Recipe: Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)

My mom LOVES to buy whole chickens for me. The only problem is that she is a bit excessive with it. She will out of nowhere call me up, tell me she is dropping off a chicken for me, and then all of a sudden, 3 whole chickens will show up at my door. But, it doesn't stop there. The next day, another chicken will show up. And the next day, another chicken is dropped off. And it won't stop until you firmly tell her that enough is enough.

As much as I should be grateful for all of the gifted chickens, I kind of get to a point where I just don't have enough space to store them.

Needless to say, my freezer is always full of whole chickens, which is perfect for making broth. This Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (pho ga) recipe is one that my mom gave me. While it seems complicated to make, it is in fact very easy. It does take some time to make, but you can pretty much go on auto-pilot once you have everything cooking in the pot.

Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
- flat rice noodles, fresh or dried
Stock
- 1 whole free-range chicken (4-5 lbs), skin and excess fat removed
- water
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 5-7 Tbsp fish sauce
- 3 star anise
- 4-5 large onions, peeled and cut in half
- 2-3 pieces of ginger, approx 2 inches long with skin peeled

Garnish (All optional)
- fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- fresh green onion, finely chopped
- white vinegar with chopped birds eye chilli
- fresh white onion, cut into thin slices
- birds eye chilli
- fresh lime, cut into small wedges
- white pepper

Method
1. Char the onions and ginger on a bbq grill or stove top (on high heat) until all sides are charred. Approximately 1-3 minutes per side. Use tongs to rotate.

2. In a large pot (5.6L), fill 3/4 of the pot with water. Add the chicken, salt, onions, ginger and star anise, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for an hour. Add the fish sauce and let it simmer for another 1-2 hours. Technically, you are done once the chicken is cooked but the longer the better. I like to simmer my broth for a total of 3 hours. Add water as needed (the broth tends to evaporate while simmering).

3. Now you are ready to construct the soup and noodles. In a separate pot, cook the rice vermicelli noodles according to package instructions. If you are using dried rice vermicelli, it is best to soak the noodles in a large bowl of luke warm water for a few hours before cooking. This shortens the cooking time significantly.

4. Drain the noodles and place in a large soup bowl. Add hot broth over top of the noodles. Add chicken pieces and your garnishes of choice. Serve hot with a large soup spoon and chopsticks.

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Awesome Spring Rolls at Pho'licious, Ottawa

I find it is hard to write about pho houses - they are either good, average or bad. Every place pretty much offers the same dishes and unless you spend the time to analyze the most minute details, it's really hard to comment on how good a pho dish is without repeating yourself. Yes, there are times when a restaurant does something phenomenally or offers something that others don't, but that doesn't happen often.

B20 - Grilled Homemade Pork Meatball and Pho'licious Special Spring Rolls Vermicelli

The most recent place that I went to that was noteworthy is Pho'licious in Ottawa. They have decent pho but what I love is their Pho'licious special spring rolls: crispy spring rolls wrapped in rice paper and stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat, pork, egg, transparent noodle and bean sprouts. I love the texture of the deep fried rice paper, which is crispy on the outside and slightly gelatinous when you chew it. Although it doesn't say on the menu, you can ask them to substitute regular spring rolls in any dish with their Pho'licious special spring rolls.

Their homemade pork meatballs aren't bad but nothing like how my mom makes them. I'm used to the meatballs being more meatier with a ton more garlic.

They also offer banh mi sandwiches for $3, which is marked for take-out only.

The decor of the place kind of made me chuckle. It's like one of the owner's kids decided to step in and help with the design, which resulted in a boudoir nightclub feel filled with tacky Asian restaurant furniture. At least they tried.

Pho'licious
300 Booth Street
Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Telephone: 613-680-5230

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Recipe: Vietnamese Sour Tamarind Soup (Canh Chua)

It's amazing how, as a kid, you never question what you are eating. At least I didn't. I either liked it or didn't. It was that simple.

I didn't realize how little I knew about the dishes I grew up with until I started asking my mom or my aunt (who was like a mom to me) for the recipe, and then not knowing what half of the ingredients are. "What is that called in English?" I would ask. The answer back would always be, "I don't know, take a picture and go find out".

