fresh, hot, spicy and substantial... pho takes mom's "chicken soup" to a whole new level. this soup is great in cold weather and even greater when your under the weather.
feeling under the weather? a runny nose, sore throat got you down. this soup will cure all your sickly blues.
FiX: 10 minutes
HEAT: 15-20 minutes
SPENT: 35-40 minutes total
GOODS:
6 cloves of whole GARLiC
1 can of good LOW SODiUM CHiCKEN BROTH*
1-2 CHiCKEN BREASTS*(or package of chicken tenders)
2 teaspoons of CHiNESE 5 SPiCE (in most supermarkets spice isles)
2 teaspoons of crushed RED PEPPER FLAKES(or 1/2 jalapeno pepper)
1 cup of fresh SHiiTAKE MUSHROOMS (a handful of dry will work too)
1 cup of loosely chopped BOK CHOY (one stalk will do)
1 cup of shredded CARROTS (available by the bag)
1 cup of fresh or frozen BROCCOLI FLORETS
1 hefty handful of RiCE NOODLES
1 tablespoon of OLiVE OiL
3 teaspoons of RAW SUGAR
CRACKED BLACK PEPPER
3 cups of WATER
NOTE: for vegetarian version minus the chicken and substitute veggie broth in place of the chicken broth. for full recipe -- CLiCK HERE!
FRESH TOPPiNGS:
1 bunch of fresh THAi BASiL LEAVES
(thai basil has an amazing distinct fresh lemon essence)
1 bunch of finely chopped bunch of GREEN ONiONS
1 cup of shredded CARROTS
1 cup of BEAN SPROUTS
1 bunch of CiLANTRO
1 LiME
TACKLE:
3 quart pot
wooden spoon
butcher's knife
chop board
soup ladle
tongs
GO:
grab your soup pot. chop up the CHiCKEN BREASTS into healthy size chunks (if using tenders, just halve) add a good swig of OLiVE OiL to your pot. turn up heat. drop in the CHiCKEN CHUNKS squeeze on top a 1/2 of LiME. lightly sear up. don't worry about under cooking. these little chicken chunks will finish up cooking in the super broth concoction we've got planned ahead.
now for the tasty broth. open up and pour in the can of LOW SODiUM CHiCKEN BROTH and 3 cups of water. drop in the whole GARLiC CLOVES and 1/4 cup of shredded CARROTS. time to spice it up.
sprinkle in the 2 teaspoons of CHiNESE 5 SPiCE, 3 teaspoons of RAW SUGAR, 2 teaspoons of crushed RED PEPPER FLAKES (or sliced JALAPENO PEPPER) and 3 rounds of CRACKED BLACK PEPPER. drop down to low. cover up. leave alone. off to the cool accessories.
WHiLE... loosely chop up the BOK CHOY and 3 stalks of GREEN ONiONS. pull off a handful of each of the fresh THAi BASiL and CiLANTRO from their bunches.
ASSEMBLAGE:
after 15-20 minutes of your broth simmering, add in the RiCE NOODLES, BROCCOLI FLORETS and SHiiTAKE MUSHROOMS. let cook for another 4-5 minutes then take off of heat.
drop in the fresh prepped toppings: chopped BOK CHOY and GREEN ONiONS and a couple of pinches of shredded CARROTS and BEAN SPROUTS. along with a few leaves each of the sweetly plucked BASiL and CiLANTRO leaves. give a squeeze of fresh LiME.
BLiNG:
i like to ladle this yummy meal into big bowls and serve them with asian ceramic spoons and chop sticks (forks welcomed too). for a party... i individually bowl up the remaining cool fresh toppings for people to add as much as they desire!
FEEDS:
this dish serves 1-2 comfortably. if your sick, make sure you ladle up some seconds for yourself. this is truly a super healing meal.
SPECiAL NOTE: to serve as a starter dish for 4-6... just double the recipe.