pho: best soup?

[hawthorne]

IMHO you can keep your laksa and your gumbo, just pass the pho.

The Vietnamese fresh rice noodle soup is the best meal in a bowl soup there is.

Stock fragrant with ginger, garlic and star anise; fish sauce; fat fresh noodles; a few bits of rare beef or poached chicken; and a bunch of leafy greens and crunchy sprouts: a complete and balanced feast.

Easy to whip up at home. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

picmr

[Ukulele Ike]

I dunno, man...can you count the Asian noodle soups as "soups" ? Seems to me the soup is just an excuse to scarf the noodles.

I often take my midday meal at the local Greasy Chopstick on W. 49th Street, a Japanese noodle shop. While I clean my bowl of noodles, fishcakes, bean curd, and veggies, I often leave a fair amount of the broth behind.

To pick a soup where I REALLY scrape the plate, then mop up with a crust of bread....hmmmmmmm...I'll say...split pea. Hearty and nourishing and brimming with protein. And afterward, you KNOW you've eaten. Pass the salt n' pepper.

[hawthorne]

Fair enough Uke, but Japanese stock is pretty thin. I wouldn't blame you for leaving it. Pho on the other hand is loaded with protein (mmm, chicken carcass, sawn beef shin-bone) and aromatics - ginger, lemongrass, star anise, garlic.

picmr

[Narile]

And the best thing abot Pho ( To bad can't do the special character over the o ) is that if you eat enough of it, you don't have to worry about the expensive embalming procedures when you die!!!

Personally, I don't mind Pho, but it is not my favorite. I prefer Hot and Sour Soup, or Udon.

[Edwardina]

I've never had this stuff! I will definitely have to find some to try, now.

My favorite soup-that-eats-like-a-meal is War Wonton.

[xenophon41]

Personally, I don't mind Pho, but it is not my favorite. I prefer Hot and Sour Soup, or Udon.

Mmmmmm. Hot and sour soup; it'll cure what ails ya.

[hawthorne]

Narile said:

And the best thing abot Pho ( To bad can't do the special character over the o ) is that if you eat enough of it, you don't have to worry about the expensive embalming procedures when you die!!!

I ate a shitload of pho in Hanoi, so my corpse is gunna sit in the sun smelling sweet.

For those who don't know, it turns out that many a noodle vendor in Vietnam was using formaldahyde as a preservative.

On the "special character" front ("pho" has various squiggles, think "fur") I'd love to say I searched character map, but really I couldn't be arsed.

picmr

[Duck Duck Goose]

Never heard of it, sorry. Have you got a recipe, or even just a general idea? Does it use ingredients available at your friendly local Kroger store? I live at the bottom of a mine shaft, and don't have access to a lot of exotic Oriental ingredients. I know I've seen star anise at Kroger, but I'm not sure about "fresh rice noodles" or "fish sauce".

[Arnold Winkelried]

Here you go, Duck Duck Goose.

Vietnamese Beef Pho

[ReservoirDog]

Never had Pho.

Always liked French Onion, with that big slice of bread with the cheese all melted all over it, just floating merrily in the salty brown water. Whoooeeeee!! That's good.

[Shaky Jake]

Best summertime soup: Vichyssoise
Cool,refreshing, a meal in itself

mmmm, now I'll have to make a huge batch this week

[teela brown]

I just moved to the San Jose area, where there is a large Vietnamese population. I came equipped with exotic taste in foods, so I was happy to see a pho shop DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET from where I work: Dac Phuc. I eat there at least once a week. $4.89 for a big bowl of rice noodles, BBQ pork, shrimp, Thai basil, bean sprouts, and onions. Somebody pass the fish sauce -- I'm starting to drool. Pho fo' me!

[CalMeacham]

My wife discovered pho while she was on jury duty, and has ben a big fan ever since. We get it whenever we go to Chinatown, and she makes a faux pho at home using canned broth.

[ricepad]

Oh, yeah...pho...yum...

That's it. One man's tribute to pho.

[Commander Fortune]

Hot and Sour soup is my favorite, unfortunately it is frequently neither.

[SunSawed]

Thom Yum Goong

Thai rules!

[Narile]

Please note that I thought the discussion was about noodlesoups. If all soups are allowed into the discussion, the I'd have to say my favorites are a good navy bean soup, a good french onion soup (Never managed to make it at home right though. ) miso soup, and of course good old potatoe, cheese and ham soup.

[Al Phosgene]

The best soup is Burgandy Beef Stew. Thick chunks of beef, green pepper, onions, and carrots.

