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How to Eat Pho: A Basic Guide for First Time Diners

When it comes to pho, a Vietnamese would have the distinct advantage of knowing how to eat it. Regardless of whether he or she grew up in his or her homeland or in an immigrant household abroad, he or she would have a mother or grandmother who made this delicious breakfast noodle soup every day, cooked from snippets of a recipe. and with memories. of how it is made in the kitchen of his own mother. Or at least he or she would have a mother who would take the family out to a restaurant every once in a while when they felt the need. Eating pho is natural for a Vietnamese.

A non-Vietnamese will not have the same experience. Aside from having to deal with chopsticks, pho will always look and smell strange to anyone who didn’t grow up eating it. When faced with a steaming bowl of these noodles, and especially if this is your first time trying Vietnam’s national dish, you may have a challenge on your hands. Here are some tips.

Simple process of enjoying Pho

If you find yourself in a pho shop for the first time, chances are you were invited by a Vietnamese friend or a friend who knows about this dish. But in case you are a brave soul and decide to try it yourself, figuring out how to eat pho can be a dilemma.

Fortunately, eating pho is not like eating Western food or even Japanese food. There is no unspoken etiquette that must be observed. This dish is meant to be enjoyed with some noise and it’s okay to sip on it a lot. So here is the process in a nutshell.

The best way to attack a steaming bowl of pho is to have chopsticks in one hand and a tablespoon in the other. Take a little broth with your spoon, sip a bit to taste it. Follow it up with the rice noodles using your chopsticks. Then select pieces of ingredients from the bowl and enjoy individually or along with the broth and noodles. Easy. but there is more

taking in the scent

Of course, before you start eating pho, you can’t help but notice the aroma created by the piping hot broth. Most of the time, just taking in the rich aroma of long-simmered beef broth with spices, roasted onions, and roasted ginger is enough to whet your appetite. It also helps you appreciate this poetry in a bowl even more.

The fragrance of the broth is also a good indicator of its quality. Just one sniff will tell you if the spices are balanced when making the soup, if the broth is too salty, if it has MSG sprinkled on it, or if the beef broth is undercooked. Remember that the soul of the pho is in the broth. So enjoying the aroma is definitely an important part of the dinner ritual.

What to do with the garnish

When you’re served southern-style Vietnamese pho, you’ll always be provided with a side dish. This dish usually contains bean sprouts, coriander, Thai basil, sliced ​​chili, and lime wedges. You will also have hoisin sauce and hot sauce available at the table.

Is there a specific order in which you should place these herbs in your pho dish? The answer to this is no. With the garnish, you can think about finding the best combination that fits your taste. Each individual garnish brings its own distinctive smell and taste to an already good pho dish. You don’t want to dump the entire garnish into the bowl at once. Rather, try a few at a time to get your preferred combination. More importantly, give the ingredients several chances (on different visits) and you’ll appreciate their roles in this noodle dish.

Here are some tips on consuming the ingredients:

• The bean sprouts go raw for the crunch factor. A little at a time to keep the crunch while you eat, or add them all while the broth is hot to cook them.
• Dipping the sliced ​​chili into the hot broth releases the oil and makes the broth spicier. You can keep them if you dare. Many do.
• The lime juice adds tartness to the broth, which is good if the broth tastes bland or too sweet for you. The saltiness and acidity together provide a delicious combination that many people love.
• The herb leaves are removed from the stems and crushed into pieces before being placed in the container. For the best aroma and flavor, cut the leaves into smaller pieces and add as you go to keep the flavor fresher and rawer.

Eating pho is always an adventure, even for those who have enjoyed it all their lives. For first-time diners, the key is to kick back and enjoy. You’ll find your own pho in no time.