Warming bowl of pho

There is something really comforting about enjoying a good bowl of pho, especially a homemade one. You will always have people saying to you "dont bother!! you're better off having it in a restaurant ! " , But i can assure you there is nothing more satisfying than enjoying it in the comfort of your own home . ( nothing wrong with the decor in good pho places in Melbourne :p ). We normally would start with some spring rolls as well.

Its not hard work but it does take a few hours. Here is my recipe adapted from Pleasure from the Vietnamese table by Mai Pham.

for the broth;

1 free range chock

1.5 kg chicken bones

2 onions , charred and peeled

1 large knob of ginger, charred and peeled

3 star anise , toasted

6 cloves , toasted

1/4 cup fish sauce

2 tbs rock sugar

3 l water

salt to taste

you also need;

thin rice noodle ( we like Gong Seng brand )

bean sprouts , blanched

vietnamese mint

thai basil

spring onion, chopped

onion , sliced

bird chilis , sliced

lemon wedges

let's start cooking;

to start with the stock, put everything in a pot with water except the chicken.

bring it to a boil and add the chicken in.

when the water returns to the boil, turn off the heat, lid on and leave it for 2 hours

after 2 hours, remove the chicken from the pot. Let it cool down a bit and tear into bite size pieces

return the bones minus the skin to the pot and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, skimming from time to time to remove impurities. Strain stock after final seasoning.

when the stock is ready, blanch bean sprouts for 5 seconds

blanch noodle for 30 seconds

to assemble;

place noodle, bean sprouts in a warm bowl.

pour hot stocks over, top with herbs and all other goodies.

enjoy!!!!!

p/s : we have enough leftover for the next day and tasted even better!