Phở

A Vietnamese soup dish consisting of beef broth, rice noodles, herbs, and beef. Pho is a popular food with Vietnamese people.  At the withdrawal of Vietnam, Vietnamese people were migrated to the Gulf Coast and lived in the swamps b/c the climate and surroundings were familiar to them.  They lead the shrimping industry in the Gulf.  There are several Vietnamese restaurants near Biloxi.  This soup is pronounced “Fu”.  My favorite restaurant was named What the Pho.  This dish takes a long time to make.

Ingredients (Serves two)

1 TBSP ginger cut into strips with skin on
Also add galanga if available
½ yellow onion
Beef of your choosing ½ pound (I used brisket)
Beef ribs, meat with two or three bones
5 cups of water
1 scallions (cut in half)
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 carrot skinned
Several bok choy leaves
2 Shitake mushrooms (If dried hydrate)
1 TBSP sugar
Handful cilantro on stems

Herbs
2 star anise
1 tsp. cloves
½ cinnamon stick
4 cardamon pods
½ tsp. fennel seeds
½ tsp. coriander seeds

Other
Salt
Dried Pho noodles

Garnish
1 chopped scallion
Bean sprouts
Lime Wedge

Place the meat and water in a stock pot.  Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.  Remove meat and run the beef stock through a strainer to remove the foam.  Clean the pot.  Return the beef and strained broth.  Add the onion, ginger, galanga, scallion cut in half and carrot.  Bring to a boil and then simmer 40 minutes.  Skim off any foam. Slice the carrot into large matchsticks.

Remove all and set aside.  Strain the broth again and clean the pot.  In a separate pan roast the herbs until fragrant.  Return the beef to the pot and the broth.  Place the herbs in cheese cloth and tie it with string to make a closed sack of herbs.  Place the sack in the soup.  Also add a handful of cilantro with stems and leaves.  Simmer the entire pot (200 degrees) for 3 hours. 

Add salt and strain the broth once more.  Clean the pot.  Return the broth only and cook on low to keep hot before serving.  Slice the meat, place the bok choy, mushrooms in the broth to cook a little and remove. 

In a separate pot boil water and cook the noodle as directed. 

Plate the noodles in a bowl, add the garnish, meat, carrots, mushroom, and ladle in the hot broth and serve.

As of 4/4/22

Click on pic to enlarge

This is a San Francisco dish using local seafood.  It will include clams, Dungeness crabs, mussels, shrimp, squid, fish and sea scallops.  Since I’m in the Midwest I don’t have access to fresh seafood.  I will buy it frozen and thaw it.  In this recipe I used cod, shrimp and bay scallops.  It has a tomato gravy/soup base.  There are several other dishes on the same lines like Marinara sauce which is Mariner’s Catch, alla marinara refers to a sauce made with tomatoes, basil, and oregano.  It was a sauce prepared for sailors returning from sea and they would put fish or meat in the sauce.  There is also Cacciatore alla cacciatora refers to a meal prepared “hunter-style” with onions, herbs, usually tomatoes, often bell peppers, and wine.

Ingredients

1 TBSP olive oil

Sofrito
½ small leek, include some of the green leaves, rinse thoroughly and chop
½ yellow onion, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

Sauce
½ cup white wine and two TBSP tomato paste blended
1-15 oz. can tomato sauce
1-8 oz. bottle claim juice
1 cup chicken broth with a bouillon cube added

Herbs
½ tsp. tarragon
1 small bay leaf
Pepper flakes
½ tsp. fennel seeds
1 TBSP fresh basil chopped

Other
Dash of Worcestershire
Salt and pepper

Seafood
1 cup bay scallops
1 piece of cod cut into bite size squares
4 large shrimp deveined and peeled

In a Dutch oven or soup pot add olive oil and sauté half the garlic.  Just so the aromatics appear not browning the garlic.  Add the sofrito and sweat on low for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Add the sauce ingredient and the rest of the garlic. 

Add the herbs and other, bring to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes.

20 minutes before serving add the seafood and cook. 

