pho

jay said:

I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol

I would find a good pho shop first so you know what you are trying to
emulate. I don't know where you are but if anywhere near Philly there
are 3 great pho shops on Washington Ave in South Philly.

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
greatly appreciated!

The key to pho is the quality of the stock. I don't think you could go
wrong with this version (including the suggestion of using tendon and
tripe):

http://vietworldkitchen.com/bookshelf/articles/pho_SJM.htm

jay said:

I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol

Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
greatly appreciated!

Making the stock is a very involved process involving a lot of
beef bones. Since you've never tried it, I'd suggest buying one
of the stock concentrates available at most asian groecrs (a
paste in a 3-4oz jar). It's actually pretty decent, and
reportedly what some restaurants use.

Then go from there. The ingredients vary - there is no single
recipe - it's all about the stock. I'd suggest thinly sliced
beef fillet and thin egg noodles for starters. With the
traditional Vietnamese table salad (bean sprouts, cilantro, basil
and/or mint, bean sprouts, jalapenos)

You should probably eat some at a restaurant first to see if you
like it. Many people don't like the spices used in the broth
(eg, star anise).

-sw

: I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol

: Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
: greatly appreciated!

"pho" simply means soup, and of course there are dozens of kinds of soup.
Of course you've had soup before! But, you probably want to try a Vietnamese
soup - again there are dozens of kinds.

Quoted message said:

: I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol

: Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
: greatly appreciated!

"pho" simply means soup, and of course there are dozens of kinds of soup.
Of course you've had soup before! But, you probably want to try a Vietnamese
soup - again there are dozens of kinds.

Pho is a noodle dish. There are some (somewhat obscure) versions
of pho that contain no broth. The generic term "pho" pretty much
translates to "beef noodle soup"

There are many different vietnamese soups which are not
considered pho. You can find them at good vietnamese restaurants
without "Pho" in their name ;-)

-sw

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

jay said:

I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol

Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
greatly appreciated!

Making the stock is a very involved process involving a lot of
beef bones. Since you've never tried it, I'd suggest buying one
of the stock concentrates available at most asian groecrs (a
paste in a 3-4oz jar). It's actually pretty decent, and
reportedly what some restaurants use.

Then go from there. The ingredients vary - there is no single
recipe - it's all about the stock. I'd suggest thinly sliced
beef fillet and thin egg noodles for starters. With the
traditional Vietnamese table salad (bean sprouts, cilantro, basil
and/or mint, bean sprouts, jalapenos)

You should probably eat some at a restaurant first to see if you
like it. Many people don't like the spices used in the broth
(eg, star anise).

-sw

Rice noodles, not egg noodles are used in 90+% of pho. Any beef can be used
as long as it's sliced paper thin against the grain and placed raw into the
hot soup. We order the raw beef on the side. Filet isn't used in the SF Bay
area, nor is it used throughout Viet Nam.

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

: I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol

: Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
: greatly appreciated!

"pho" simply means soup, and of course there are dozens of kinds of soup.
Of course you've had soup before! But, you probably want to try a
Vietnamese
soup - again there are dozens of kinds.

Pho is a noodle dish. There are some (somewhat obscure) versions
of pho that contain no broth. The generic term "pho" pretty much
translates to "beef noodle soup"

There are many different vietnamese soups which are not
considered pho. You can find them at good vietnamese restaurants
without "Pho" in their name ;-)
-sw

Pho means soup. I'm not aware of any Vietnamese pho that doesn't contain
soup stock. There are other Vietnamese soups other than pho.
Following is a site for soup stock.
http://quocviet.com/id5.html

Kent said:

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

jay said:

I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol

Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
greatly appreciated!

Making the stock is a very involved process involving a lot of
beef bones. Since you've never tried it, I'd suggest buying one
of the stock concentrates available at most asian groecrs (a
paste in a 3-4oz jar). It's actually pretty decent, and
reportedly what some restaurants use.

Then go from there. The ingredients vary - there is no single
recipe - it's all about the stock. I'd suggest thinly sliced
beef fillet and thin egg noodles for starters. With the
traditional Vietnamese table salad (bean sprouts, cilantro, basil
and/or mint, bean sprouts, jalapenos)

You should probably eat some at a restaurant first to see if you
like it. Many people don't like the spices used in the broth
(eg, star anise).

-sw

Rice noodles, not egg noodles are used in 90+% of pho.

I know that, but beginners will lean more towards egg noodles.

