Glass Noodle Soup
6 cups (1½ liters) chicken stock or 2 to 3 stock cubes dissolved in 6 cups (1½ liters) hot water
Small handful (15 g) dried wood ear fungus, soaked in water until soft, sliced
1 chicken breast (about 4 oz/120 g), poached until done, then shredded along the grain
2 tablespoons fish sauce
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
4 oz (120 g) dried glass noodles, cut into thirds
Sprigs of coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish
1 Bring the chicken stock and wood ear fungus to a boil over high heat in a pot. Add the chicken and bring the soup to a boil again. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, seasoning with the fish sauce, black pepper and salt. Add the glass noodles, simmer for 1 to 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
2 Serve hot in individual serving bowls, garnished with coriander leaves (cilantro).
You may substitute lily buds for wood ear fungus, as shown in the photo. Blanch 20 dried lily buds until soft, discard the hard ends and tie each into a knot, then bring the lily buds and chicken stock to a boil in the same manner.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Hanoi Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)
This may well be considered Vietnam’s national dish. The Vietnamese eat it at any time of the day, but it is especially popular as a breakfast food.What makes this soup so convenient is that you can cook it ahead of time, storing the stock in one container and the remaining ingredients in another.
10 oz (300 g) dried rice stick noodles or rice vermicelli
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 lb (500 g) beef sirloin or flank steak, cut into very thin slices
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 cups (7 oz/200 g) bean sprouts, seed coats and tails removed, blanched until cooked
2 to 3 finger-length chilies, deseeded and sliced
Ground white pepper
Sprigs of coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish
Sprigs of basil or mint, to garnish
2 lemons or limes, cut into sections, to serve
1 portion Fish Sauce Dip (page 8)
Broth
2 medium onions, peeled and bruised
2 in (5 cm) fresh ginger root, peeled and bruised
3 shallots
10 cups (2½ liters) beef stock or 4 to 5 stock cubes dissolved in 10 cups (2½ liters) hot water
1 lb (500 g) beef shank or brisket
2 star anise pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon crushed peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt
Serves 6 to 8
Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 1¼ hours
1 Prepare the Broth first by browning the onions, shallots and ginger under a broiler for 5 to 10 minutes, turning several times, or dry-frying them in a skillet over low heat until slightly burnt on all sides. Remove and transfer to a stockpot. Add all the other Broth ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat, skimming off the foam and fat that float to the surface. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, until the beef is tender.
2 Prepare the Fish Sauce Dip by following the recipe on page 8.
3 Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the dried noodles and blanch until soft, about 5 minutes for rice stick noodles or 2 minutes for rice vermicelli. Remove and rinse with cold water, then drain.
4 Remove the beef from the Broth and set aside to cool. Strain the Broth to remove all the solids and return the clear Broth to the pot. Season with the fish sauce and keep the Broth hot over very low heat. Slice the beef into thin slices and set aside.
5 To serve, place the rice noodles into individual serving bowls and top with the cooked and raw beef slices, onion slices, bean sprouts and chilies. Ladle the hot Broth into each bowl (the raw beef will partially cook in the boiling soup), sprinkle with pepper and garnish with coriander (cilantro) and basil or mint leaves. Serve hot with lemon or lime sections, and dipping bowls of Fish Sauce Dip on the side.
Creamy Asparagus and Crabmeat Soup
The Vietnamese call asparagus (introduced by the French) "Western bamboo", and transform it into this excellent soup. This soup is normally served on its own, before rice and other dishes, and is good as a starter for any type of meal.
8 oz (250 g) young asparagus spears
4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock or 1 to 2 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 4 cups (1 liter) hot water
1 teaspoon oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 shallots or the white part of 2 spring onions, minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
½ cup (2 oz/60 g) cooked crabmeat
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons coarsely minced coriander leaves (cilantro) or spring onion greens, to garnish
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
1 Cut off the bottom one-third of the asparagus spears. Reserve the top parts of the asparagus for later use and cut the bottom parts into short lengths. Bring the chicken stock and the bottom parts of the asparagus to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Strain the stock using a fine sieve and discard the asparagus ends.
2 Cut the reserved top parts of the asparagus into short lengths and set aside.
3 Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over medium heat and stir-fry the garlic and shallots for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and golden brown. Add the clear stock, increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, seasoning with the fish sauce and sugar. Add the asparagus and simmer uncovered for about 1 minute, until just cooked, then add the crab-meat and mix well.
4 Reduce the heat to medium, pour in the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly, until the soup is slightly thickened. Season the soup with the salt and black pepper, then pour in the egg in a slow stream, stirring gently until it sets. Remove from the heat.
5 Transfer the soup to a large soup tureen or individual soup bowls and serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves (cilantro) or spring onion greens.
Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
Traditionally, this meal-in-a-bowl noodle soup is made with beef, but the Vietnamese have also perfected a lighter version using chicken. This soup is popular at any time of day or night, and is often enjoyed for breakfast in Vietnam.
