Rodbard of Food Republic, who trav- eled throughout Vietnam with American chefs as guests of the Red Boat Fish Sauce company. "Pho is like cereal, Pop Tarts, oatmeal and scram- bled egg," he wrote. "It's how you start the day. In the mercilessly crowded cities, pho is typically eaten at street stalls, where Viet- namese park their motor- bikes before diving into a bowl." It's the broth that keeps a pho stall in business. "A good pho broth is crys- tal clear, like a French consommé, and packs two punches. For pho bo (beef), there's the under- lying earthiness brought on by the long simmering of bones, oxtail and flank. For pho ga (chicken), the en- tire bird is used. The second component of the broth is spice and aromatics. In pho, cinnamon and star anise lead the charge, with assists from cloves and cardamom. Roasted and/or charred on- ions and ginger are the key vegetable components." There's a minimal amount of meat, and maybe fish balls which are cooked individually, and like the rice noodles, placed in a basket and thrust into a pot of boiling water before they go into each individ- ual bowl. Plentiful garnishes are what many associate with a bowl of pho, either piled in a basket, presented on a separate plate, or floating in the bowl atop the broth, noodles and thin slices of meat. Look for fresh Thai basil, (sharp and biting), rau ram, (Vietnamese co- riander with a flavor like a cross between mint and cilantro), bean sprouts for crunch, Thai chili peppers (hot!), green onions, sliced jalapenos and cilantro. "For pho, herbs are best ripped up and sprinkled into the broth, as opposed to the entire leaf being sub- merged. The play between the bitter greens and the sweet-and-sour broth, with noodles playing their key role, is magic." But before the garnishes, taste the broth and appre- ciate its amazing complex- ity. Making great broth is a time-consuming process, but it's lazy time. The broth needs to simmer slowly for 6-8 hours without boiling, which would make it cloudy, but you are free to read a book, watch football, or go to bed while a slow oven or slow cooker does the work. Charles Phan, owner and chef of San Francisco's Slanted Door restaurant explains the difference be- tween a classic French stock and Vietnamese broth: "A classic French stock is made by first roasting bones in the oven to draw out im- purities. But because most Vietnamese kitchens don't have ovens, Vietnamese cooks always first blanch the bones briefly in boiling water, then rinse them thor- oughly with fresh water be- fore simmering in more wa- ter to make stock. "The two techniques, though quite different achieve the same goal: a clear stock free of impu- rities. And while a French stock draws roasted flavor and color from the browned bones, a Vietnamese stock is flavored and colored by roasted onions and garlic, which were traditionally blackened over an open flame." From Phan's "Viet- namese Home Cooking," 2012. The four important techniques that create a noteworthy pho broth are blanching and rinsing the bones before they go into the stock to clarify the broth, toasting the aromat- ics, star anise, cardamom, Vietnamese cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns in a dry skillet until they make a popping sound, blister- ing and charring the on- ion, garlic and ginger, and simmering the stock slowly and gently for 6-8 hours, or overnight for the flavors to develop. Ready to try a pot? This recipe is from chef Thomas Joseph in collaboration with Martha Stewart: Pho INGREDIENTS For the broth: 4poundsmarroworknuckle bones, rinsed and patted dry 3pounds oxtail, rinsed and patted dry 21/2 pounds beef brisket, rinsed and patted dry 10whole cloves 6pieces star anise 2sticks Vietnamese cin- namon 2black cardamom pods 2teaspoons whole black peppercorns 2teaspoons coriander seeds 1teaspoon fennel seeds 1(4-inch) piece ginger, halved lengthwise 2large onions 4shallots 1/3 cup Vietnamese fish sauce 1(11/2-inch) piece yellow rock sugar (you can also use palm sugar or light brown sugar, about 2Tablespoons For Serving 1(16-ounce) package pho rice noodles 1/2 onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 4to 5scallions, thinly sliced 8ounces eye of the round, frozen until firm and thinly sliced Vietnamese cilantro, for serving Thai basil, for serving Bean sprouts, for serving Lime wedges, for serving Thai bird's eye chills, thinly sliced, for serving Chile sauce, such as Sam- bal, for serving Hoisin sauce, for serving DIRECTIONS Make the broth: Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add bones, oxtail, and brisket to boiling water and cook for 5minutes. Drain and return to stockpot. Meanwhile, place cloves, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds in a medium skillet and toast over medium high heat until fragrant, 2to 3 minutes. Transfer spices to a plate to cool; set aside. Preheat broiler. Place onions, shallots, and ginger on a baking sheet and place under broiler until blistered and charred. Alternatively, using tongs, hold onions, shallots, and ginger indi- vidually over an open flame; transfer onions, shallots, ginger, and spices to stock- pot with bones and meat. Add enough water to stockpot to cover bones, meat, onions, shallots, and ginger (32to 40cups). Place stockpot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Let simmer 6to 8hours, skimming impurities from the top as necessary. Remove brisket from stockpot and transfer to refrigerator; chill until firm before thinly slicing. Remove bones, oxtail, and large piec- es of onions and ginger from stockpot and discard. