What Is Pho?
Pho is a traditional dish of Vietnam, can also be considered as one of the most typical dishes for Vietnamese cuisine. Pho is usually used as a breakfast dish, or for dinner. (In Vietnam, we often use the word Pho figuratively to refer to adultery.)
The Main Ingredients In A Bowl Of Pho
The main ingredients of pho are rice noodle soup and broth (or broth as it is called in the South) along with thinly sliced beef. In the past, only cooked beef noodle soup with full “ripe corn-encrusted bucket”, later, diners accept both rare pho, chicken noodle, pork noodle soup, shrimp noodle soup… Going further, there is a restaurant. Tried with duck meat, Siamese duck meat (geese), but not much success.
- “Banh pho”, traditionally, is made from rice flour, coated in thin sheets and then cut into fibers.
- Broth (broth) is generally made by stewing (Northern people call it stewing) beef bones, the meat used for pho is beef or chicken, dried squid and spices including cinnamon, anise, ginger, cardamom, etc. cloves, dried onions, spring rolls, white shrimp, dried ginseng, oxtail, coriander seeds (smell),… The recipe of each specific broth for each pho shop is kept quite secret.
- In addition, there are also spices such as: soy sauce, pepper, lemon, fish sauce, chili, … These spices are added depending on the taste of each user. In the southern provinces of Vietnam, pho is presented with additional ingredients called herbs such as onions, bean sprouts and the leaves of coriander and basil, in which coriander is the typical leaf of pho.
Read More: Pho Vietnam – A Special Traditional Dish
Note When Eating Pho
Pho always has to be eaten hot to be delicious, however, to get good bowls of pho depends on the experience and traditional secret of the pho cooking profession. In Hanoi, it is popular to eat pho with quail (Southern people call it “pork congee”) while Saigon people only eat banh mi with congee.
Nowadays, pho has different processing methods and flavors. In Vietnam, there are names to distinguish them: Pho Bac (in the North), Pho Hue (in the Central region) and Pho Saigon (in the South). Normally, Pho in the North is characterized by salty taste while the South is sweet and rich in vegetables. Pho in the South is smaller than in the North.
Origin Of Pho In Vietnam
Pho originated in northern Vietnam, entering the central and southern regions in the mid-1950s, after the French defeat in Indochina and Vietnam was divided into two regions. The Vietnamese in the north immigrated to the south in 1954 and brought pho and pho started to have some differences.. So, there is a general rule that the names of the traditional pho restaurants are always the same. a word, usually the owner’s name, such as: pho Hoa, pho Quyen…
The expatriation of Vietnamese people in the post-Vietnam war period made pho known in many parts of the world, especially Western countries. There have been many pho restaurants in the US, France, Australia and Canada. Other Vietnamese people also bring pho to the countries of the Soviet bloc, including Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic… In the US alone, unofficial statistics in 2005 show the sales of Vietnamese pho shops worldwide. America up to about 500 million USD a year. So far, born in Vietnam, pho has become a famous dish in many countries around the world.
The Most Famous Pho Brands In Hanoi Today
There are many dishes in Hanoi, but the first thing to mention is pho. Pho as a representative of the identity and specificity of Hanoi’s food. Pho Hanoi has the true sweetness of beef bones, the aroma of meat that has just been cooked to the point of being flexible but not chewy, clear water, thin and soft noodle soup.
Pho Vuong
Pho Vuong – the name sounds strange and curious. Square, which is an example of the perfection of 4 important factors: taste, service, cleanliness and price. Square, when translated into English, also means square, a crowded meeting place of people. It is also the wish of “Authentic Hanoi Pho for gourmets” of the owner, who was born in an original Hanoi family with a tradition of sticking to the profession of pho cooking.
Pho Thin
It is one of the most famous pho restaurants in Hanoi. The restaurant has a rather narrow space but is always packed with customers from early in the morning. To eat a bowl of pho here, diners usually have to wait for a while, then pay and receive a bowl of pho and then go find a table to sit. The harmony between water and meat, between meat and rice noodle has created a unique taste of Pho Thin that no other dish has.
Pho Nho
The name Me comes from a Viet Kieu who loves Hanoi Pho who came to enjoy and gave the restaurant: “Eat it to remember forever…”. Since then, Pho Me has become a brand, a familiar name to many gourmets. The noodles are flexible, the meat is soft and sweet, the scent is mild with a little pungent of thin iron onions, the spicy taste of fresh chili slices, the faint aroma of fresh and tender beef. Eating a bowl of pho is like enjoying a work of art. Pho Me is delicious, because of its own secret or because of the owner’s enthusiasm? Are those the reasons that brought Pho Nho to the second prize of the Hanoi Pho competition?
