फ, ख: PHO, KHO Vietnamese broths

Devanagari consonants or delectable Vietnamese broths? Fish sauce, lemon grass, star anise, … and a host of other stars make this stew as flavorful as nourishing. Annatto gives the broth its fiery red looks, although its heat may be quite temperate. This stew is a great contender to become your go-to. Enjoy with noodles or slices of batard bread!

SPECIAL TOOLS:

Pressure cooker.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs stew meat cut into 2 inch chunks, marinaded for few hours (or overnight)
  • in 3 cloves garlic+1 tbsp grated ginger+ 5 tbsp fish sauce + 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder + 1.5 tsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp oil
• Aromatics:
  • (alliums): 1 medium onion diced + 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 stalks lemongrass, minced fine
• For flavor depth: 4 tbsp tomato paste
• Spices
  • 2 star anise + 1 tsp annatto or turmeric
  • (heat) 1 tsp ground black pepper + 1 tsp chili powder + 1 tbsp paprika
• Braising medium: 3 cups water + 2 cups coconut water (optional)
• Seasoning: 1 tsp salt + 3 tbsp soy sauce + 3 tbsp chili oil
• Vegetables: 6 carrots + 2 potatoes + 8 pods black garlic (optional) +10 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Wide rice or egg noodles, cooked as per packet instructions OR slices of batard bread
• Topping/Garnish: 1/4 cup cilantro + 1/2 cup Thai basil + 1/4 cup spinach + 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion + lemon wedges

METHOD

Heat oil in the pressure cooker. Add the aromatics and cook till fragrant (few minutes). Add the tomato paste and stir for a few minutes till well mixed. Then add the marinaded meat and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes. Add the spices and mix. Add 3 cups water and pressure cook on medium/high for 12 minutes.

Release the pressure slowly and the add the vegetables and seasoning and pressure cook for another 6 minutes on medium high.

Serve with noodles/bread, broth and toppings.

NOTES, HINTS, TIPS:

1. This is adapted from TheWoksOfLife. Using the pressure cooker drastically reduces the cooking time without sacrificing taste. Also added a host of other vegetables and greens to make it even more complete.
2. To make a thinner broth (say, as with noodles), double the water to 6 cups.
3. I hesitate to cook with coconut water; I would rather add the coconut water to the broth at the end.
4. An attractive alternative to noodles is Batard bread slices for this broth (a la Yangrou Paomuo, a signature dish of Xi’an, China).