This is one of the first Vietnamese soups that I learnt to make, I don’t know how to make many of them but I sure love each and every one of them. I haven’t made Tonkinese soup in years, any time you make pho whether it’s chicken or beef you want to make it in the biggest soup pot you got! I bought one specifically to make soups like this. This chicken pho is a lot less time consuming, about 2.5-3 hours instead of the beef one which takes at least 6 hours, it also requires a whole chicken so you need enough space in the pot so you have the ingredients but also enough broth.
- 1 whole chicken
- 4-5 Liters water
- 2 ginger 2"
- 1 onion large
- 3 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick 3"
- 1/2 Tbsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 Tbsp Cumin seeds
- 1/2 Tbsp Coriander seeds
- 2 green onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery
- 1 2 Rock sugar
- 2 Tbsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 pack bean sprouts
- 1/4 cup coriander fresh
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 1/4 cup onion finely sliced
- 2 Lime cut in wedges
- Soak the package of vermicelli in cold water. Set aside.
- Place the onions and the ginger on the grill, drizzle with oil and grill until fragrant and a bit charred. Once it's cool a bit, remove the skins of the onions and ginger.
- Bring the water to a boil in a large stockpot. I use a 12-Quart stockpot and fill the water leaving 3 inches at the top.
- In a small pan, place all the spices, and roast until fragrant about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and put it in a teabag, tea strainer or cheese clothe. Place in the stockpot.
- Add the ginger, onions, spices, green onions and whole washed carrots and celery stalk. Bring to a boil, and add the sugar and salt. Reduce the heat to low, and gently add the whole chicken making sure it is well submerged in the broth. Cover and keep it on a low gently simmer for 1.5-2 hours.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove and run it under cold water or place it in a ice bath. Allow to cool and then shred up all the meat, discarding the skin and bones. Set aside until ready to use.
- In the mean time increase heat to medium and adjust the taste of the broth, add the fish sauce and more salt or sugar if needed. You may need to add a bit more water if you find that it has reduced too much, but if your heat was on low it should not have reduced significantly.
- Prepare the garnish. Finely cut the onions, coriander and green onions and add it to the bowl. Mix well.
- Wash the bean sprouts and drain.
- Cut the lime into wedges.
To assemble the bowl:
- Bring a small pot with water to a boil. Once it is boiling, add the vermicelli (1 package serves about 4 people.) Cook for 20-30 seconds and then drain it in a sieve, and place into bowls.
- Place chop suey, and some shredded chicken on top of the noodles. Add some of the coriander, onion mix that you chopped up earlier. Pour a couple of ladles of chicken broth on top and a squeeze of lime.
- Serve with side of Sriracha sauce and Hoisin sauce.