Quick Pho

4-6 servings

Bag of pho spices from Asian store

6 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons of fish sauce

3 carrots, chopped

1/2 pound sirloin steak, round eye, or London broil: you can also use chicken

8 ounces dried rice noodles 

1 frozen bag of peppers and onions (thawed)

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, mint)

Put half of spice packet, broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, carrots, bag of peppers and onions and mint into a pot. Cover and simmer the broth. Chop up beef in thin slices or throw whole chicken thighs into skillet, brown slightly. Once meat is browned, add it to the pot. Bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and continue simmering for 30 minutes to give time for everything to infuse in the broth. Cook the rice noodles: Bring a second saucepan of water to a boil, drop in the rice noodles and cook according to package instructions (this should be a minute or less). Strain the noodles and run them under cool water to stop cooking. 

Prepare the pho bowls: Divide the noodles between bowls and top with the contents of the pot. You want the base of each bowl to be noodles, then yummy toppings.

I went to my first International Fiesta on campus last weekend and was inspired by all the wonderful cultures that we have at Mississippi State University.

For all of you who missed the event or who left wanting more, I’d like to celebrate some culture in this Chew on This.

I grew up near Biloxi, Mississippi, where the Vietnamese food will rock your world. Pho, which is sometimes pronounced f•oh, but usually, fuh, is a Vietnamese soup made with herbs and seasoning, chicken, beef or tofu and delicious noodles.

The Vietnamese culture consumes pho as a universal food; it can be eaten for any meal, including breakfast. The Vietnamese usually eat this dish with chopsticks or spoons. 

This pho recipe, while a bit untraditional, can be made in 30 minutes, unlike real pho, which takes a much longer time, but is worth every second. 

I recommend visiting our local Asian Market to buy fish sauce and pho seasoning. The Asian Market, a local business, has locations in Starkville and Columbus. 

I recommend visiting The Asian Market, simply because it’s fun to see what other cultures eat and try everything. 

If you want to make chicken pho, you can buy stock, chicken thighs, some seasonings and a bag of pepper and onions from the dollar store. 

You will have to go to a regular grocery for certain things, especially if you want the best bang for your buck, but this recipe is really worth it. I personally prefer beef pho, but chicken is cheaper. 

I’ve provided the few differences between cooking chicken and beef in the recipe. 

Pho alone is a complete meal, but dollar stores, The Asian Market and regular grocery stores all sell frozen pot stickers. 

This recipe is a cool dish to pull out on game nights and make everyone sit on the floor around a low table to eat. 

Now, be warned, pho is really filling so a little can go a long way. 

Pho can be made in a ton of different ways: with lime juice in the broth, topped with hot sauce, or even with beer in the broth. Pho can be made to suit anyone’s taste with some experimentation.