This Vietnamese sour tamarind soup was one of my favorite soups growing up. I loved the sour taste of the tamarind, combined with the sweet pineapple balanced with the shrimp and fresh veggies. I seldom use tamarind in my everyday cooking, so I was excited when I finally had a chance to use it.

Chinese brown sugar, one of the ingredients in this soup, is solid cane sugar sold in blocks. It is brown in color and rock hard. It is typically divided up into equal pieces.  The 65g of Chinese brown sugar called for in this recipe should be one full piece of the sugar sold in most packages.

This recipe yields 6-8 servings.

Vietnamese Sour Tamarind Soup (Canh Chua)
- 1 elephant ear stem, cut into 1/2 inch slices on an angle (if not easily accessible, substitute with 3-5 stalks of celery, sliced)
- 5 cups of bean sprouts
- 8-10 sprigs of rice paddy herb, roughly chopped with stems
- 2 large ripe vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups of fresh ripe pineapple chunks
- 1/2 lb of large shrimp with shell (approx 18-20)
- 824ml chicken broth
- 200g, 7 oz. block of tamarind me chua paste
- 6 cups of water
- 65 grams of Chinese solid brown sugar
- fish sauce or salt to taste
- fried shallots

Method
1. Prepare the tamarind soup base by dissolving the tamarind pulp in 3 1/2 cups of hot water in a pot. Heat the mixture on medium high heat for 8-10 minutes, breaking down the tamarind with a spoon or fork while it is heating. Once dissolved, the tamarind will turn into a thick dark paste. With a sieve, strain the seed and pulp to extract the tamarind water. Use a spoon to press the pulp to get more tamarind water.

2. In a large pot, combine 2 cups of the tamarind water, chicken broth and 2 1/2 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Add the solid brown sugar and mix until completely dissolved. Add the shrimp and let it boil until it is just cooked (approx 1-2 min). Take out the shrimp and set aside so they don't overcook. Turn off the heat. Your soup base in now ready. At this point, depending on your taste, you may want to add a bit more water to make it less sour, some fish sauce to add flavor and to make the soup saltier, or more tamarind water for a more sour taste. Everyone likes it slightly different.

3. This soup is meant to be enjoyed fresh and you only prepare it when you are ready to serve. For 1 individual bowl, in a pot, combine 1 cup of the tamarind soup base, 3 pineapple chunks, 3 tomato chunks, 5 slices of elephant ear stem, and bring the soup to a boil (2-3 minutes). Add a handful of the bean sprouts, 3-4 cooked shrimp and let it boil for another minute. Turn off the heat and pour the soup into a soup bowl. Garnish with rice paddy herbs and fried shallots. Enjoy the soup hot, plain or with white Jasmine rice. To prepare a larger bowl, simply scale up from the portions described above.

For extra flavor, you can prepare a small bowl of fish sauce mixed with sliced red Thai chiles and dip your shrimp into it. If you don't like shrimp, you can substitute it with white fish or chicken. Do not use beef. It will alter the taste of the soup.

Elephant Ear Stem

Ingredients for Sour Tamarind Soup

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Fab Pho at Pho Van Van, Ottawa

Pho Dac Biet

One thing Pho Van Van does right is the consistency of their rice noodles. Its got just the right chewiness and believe it or not, some restaurants do a really bad job of it. Some places make their noodles too hard and some too soft. While there isn't alot of variety when it comes to what different Vietnamese restaurants offer, Pho Van Van differentiates by offering a quail egg in their pho selections. For those that love the Vietnamese pork meatloaf omelet (cha trung) with their rice like the 3 color rice dish, this place only offers a simple pan friend egg.

The decor of this restaurant kind of has a jungle-like feel with its wooden wall panels, bamboo blinds and green plants. Its slightly fancier than the casual run down Vietnamese restaurants around the city, which lends itself to a better dining experience. It is located in the trendy Hintonburg area, close to government buildings, Westboro shops, and The Great Canadian Theatre Company, which attracts a steady crowd of people throughout the day. They are not open Sundays.