[Narile]

Well, if you are in the San Jose area, try Wing Wah's on Capitol Expressway near Montague. Has very good hot and sour, and the food is also good there.

Then I also like the Sarovar off of 237, decent indian buffet.

[Spoke]

I'm with SunSawed. Thai soups are the absolute best! I'm a big fan of Tom Khai Gho (sp?). Love that coconut milk flavoring.

As a southerner, I have to put in a plug for Brunswick stew (if that counts as a soup), and am also a big fan of corn chowder.

[Ukulele Ike]

The best soup is Burgandy Beef Stew. Thick chunks of beef, green pepper, onions, and carrots.

Hell, if we're allowed THAT much drift, then the best soup is a porterhouse steak rubbed with garlic, black pepper, olive oil and anchovy paste, grilled medium rare, with a nice baked potato, sauteed mushrooms, and creamed spinach on the side.

[Heloise]

I love Asian hot and sours soups, whomever they are made by. I haven't tried them all yet, but that's just another life's pleasure to look forward to!

I love soup in general. I'm a total soup person. I have a bowl left of potato and leek that I made this weekend, which didn't turn out to bad (my first try). But I love to try out different soups.

Anyone have an exotic soup recipe? The pho sounds interesting, I may try that!

[hawthorne]

Okay, a quick and dirty pho, one you can make in half an hour with stuff you can get from any supermarket.

The broth
Small 375ml liquid chicken stock
Small liquid vege stock
Same amount of water

put in large pot, bring to boil, then add

1 peeled shallot (i.e small brown onion)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled, then smashed
large piece of ginger or galangal, peeled, scored with knife
piece of lemongrass (preserved is fine)
some coriander roots (I think you call this cilantro?)
2 or 3 whole star anise

Simmer for half an hour.

The rest
1 packet of thick noodles. Flat rice noodles are best, but hokkien will do fine. Rinse in boiling water, distibute throughout bowls.

On top of this put pieces of very thinly sliced raw steak. If you prefer, you can swap for chicken which you should poach for ten minutes in the stock, then shred.

Sprinkle with fish sauce. (A product made from fermented fish and salt. If you are unfamiliar with it, go easy with at first. Smell it - don't worry, it's not off, and you will come to love the smell)

Add some vegetables: bok choy is ideal, spinach would be fine; bean sprouts for crunch etc etc.

To serve
Remove solids from stock, pour over noodles. Add coriander leaves, Thai basil, sliced green onion and fresh chilli peppers. Squeeze a little lime juice over the lot, or serve with lime, chilli and salad vegetables on the side.

Suggested beverage: beer.

picmr

[teela brown]

picmr: Make mine Saigon beer, ice cold, and go heavy on that Thai basil! A good shake of Szechwan pepper livens things up, too. Can anyone tell by now that I am a blowed-in-the-glass foodie?

[Ellen Cherry]

Lordy, I'm hungry. I came here to vote for split pea soup but see Ukulele Ike beat me to the punch with the second post! My secret: I add lots of shredded carrots.

One of my favorite soups takes a little time to make but it's unusual and delicious. I got it from Vegetarian Times a couple years ago: Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

[Avumede]

picmr, I have to disagree with your recipe there. Chicken stock is unusual for pho (at least in the San Jose area). Try making your stock with oxtail, which is how they do it. The stock by itself should be thin and clear - noticable but not overwhelming beef flavor.

For my pho recommendation in the Bay Area - Pho Xe Lua probably has the best stock, but Pho Hua has the best meat quality.

[Narile]

Avumede, where in the bay area are they located?

[Narile]

One of my coworkers just let me know that a Pho Xe Lua used to be right past the Korean BBQ place we eat out at every other month or so on Able. He thinks it is in the Beryessa area now.

[DRY]

Lordy, I'm hungry. I came here to vote for split pea soup but see Ukulele Ike beat me to the punch with the second post! My secret: I add lots of shredded carrots.

I'd probably vote for Wor Won Ton, Hot and Sour Soup, or Sizzling Rice Soup.

Not quite up that high, but a soup that I still do like is split pea soup. Not noteworthy in and of itself, except that I HATE peas in "plain form". I mean, hate 'em. Hate the taste, hate the texture. And the smell? It often makes me retch. (If there were a "barf smiley", I'd use it now)

But I do enjoy split pea soup? Anyone else experience this?

[hawthorne]

Avumede said:

I have to disagree with your recipe there. Chicken stock is unusual for pho

Absolutely. I used a chicken/ vegetable mixture here as a quick and dirty option. If you are making your own stock, I'd use shin of beef. In my experience packaged beef stock is pretty ordinary.

picmr

[Avumede]

Avumede, where in the bay area are they located?

