Inspiration
We love getting Pho in Chicago. Our last visit to LC Pho was especially delightful. We also wanted to find a meal that highlights fresh herbs and pho is possibly the best to do this. Last minute, we also decided to drop in meatballs into the broth. While they weren’t Vietnamese meatballs, it was still delicious.
Tips and tricks
Find the freshest herbs possible
This recipe is only possible if you have herbs that are in prime condition. They add brightness and flavor that cannot be substituted. While the exact herb mix is your preference, we highly recommend you getting whatever is freshest. Mint is a good starting point.
set your 'mise' up way ahead of time
This pho recipe requires some assembly toward the end of the process. Having all your containers setup and bowls and equipment ready will allow you to put your dinner together quickly with less fuss and mess.
Prep your veggies and herbs while you simmer your pho
The built in time of an hour for simmering the pho allows you to pick herbs, wash and cut bok choy, and prep any other dishes that you want to serve alongside the pho. Feel free to get creative with additional ingredients.
complimentary dishes to prepare alongside it
1. Spring rolls
We love making spring rolls and this is an essential dish to serve with your pho. They keep for up to 2 days, so you can make a whole giant batch and save them in the fridge for the next day.
Mise en place setup
We used a saucepan for noodles, saute pan for bok choy and a dutch oven for the pho on the stove. We needed one bowl to store noodles and five containers to hold the garnishes. We also used two types of ladles and a stainless steel ninth pan for miscellaneous scraps and to hold the ladle off the countertop.
recipe card
Serves 2 to 4
Mushroom and meatball pho
4 star anise pods
2 cinnamon sticks
8 whole cloves
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 medium onion, quartered
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
2 medium celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 2″ piece of ginger, peeled
8 cups of water
1 5×3″ piece of kombu
1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbs. fish sauce
5 meatballs of your choosing
1 cup of oyster mushrooms, torn
1 head of baby bok choy, roughly chopped
12 oz. medium-width rice noodles
Mix of herbs, bean sprouts and jalapenos with some lime
Salt to taste
Soy sauce (optional for veggies)
- Make your broth: In a small bowl, combine 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 star anise pods, 8 whole cloves, and 1 tsp. coriander seeds. Meanwhile, heat a large pot to medium heat. Once hot, add in the dry aromatics from your container. Heat them until they become aromatic, around 30 seconds. Do not burn your aromatics. Next, add your celery, carrot, onion, and ginger to the pot. At this stage, bring the heat to medium-high and get nice color on the veggies, around 10 minutes.
- Next, add 8 cups of water, sugar, kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms, and the fish sauce and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 55 minutes.
3. Prep the rest of the dish – noodles, veggies and garnishes
Meanwhile, set up your saute station. Get a saute pan to medium heat and add bok choy, mushrooms and a bit of soy sauce (optional) to it. Once the mushroom cooks down and the bok choy starts to get color, you can remove it. The cooked vegetables can be placed in your mise en place setup, as discussed above. Bring a pot of water to a boil for your noodles.
In the time remaining before the broth is done, wash and prep herbs of your choosing. Place them in your mise en place. Finally, cut jalapenos and add them into a mixing bowl. Add some lime and salt to the bowl and mix with your hand until combined. Place this in your mise en place as well.
With 10 minutes of cooking left for the pho, drop your meatballs into the hot broth. Finally, with 5 minutes remaining, drop noodles into a pot of boiling water. When noodles are done, drain them and place them in a bowl.
Combine noodles and broth and garnish with herb and veggie components.
What recipes to make next with your leftover ingredients
1. chana chaat
Add a cilantro, mint and jalapeno garnish to elevate this dish and evoke the essence of a cilantro mint chutney.
2. cilantro mint chutney
If you were happy with your chana chaat, make the cilantro mint chutney for real now! This chutney is a perfect companion to nearly any Indian dish.
3. Green goddess pasta salad with chickpeas and cilantro lime dressing
This fusion dish will evoke memories of visiting the deli section of the grocery store, but it will go beyond what you’re used to in flavor. It also uses chickpeas, which are favorite ingredient of the website.
