Faux Pho

Very rich and flavorful, especially for something that comes together rather quickly. The original version was vegetarian; I added the rotisserie chicken. It's not quite the real thing, but the name doesn't promise that it will be.

Faux Pho
Soup: a way of life

Ingredients:

2	onions, unpeeled and quartered
2	onions, thinly sliced
2	4" pieces ginger, halved lengthwise
6	star anise
4	cloves, whole
6	peppercorns, black
5 qts	stock
1/3 c	fish sauce
5 T	sugar
3 T	coarse salt
1 bunch	cilantro, chopped
1/2 c	thai basil, julienned
1	serrano chile, chopped
12 leaves	cilantro, julienned
8	scallion, chopped
1	rotisserie chicken, shredded

For Noodles

1 lb	rice noodles, 1/8" thick, cooked according to package
1/2 lb	bean sprouts

Heat large frying pan over high. Place quartered onions and ginger cut-side down in pan. Cook until beginning to blacken, about 10 minutes. Remove ginger and reserve.

Turn onions and black the other side.

Remove pan from heat. Rinse onions and ginger.

Wrap star anise, cloves, and peppercorns in cheesecloth and tie.

IN medium stockpot, bring stock to a boil. Add charred onions and ginger, spice bag, fish sauce, and sugar. Lower heat and simmer 40 minutes.

With slotted spoon, remove vegetables from stock. Remove spice bag.

Line a sieve with a damp cloth and strain broth. Return to pot. Stir in salt, 1/2 c sliced onions, 1/2 c cilantro, 3 T basil, 2 T chiles, cilantro, and chicken. Let sit 15 minutes.

In large pot of boiling water, cook noodles for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Divide noodles into bowls, pour about 2 1/2 c broth into each. Sprinkle with sprouts.

Comments

Cauliflower and Arugula Soup with Tibetan Flatbread

Because the weather is chilly, and because I had a bag of arugula from the last farm box taunting me, only to be compounded by a fresh bag of arugula from the recent farm box, I decided to try this soup I found from a blog associated with a California-based CSA, Eat Outside the Box . Cauliflower and Arugula Soup Eat Outside the Box farm blog 1 head cauliflower 1 red or white onion, peeled and chopped 3/4 lb zucchini, peeled and chopped 1/4 lb arugula 15 oz stock 15 oz water 1 T olive oil salt and pepper Parmesan cheese, grated First, let me state how important it is to wash your arugula before using it. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get lazy and rely on the "well, if it doesn't kill me, it'll just make me stronger" approach to washing my foods and vegetables. This laziness is only enhanced when the food I'm considering has come from an organic farm. But leaving aside all the various things that can get on the food

Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles

I love this dish so much that I can barely stand it. Delicious the night it was made, and fantastic as leftovers throughout the week. Mayocoba beans are easily replaced -- try pintos, if you can't find mayocobas. Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles Baptism of Fire 3-4 green chiles, roasted and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T lard or olive oil 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin pepper 1 c mayocoba beans, dry 3 c water 1 tsp salt Cook the green chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in the fat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit, uncovered, for an hour. You may drain the water to remove some of the slightly indigestible sugars that cause gassiness. If you decide to drain them, add enough water back into the pot to cover the beans with about 2" of water above the beans for cooking. Bring the beans back to a boil and cook, until tender. This will take

Chilled Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Snow Peas, and Radishes

We destroyed these. In a good way. It's a lovely-to-look-at dish, chock full of vegetables. More so than I had anticipated, and more so than most soba noodle dishes I've made in the past. We absolutely gobbled this up! Served here with a five-spice chicken and smashed cucumbers. The original calls for nori. We don't love nori so left it out. Maybe we are missing a part of the experience, but even without it, this was delicious. Chilled Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Snow Peas, and Radishes Cook's Illustrated 8 oz soba noodles 3 T white miso paste 3 T mirin 2 T toasted sesame oil 1 T sesame seeds 1 tsp ginger, grated 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/3 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded, sliced thin 4 oz snow peas, strings removed, cut lengthwise into matchsticks 4 radishes, trimmed, halved, sliced thin into half-moons 3 scallions, sliced thin Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Stir in noodles and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally

Donut Army

Search This Blog