Pho Xe Lua has 4 locations in the Bay Area - I only know the one on Moffet & Middlefield (in Mountain View), though. Pho Hua is on Castro st (also in Mountain View). It's also in Chicago...

These are just my favorites though. There are so many Vietnamese restuarants that there probably are better places for pho... but I haven't been in one yet.

[Drain Bead]

I've never had pho. Gonna have to find a Vietnamese place now...

I like Tom Kha Gai (I think someone else mentioned it too). Nothing like that coconut milk and lime juice. Getting hungry just thinking about it.

Also a corn chowder fan. And cream of asparagus. And gumbo, although that doesn't really count. And french onion. And baked potato soup, with the cheddar cheese and green onions and sour cream and bacon bits. Or tomato soup, made with milk.

But Tom Kha Gai is the best.

[Drain Bead]

This thread stuck in my memory for quite a while. Recently I was able to try Pho for the first time. I am now officially a "Pho Addict."

I go to meetings twice a week.

They serve Pho.

[muppetsoup]

I thought I was the best soup.

[Johnny L.A.]

Funny, I almost went out for pho today! There's a great little place just down the street.

*** Fish Sauce Warning ***

Whatever you do, don't use the fish sauce that comes in bottles! It's just nasty. It tastes rancid. (And yes, I've tried it in a couple of places.) The only good fish sauce is the stuff the restaurant makes itself.

IMO.

[Avumede]

What a strange feeling. All memory of this thread had vanished from my mind. I was reading this thread saying "this is an interesting thread. I bet I could contribute to it. I could talk about Pho Xe Lua and Pho Hua". Then I continued reading, and I saw that I in fact did respond, and said pretty much what I was thinking of saying. It's almost like I was traveling through time, and now I can hold a nice conversation on Pho with my younger self.

BTW, now Pho Xe Lua is called "California Noodle House". How times change.

[Dr_Paprika]

Pho is great, the king of soups. But where are your tripe, your tendons, your Chinese Five Spice?

[Turbo Dog]

How can anyone not talk about the joys of eating bird spit, I mean, nest soup? Something about the little bird lugies floating around in there...mmmmmmmMMMMMM!!!!!!!

[Zenster]

I used to supervise a Vietnamese interior restoration crew. After bringing in real Mexican one week ("Wow! This is so different from Taco Bell!"), they brought in some homemade Vietnamese the next.

The soup's name is spelled something like bein reiu (without the proper diacritical marks).

This is one of the finest soups I have ever had, bar none. It had a perfumed chicken stock tinted with the citric note of tomato. In it were cubes of a shredded pork and egg omelete and some crab meatballs.

During my regular visits to their home I would make my Philippine skewers and other dishes for the family. One time I asked the mother to please make the soup again. This time she went all out and tarted it up with white asparagus and the like. Sadly, all the extra ingredients only obscured the brilliance of the simpler recipe.

Anyone ever hear of this fabulous concoction? Anyone ever had it? I stand by my claim that it is amazing in its delicacy and straight forward flavors. The rice paper spring rolls are another minor addiction as well.

A good bowl of Pho should take up your entire place setting at the table. An overflowing plate of basil, bean sprouts and vegetables, some lime wedges a ceramic spoon and chopsticks should all bracket your bowl of steaming broth. And please do not forget the fish sauce. Even if you keep the fish sauce in a bowl on the side, be sure to dip into it once in a while. The complex flavor complements the pure flavors of the soup. A dollop of the firey red chili sauce rounds out the fight card.

I like the nascent French influences upon Vietnamese cuisine and therefore prefer it to Thai. A good sizzling rice soup with all five delights is one of my very favorite but its hard to think of a soup I don't like. We shall ignore what Queen Victoria had to say:

"Dinner should not begin with a lake!"

[elbows]

Back in the day, there used to be a restaurant right next door to the El Macambo, in Toronto, it was called Pho.

Zenster described the soup they served to a tee.

It was a most wonderful thing.

I wonder if it's still there? I haven't had this soup for years and years.

My mouth is actually watering as I write this.

You are sooo right, count my vote as best soup: Pho !

[Soul Brother Number Two]

its a bitchen hangover remedy, too. you should get like the doc said, with tripe and tendon, and well cooked beef and rare beef too. skip the beef balls. taste the broth to worship the delicate aromatics (again like doc said, it should have a touch of five spice powder), then dump a shitload of sriracha sauce and jalapenos in there and sweat it all out. it really works, kinda.

[waterj2]

I think Pho Hoa Restaurant on Dorchester Ave. in Boston may possibly be my favorite restaurant that I've ever been to. Damn, it's been a while. Hmm, maybe I'll have to see if I can make it back to Boston soon.

