Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot (6-quart / 6 liter)
Ingredients
Pho Spices
- 3 onions (unpeeled)
- 2 shallots (unpeeled)
- 4-inch (10 cm) section fresh ginger (unpeeled)
- ¼ cup coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 3 lime / kaffir leaves
- 3 scallion roots (optional)
- A handful cilantro roots / stems (optional)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
- 1 small cinnamon stick (optional)
- 1 black cardamom pod (optional)
- 3 star anise pods (optional)
Chicken
- 1 whole free-walking chicken / old hen (or 4 chicken leg quarters)
Broth (optional but highly recommend, you could substitute with the same amount of store-bought chicken stock or water)
- 2.5 lbs pork bones / chicken bones (1.1 kg)
- 2 quarts water (2 liter)
- 1 tbsp salt
Seasonings
- 4 tbsp High-quality fish sauce (to your taste)
- 1 tbsp rock sugar (or 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar)
- 2 tbsp salt / chicken powder (to your taste)
- ½ tbsp MSG (optional)
Other ingredients
- Phở rice noodles (flat rice noodles for Northern Phở)
- Bean sprouts
- Chili (Thai Chili or Jalapeno)
- Lime
- Herbs (Thai basil, cilantro, culantro...)
- Chili sauce (Sriracha)
- Quẩy (Youtiao or Chinese donut sticks) (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the broth (skip this step if you use store-bought chicken broth or just water)
- Parboil the pork bones in water with some salt with the "Saute" mode of your Instant Pot. Wash and rinse the bones until the water runs clear.
- Place the bones back into the pot. Fill the pot with enough water to reach the fill line (should be about 2.6 quarts/2.5 liters). Season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Pressure cook on High for 7 minutes (or 5 minutes for chicken bones), then allow for a natural release for 5 minutes.
- Discard the bones, and you'll have about 2.6 quarts (2.5 liters) of broth.
Prepare the chicken
- Prepare the chicken by rubbing and rinsing it with some salt. Remove the chicken butt and any leftover organs inside the chicken (if present). Rinse the chicken thoroughly.
Toast and char the spices
- Slice the ginger and cut the onions in half.
- Char the onions, shallots, and ginger (you could use an air fryer, an oven, or a stainless steel pan). It's okay if they become slightly burnt. Remove any burnt parts.
- For the smaller spices, such as coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, and peppercorns, toast them together in a stainless steel pan.
- Similarly, toast the other ingredients—star anise, cinnamon, black cardamom, kaffir leaves, coriander roots, and green onion roots—together.
- Once cooled, place all spices into the tea bags. While you could add all of them directly into the broth, you would then need to strain the broth before serving to remove the spices.
Cook the Chicken Pho Broth
- Add the chicken, ginger, onions, shallots, and all spices to the pot of broth. If necessary, add more water to reach the fill line. Season with 1 tablespoon of rock sugar.
- On "High Pressure" mode:- For an old hen: Cook for 15 minutes, then allow for a natural release for 15 minutes.- For chicken leg quarters/thighs: Cook for 0 minutes, then allow for a natural release for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and set it aside. Discard the spice bags, onion, and shallot from the broth.
- The broth is now rich and bursting with umami flavor. If desired, you can dilute it with 1 quart (1 liter) of boiling water (this yields 5-6 bowls of Pho).
- Season the broth with salt/chicken powder, fish sauce and MSG (optional). Remember to make it slightly saltier than your preference, as it will be diluted when served with the rice noodles and bean sprouts.
Assemble
- Shred the chicken and slice the onion. Blanch the bean sprouts.
- Cook the pho noodles as per the instructions. Rinse them thoroughly to remove the starch.
- Place the rice noodles in a bowl, then add the shredded chicken and sliced onion on top. Pour the broth over the ingredients.
- Enjoy with a squeeze of lime, bean sprouts, herbs, and chili sauce.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!