Phở Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Pho Soup)

Step 1

Roast the spices. Place all of the spices on a medium skillet over medium heat. Lightly toast the spices, stirring occasionally until fragrant about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool, then place the spices in a tea bag.

Step 2

Broil aromatics. On a foiled-lined baking pan, add the wedge-cut onions, 2-inch daikon pieces, and sliced ginger. Broil at 450 degrees until the tops of the onion and ginger are slightly charred, about 15-20 minutes.

Step 3

Parboil the chicken. Add the whole chicken and chicken breast to a large soup pot and cover it with water until it covers the chicken. Bring to a boil and immediately remove the chicken and pour out the water. Rinse the chicken. This step allows you to get a clean broth.

Step 4

Cook the broth. In large 8 qt soup pot, add the rinsed whole chicken, chicken breast, daikon, onions, ginger, chicken bouillon powder, salt, palm sugar. Then add water leaving about 1 inch off the top of the pot. Heat on high heat until the broth reaches a boil, then continue boiling for 3 minutes. Skim the scum off the top of the broth.

Step 5

Sit for 45 minutes. After 3 minutes, immediately turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the broth sit for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Once cooled, slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Step 6

Add spice mix. Add the spice mix tea bag and 1 cup of water. Heat over high heat until the broth reaches a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from the broth. Make sure the spice mix only stays in the broth for up to 45 minutes max!

Step 7

Add to taste. Once the spices have been removed, add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and any additional salt to taste. Then using a spider strainer, remove all the aromatics out of the broth.

Step 8

Cook the noodles. Cook the pho vermicelli noodles according to the instructions on the packaging.

Step 9

Assemble. Portion the noodles into a bowl, then add the broth, sliced chicken, diced cilantro and green onion, and a dash of black pepper. Serve with a side of herbs, bean sprouts, jalapeños, and limes. And lastly, top with sriracha and hoisin sauce.