[Fenris]

Originally posted by Johnny L.A.

Whatever you do, don't use the fish sauce that comes in bottles! It's just nasty. It tastes rancid. (And yes, I've tried it in a couple of places.) The only good fish sauce is the stuff the restaurant makes itself.
IMO.

I disagree slightly. Most bottled fish sauce is rancid-tasting and, well...yukky. But one brand "Three Crabs" is wonderful (I've only found it in Asian markets and it's more expensive, though worth it). A deep, rich, "dark" flavor...I highly recommend it.

But other than that, I agree with Johnny L.A.

Fenris

[Patty O'Furniture]

Vietnamese food is my favorite in the world, but I was astoundingly unimpressed with phõ bò the first time I tried it. There was all sorts of fatty oxtail meat floating around in it, and about a half bushel of cilantro. Also the dish was dresses heavily with thinly sliced raw onions, which I do not care for.

I use cilantro often, but I cook it into soups & stews. Biting into a piece of fresh cilantro gives a somewhat medicine taste, and just overpowered the dish.

At first I thought I had received a bad bowl, but my Vietnamese companion assured me that the dish was prepared & served properly. So I spent the lunch trying to fish out spoonfuls of broth, the occasionaly piece of meat that wasn't pure gristle, etc.

Since then I have eaten phõ gà regularly & that is quite tasty. And somebody mentioned something about leaving a bowl full of broth behind, but my Vietnamese companion assures me that it is usual to leave a large part of the broth behind. You don't want to "get full of the water", he tells me.

I prefer cành chua cá & tôm (fish/shrimp sour soup) as long as they make it with bac ha and not celery. Ugh... celery. Bac ha has the same general appearance as celery but is internally porous & soaks up a lot of the wonderful broth of the cành chua. Celery is just, well, nasty.

[Miss Gretchen]

Gretchen's faux pho spectacular:

Simmer canned beef broth (yeah, I know, but sometimes I don't really want to make stock with bones and meat, and I just feel kind of lazy), ginger, cinnamon, five spice powder and garlic. Mean while, marinate some beef in fish sauce, garlic, sirchin (sp?) chili paste, sesame oil and a little soy sauce. Soak the rice noodles in hot water until tender.

Now here's where I get all wacky and break from tradition...

I barbecue the beef for just a minute or so to get it blackened on the outside but still quite red inside. I then slice it into thin strips and place that on the noodles, sprouts, etc. The grilled flavour of the beef makes nice contrast with the crunchy bean sprouts and lime juice. I pour the broth on while it's still boiling to get rid of the meat being too "raw". I know that this is hardly traditional Vietnamese fare, but hey, it is hands down my favourite meal on the earth. When it's done right, all of the flavours and textures should complement each other perfectly.


Mmmmmmmmm......

[Dr_Paprika]

Miss Gretchen, you are invited to come cooking at my house!

[LordDenning]

Mmm... Yummy raw cow.
Chicken seems unusual though.
I usually go out for Pho (usually for breakfast) just because it is a pain in the arse to make at home.

-LD

[JimmyNipples]

I just spent 3 wonderful weeks in Vancouver. Thanks for missing me.....you bastards.

My brother is a huge pho fan. He took me to Saigon Pho on Kingsway. My good god, that is one big honkin' bowl of soup. Very tastey.

Asian food, and women, are lovely.

[Johnny L.A.]

I just spent 3 wonderful weeks in Vancouver.

Bastard!!!




<== That's me being envious.

[MsWhatsit]

This is the only topic that I actually have a John Cusack-style Top 10 list of. Well, ok, not 10, but you get the general idea.

1. Hot and sour soup. My all-time favorite. "Cure for what ails you", indeed. It is so spicy and fragrant and delicious, and so full of delightful morsels of goodness. Excuse me while I fan myself. OK, I'm back.

2. Miso soup. Oh, delightful miso soup. Especially good with sushi, but enjoyable at any time. For something that is little more than broth and chunks of tofu and green onion, this soup is amazingly delicious.

3. Clam chowder. Never tried it before moving to the Pacific Northwest, and now I am hooked. Creamy, savory, and completely addictive.

4. Pho. Best with brisket and tripe. And the best place to get pho: Than Brothers, at one of three locations in Seattle. Why the best? Two words: cream puffs. Complimentary with every meal. To die for.

5. Campbell's tomato soup. Not exactly gourmet fare, but a holdover from my childhood that I still like dunking my PB&J into. Also a good way to fill out this Top 5 list.

Soup... what would I do without you?