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth; discard solids. Stir in fish sauce and yellow rock sugar. Skim any remaining fat from surface (refrigerating broth overnight will make this easier) and discard. To serve: Place noodles in a large bowl and add enough water to cover; let soak 30 minutes and drain. Bring broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat; add soaked noodles and cook, swishing noodles to release starch and prevent clump- ing. Immediately divide noodles evenly between 8 to 10serving bowls. Top with sliced onions, scallions, and eye of the round and brisket sliced. Ladle over hot broth and serve immediately with cilantro, Thai basil, lime wedges, bean sprouts, chili, chili sauce, and hoisin sauce. Making soup at home, its important to warm the bowls before serving and bring the stock to a full boil before ladling it into the bowls. Phan empha- sizes the technique: "the order of assembly is im- portant: noodles are put in the bowl first, next the meat, and finally the stock is ladled over the top. Herb garnishes and lime wedges are served alongside — and never, ever in the bowl. A bowl of soup should be hot from start to finish, and you should eat it quickly, be- fore it cools, or before the noodles overcook, and yes, slurping is OK." The idea of the garnishes is to add texture as well as flavor and aroma: "We take the aromatics very seriously. The basil and the lime, for instance, we don't add all at once. We put them in a few pieces at a time. Let the hot soup melt the herb so you get the aromatic flavor and the smell of the herb." The trick is to add a lit- tle bit of each item as you eat your way through the bowl, not to dump them in all at once. You want the herbs to maintain their fra- grance, the bean sprouts to stay crunchy. It's all about aroma and texture, and if you add too much too soon, you'll end up with black herbs and soft sprouts, which defeats the whole purpose. "The Vietnamese sensi- bility is not just on the fla- vor of the soup but also how you smell the fresh herbs. Of course, you have Srira- cha dipping sauce on the side." There is also a technique to eating pho according to traveling chef Matt Rod- bard: "I'm right-handed, so I'll take you through my process. The bowl arrives. Plastic chopsticks in right hand, soup spoon in left. Sip the broth first (I stress this because it's important) while you work the noo- dles with your chopsticks. It's OK, even preferred, that you stick your face into the bowl while slurping. You get a hit of those aromat- ics while avoiding a messy splatter. "Once the noodles are gone (they usually go first), raise the bowl to your lips with both hands and pol- ish it off. This is not impo- lite. This is how you finish a bowl of pho — like a child would finish a bowl of Ap- ple Jacks. Both are great in the morning. ——— While slow-cooked pho is absolutely peerless, you can make a much quicker version using store-bought beef stock. This "quick" pho doesn't have quite the same depth or home-cooked fla- vor, but when a pho crav- ing hits on a random week- night and you need a bowl of tasty noodles, you can throw together a bowl of cheater pho, or faux pho in less than an hour with Cheater's Asian Broth. Cheater's Asian Broth Adaptedfromarecipeby Lynne Rosetto Kasper of Splendid Table fame: INGREDIENTS: 1medium onion, thin sliced 4large cloves garlic, thin sliced 2- to 3-inch piece fresh gin- ger, peeled and thin sliced 6whole cloves 1star anise, bruised, or 1/2 teaspoon anise seed Fresh-ground black pepper 4cans low sodium beef broth 2tablespoons sugar 2teaspoons Asian fish sauce Soup: 6to 8ounces linguine-style rice noodles 6to 8ounces top round steak Garnishes: 10branches fresh coriander 6to 8branches Thai, or other basil 2serrano or jalapeno chilies, thin sliced Generous handful bean sprouts 1large lime, cut into wedges Hoisin sauce Hot sauce INSTRUCTIONS Position an oven rack 4to 6 inches from the broiler, and preheat. Double up a very large piece of heavy foil. Scatter on the foil the onion, garlic, ginger, cloves, anise, and 5grinds of pepper. Broil for 5minutes, turning the pieces once. You want the onion to have some toasted edges, and the spices should be fragrant. Scrape everything into a 6-quart pot. Be sure to get all the anise seed. Add the broth, sugar, and fish sauce, bring to a gentle bubble, cover tightly, and simmer for 20minutes. Put the rice noodles in a large bowl, and cover them with very hot tap water. (To keep them hot, cover the bowl with a plate.) Soak the noodles for 10to 15minutes or until they are tender, but with a little more firmness than you want. Stir a few times. When ready, drain and rinse well with cold water. Divide the noodles between 2large soup bowls. As the broth simmers and noodles soak, arrange the table salad, (garnishes), on a platter and set out the sauces. To serve, divide the beef between the soup bowls. Ladle the bubbling broth into the bowls. Top each serving with a few sprigs of the coriander and serve. If Cheater's Pho is out of reach, you can enjoy a good bowl of pho at the Banshee restaurant in downtown Chico, the Noodle House on Mangrove, or Pho C&C on Cohasset. May your broth be clear. SWEET BASIL AND THE BEE Don't call it 'foe' CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS BY NANCY LINDAHL Preparing the aromatics for the broth is a starting step for making pho. Pho's easy to fall in love with, once you get the pronunciation right redbluffdailynews.com • Choice of ad sizes • Free ad design • Free link to your webpage Now Look Here... Get All This ➞ 6,000 guaranteed online ad impressions For $ 99 CallyourDailyNewsadvertisingreptoday! (530) 527-2151 advertise@redbluffdailynews.com FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, January 27, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B6