Ingredients: |
Ingredients: The Broth:
8 oz of dried Banh Pho rice noodles (these are also known as “rice sticks”). Use either small (linguine-sized) or medium (fettucine-sized) or you can use Pad Thai rice noodles too. The thinner the noodle, the lighter the experience
3 whole star anise (not the same thing as anise seed)
5 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1.5 lbs of chicken tenderloins OR boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced so it’s 1/4” wide and about 2” long
1 tbsp of crushed garlic
1 tbsp crushed/minced ginger (I used Spice World Squeeze Ginger as it’s so easy and has great flavor- Costco has it too!)
3 cups of chicken broth (1 tbsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon 3 cups of water)
3 cups of beef broth (1 tbsp of Beef Better Than Bouillon 3 cups of water)
2 tbsp of fish sauce (don’t mind its pungent fragrance – this ingredient is crucial to the Pho’s rich flavor and it tastes nothing like it smells once cooked)
2 tbsp of hoisin sauce
1 tsp of Lawry’s seasoned salt
The Toppings:
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced (use 2 onions if you want more for the topping as it’s my favorite one – SO perfectly paired with the broth)
1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
1 lime, sliced into discs or cut into 6 wedges
14 oz can of bean sprouts, drained (or use fresh bean sprouts if you can find them!)
Fresh cilantro leaves
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Directions: |
Directions:For prepping and cooking the spices, I used this mortar & pestle and this metal tea ball. If you don’t feel like getting a tea ball and have a lot of of teabags lying around, use my tea bag hack!
2.This makes 3-4 good sized bowls of Pho. If you want more, double the whole recipe!
3.Want it spicier than just the jalapeños? Add some Sriracha or when in the bowl!
4.If you wish to use beef instead of chicken, the broth ingredients remains exactly the same, just minus the chicken itself. Get about 1 lb of London broil, flank steak, brisket or even filet mignon. BUT, instead of cooking the beef with the broth like we did the chicken, get a super amazing knife and make paper thin slices (like 1/8″) and place a few slices of the raw beef over the noodles in your bowl (your butcher may be able to slice it this thin for you if you don’t have a knife precise enough to make these cuts). Make sure the broth is boiling hot (if it isn’t once the lid comes off, bring the pot to “Sauté” on “High or “More” until it bubbles). Then, immediately ladle the broth over the noodles and beef, submerging the beef in the hot broth and, due to its thinness, it will cook itself within 5 minutes and will be ready to eat
5.If you want to add shrimp, just bring the pot to a boil on “Sauté” once it’s finished cooking the soup and when the tea ball has been removed, toss in the desired amount of shrimp (use RAW, peeled shrimp with tails on or off) and let cook for about 5 minutes until pinkish-white in color and curled-up.
6.As mentioned, this is by no means the traditional and very time consuming method of making a Pho. I’ve had many a Pho from many different establishments that was made the traditional way and they ALL tasted different, but equally as grand. The flavor of this Pho is right up there amongst the tastiest of them.
7.Before you do anything else, bring a large pot of water (8 cups/2 quarts) to a boil on the stove. When the water’s boiling, turn off the heat (DO NOT allow it to continue to boil) and submerge the cluster of rice noodles (8 oz is usually more than enough) in the heated water, making sure all of the noodles are covered by the water. After a minute, stir occasionally so the noodles break up, allowing them to soak the water up and soften while you prepare the rest of the Pho. Set aside with the noodles remaining in the water until just before serving time (Note: The reason we aren’t cooking the noodles with the Pho broth is because rice noodles are very delicate and will be a disaster if cooked at high pressure. Also, we do not boil rice noodles in water for a period of time like we do with Italian pasta. We simply pour the boiling water over the noodles, let them sit and absorb the hot water and stir occasionally. This is because Italian pasta and rice noodles are very different noodles with different ingredients – egg vs. rice)
8.Place the star anise, cloves and cinnamon sticks in the Instant Pot. Hit “Sauté” and Adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Heat/toast the spices for 5 minutes, flipping midway through. When done, remove all remnants of the spices from the pot, place in a bowl and coarsely (not finely) crush with a mortar and pestle (or fold in between some dish/paper towels and pound with a mallet). Once crushed, place the spices in a metal tea ball or spice bag (or use my tea bag hack) and lock it shut (Note: These spices are 100% crucial to the broth’s flavor – especially since we’re doing this Pho the super shortcut route. Be sure to use these spices)
9.Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot. Once hot, add the onion strands and let them cook until nicely browned giving them some nice color. Remove and set aside when done
10.Add the chicken to the pot, immediately pouring the sesame oil over it and constantly stir until the chicken is coated and mostly white in color (about 2 minutes and it’s okay if some is still pink – it shouldn’t be fully cooked yet)
11.Add the garlic and ginger, stirring often for 1 minute and deglazing (scraping) the bottom of the pot with a mixing spoon
12.Add in the chicken broth, beef broth, chicken, hoisin sauce, fish sauce and deglaze the bottom of the pot once more. Lastly, add in the securely locked tea ball with the crushed spices. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure for 7 minutes. Quick release when done, remove the tea ball (unlock and discard the spices), and stir in the seasoned salt
13.When ready to serve, transfer the desired amount of noodles from the soaking pot (the water will be very cloudy by now which is good as it removed a lot of the starch) and place in large serving bowls. Top with some cooked onion, a few bean sprouts, some cilantro, a few jalapeno slices and a lime wedge (You can also add whatever else makes you happy – that’s part of the beauty of a Pho!)
14.Enjoy!
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This recipe for Pho is from