Faux Pho

(Initially, I thought I would title this post No Pho For You but as I was discussing it with my mom she said, "I think you should title your post Faux Pho."  And then she giggled.  How could I say no to that?  :o))

One day while I was grocery shopping, I was perusing the Asian Food section and some thick, hearty Udon noodles jumped out at me.  I wasn't quite sure what I would use them for, but they were dried, so I figured they'd keep until I could figure it out.  It wasn't that long before I had a massive craving for Pho.  With the nearest Pho place being 20-30 minutes away I just had to make my own.  The only problem being that I have NO idea what's in Pho.  I mean, meat and vegetables with a broth base, but that's about it.  Time to roll up my sleeves and figure things out.

I scoured the fridge for my fresh ingredients.  Chicken, mushrooms, onions.  Check.  Boo!  No bok choy.  Wait, wait, wait... there in the back of the drawer.  What is that?  Celery!  That'll do.  Now to the pantry.  Chicken stock, beef stock.  Lime and Chili stock?  Oh yeah, I got that for free when I purchased... um... something else.  (Thanks HEB and your Combo Loco deals!)

The process to make this soup was very structured and defined.  Psh!  Yeah right!  This was a total fly by the seat of my pants kind of operation.  Fortunately, it worked.  It wasn't exactly like Pho, but it was pretty close.  It fulfilled my craving at the very least.  Plus, it was easy, I only dirtied one pot and I didn't have to drive 30 minutes to get it!

Faux Pho
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or coconut oil
1 cup celery (2-3 ribs), de-ribbed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion (white or yellow)
2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
32oz chicken broth/stock
32oz lime and chili chicken broth/stock*
26oz beef broth/stock
1 garlic clove, minced or 1t minced jarred garlic
1T Nuoc mam**
1T soy sauce
1 8oz package dried Udon noodles
Salt and pepper

In a large soup pot, heat just under 1T of your oil of choice over medium high heat.  When it's hot, add your celery, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook the celery until it just begins to get soft.  Remove to a plate and set aside.  Repeat this procedure with the mushrooms and onions, cooking each separately until just soft.

 

 

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pot and add your chicken.  Salt and pepper to taste and cook until just brown.  The chicken will continue to cook later on, so you want it to be raw in the center.  Remove chicken to your vegetable plate and set aside.

Turn the heat to high and pour the liquids into your pot, along with the garlic.  Use a wooden spoon to scrape all of the browned veg and chicken bits off the bottom of the pot.

 

Bring the broths to a boil and then add the Udon noodles.  Reduce heat to medium high and cook noodles according to the time on the package directions (10-12 minutes if memory serves).  During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add all the vegetables and the chicken to the pot.  (There is a chance that your broth will get "scuzzy."  It will look like dirty foam.  This is caused by the chicken you sauteed earlier.  It tastes fine, it just looks gross.  It will absorb back into the soup so just ignore it.)

Ladle into individual bowls and serve with Sriracha sauce so everyone can add their own heat.  Enjoy!!

 


*Lime and chili chicken stock is fairly regional, I feel.  If you can't find this in your store you can use regular chicken stock but add some lime juice and red pepper flake.

**A.k.a. Vietnamese Fish Sauce.  It's sooooo good y'all.  If you can't find this at your grocery store on the Asian/International food isle, the next time you pass a Vietnamese restaurant, run in and ask if you can buy some from them.  It keeps forever, and it adds such an authentic flavor to Asian dishes.  You can eliminate it if you can't find it at all, but oh, I hope you can!