Made with our BamNut Noodles and a homemade broth infused with spices, this Vietnamese staple will leave you wanting more.
Hidden behind clouds of steam, the streets of Vietnam are lined with makeshift stalls hawking one of the city’s arguably most popular dishes—pho. There’s really no dish more synonymous with Vietnamese cuisine than Pho. It’s commonly mispronounced, so let me start with telling you that it’s “fuh” not “foe”. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, you might be thinking why you should make pho over another noodle soup dish. The defining part of pho is its broth—it’s savoury and packed with flavour, yet light and refreshing at the same time. Despite it being a hot dish, you can eat it year round or for any meal; in Vietnam, it’s even a popular breakfast dish!
So What Is Pho?
Pho is arguably one of Vietnam’s more popular dishes, being enjoyed by people all around the globe. It’s even considered Vietnam’s national dish. If you haven't heard of pho, it is a hot noodle soup dish made with rice noodles, bone broth, aromatics—ginger, chilli, coriander—and thinly sliced beef or chicken.
Wondering Where Pho Comes from?
Pho was born at the end of the 19th century, some time during the 1880s in Nam Dihn (which is a province in northern Vietnam). This period was the peak of French colonialism, one of its effects being the popularisation of eating red meat such as beef. This resulted in an excess of beef and its bones, which is the base of most pho broths. These bones were used by Chinese and Vietnamese street vendors to add a depth of flavour to their dishes. Some even say that pho is influenced by a French soup “pot au feu” which is a beef stew.
However, pho only started gaining popularity in southern Vietnam in 1954 when the country was divided into North and South Vietnam. This was due to thousands of Vietnamese fleeing to the south to avoid communist rule, and setting up shop there. The dish specifically spread to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam where the pho of today was born. The northern style of pho had fewer cuts of meat and was garnished with thinly sliced ginger. In Hanoi, street vendors embellished the dish by adding bean sprouts, fresh basil and lime among other things.
Pho made its way overseas (particularly to the US) in the spring of 1975, after the end of the Vietnam War. Many Southern Vietnamese people, especially from Saigon, fled to the US and other parts of the world. With them they took their southern-style pho and it has now flourished wherever there are Vietnamese people, becoming the most recognised Vietnamese dish.
Health Benefits Of Pho
However, pho isn’t just delicious, it’s nutritious as well. Many of the main ingredients used in pho provide a variety of potential health benefits.
1. First of all, It is a great source of protein
Pho and its iterations often include either beef, chicken, pork or tofu. Protein is a critical part of any diet as it is the main building block of your body which helps build and repair tissue, and regulate your hormones among other things.
2. It Promotes joint health
Bone broth is rich in glucosamine, which encourages the growth of new collagen that is essential for healthy joints. It also contains amino acids which have anti-inflammatory properties. Pho also contains ginger which contains a compound called gingerol which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects which reduce joint pain and inflammation as well.
3. Pho is Packed with nutrients
Pho contains many herbs and vegetables like bean sprouts, basil, chilli peppers and more. These contribute to your daily vegetable intake and contain many nutrients such as calcium, Vitamin A and C etc.—these compounds contain antioxidants which help reduce the chances of getting tissue damage or other disease. For example, coriander and basil which are used in pho contain polyphenols. This compound has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and cancer.
4. It is Great for your gut
Chillies are mainly used as a spice and are available whole, in the powdered form or dried. However, chillies aren't just great for adding a kick of flavour and a little heat to your meals, but are also good for your gut health. Chillies contain capsaicin, which contrary to popular belief, can be a great anti-irritant for your stomach and a way to treat stomach ulcers. Chilli in its powdered form is rich in antioxidants, which soothe digestive issues like stomach aches, diarrhoea and intestinal gas.
How To Make A Quick Pho With BamNut Noodles
Unlike a traditional pho, our pho doesn’t use rice noodles but instead our own BamNut Noodles which are made with Bambara groundnut, adding an extra dose of protein to your meal. Authentic pho recipes make their bone broth from scratch by simmering beef bones, herbs and spices for 6-10 hours. To simplify this recipe and cut down on time in the kitchen, we opt for store-bought bone broth and infuse it with a variety of aromatics to give it that signature pho flavour.
Ingredients
- 500ml beef broth
- 1 onion
- 5cm ginger, sliced
- 4 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 lemongrass
- 1 sprig basil
- 1 sprig coriander
- 10g bean sprouts
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp palm/white sugar
- 100g sliced beef
- 1 BamNut Noodle
Instructions
- In a pot, add your beef broth, onion, ginger, clove, star anise, cinnamon, lemongrass, fish sauce and palm sugar and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add your basil and coriander and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Strain the broth and discard the solids.
- Put the liquid back into a pot and bring to a boil once again.
- Once boiling, add your BamNut Noodle and cook for 3½ minutes.
- Remove from heat and add your sliced beef.
- To serve, garnish with basil, coriander, bean sprouts and onions. (optional)