Pho-jitsu

I first tried Pho about two years ago and was immediately hooked. Pho is basically just a really rich, luxurious broth flavored with things like anise and cinnamon and served over some sort of protein and noodles, along with a bevy of toppings. And I can’t order it where I’m living now.  Unless you’ve got some some time, boiling bones and starting the broth from scratch can be a pain in the butt. So I wanted to find a way to make a phake-out Pho myself.

I didn’t have high hopes, because I basically just did some research, cobbled together some ingredients from disparate recipes, and made my own Phrankenrecipe. This is how I do most of my cooking, frankly. Well, anyway, the Pho I made rivaled the Pho I tasted from two years back. I was floored. Here’s how I did it.

In a crockpot, I put

• 4 cups beef broth
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• a teaspoon salt and pepper
• One 3-inch piece of ginger, sliced into rounds or big strips
• 1 large onion, halved
• 1 shallot, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 packet Pho spices

I let it cook on high for 4 hours. When it was done cooking, I strained it through a fine-mesh sieve and served it over some cooked rice noodles and Asian-flavored meatballs I’d made for my son. (It’s more traditional to use something like very thinly-sliced, raw flank steak. [The hot broth immediately cooks the meat.])

Serve it with your choice the following toppings and condiments:

• Bean sprouts
• Basil (Thai is ideal)
• Mint
• Cilantro
• Sliced jalapeno peppers
• Siracha or Sambal Oelek
• Hoisin sauce
• Lime wedges

I had some thinly sliced radish, carrots and celery in the fridge, so I used those as well.

Unbelievable.