Serve as a soup.  I accompanied this dish with Focaccia bread

(Click on pic to enlarge)

Curry Blend
1 tsp.
(Coriander Powder, Curry Powder, Garam Masala, Cardamom – see
https://ducksmahal.com/2020/02/29/hsakes-and-rubs/)

Other Ingredients
S&P
2 chicken thighs
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP oil
½ yellow onion, chopped
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 small piece chopped fresh ginger
1 Roma tomato, skinned an mashed or diced
½ glass of dry white wine
1 TBSP cream
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves and stems
1 tsp of coriander seeds
1 small bay leaf
½ red and ½ orange bell pepper chopped
1 thin carrot, skinned
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of cooked rice
Sriracha

In a large pot add the oil get hot, add the chicken, bay leaf, coriander seeds, ginger, and lightly brown the chicken and the aromatics, creating an aroma. Add the chicken broth, wine and whole carrot, cilantro and bring to a slight boil and boil 20 minutes. Add a touch of salt. When the chicken has made its own broth for 20 minutes remove from heat. Let cool. Remove the chicken, carrot and ginger, set aside and strain the chicken broth discarding the rest. This is your chicken soup base for the dish.

In a separate pot (small Dutch Oven) melt the butter and sauté the onions, peppers, garlic, tomato and chopped ginger saved from the broth. Add a dash more wine to de-glaze the pan. Add the two cups of chicken broth strained from the other pot and the lemon and cook on a slight boil for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, de-bone and skin the chicken and chop the chicken into bite size pieces

Then add the chicken, more salt, and the curry blend, chopped carrot, cream, stir, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes before serving.

In a bowl place the rice then chicken and the sauce and top with Sriracha.

As of 3/24/22

Asian Meatballs:  https://ducksmahal.com/2018/12/22/asian-meatballs-w-hoisin-sauce/

Sauce:
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 TBSP Shaoxing Cooking Wine

Veggies:
1 TBSP veg oil
Whatever you like I used small can of mushrooms, frozen peas and broccoli, carrot peeled, celery, scallions, 1 inch of fresh ginger and 1 large garlic clove run through a micro plane zester.

Lo Mein Noodles:  Follow cooking directions on the package and make sure to rinse them in hot water after the are drained.

In a wok or fry pan heat the oil and stir fry the veggies, add ginger and garlic, add noodles, add sauce and continue turning over with a wok spoon.  Plate the noodle mix and top with the meatballs.

As of 2/27/22

This is a blend of Japanese and Chinese ingredients.  We love good Udon noodles (Japanese), Ramen eggs (Japanese) instead of regular eggs.  We use Napa cabbage (Chinese) but baby bok choy is also good.  The Japanese ramen broth is a Dashi which consists of boiled seaweed and dried Bonita fish flakes; and that is good, but a Chinese chicken flavor with a hint of cumin is a little better.  We also like to use Chinese Shaoxing wine instead of Japanese Sake.  Japanese broths can be sweeter when using Mirin.  Chinese doesn’t use sugar or Mirin.  As far a soy sauce is concerned a 50/50 split of regular soy and Japanese Tamari is a good combination.  We also like to add Shitake mushroom as it does add flavor.  One flavor that is neither Japanese or Chinese is a Galangal root that is Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian used as a substitute for ginger. 

Ramon egg:  The night before boil the egg and peel. In a plastic container add 3 TBSP soy sauce with 3 TBSP sugar and 2 cups water and mix. Drop the peeled egg into the mixture so that it is submerged and leave in the frig overnight to marinate.

Broth:
1 TBSP veg oil
2 chicken thighs with skin and bone
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1” galanga (or ginger)
1 green onion, cut into 2 pieces (separate the green from the white part)
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp peppercorns
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
½ tsp soy sauce
½ tsp Tamari soy sauce
4 cups chicken broth
½ bunch of fresh cilantro
1 bay leaf
Shitake mushrooms (rehydrated or fresh)
1 Whole medium carrot, peeled
4 Napa Cabbage leaves
2 packs of fresh jumbo udon noodles Japanese style (1 pack for each bowl)

Add oil in a large pot and add everything but the chicken broth, mushrooms, cilantro and wine, lightly brown everything turning over the chicken thighs and stirring until the chicken browns a little and the other seasonings begin to create an aroma (~2 minutes).  Then add the broth, wine, mushrooms, cilantro, soy sauce and bring to a medium boil reduce to simmer and cook 20 minutes. 

Remove the chicken a shred or cut into piece.  Remove the carrot and cut into matchsticks.  Remove the shitake mushrooms and thinly slice.  Strain the chicken broth and discard everything else.

Return the broth to the pot and heat until hot.  Add the Napa Cabbage leaves until cooked a little. 

Boil the udon noodles in separate water (no salt).  Plate the noodles, then all the other ingredients and then pour over the hot broth and serve while hot.

Makes 2 large bowls

2/9/22