Quoted message said:

Any beef can be used
as long as it's sliced paper thin against the grain and placed raw into the
hot soup. We order the raw beef on the side. Filet isn't used in the SF Bay
area

Fillet is used at *many* SF bay area (and South Bay) restaurants.
My guess is that your experiences are severely limited.

-sw

Kent said:

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

: I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol

: Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
: greatly appreciated!

"pho" simply means soup, and of course there are dozens of kinds of soup.
Of course you've had soup before! But, you probably want to try a
Vietnamese
soup - again there are dozens of kinds.

Pho is a noodle dish. There are some (somewhat obscure) versions
of pho that contain no broth. The generic term "pho" pretty much
translates to "beef noodle soup"

There are many different vietnamese soups which are not
considered pho. You can find them at good vietnamese restaurants
without "Pho" in their name ;-)
-sw

Pho means soup.

No, Pho means noodle dish. Banh Pho means rice noodle dish.
Banh Pho Bo, means Beef Rice Noodle Dish. There is no generic
word for "soup" as we know it in Vietnamese. Pho, is most often
a brothy noodle dish. Americans may consider it a soup, but
that's *not* what is means in Vietnam.

You're trying to bluff someone who has been specifically
studying, cooking, and eating Vietnamese for food for several
decades.

Quoted message said:

There are other Vietnamese soups other than pho.

But if pho means soup, then soup means pho, no?
(Sorry, I had to do that).

-sw

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Kent said:

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 14:12:35 GMT, jay wrote:

> I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol
>
> Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
> greatly appreciated!

Making the stock is a very involved process involving a lot of
beef bones. Since you've never tried it, I'd suggest buying one
of the stock concentrates available at most asian groecrs (a
paste in a 3-4oz jar). It's actually pretty decent, and
reportedly what some restaurants use.

Then go from there. The ingredients vary - there is no single
recipe - it's all about the stock. I'd suggest thinly sliced
beef fillet and thin egg noodles for starters. With the
traditional Vietnamese table salad (bean sprouts, cilantro, basil
and/or mint, bean sprouts, jalapenos)

You should probably eat some at a restaurant first to see if you
like it. Many people don't like the spices used in the broth
(eg, star anise).

-sw

Rice noodles, not egg noodles are used in 90+% of pho.

I know that, but beginners will lean more towards egg noodles.

Quoted message said:

Any beef can be used
as long as it's sliced paper thin against the grain and placed raw into
the
hot soup. We order the raw beef on the side. Filet isn't used in the SF
Bay
area

Fillet is used at *many* SF bay area (and South Bay) restaurants.
My guess is that your experiences are severely limited.

We've eaten in at least 30, probably more, Vietnamese restaurants in the SF
Bay area. We've eaten in restaurants in Viet Nam from Hanoi to Saigon and
between. None of them used filet in their pho bo.
I'm pretty certain no SF Bay Area Vietnamese restaurant uses filet in their
pho bo either. Maybe Ho Chi Min had it served in the palace. I doubt it,
because it doesn't really fit the dish. It's too flavorless.

Kent said:

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Kent said:

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 14:12:35 GMT, jay wrote:
>
>> I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol
>>
>> Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would be
>> greatly appreciated!
>
> Making the stock is a very involved process involving a lot of
> beef bones. Since you've never tried it, I'd suggest buying one
> of the stock concentrates available at most asian groecrs (a
> paste in a 3-4oz jar). It's actually pretty decent, and
> reportedly what some restaurants use.
>
> Then go from there. The ingredients vary - there is no single
> recipe - it's all about the stock. I'd suggest thinly sliced
> beef fillet and thin egg noodles for starters. With the
> traditional Vietnamese table salad (bean sprouts, cilantro, basil
> and/or mint, bean sprouts, jalapenos)
>
> You should probably eat some at a restaurant first to see if you
> like it. Many people don't like the spices used in the broth
> (eg, star anise).
>
> -sw

Rice noodles, not egg noodles are used in 90+% of pho.

I know that, but beginners will lean more towards egg noodles.

Quoted message said:

Any beef can be used
as long as it's sliced paper thin against the grain and placed raw into
the
hot soup. We order the raw beef on the side. Filet isn't used in the SF
Bay
area

Fillet is used at *many* SF bay area (and South Bay) restaurants.
My guess is that your experiences are severely limited.

We've eaten in at least 30, probably more, Vietnamese restaurants...

<http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22beef+fillet%22+pho&btnG=Google+Search>

I'm done baby sitting you today.