Pho Tai

Deep Fried Squid

Tendon and Tripe

Pho Van Van
93 Holland Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-722-1663

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Banh Mi Boys, Toronto

If you're in downtown Toronto and wanted to eat something easy, fun, exotic and affordable, check out Banh Mi Boys. It is a contemporary Vietnamese banh mi shop with a twist. The Chau brothers, who own the place, know how to do it well. They should since they learned the tricks of the trade from their parents who also owned Vietnamese sub shops - the traditional kind.

The place is set up like a fast food joint. Fast fast fast. In addition to Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, you can get Chinese style steam bao sandwiches or Korean style tacos. Seating is limited so it may be hard to snag a seat during peak hours.

There were a lot of things that I wanted to try on the menu, but finally, I decided on the lemongrass grilled pork banh mi served with Asian bbq sauce, house mayo, pickled carrots, pickled daikon, cilantro and cucumber. The pork was char grilled to perfection and had just the right amount of lemongrass.

Grilled Pork Banh Mi

CK ordered the Kalbi beef banh mi filled with beef short ribs, kimchi, Asian bbq sauce and the regular toppings. He really enjoyed his sandwich.

Kalbi Beef Banh Mi

We also ordered the kimchi fries. Unknown to us, the kimchi fries are covered with pulled pork in addition to the kimchi! While the fries were fantastic, I wished they posted the pork bit on their menu. Had I known, I would have ordered something smaller to make room for the heavy fries!

Kimchi Fries

We also got a jicama papaya salad to share. It was a nice light salad with a light soy sauce dressing.

Jicama Papaya Salad

Banh Mi Boys
392 Queen Street W
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 416-363-0588

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Bo Bi Rice Paper Rolls

The Bo Bi rice paper roll is a unique Chiu Chow/Vietnamese fusion dish that is commonly eaten by the Cantonese population who migrated to Vietnam. The name 'Bo Bi' is Chinese, and translates to 'thin pancake'. The original Chiu Chow Bo Bi dish uses a thin pancake instead of rice paper, but because rice paper is more commonly found in Vietnam, the Chinese who tried to re-create this dish started using rice paper out of convenience. The ingredients in the roll may vary depending on the family and their preferences.

I had Bo Bi rice paper rolls with my family the other night, and I instantly thought to snap pictures to share with everyone.

This dish is not very complicated to make, but there are many ingredients that need to be prepared. Here is the low down on how to make it.

1. Steam some Chinese sausages and slice them thinly.

Sliced Chinese Sausages

2. Boil julienned carrots and turnips until tender and top it with fried onions. Be sure to make a large pot of this.

Boiled Carrots and Turnips

3. Roast some peanuts

Roasted Peanuts

4. Roast some preserved turnips and slice up a few fried eggs

Fried Eggs and Turnips

5. Wash some lettuce

Lettuce

6. Throw the above ingredients + dried rice paper on the dinner table. Get a big bowl of lukewarm water to dip your rice paper in. Give each person a big plate for wrapping, and away you go.

To make the wrap, dip the entire rice paper in lukewarm water for a few seconds, and set it on your plate. Place a bit of each ingredient in the middle of your rice paper.

Fold in the sides, and roll.

Voila! Once you have it, dip the roll into your favorite sauce. In my household, Sriracha hot sauce, hoisin sauce, and hot chilli oil are the most popular.

I mentioned above that some of the ingredients may vary from family to family. Other ingredients that could be used are jicama, dried prawns, and sauteed scallions. Of course, you can also try it the traditional way and use a thin pancake instead of rice paper.

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Yuca with Coconut and Sugar

Yuca with coconut and sugar is a popular street dish in Southern Vietnam. You can find this pretty much anytime of the day, but most people prefer it in the morning as a breakfast dish. The yuca is first steamed, then split with a knife to create a crevasse, where the condiments are poured in. Condiments include confectioners' sugar, fresh coconut, coconut milk, and toasted sesame seeds. To serve, the yuca is wrapped in a banana leaf.

Yuca, also known as cassava, is a starchy root with a hard waxy exterior. It is a major source of carbohydrates, and in terms of taste, it doesn't have a lot of it. It is eaten more for the texture than for taste. Tapioca is made from the flour of this root.

