Quick Vietnamese Chicken Pho....

Pho soup is a Vietnamese or Cambodian soup....it is a staple in their country....many of the rich wonderful Pho soups are beef pho.(pronounced fuh) this is a chicken pho and so rich and flavorful and good....this one is a Quick version and takes only a short time to put together... now you start with a trip to the local Asian store...honestly I  try to come up with any excuse to go there. It is so much like going to another country..I love looking at all the unfamiliar fruit and vegetables and fish and sauces and candy.........

this picture was last summer, I took the grandkids on a treasure hunt to get candy at different ethnic stores...so of course we went to my favorite Asian store....Hong Kong market...today I found some great finds....I will show you.......

these crackers are so cool...the ones with sugar taste kinda like pie crust with sugar on them and the others are a cream soda cracker...

this is powder coconut cream, you can use it in baking and in sauces....

coconut milk for baking.............

these are fresh rice noodles for tonight's dinner.....just 2-3 seconds in boiling water....

and bean sprouts...see it says best quality.....

Quick Vietnamese Chicken Pho

1 lb dried rice noodles

SOUP BASE

2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
1 whole chicken breast
1/2 onion
1 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1-2 tablespoons sugar
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce

ACCOMPANIMENTS

2 cups bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
fresh cilantro tops
1/2 cup shaved red onions
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
sriracha chili sauce
hoisin sauce
sliced fresh chili peppers

Directions
To make the broth, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately remove from pan to avoid burning.

In a large pot, add spices, chicken stock, chicken breast, onion, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently. Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat, discarding the bone (if you used a bone-in breast).
Taste broth and add more fish sauce or sugar if necessary. Strain the broth and discard solids.

Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.

Ladle the broth into bowls. Divide the shredding chicken breast and noodles evenly into each bowl. Top with bean sprouts, cilantro, red onion, and other accompaniments as desired and enjoy.

Now that you know the recipe I will tell you what I did....I had a rich chicken stock in the freezer....

I added the seasoning...I bought the star Anise at the Asian store for a huge bag for .79.

you must use fish sauce...it is what makes it authentic...don't read the ingredients, just use it...

let the stock simmer slowly for about a half hour....you can cook some chicken breasts in the broth if you don't have chicken already.....

these are the 'toppings'...cilantro, lime, onion and crunchy fresh bean sprouts....

you put the noodles in the bowl...ladle the broth on....and put on top the cooked chicken, onion, sprouts and cilantro....then top it off with a squeeze of lime....

this so so good and flavorful, not to mention low fat and so healthy....it feels clean

This taste exactly like going to a Pho Soup shop.....and so easy!!!!

Cheers to Happy  !!