Pho

Pho is great. It's a vietnamese noodle soup that has rice noodles, meat and veggies.

My dad eating pho... tasty, tasty pho....

The soup in Pho is a clear beef-baised broth made from simmering beef bones (ones with lots of marrow are usually used for that delicious marrowness) and flavored with spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and corriander. Charred onion and ginger also go into the broth and simmer there, releasing all their flavor. The ingredients are then taken out and strained, leaving you with a nice clear broth.

 This is the broth simmering, some people like to use a crock pot for this.

Pho is typically served with fresh veggies on the side, which inclue Thai basil, mint, limes, lots of bean sprouts and spicy peppers. You can add these to taste, as well as hoisin sauce or Sriracha sauce, which is a slightly sweet, spicy sauce. I like to squeeze in lemon and add in all the veggies and a little Sriracha for that extra spice.

 Pho spices! You can buy these in pre-made packets for your home-made pho.

A whole slew of meats can be used in Pho, like thin sliced steak, brisket, tendon and tripe. I preffer the tendon and trip due to the taste and texture they add to the soup. For me, texture is as important as flavor when consuming a dish.

Pho after all the goodness has been added.

What I most love about Pho is how everyone can eat it to their tastes. It's a light kind of meal, though filling, will not make you feel stuffed. It's a great comfort food.