-sw

Hi Steve, I'm very interested in the stock concentrate paste you've
mentioned. Could you tell me the brand name of the paste, and possibly
the distributor name if it's available on the jar?

Thank you much,

Tracey said:

Hi Steve, I'm very interested in the stock concentrate paste you've
mentioned. Could you tell me the brand name of the paste, and possibly
the distributor name if it's available on the jar?

http://importfood.com/cpnr0855.html

Por Kwan is the brand name. Their Tom Yum paste is pretty good,
too.

-sw

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Kent said:

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 16:11:22 -0700, Kent wrote:

> "Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
> news:[email hidden]...
>> On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 14:12:35 GMT, jay wrote:
>>
>>> I want to make pho and have never even had it. lol
>>>
>>> Does anyone have a surefired winner for this dish? The recipe would
>>> be
>>> greatly appreciated!
>>
>> Making the stock is a very involved process involving a lot of
>> beef bones. Since you've never tried it, I'd suggest buying one
>> of the stock concentrates available at most asian groecrs (a
>> paste in a 3-4oz jar). It's actually pretty decent, and
>> reportedly what some restaurants use.
>>
>> Then go from there. The ingredients vary - there is no single
>> recipe - it's all about the stock. I'd suggest thinly sliced
>> beef fillet and thin egg noodles for starters. With the
>> traditional Vietnamese table salad (bean sprouts, cilantro, basil
>> and/or mint, bean sprouts, jalapenos)
>>
>> You should probably eat some at a restaurant first to see if you
>> like it. Many people don't like the spices used in the broth
>> (eg, star anise).
>>
>> -sw
>
> Rice noodles, not egg noodles are used in 90+% of pho.

I know that, but beginners will lean more towards egg noodles.

>Any beef can be used
> as long as it's sliced paper thin against the grain and placed raw into
> the
> hot soup. We order the raw beef on the side. Filet isn't used in the
> SF
> Bay
> area

Fillet is used at *many* SF bay area (and South Bay) restaurants.
My guess is that your experiences are severely limited.

We've eaten in at least 30, probably more, Vietnamese restaurants...

<http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22beef+fillet%22+pho&btnG=Google+Search>
I'm done baby sitting you today.
-sw

Steve, I recognize that a google search will reveal posts about filet in
pho. However, it doesn't happen, in the home, or in restaurants, in 99% of
the Vietnamese cuisine world.
Think about the following. Vietnam, unlike most of Asia other than Goa,
don't eat beef. In Vietnam, it is a range fed harvested meat product, in
numbers far, far, smaller per capita than here. Any filet, for the most
part, if it hits the market, it doesn't emerge as a soup. When it does, it's
from a 20+ year old dairy cow and it still goes on the plate as a high buck
filet. It's almost like eating filet in Norway, an experience one should
have in the next life, if you can put it off that long. Almost any cut of
beef other than filet tastes better. Even bottom round, if it's sliced
thinly enough, will fit the recipe better than filet. In fact, bottom round
is probably the most common pho bo meat here in the Bay Area. In a yuppie
restaurant it may be sirloin. Chuck, or shoulder, is too fatty.

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tracey said:

Hi Steve, I'm very interested in the stock concentrate paste you've
mentioned. Could you tell me the brand name of the paste, and possibly
the distributor name if it's available on the jar?

http://importfood.com/cpnr0855.html

Por Kwan is the brand name. Their Tom Yum paste is pretty good,
too.
sw

Look at Steve's post about pho stock. There is no beef in the product, none
at all. You're better off using "Better than Boullion" and seasoning it
yourself.

Steve Wertz said:

Tracey said:

Hi Steve, I'm very interested in the stock concentrate paste you've
mentioned. Could you tell me the brand name of the paste, and possibly
the distributor name if it's available on the jar?

http://importfood.com/cpnr0855.html

Por Kwan is the brand name. Their Tom Yum paste is pretty good,
too.

-sw

Those jar pastes just don't taste anything close to the real thing to
me. There are two large Vietnamese markets in Philly and both have a
small selection of them with dust on top which leads me to think others
may have a similar thought.

George said:

Quoted message said:

http://importfood.com/cpnr0855.html

Por Kwan is the brand name. Their Tom Yum paste is pretty good,
too.

Those jar pastes just don't taste anything close to the real thing to
me. There are two large Vietnamese markets in Philly and both have a
small selection of them with dust on top which leads me to think others
may have a similar thought.

Pho, like french fries, is something best left to the restaurants
rather then trying to do it at home. It's usually cheap enough
that there's no real reason to try it at home.

-sw