Faux pho:  I’ve had pho only a half dozen times — I haven’t read anything about the broth yet either. The only thing I know about pho comes from my limited exposure in Harrisburg, PA (and once in Chinatown in NYC) and Bourdain’s trip to Vietnam. This is my attempt at winging it.  A broth is absolutely necessary but I understand that it wasn’t a stock in the French sense of the word — no mirepoix maybe no caramelization either.  I bought some short ribs, boiled them without anything and refridgerated the liquid overnight. strained the liquid and boiled again. This time I threw in a whole dried ancho pepper. I also boiled some raw shrimp. Maybe this step is extraneous but I added the shrimp broth to the liquid as well. Then I seasoned my broth. So far so good.  I worked with rice vermicelli before — I know it takes a little while to cook even in boiling water and I don’t like to cook it in direct heat. So, I soaked it in warm water as I was getting the rest of my ingredients ready.  I picked my mint and basil; peeled and deveined my Ecuadorean shrimp; and chopped my lime and grabbed my Sriracha; lats but not least, I sliced my beef and seasoned it very lightly.  The vermicelli was soft at this point but certainly not ready to eat. I picked it out, strained it and put it in my serving bowl. I poured my broth on top. I made a little mountain with the rice noodles in the middle. I cracked an egg, separated the yolk and put it on top of the mountain.  The rest is just assembly — garnish to taste. Yummy!  High-res

Faux pho: 

I’ve had pho only a half dozen times — I haven’t read anything about the broth yet either. The only thing I know about pho comes from my limited exposure in Harrisburg, PA (and once in Chinatown in NYC) and Bourdain’s trip to Vietnam. This is my attempt at winging it. 

A broth is absolutely necessary but I understand that it wasn’t a stock in the French sense of the word — no mirepoix maybe no caramelization either. 

I bought some short ribs, boiled them without anything and refridgerated the liquid overnight. strained the liquid and boiled again. This time I threw in a whole dried ancho pepper. I also boiled some raw shrimp. Maybe this step is extraneous but I added the shrimp broth to the liquid as well. Then I seasoned my broth. So far so good. 

I worked with rice vermicelli before — I know it takes a little while to cook even in boiling water and I don’t like to cook it in direct heat. So, I soaked it in warm water as I was getting the rest of my ingredients ready. 

I picked my mint and basil; peeled and deveined my Ecuadorean shrimp; and chopped my lime and grabbed my Sriracha; lats but not least, I sliced my beef and seasoned it very lightly. 

The vermicelli was soft at this point but certainly not ready to eat. I picked it out, strained it and put it in my serving bowl. I poured my broth on top. I made a little mountain with the rice noodles in the middle. I cracked an egg, separated the yolk and put it on top of the mountain. 

The rest is just assembly — garnish to taste. Yummy! 

Spring rolls with jicama, mangoes and Vietnamese cilantro: I’ve been in love with the freshness and texture of this staple of Vietnamese restaurants in the United States. Once you develop a basic understanding of how rice noodles interact with water at different temperatures, sky is the limit for applying your creativity to the combination of flavors a rice paper can envelop.  The juicy sweet crunchiness of a jicama, the slight acidity of an under-ripe mango and the complex bitter-sweet flavors of a the Vietnamese cilantro come together with rice vermicelli, cucumbers, carrots and two Ecuadorean shrimp to make up a well-balanced flavor explosion. All of the ingredients were julienned with a mandolin. The texture while varied needs to remain delicate.  I served this with a cilantro chutney (store bought) and sour cream sauce.  High-res

Spring rolls with jicama, mangoes and Vietnamese cilantro:

I’ve been in love with the freshness and texture of this staple of Vietnamese restaurants in the United States. Once you develop a basic understanding of how rice noodles interact with water at different temperatures, sky is the limit for applying your creativity to the combination of flavors a rice paper can envelop. 

The juicy sweet crunchiness of a jicama, the slight acidity of an under-ripe mango and the complex bitter-sweet flavors of a the Vietnamese cilantro come together with rice vermicelli, cucumbers, carrots and two Ecuadorean shrimp to make up a well-balanced flavor explosion. All of the ingredients were julienned with a mandolin. The texture while varied needs to remain delicate. 

I served this with a cilantro chutney (store bought) and sour cream sauce.