Ingredients
- 2 cm piece ginger
- 2 medium-large green onions
- 1 very small (15 g) bunch corriander sprigs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 whole clove
- 1L Liquid Gold Chicken Bone Broth
- 200 ml water (or all bone broth)
- 225 g boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
- About 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 150 g rice noodles
- 2 to 3 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
- Pepper (optional)
- Optional extras: Bean sprouts, mint sprigs, Thai basil, cilantro leaves, lime wedges, thinly-sliced chili peppers
Method
1. Prepare the broth ingredients: Peel then slice the ginger into 4 or 5 pieces. Smack with the flat side of a knife or meat mallet; set aside. Thinly slice the green parts of the green onion to yield 2 to 3 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Cut the leftover sections into pinkie-finger lengths, bruise, then add to the ginger.
Coarsely chop the leafy tops of the coriander to yield 2 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Set the remaining coriander sprigs aside.
2. In a pot, toast the coriander seeds and clove over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ginger and green onion sections. Stir for about 30 seconds, until aromatic.
3 Slide the pot off heat, wait 15 seconds or so to briefly cool, then pour in the bone broth.
Return the pot to the burner, then add the water, coriander sprigs, chicken, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to gently simmer.
4. After 5 to 10 minutes of simmering, the chicken should be firm and cooked through (press on it and it should slightly yield).
5 Continue to simmer the broth without the chicken for another 10 minutes (for a total of 20 minutes simmering time).
6 Shred the chicken: Transfer the chicken to a bowl, flush with cold water to arrest the cooking, then drain. Let cool, then cut or shred into bite-size pieces. Cover loosely to prevent drying.
7 Soak the rice noodles in hot water until pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
8 Strain the broth: When the broth is done, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a 2-liter pot; line the strainer with muslin for superclear broth. Discard the solids. You should have about 4 cups.
Season with fish sauce and maple syrup, if needed, to create a strong savory-sweet note.
9 Finish the pho: Bring the strained broth to a boil over high heat. Put the noodles in a noodle strainer or mesh sieve and dunk in the hot broth to heat and soften, 5 to 60 seconds. Lift the noodles from the pot and divide between the 2 bowls.
Enjoy with any extras, if you like.