10 oz (300 g) dried rice stick noodles or rice vermicelli
4 cups (7 oz/200 g) bean sprouts, seed coats and tails removed, blanched until cooked
1 onion, thinly sliced
Ground white pepper
1 bunch coriander leaves (cilantro), sliced
1 bunch basil or mint leaves
1 lime, cut into sections, to serve
2 finger-length chilies, deseeded and sliced, placed in a dipping bowl with soy sauce
Broth
10 cups (2½ liters) chicken stock or 4 to 5 stock cubes dissolved in 10 cups (2½ liters) water
½ fresh chicken (about
1 lb/500 g) 1 cinnamon stick
4 spring onions, cut into lengths
1 in (2½ cm) fresh ginger root, peeled and bruised
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 Prepare the Broth first by bringing the chicken stock, chicken, cinnamon, spring onions, ginger, sugar and salt to a boil over high heat in a stockpot. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, skimming off the foam and fat that float to the surface. Stir in the fish sauce and remove from the heat. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Strain the solids from the Broth using a fine sieve and keep the clear Broth warm over very low heat.
2 Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the dried noodles and blanch until soft, about
3 When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat along the grain into thin strips.
4 Place the noodles in individual serving bowls and top with the bean sprouts, shredded chicken and onion slices. Pour the hot Broth into each bowl, sprinkle with pepper and garnish with coriander (cilantro) and basil leaves. Serve hot with the lime and bowls of chilies and soy sauce on the side.
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour
Pineapple Seafood Soup (Canh Chua Tom)
This substantial soup, which has a sweet and sour tang—thanks to the use of pineapple, tamarind juice and tomato—can be made either with shrimp or fish. Serve it with rice and other dishes rather than as a separate course.
1 lb (500 g) fresh seafood (a combination of shrimp, squid and fish fillets), cleaned and shelled, and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 teaspoons oil
½ onion, thinly sliced
3 stalks lemongrass, thick bottom part only, outer layers discarded, inner part sliced
6 cups (1½ liters) chicken or fish stock, or 2 to 3 stock cubes dissolved in 6 cups (1½ liters) hot water
1 large ripe tomato, cut into wedges
1 cup (5 oz/150 g) fresh or canned pineapple, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind juice (page 7)
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups (3½ oz/100 g) bean sprouts, seed coats and tails removed
1 baby cucumber, cut into matchsticks
20 mint leaves or sprigs of coriander leaves (cilantro)
Marinade
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 finger-length red chili, deseeded and minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Combine the Marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Place the seafood in the Marinade and mix until well coated. Cover with a cloth and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
2 Heat the oil in a wok or stockpot over medium heat and stir-fry the onion and lemongrass for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and tender. Add the chicken or fish stock, tomato and pineapple, mix well and season with the fish sauce, tamarind juice, sugar and salt. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 1 minute. Add the marinated seafood and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink or are just cooked. Finally add the bean sprouts and mix well, adjusting the seasoning by adding more fish sauce and tamarind juice if needed. Remove from the heat.
3 Serve hot in individual serving bowls, topped with cucumber and mint or coriander (cilantro) leaves.
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 15 mins + 20 mins to marinate
Cooking time: 15 mins
Cabbage Roll Soup
This elegant recipe consists of cabbage leaves filled with a mixture of pork and shrimp seasoned with fish sauce, pepper and five spice powder, then simmered in chicken stock. The rolls can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to cook the soup.
16 cabbage leaves, blanched in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes until soft, then drained, for wrapping
16 spring onion greens, blanched in boiling water for 10 seconds until soft, then drained
6 cups (1½ liters) chicken stock or 2 to 3 stock cubes dissolved in 6 cups (1½ liters) hot water
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 portion Fish Sauce Dip (page 8)
Filling
8 oz (250 g) ground pork
8 oz (250 g) fresh medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
16 spring onion bulbs
3 tablespoons sliced coriander leaves (cilantro)
2 teaspoons fish sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon five spice powder
1 Prepare the Fish Sauce Dip by following the recipe on page 8.
2 Prepare the Filling by grinding all the ingredients to a smooth paste in a blender. Set aside.
3 To make each cabbage roll, place 1 heaping tablespoon of the Filling along one edge of a blanched cabbage leaf. Fold the leaf over the Filling, then fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Tie the roll securely with a blanched spring onion green. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make a total of 16 rolls.
4 Bring the chicken stock and fish sauce to a boil over high heat in a stockpot. Add the cabbage rolls and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 5 to10 minutes until cooked. Remove from the heat.
5 Serve hot in individual serving bowls with a bowl of Fish Sauce Dip on the side.
Makes 16 rolls or serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Beef Soup with Lemongrass
Rich beef stock is given a distinctive Vietnamese flavor with lemongrass, ginger and a touch of fish sauce. Paper-thin slices of fresh beef and tomato are added; this tasty soup makes a satisfying meal served together with rice.
7 oz (200 g) beef sirloin or rump steak
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons fish sauce
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 spring onions, white bulbs and green leaves separated, both finely sliced
1 teaspoon oil
1 stalk lemongrass, thick bottom part only, outer layers discarded, inner part thinly sliced
2 thin slices fresh ginger root, bruised
6 cups (1½ liters) beef stock or 2 to 3 stock cubes dissolved in 6 cups (1½ liters) hot water
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
Sprigs of coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish
1 Wrap the beef in plastic and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes, then unwrap and cut into paper thin slices. Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the fish sauce and the black pepper to the beef and mix well. Set aside to marinate.
2 Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat and stir-fry the remaining garlic, spring onion white bulbs, lemongrass and ginger for about 2 minutes until soft. Add the remaining fish sauce, beef stock, rice vinegar, sugar and tomato, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3 Just before serving, bring the soup to a boil again. Add the beef and simmer until just cooked, about 1 minute. Remove and transfer to individual serving bowls. Garnish with spring onion greens and coriander leaves (cilantro), and serve hot.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 mins + 30 mins chilling
Cooking time: 8 mins