Belly up to the Pho bar

In preparation for Tet (Vietnamese New Year) arriving on February 3rd, I am testing recipes for our annual Tet Celebration.  A friend asked if I had tried making Pho, and I hadn’t, so I thought there is no time like the present.  Enter Andrea Nguyen and Into the Vietnamese Kitchen.

I didn’t do everything quite to her standards (I used beef broth for a base instead of boiling down bones for hours), but the result was pretty amazing and after gobbling down our first homemade Pho feast, I am ready for the Pho Bar at our upcoming Tet party.

Get ready to eat!

Andrea’s blog helpfully explains the Pho craze and “faux Pho” recipes.  I adhered pretty faithfully to the traditional, but didn’t have rock sugar, so just skipped it.  The broth was still scrumptious. What is certainly true about Pho, and thus the “faux” Pho craze, is its versatility — when we were in Hanoi, there were about a zillion different kinds, and everyone seems to add their favorite meat, vegetable, or whatever.  I like the simplicity of the original recipe.

I also like that it is assembled moments before it is eaten.  The crunchy onions and bean sprouts do well with the savory onions and tender beef.

What is also great about making the broth is cooking the ginger root and onion right over the fire!

The array of ingredients is fantastic, and I am excited about having our own well-prepared Pho Bar at our Tet Party.

Watch out for the serrano chilies –Ed says we need a box of tissues at the end of the bar.

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