Ping's Passion: Vietnam Kitchen

After eating at Vy Nam Cafe in Finchley Central several times, it inspired me to cook my own Vietnamese meal. Their food is absolutely splendid. I would recommend the Vietnamese spring rolls, summer rolls, BBQ squid, and spicy minced beef with rice paper for starters. Then go for their pho noodle soups which have so much flavour in them that it definately 'hits the spot'.
Visit the website http://www.vynamcafe.com


Vietnamese Spring Rolls at Vy Nam Cafe

So now it's my turn to give Vietnamese food a go at cooking. I decided to make the most famous pho bo which is a beef noodle soup.

Pho condiments - mint leaves, coriander leaves, beansprouts, chilli and lime

Surprisingly it wasn't as difficult to cook as what I had expected.

Pho Bo Recipe:

1. Buy 1lb of beef bone marrow and 1lb of beef oxtail.

2. Cut 1 onions in half and chargrill them on a gas fire.

3. Slice 2 gingers in half and chargrll them on a gas fire.

4. Wash the beef bones and boil them in hot water for 10mins to get rid of all the scum, then drain and rinse with cold water.

5. Collect together the pho spices (1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbs coriander seeds, 1 tbs fennel seeds, 5 whole star anise, 1 cardamon pod, 6 whole cloves) and wrap them up in a mesh bag then tie it tightly with string.

6. Put the bones in a large pot and add boiling water until 3/4 full. Add the onions, ginger and spice bag.

7. Add 2 lumps of yellow rock sugar, 1/4 cup fish sauce, 2 spoons salt and simmer for 2 hours.

8. Continue simmering and adjust the taste by adding more flavour ie. fish sauce and sugar.

9. Boil for another 2 hours until all the flavour is absorbed into the soup.

10. Cook the flat noodles and place in bowls with any type of meat as compliments (here I used beef balls and beef brisket slices). Pour the boiling hot soup into the bowls and serve with beansprouts, mint leaves, coriander, chilli and lime.

Next I made Vietnamese summer rolls