Meat mains
Chicken pho-style broth with pak choi
Pho is a deep aromatic broth into which noodles and accompaniments are added. The herbs, hoisin, chilli and lime are kept separate for you to add to taste. The broth can take hours to cook, so we’ve kick-started the recipe by building it on top of a standard stock, making this a quick version. The other ingredients are grated to give them a larger surface area from which to impart their flavour and speed up the process. The chicken and pak choi only take a few minutes to cook in the broth. The pak choi stalks keep a slight succulent crunch to them while the leaves wilt and soften; it is all part of their charm and texture.
Ingredients
- 700ml chicken stock
- 1 onion, peeled & coarsely grated
- 1 carrot, peeled & coarsely grated
- 15g ginger, peeled & grated
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 star anise
- 2 whole cloves
- 100g flat rice noodles
- 200g thinly sliced chicken breast
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 pak choi, root end removed & discarded, leaves separated & any large ones cut in half, lengthways
- 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced into thin rings
- bunch of Thai basil, to serve
- bunch of coriander, to serve
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
- hoisin sauce, to serve
Method
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Step 1
Put a pan of salted water on to boil for the noodles.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, tip the stock into a separate saucepan and add the onion, carrot, ginger, tamari, coriander seeds, star anise and cloves. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, so the liquid is hardly bubbling, for 20 mins.
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Step 3
Cook the noodles until just cooked. Drain and cool immediately under cold water, keep to one side. Give the pan a good clean.
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Step 4
Strain the stock through a sieve into the empty noodle pan, pressing as much liquid as you can from the vegetables. Bring back up to a simmer.
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Step 5
Add the chicken, spring onions and pak choi to the broth. Simmer for 3-4 mins, until the chicken has just cooked.
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Step 6
Meanwhile, divide the noodles between 2 deep bowls.
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Step 7
Ladle the stock, chicken and pak choi evenly between the bowls. Serve with the chilli, herbs, hoisin and lime on the side.
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Step 8
Scatter, tear and squeeze them into the broth to as you see fit.