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.
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.
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
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.
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…
Miss Gretchen, you are invited to come cooking at my house!
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
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.
Bastard!!!
<== That’s me being envious.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Clam chowder. Never tried it before moving to the Pacific Northwest, and now I am hooked. Creamy, savory, and completely addictive.
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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.
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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?
Well, I have a list too. I don’t know how many items; let’s see…
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Corn chowder. Absolutely the best. Creamy, sweet, rich…mmmmmmmm. And DrainBead beat me to it! Yarrr!
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Black bean soup. Particularly if it’s got beer and a big old ham hock in it, and it’s cooked for several hours.
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Chicken and sausage gumbo (providing this counts as a soup), just like they serve in Gonzalez, LA, home of the gumbo world championship cookoff.
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Split pea soup. Again, a big ol’ ham hock is essential.
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New England clam chowder. The creamy stuff, not the tomato-y stuff.
Hmm… I guess it’s just five. I’m not generally a big soup guy; the soups I eat are usually extremely thick, almost like stews. It’s been a long while since I’ve had pho…we have exactly 1 (uno) Vietnamese restaurant in my town, and it’s only been around for a month or so. It’s really good, but I’ve only eaten there once.
Actually, dernit, it occurs to me that it’s the jambalaya world championship cookoff that’s held in Gonzalez. Argh. Gumbo still ranks, though.