Cheater's Pho Ga

There is a calm that comes over me when I start cooking this recipe -- I have a rhythm, a set sequence of actions. I can always adjust this recipe to taste the way I want it to (which I can't say for everything I cook). I never feel nervous that whoever I'm cooking it for won't like it. I don't dread the leftovers -- I could eat this every day. I feel connected to my mother and my culture. I don't feel guilty eating it. I don't feel guilty using pho ga cubes instead of roasting the aromatics myself -- this process is all about ease and comfort to me. The instructions and list of ingredients look long, but don't let that deter you. This is an easy recipe, you just have to rely on your taste buds to guide you.

This is my favorite thing to cook. Enjoy.

1 package dried pho noodles (wide rice noodles)

1 whole chicken, about 4-6 lbs.
1 onion, sliced lengthwise into chunky rounds that you can grill
1 piece of ginger, cut lengthwise into about 5 thick pieces
3 cubes of pho ga seasoning cubes*
3 tbspns. fish sauce
Salt + pepper
Water

Accoutrements:
1 thinly sliced medium white or sweet onion
1 bunch of scallions, sliced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges
Thai basil
Bean sprouts
Hoisin sauce
Siracha
Pickled jalepenos (optional)**

Soak the dried pho noodles in a large bowl of warm water for at least 5 hours (I throw them into a bowl in the morning before I go to work or before bed).

Trim the chicken of big pieces of fat -- this will mean less to skim off the broth later. Place into a big stockpot (something around 6 qts.), cover with water, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until done, about 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. Once cool, shred the chicken.*** Add the leftover chicken bones back to the pot of broth.

Add more water to the chicken broth until the pot is almost full. Grill the pieces of onion and ginger until you see nice grill marks. I do this directly on my oven range grates because I like the contact of the flame to the ginger and onion, but you can use a grill pan as well. Add it to the chicken broth. Heat the broth until boiling and add 3 of the pho ga seasoning cubes. Once the cubes dissolve, add the fish sauce, then add salt + pepper to taste. If you find that there is not enough depth to the broth, add the last pho ga cube. Simmer this mixture for about another 20 minutes. Add more water if the water level gets too low, but remember to reseason as necessary. Skim any fat off the surface of the broth.

Bring a small pot of water to boil. Using a large spider (this is easiest if you are preparing multiple bowls of pho), place a handful of pho noodles into the boiling water. Mix it around the spider with a pair of chopsticks to make sure all the noodles are submerged. The noodles will cook in about 45 seconds - 1 minute. Lift the spider from the water to drain, and place the cooked noodles into a bowl. Top the noodles with shredded chicken and a bit of the chopped cilantro, scallions and sliced onions. Ladle the broth over the noodles. Repeat as necessary.

Add lime juice, bean sprouts, Thai basil, hoisin sauce and Siracha to taste.

Enjoy!



* These cubes can be found in most large Asian supermarkets. If you live in Cincinnati, you can find them at CAM, Saigon Market at Findlay Market or Jungle Jim's.
** To make quick pickled jalepenos, slice about 3-4 jalepenos into thick rounds and place into a jar or bowl. Heat up about a cup of white vinegar, 2 tbspns. white sugar, and a 1 tspn. salt. until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the jalepenos, then cover the jar or bowl until the mixture cools. When it cools, place it into the refrigerator until ready to use.
*** I like to separate the meat into a pile of white meat and a pile of dark meat, just in case I have diners with a preference.

Quick + Easy: Potato & Broccoli Soup

After a few fleeting days of glorious fall weather last week, a winter chill is slowly starting to creep into Cincinnati. The changing of the seasons means more than just a change in the availability of ingredients for me -- I stop craving salads. I crave Indian food. I eat more soup.

I love recipes that use potatoes to make a smooth rich soup, rather than a starchy roux or cream. It also helps make the soup more substantial to me, like I am eating a proper meal rather than eating a soup to start. This soup is super fast, cheap, and easy to make. Whenever I am done with a chunk of parmesan cheese, I throw the rind into the freezer to use for soups. However, this soup is still delicious without it. This recipe can be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth rather than chicken broth. It can be made vegan by subbing the veggie broth, omitting the parmesan, and using a squeeze of lemon at the end to brighten the soup (which I did anyway). You can also make a parmesan crisp if you feel fancy, but otherwise, this hearty simple soup + some sourdough rolls did just the trick to warm my bones tonight.

