What is pho?

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
8 ounces BEAN THREAD NOODLES
10 cups CANNED BEEF BROTH
2 mediums ONIONS, THICKLY SLICED
4 HALF-INCH-THICK SLICES FRESH GINGER (ABOUT 1 1/4 OUNCES)
2 tablespoons FISH SAUCE (NAM PLA)
3 larges GARLIC CLOVES, HALVED
2 STAR ANISE
1½ teaspoon WHOLE CLOVES
1 pounds FLANK STEAK, TRIMMED, THINLY SLICED CROSSWISE
1 HEAD ROMAINE LETTUCE, THINLY SLICED
3 GREEN ONIONS, THINLY SLICED
x LEMON WEDGES

Directions

The Official Pho Page

Everything you always wanted to know about Pho and more! WHAT IS PHO?

Pho, also known as Hanoi Beef Soup, is a popular Vietnamese soup. In America, Pho is eaten as either lunch, dinner, or just an afternoon snack. Traditionally though, in Vietnam, Pho is eaten for breakfast.

WHAT SHOULD I GET IN MY PHO?

When ordering Pho, you will usually have a variety of types to choose from. Pho can be gotten with meatballs, ground beef, bible tripe, beef tripe, soft tendon, brisket, and a variety of other tasty things. And if none of those sound appealing to you, you can always get your Pho plain. Well, not exactly plain, you don't eat your Pho just like that. It is customary to add Mint leaves, bean sprouts,lemon and lime juice, plum sauce and jalepeno sauce to your bowl of Pho as well. Therefore, everyone's Pho is unique to themselves and their individual taste. For hundreds of years now, Vietnamese families have been having Pho for dinner. Now, we are fortunate enough to have a multitude of Pho restaurants so we too can enjoy Pho. Below, you can see a Vietnamese family travelling miles to the marketplace most likely to buy ingredients for Pho.

DOES PHO HAVE NAY NUTRITIONAL VALUE? Pho actually has a lot of nutritional value. It is made from only all natural, home grown ingredients. In ancient times, Pho was given to the sick in order to remedy them. It is believed that Pho has many beneficial values and is therefore eaten a lot.

BUT HOW DO I PRONOUNCE PHO?

In America, many people like to ignore the accent and pronounce it Pho. This is incorrect and may be insulting if heard by someone Vietnamese. When pronouncing Pho, don't forget that's an o, not an o.

If that doesn't help, it is kind of pronounced like "fuh".

THE TAO OF PHo

Many philosophers have attempted to relate Pho to everyday life. The most common theory about Pho and Life was written down hundreds of years ago on parchment by an unknown philosopher.

He said the following:

Life is like a big bowl of Pho. It is constantly surprising you with things unexpected. When you get meatballs, it means you are having rocky times. When you get beef tripe, you are having trouble internally with your emotions.

BUT WHERE CAN I FIND PHO?

Unfortunately, no one has made Pho in a can yet. So, in order to find Pho it would help if you live in a big city or an area with a large Vietnamese population. Check your local Yellow Pages for the Pho nearest you!

If you would like to taste a bowl of Pho, here's a recipe on how to make it!

Basic Pho Recipe Directions contained in What is Pho? (cont'd).

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