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July 2009

Thumbnail image for Instant Pho: How Good Are They?

Instant Pho: How Good Are They?

July 29, 2009

There is a reason why instant ramen, and instant pho, took the world by storm. In today’s fast-paced life, instant pho caters to a need to feed and satisfy hunger in less than five minutes. In recent years instant pho comes in foam cups or bowls. All you need is to add hot water and let it sit for a few minutes. The question is not if instant pho is good or bad, but if it is good for your health. Here’s my take on instant pho.

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Thumbnail image for Saigon’s Luong Son Quan – Bo Tung Xeo: Beer Garden Vietnamese Style

Saigon’s Luong Son Quan – Bo Tung Xeo: Beer Garden Vietnamese Style

July 25, 2009

Luong Son Quan Bo Tung Xeo is a great place to hang out with friends for diner and lots of drinking. Sort of a beer garden, Vietnamese style. But it’s much more than that. On the menu are exotic dishes for “nhậu,” the Vietnamese term for eating and drinking, with emphasis on the drinking part.

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Thumbnail image for On Viet People’s Expectations, Standards, and Ideals for Pho vs. Non-Viet

On Viet People’s Expectations, Standards, and Ideals for Pho vs. Non-Viet

July 25, 2009

What are the characteristics of a great pho? For a non-Vietnamese person, how can you decide if the pho you just had was authentic or not? Here’s my take on Vietnamese people’s expectations, standards, and ideals for Pho vs. non-Vietnamese’s. It’s pretty hard to screw up pho if the restaurateur knows anything about Vietnamese food, but it’s always up to you to decide.

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Thumbnail image for Top Pho Bo and Pho Ga Recipes You Must Try Yourself

Top Pho Bo and Pho Ga Recipes You Must Try Yourself

July 25, 2009

Here are Lovingpho.com’s top pho recipe picks. As we all know, it’s all in the pho broth, so you can just skip everything and go straight to read about how to make the broth. While older recipes have stood the test of time, the newer ones have something valid to offer, employing more modern techniques. And as I’ve said before, once you’ve got the broth, the rest will just fall into place.

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Thumbnail image for Diana My Tran and Her Recipes – Exotic Vietnam Meets the Fast-Paced West

Diana My Tran and Her Recipes – Exotic Vietnam Meets the Fast-Paced West

July 23, 2009

Diana My Tran is not a professional chef, but she has become a favorite author in Vietnamese cooking. She succeeds in simplifying the many exotic and sometime complex recipes for her readers, at the same time maintaining authenticity of Viet cuisine, pho included.

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Thumbnail image for Are There Secrets to Making the Perfect Pho at Home?

Are There Secrets to Making the Perfect Pho at Home?

July 21, 2009

People in Vietnam do not actually make pho at home. Home-made pho is the unique product of Viet immigrants arriving at foreign shores after 1975. It’s not a surprise that most pho techniques concentrate on the creation of good broth. That is because coming up with a good broth for pho is the first, and toughest, step towards making the perfect pho. Once you have a great broth, the rest should just fall into place.

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Thumbnail image for Cilantro – Man’s Oldest Herb a Must-Have Ingredient in Vietnamese Pho

Cilantro – Man’s Oldest Herb a Must-Have Ingredient in Vietnamese Pho

July 14, 2009

In Vietnamese pho, you are likely to find chopped cilantro blanched by the broth in your bowl. Many pho recipes that you will find either in Asian cookbooks or on the Internet also recommend using cilantro as an important ingredient. Cilantro in fact has a long history of its own. Cilantro never takes the center stage, but you can’t have pho without it.

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Thumbnail image for Hu Tieu or Hủ Tiếu – Paying Respect to Pho’s Cousin

Hu Tieu or Hủ Tiếu – Paying Respect to Pho’s Cousin

July 3, 2009

Hu Tieu the noodle or Hu Tieu the dish? This post will help begin to clear up some confusions about what Vietnamese hu tieu is and how it may be enjoyed. For a Vietnamese it’s pretty much common knowledge. But for others it’s probably been one contradiction after another where seemingly different dishes are all called Hủ Tiếu! You can now order your hu tieu with confidence and then enjoy it with peace of mind.

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Thumbnail image for Pho in France – Petit or Grand Pho, It’ll Be Just Like Home

Pho in France – Petit or Grand Pho, It’ll Be Just Like Home

July 1, 2009

Pho in France. France has the third largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, and the influence of pho in France is nothing short of phenomenal. Like many other places outside of Vietnam, the popularity of pho in France is undeniable, because where there are Vietnamese, there is pho.

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