Vietnam's Favorite Soup

Pho is mainly eaten at breakfast time in Vietnam, although shops serving it are sometimes open late into the night. Pho, in vietnamese, sounds like “ph-uh”, the “uh” has a falling-rising tone, so it is spoken like one is asking a question.

The soup consists of wide rice noodles, made fresh, then blanched in the broth before serving. It is usually eaten with beef, or sometimes chicken. Seafood or vegetarian option are sometimes available, though not popular.

A plate of fresh mung bean sprouts, basil, and mint are served alongside the dish. Customers at a soup shop are expected to add these ingredients according to their own taste. Other condiments include Chilies, lemon wedges, hoisin sauce, pepper, and fish sauce.

Some people order an egg, which the cook cracks directly into the soup, lightly poaching it.

The noodles themselves are hearty, but may taste rather bland to some palettes, because they are only cooked lightly in the broth in order to preserve their texture. Adding condiments can help the flavoring. The broth itself is usually made from beef or chicken stock with a combination of spices.

Pho Bo, beef noodle soup, can be served several ways. The beef might be tender and thin, similar in texture to roast beef, or it could be rare, having simply been placed in the broth as the soup was put in the bowl. There are numerous ways of cooking the beef, though the two above-mentioned types are most popular.

Pho is served at restaurants, though some of the best versions of the dish can be found at specialty shops. Some Pho shops are found on the sidewalks of cities and towns. If a shop is full of customers, it usually means they serve a decent bowl of pho. However, some of the pho served from pushcarts is equally as good as any in a restaurant.

Pho was first served in Hanoi, but now can be found throughout vietnam. In Hanoi, any of the shops around Hoan Kiem Lake are good places to try pho. Hanoi’s old quarter has some good cafes serving pho as well. In Ho Chi Minh City, Pho 2000, near Ben Thanh Market, is a good starting point, as are the upscale pho kitchens along Pasteur Street in District 3.

For more adventurous eaters, a market food court or street-side soup kitchen is as good a place as any to enjoy a streaming bowl of what is often called Vietnam’s national dish. At night, pushcarts set up shop around Ho Chi Minh City, selling what I consider to be some of the best pho on offer in the city. Locals often bring their own bowl to such carts to get their pho “to go.” Also, there are usually a couple of plastic tables and chairs set up on the sidewalk in front of these mobile kitchens.

Pho is one of Vietnam’s most famous dishes. While not everyone who tries pho likes it, it is well worth the price of a bowl to give it a try.