11.113
27 (Mon) April 2020
Pho Bo
3.0
by me
at home
-Dasmariñas Village, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines-
with the Family
I love pho – what’s not to love – but it’s never been a regular thing for me, no particular reason.
Can’t recall where I got this bouillon packet for beef pho (pho bo).
Purchased the hofan for something else, probably a Chinese/Thai stir-fry, but then I was inspired to make it into pho after experiencing a homemade Vietnamese meal a few month back, which included homemade pho (see 11.019 Banh Chung).
Three months passed until I came across bean sprouts, which I feel to be essential for pho, even if YE’s homemade pho didn’t include any.
Whereas the broth for beef pho (pho bo) is typically made by boiling large chunks of beef, later thinly sliced and served with the noodles, the bouillon packet here already provided the beef flavor, so I had more options on how to incorporate fresh beef.
Inspired by an entirely different noodle soup (see 10.271 Chadol Jjambbong), I pan-fried shaved beef brisket and added it as a topping.
It turned out great. The broth was pretty good, even though it had an artificial aftertaste and MSG tingle, like a cheap bowl of pho in a food court. The noodles were cooked to al dente, but maybe should’ve been cooked a bit longer. The toppings were fine – beef brisket, red onions, bean sprouts, bok choy – though lacking cilantro. Not a bad first try.
