I am a certified noodle junkie. I have been my entire life. For me, there is nothing better than slurping down some soft, starchy noodles and a bowl of hot, savory broth. You know you've got a good bowl when the table's silent but for the slurping sound and you're sweating because you consumed the entire thing much too fast. After several tries over the past few months, that's what I finally accomplished this weekend. Here's my twist on pho ga (chicken pho).
Stock Ingredients:
Carcass of 1 rotisserie chicken (All you need are the bones. Take all the meat off and use it in salads and/or sandwiches.)
1 medium onion, halfed (with the skin on)
1 head garlic, halfed (with skin on)
1 carrot, quartered
2 celery stalks, quartered
4 spring onions
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 fistful cilantro
salt, fish sauce, and pork bouillon to taste
Begin by throwing all the ingredients in a large stock pot, add water, bring it to a boil, and then turn down the heat so that it's barely simmering (with the lid on the pot).
Stock Ingredients:
Carcass of 1 rotisserie chicken (All you need are the bones. Take all the meat off and use it in salads and/or sandwiches.)
1 medium onion, halfed (with the skin on)
1 head garlic, halfed (with skin on)
1 carrot, quartered
2 celery stalks, quartered
4 spring onions
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 fistful cilantro
salt, fish sauce, and pork bouillon to taste
Begin by throwing all the ingredients in a large stock pot, add water, bring it to a boil, and then turn down the heat so that it's barely simmering (with the lid on the pot).
After an hour or two, strain out all the veggies and bones. Then add a few pinches of salt, a few splashes of fish sauce, and a few tablespoons of the bouillon pictured below (it's like normal boullion on crack). Taste the broth and add more seasoning, if necessary. ![]()
Ground Turkey Ingredients
1/4 lb ground turkey meat
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 splash soy sauce
1 Tbs garlic, minced
Mix the ground turkey with the garlic, oyster sauce, black pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add the turkey to the broth, making sure to break it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Let the broth keep simmering with the turkey while you prepare the rest of the noodle soup components.
Condiments
Spring onions, thinly sliced
Jalapenos, thinly sliced
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Fresh lemon or lime wedges
1/4 lb ground turkey meat
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 splash soy sauce
1 Tbs garlic, minced
Mix the ground turkey with the garlic, oyster sauce, black pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add the turkey to the broth, making sure to break it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Let the broth keep simmering with the turkey while you prepare the rest of the noodle soup components.
Condiments
Spring onions, thinly sliced
Jalapenos, thinly sliced
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Fresh lemon or lime wedges
Hoisin sauce, in a small bowl for dipping the turkey meat
Noodles
After the broth and the condiments are ready it's time to prepare the noodles. Make sure to buy the thin, "stick" rice noodles from your local Asian store. I prefer fresh rice noodles because the texture is much springier, and they are better at soaking up broth than the dried kind, but if you can't find any fresh noodles use dried (just make sure to let them soak in warm water for 20 minutes or so before boiling them).
After the broth and the condiments are ready it's time to prepare the noodles. Make sure to buy the thin, "stick" rice noodles from your local Asian store. I prefer fresh rice noodles because the texture is much springier, and they are better at soaking up broth than the dried kind, but if you can't find any fresh noodles use dried (just make sure to let them soak in warm water for 20 minutes or so before boiling them).
Boil some water in a large pot. Place the noodles in the water for 5-10 seconds until soft (it doesn't take long). Strain the noodles and place them in your serving bowls. Ladle the turkey meat and broth over the noodles and sprinkle them with spring onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. Then add a few healthy squeezes of lime or lemon juice to finish everything off.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!