Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)
Overview
Pho is one of the few dishes in the world where the herbs are not a garnish, they are 50% of the meal. The bowl arrives with clear, fragrant broth and tender chicken, but it is not finished. The herb plate next to it, mounds of mint, coriander, basil, peashoots, chives, lime wedges, chilli, is what each diner uses to build their own bowl, tearing leaves and squeezing lime as they eat. The result is a soup that tastes different in every spoonful. Pho ga is the chicken version, lighter than the beef pho bo, eaten any time of day in Vietnam but most commonly for breakfast.
The Ingredients
For the broth
- • 1 whole chicken (1.5kg)
- • 2 Brown Onions (Crysp), unpeeled
- • 1 large piece ginger (80g), unpeeled
- • 4 star anise
- • 1 cinnamon stick
- • 4 cloves
- • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- • 2 tbsp fish sauce
- • 1 tbsp rock sugar (or brown sugar)
- • Salt, to taste
To serve
- • 400g flat rice noodles (banh pho)
- • 30g Mint (Crysp)
- • 30g Coriander (Crysp)
- • 20g Basil Genovese (Crysp)
- • 30g Chives (Crysp)
- • 2 tbsp Peashoots (Crysp)
- • 2 Crysp Limes, wedged
- • 2 Green Hot Chillies (Crysp), sliced
- • Hoisin sauce, sriracha, to serve
Instructions
Char the Onion and Ginger
This is the step that makes pho taste like pho. Place the unpeeled onions and unpeeled ginger directly on a gas flame, or under a hot grill, or on a dry pan over high heat. Char on all sides until the skins are blackened in patches and the kitchen smells smoky-sweet, 8 to 10 minutes. Rinse off the loose blackened skin under cold water but leave most of the char marks. The smoke is what gives pho broth its distinctive aroma.
Toast the Spices
In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves and coriander seeds for 2 minutes until fragrant. Tie them in a small piece of cheesecloth or muslin so they can be easily fished out later, or just add loose if you do not mind straining at the end.
Build the Broth
Place the whole chicken in a large stockpot. Cover with 3 litres of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim the foam thoroughly, this is what keeps the broth clear. Add the charred onion, charred ginger, spice bag, fish sauce and rock sugar. Drop the heat to low, cover partially, simmer 1 hour. Do not let it boil hard, gentle simmer only. Hard boiling clouds the broth.
Lift and Shred
Lift the chicken out of the pot, place on a board to cool. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot, discard the solids. Taste the broth, adjust salt, it should taste savoury, slightly sweet, deeply aromatic. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and discard. Shred the breast and leg meat into bite-sized pieces, set aside.
Cook the Noodles
Bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Cook the rice noodles per packet directions, usually 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water to stop them from sticking, then divide into 4 deep bowls.
Build the Herb Plate
Arrange a generous platter with whole mint sprigs, coriander sprigs, basil leaves, chopped chives, peashoots, lime wedges, and sliced green chillies. This goes on the table next to the bowls. The herbs are not optional and they are not stirred in by the cook, every diner builds their own bowl as they eat.
Assemble and Serve
Bring the broth back to a hard boil. Top each bowl of noodles with shredded chicken. Ladle the boiling broth over the chicken and noodles, the heat will warm everything through. Serve immediately, with the herb plate, hoisin and sriracha at the table. Each diner tears in herbs to taste, squeezes lime, adds chilli, drizzles hoisin. The first spoonful should taste of pure broth, the last of herbs and lime.
The Tradition
Pho originated in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century, around Hanoi, drawing on French beef cookery (the colonial influence) and Chinese noodle traditions. Pho ga, the chicken version, came later, gaining popularity during the 1939-45 period when beef was rationed by the French colonial government on Mondays and Fridays. Today both versions coexist, but pho ga is the more common breakfast across Vietnam, eaten standing or sitting on plastic stools at street stalls from 6am. The herb plate is non-negotiable, a Vietnamese diner who serves you pho without it has not actually served you pho.
💡 Pro Tip: If you can find Thai basil or sawtooth coriander (ngo gai) at an Asian grocer, add them to the herb plate alongside the Crysp herbs. Thai basil has a faint anise note that echoes the star anise in the broth, sawtooth coriander is sharper than regular coriander. Both are non-negotiable in Vietnam, but Genovese basil and standard coriander are the closest substitutes you can buy fresh from us.