When selecting yuca, be sure to avoid ones with bruises. Any tender spots on the yuca root is likely a sign of a bruise.

This recipe yields 6-8 servings.

Yuca with Coconut and Sugar- 2 yuca roots
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 cups of sweetened coconut, shredded
- 4 Tbsp of sesame seeds, toasted

Method
1. Peel the yuca roots, and soak them in cold water for 3 hours. Steam them for 20 minutes. While still hot, cut the yuca into small wedges.

2. While the yuca is still warm, mix in the sugar and coconut with your hands. The sugar will melt into the yuca, so make sure it is evenly distributed. Right before serving, mix in the toasted sesame seeds.

With this recipe, we normally toast the sesame seeds in a wok to create a more authentic flavor. If you wish, you can also pour coconut milk on top of this dessert.

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Ox Head Restaurant, Ottawa

I had big plans to blog almost everyday in Germany, but it just didn't happen. My days flew by, and every night was a late night. I just landed in Ottawa last night, so as soon as I get acclimated, I'll share the copious amounts of German meat, brats, and dumplings I ate. Sorry jenny t, couldn't find any steckerlfisch.

My first meal back was at Ox Head Restaurant. Beebs, CK, and I enjoyed a nice Vietnamese lunch here.

To start, CK and I split the fresh shrimp spring rolls. They originally come with shrimp and pork, but we asked them to make them with shrimp only. The peanut sauce they served with these rolls had a nice light taste.

The rolls had boiled shrimp, lettuce, and rice noodles. All of this was wrapped in rice paper.

CK got a cafe sua da while he waited for his food: an awesome Vietnamese iced coffee. Black coffee is drip brewed into a glass with sweetened condensed milk.

When the coffee is done, you mix the two together, and add ice to the drink.

The nice thing about this restaurant is that I know what to order every time: My Tho style seafood with transparent noodle and soup. While I've found their other dishes to be inconsistent, their seafood soup with transparent noodles has never failed me. The broth is more garlicky than their other soups, and there is a nice mix of seafood and meat. The transparent noodle is also a nice change from the regular rice noodles, and is chewier and starchier in texture.

The soup comes with pork, shrimp, mussels, crab, and squid.

CK ordered the usual, soup with rare beef. Their beef noodle soup isn't bad, but their noodles are usually tough, and their beef overcooked.

Beebs also ordered a beef noodle soup. She didn't see the exact combination she wanted on the menu, so she made her own: pho tai sach. This is a beef noodle soup with tripe and rare beef.

For dessert, the three of us split the deep fried banana with vanilla ice cream drizzled with honey.

This is my place of choice for Vietnamese food in the West end. The wait staff here are friendly, and the soups are quick to come out. However, if you order any of the less popular items, it may take longer for you to get your food.

Ox Head Restaurant
790 Kanata Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-592-0630

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Phở Bò Gà L.A, Ottawa

If you're going to eat phở in Ottawa's China town, it's gotta be at Pho Bo Ga 2 or Pho Bo Ga L.A. The two restaurants are owned by the same owners, and they also own Pho Bo Ga 3 down the road from L.A (creative huh?).

CK, my mom, and I recently ate at Phở Bò Gà 2. Their specialty is soup, soup, soup!

I ordered M13 on their menu which was the spicy beef stew with rice noodles. Not as good as the home cooked beef stew, but still pretty tasty. This is a good option if you don't want to order the standard beef rice noodle soup.

My mom loves both rice noodles and yellow egg noodles, so she ordered M7 on the menu which provides both. On the menu, the description is shrimp and pork meat with rice noodle, but it really does come with two types of noodles. It also has a deep fried shrimp chip on top. You have to eat the shrimp chip fast because the soup will make it very soggy quickly.

CK loves the standard fare, so he ordered 001 on the menu: rare beef with rice noodle. If you want more variety in your meats, I would get the beef and chicken soup, or the beef soup with rare beef, beef tripe, and beef balls.

All soup should be served with lime wedges, bean sprouts, hot peppers, and herbs. Whether or not you eat the herbs, you should throw it in your soup for flavor.

Phở Bò Gà L.A

784 Somerset Street West

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Telephone: 613-230-2931

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