(makes 4 servings)

1 head of broccoli

1 tbspn. of butter

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1.5 cups of chicken broth

1.5 cups water

Salt + pepper

1 parmesan rind (optional)

1/2 cup of parmesan, shredded

Lemon wedges (optional)

Cut the broccolli florets into little pieces and set aside. Roughly chop the tough stems of the broccolli and set aside with the potatoes. 

Melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and sautee until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, potato + broccoli stem mix, broth, water, salt + pepper, and parmesan rind to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, simmer for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot and season with salt + pepper to taste.

Top each bowl with some parmesan and some lemon juice if desired.

Chicken + Veggie + Rice Soup

A bowl of this, a slice of beer bread — cold weather taste bud nirvana.

4 chicken thighs (I used 2 chicken thighs and some ground sausage I had lying around, so if you have something like that or chicken sausage, feel free to throw it in. You can also do two thighs and a breast, 2 breasts — whatever you have on hand)

1 tbspn paprika

1/2 tspn dried thyme

 1 tspn freshly chopped oregano (or 1/2 tspn dried)

1/2 tspn garlic powder 

salt and pepper to taste 

Olive oil

1 cup mirepoix (celery, carrot, onion in whatever proportion you like)

1/4 cup corn kernels (about 1 ear’s worth)

2 cups (packed) baby spinach

2 bay leaves

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

48 oz. chicken stock

3/4 cup white rice (cooked, if you are not going to eat all of the soup at once)

Mix together the paprika, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub in this mixture onto the chicken pieces. Heat up some olive oil in a soup pot. Brown the chicken pieces. Add the mirepoix, corn, garlic, and bay leaves. Sautee until the onions are translucent. Add the spinach and stir so it wilts. Add the chicken broth and rice (if you’re going to eat all the soup in one sitting) and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes (test the rice for doneness). Remove the bay leaves, shred the chicken and bon appetit!

Chicken & Shrimp Patty Noodle Bowl

I used udon/ramen like noodles here because I had them on hand, but ideally I would have used pho noodles. I’d recommend soaking them for at least 2 hours (you can pop them in a bowl of warm water in the morning), so that when it’s time to eat the noodle portions will be ready in about 1-2 minutes. The noodles should be prepared separately from the soup broth, in its own pot of water. Extra patties would be delicious in a sandwich Vietnamese style, with pickled veggies and jalepenos and siracha mayo. You can also cut them into strips and roll them up in a goi cuon style, with vermicelli noodles, cucumber, lettuce and a hoisin sauce dip!

These are the bare bones of the recipe:

Noodles + Chicken & Shrimp Patties + Bok Choy

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 lb. of shrimp, peeled

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup of oyster sauce

2 tbspns. of fish sauce (or more if you got some Vietnamese blood like me!)

Sesame seeds for crusting the meat patties

Vegetable oil

1 quart chicken stock, low sodium

A few slices of ginger

1/2 tbspn. of sugar  

Salt + pepper

Bok choy (about 4 halves per bowl)

Noodles

Lime wedges, optional

Throw the shrimp into a food processor and pulse a few times — the mixture should look like ground meat, not a paste. Combine the shrimp, ground chicken, garlic, 1/2 the oyster sauce and 1/2 the fish sauce. Form the meat into little meatballs, and roll them in the sesame seeds, flattening them slightly into discs. Heat the oil in a nonstick pan, and fry the patties in batches for about 3 minutes per side. Set them on the side on some paper towels while you prep everything else.

Grill the ginger pieces (I grilled three straight on my burner). Throw it into a pot with the chicken stock, the rest of the fish sauce, sugar and oyster sauce. Bring the broth to a boil and add salt & pepper to taste. If the broth is too intense, add more chicken stock.  

Prepare whatever noodles you’re using in a separate pot of water. Divide the noodles into however many bowls you’re preparing. Boil the bok choy for about 3-4 minutes. Top each bowl of noodles with 2-3 patties and 4 halves of bok choy. Pour the broth over the noodles and serve with lime wedges.  Slurp.