Lately my hubby and I have been loving Vietnamese food. We often go through phases where we are OBSESSED with certain types of foods and restaurants. Unfortunately, sometimes its restaurants that aren’t very close to where we live. Since I love to cook, my husband always asks me to recreate our favorite dishes. So today I will be sharing 2 store bought pho broths I tested along with a semi-homeade recipe I tried out from The Kitchn. Stay tuned for part two where I share my chicken spring roll recipe in the coming weeks.
Eating at new restaurants can be intimidating especially when you are trying food from another culture.
If you have never had Vietnamese food, you may find it a little intimidating and confusing. The menu might be in another language and you may see some unfamiliar ingredients and smells. However, don’t let any of this deter you from trying out a new cultural cuisine. I always tell the person waiting on me that this is my first time and ask for recommendations. If all else fails, you can always do a quick google search on your phone before ordering.
One of the first times I had pho was with an Indonesian friend I made in college. I was unfamiliar with pho, but was intrigued by the large bowls of soup and condiments pho is served with. Also, who else finds its fascinating to eat long hot rice noodles with chopsticks!!! I remember being slightly put off by seeing fish balls on the menu. But nonetheless I found a familiar word on the menu, chicken. So that’s what I ordered, chicken pho.
I always recommend chicken pho to anyone who has never tried pho before. Because it’s basically the Vietnamese version of chicken soup.
I remember the first bite of pho. It was delicious! I was homesick for spicy foods and enjoyed adding in sriracha and jalapeños. It was the closest I could get to the taste of New Mexican green Chile while being in the midwest. I soon became obsessed and I couldn’t wait to have pho again. It quickly became a regular food that I frequented on the weekends with my husband years later.
Our go to pho place is a Vietnamese restaurant called, Pho 43 Express in west Phoenix. We have been coming here for over 5 years!! It’s a little hole in the wall and if you were to ever just drive by, you might question why it’s so popular. Hands down this pink and white restaurant serves the BEST pho in the valley. It’s a small little place that seats no more than 50 people at a time. On weekends there is a line to get a table and it’s worth the wait.
We start our meal with Goi Cuon Thit Nuong Grilled Pork Rolls which are freshly rolled springs rolls with grilled pork and Tra Thai (Thai Tea). We like to keep things simple and order the Pho Tai which is steak pho. There are different cuts of meat as well as vegetarian options but this is our go-to meal. The meat is always so tender and the broth is clear and oh so flavorful. The noodles are always soft and it smells delicious. I once overheard a conversation about the star components of their pho broth, I heard things like star anise and fish sauce.
If you would have asked me to guess ingredients in pho, neither of these ingredients would have come to mind.
As much as I love pho, I understand the complexities of what seems to be a “simple” dish. It’s basically a noodle soup right? My knowledge of making soup comes with minimal ingredients and spices like when I make mutton stew. However, the ingredients in pho are far more complex with bones and spices that make up a savory and slightly sweet broth. The broth alone could take hours and even days to prepare. As much as I love cooking, I have yet to make pho from scratch. Instead I have experimented with semi-homemade versions that cut the time in half.
In the past I have tried beef broth only and that has made for a very quick pho broth. Although it lacks a lot of the complexities of a good pho broth. I wanted to find another way to make this semi-homemade. I found this recipe by The Kitchn and went to the grocery store to get all the ingredients. While shopping, I noticed they had actual pho broth. So, in addition to the beef broth that the semi-homemade pho recipe called for, I picked up two store brand pho broths to try out as well.
These were the results.
- The Kitchn Recipe: This recipe included a base of beef broth with added spices and vegetables. Overall this recipe was a 7/10. It didn’t quite make the mark in the terms of taste. I found the broth to be overly sweet. The next time I make this, I am going to exclude the carrots. The broth was a nice brown clear but I think it could have used less spices. I’ve linked the recipe here. It’s a very informative post so please take a read.
- O Organics Beef Pho Broth: This is a Safeway/Albertsons brand. Overall this was a 4/10. The broth lacked any distinguishable flavor other than a latent bite of heat at the end. It was a very dark brown color. The color of the broth resembled motor oil and this was our least favorite.
- Ocean’s Halo Pho Broth: This was the clear winner for pho both. This was a 8/10. Not only is it vegan friendly, it packed the most amount of flavor! The broth had a yellowish hue and overall was quite enjoyable. It didn’t quite meet all of the notes of pho broth, but if you are in a pinch for time, I would certainly grab this brand. Visit their website to see where this is available in your area.
- Combination of broths: We mixed The Kitchn pho and Ocean’s Halo Broth together to get a slightly more complex broth. I think it may have been the addition of the beef broth. Together this made for a 9/10. I plan on experimenting with both broths, but I think at this point I might as well make it from scratch. Ha!
I hope to make pho broth from scratch in the meantime if you are looking for a quick way to curve your pho craving give one of these semi-homeade pho broths and recipes a try. If not give Pho 43 Express a try if you are ever in the area.
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Looking for a fun and easy spring dessert? Go check out my latest recipe for Coconut Chia Seed Pudding
