Updated 10-27-10. Rant alert! Here’s the latest offender: Rachael Ray and the Phunky BBQ Pho with Pork and its pho recipe.

One of my reasons for creating this Vietnamese pho blog LovingPho.com is to help tell the real and authentic story of Vietnamese Pho to the blogosphere. I saw so much inaccurate renditions of pho online that I felt the need to present the noodle dish in a more correct fashion. I try to stay true to what pho is, and where I falter, I depend on the wiser others to help point me back to the facts. Pho itself is good enough to stand on its own so there’s no need to further embellish it.

The dish/program name itself, Phunky BBQ Pho with Pork, is enough to send chills up my spine. What’s really annoying to me is the casualness that these inaccuracies are presented by Rachael Ray and her program. Andrea Nguyen herself was distrurbed enough to write a commentary about it. You can follow the link to read her “How funky is Rachael Ray’s Phunky Pho?” Here are a few of her key points which I totally agree with:

• Pho is not Thai. It’s Vietnamese. Maybe they were thinking about Pad Thai? But that’s stir-fry. Anyway I don’t get it.
• Pork. Enough said for me. Pork really has no place in pho. It’s great in hủ tiếu though.
• Lack of fish sauce. It’s one of the key ingredients, can’t do without it.
• Angel hair pasta. Ugh, this is ugly! It should be bánh phở rice noodles. Maybe Ms. Ray tried to reach the widest audience possible, where there is no banh pho available?

The whole program leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Beside Andrea’s points above, here my other peeves:

• The show, and Rachael Ray herself, not showed total disrespect to Vietnamese (and Thai) foods, but also to their own audience’s intelligence, though I could be wrong here since there are 578 Facebook Likes for the recipe as of the date of this post. Amazing!
• In this 21st century global economy and awareness, there is still lack of knowledge and education in mass media production. What did it take to produce a Rachael Ray episode, how many people were involved in such production? I don’t care if the program was entertainment or educational, and we aren’t really talking about perfection here. However, a little accuracy on the basics would be nice.
• Makes me wonder how much other craps are out there… I know, I know. Dumb question.

According to Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, synonyms for funky include: bizarre, bizarro, cranky, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, funny, kinky, kooky (also kookie), offbeat, off-kilter, off-the-wall, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, remarkable, rum [chiefly British], screwy, spaced-out, strange, wacky (also whacky), way-out, weird, weirdo, wild. True.

So what do you think about this episode? Do you agree or not agree with points discussed above? Please take the poll or leave a comment.

_{»crosslinked«}

An Injustice to Pho: Rachael Ray’s “Phunky BBQ Pho with Pork” Recipe is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Here’s the second part of the YouTube video telling an important story about a great pho family in Vietnam. First the video itself, followed by my loose transcription. Time stamps in brackets [ ] match video timecodes for easy reference. You can view part 1: “Pho Dynasty: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 1.”

Video: Phở by the Multigenerational Cồ Family (currently 3rd, 4th and 5th generation,) from Town of Nam Định, Near Hà Nội (part 2.) Narrated in Vietnamese.

Phở Cồ is pronounced

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNMcmw2Geps

The Co Family Patriarch Guides Pho Hanoi to Its Future

Mr. Rao has been passionate about pho all his life, and will probably continue to be for a long time. In his hand is a book about the foods of Hanoi, written by the famous French culinary expert Didier Corlou. In it of course one can’t miss his [Chef Corlou's] praise about pho by the family Co in Hanoi.

[0:30] Mr. Rao: “The vast majority of people, when talking about pho in Hanoi, know about the phở gánh or pho carts. [Editor's note: gánh in Vietnamese means bearing on shoulder with a bamboo stick with products hung at each end. It's a way for many people to make a living selling various foods, snacks and products.] It was the Co family and their people taking their pho from Nam Dinh to Hanoi, and according to current family members, Mr. Co [audio indistinct]. He was the first to open shops here, then followed suit by other people from the same village Van Cu. Around the 1980-1985 time frame, the Van Cu people started to scatter to Ha long, down to Da Nang. Even Saigon now has Van Cu people.”

[1:19] Of the 4 brothers from the second generation of family Co, all pho experts, two have passed away. The remaining brothers include Mr. Phở Hùng, his real name is Cồ Như Hùng, and the second brother, Co Nhu Thu[?], who has just reached 80 years in age.

For many years now, Mr. Pho Hung no longer looks after the business. Rather his main work now is to pass on his experience to sons and daughters. For many years Hanioans have not seen Mr. Pho Hung. Today they have a chance to witness his demonstration on the art of making pho during the showcase of Vietnamese culinary arts organized by UNESCO in December 2003.

Standing next to him is the first grandson of Nhu Quang[?] who is fluent in making family Co pho.

[2:19] Despite getting older, Mr. Pho Hung remains strong and confident as he demonstrates his slicing techniques of a true professional with his quick, flexible hands and fingers. Today he is also the President of the professional association for pho countrymen from Van Cu, Nam Truc, Nam Dinh, which represents almost a hundred family members who are making a living serving pho in and around Hanoi.

[2:47] These two pho carts on demonstration have been rebuilt by UNESCO for the event. They are representative of those used by the Co ancestors in early 20th century. They were reconstructed based on Mr. Pho Hung’s own memory of the years when he followed his father seling pho on the old streets of Hanoi. The pepper shaker itself was made from dry bamboo tubes; the fragrant northern pepper, together with the aromatic flavors of cinnamon, star anise, fresh ginger and charred onions have probably accompanied him all his life.

[3:22] Despite the months and years of laborious and hard work, Mr. Pho Hung and his family takes great pride as the those responsible in bringing this rare gift to the land of Hanoi, then help in making pho famous across the country and now the world.

This is Pho Hanoi. And the soul of pho Hanoi is still the pho broth vat with its unique, special aroma and taste.

[3:48] Mr. Pho Hung on stage [audio indistinct]

[4:08] Mr. Pho Hung: “… first off the [bones, meat?] must be fatty and rich. Once the water begins to boil, they must be pulled, then continue to keep the broth simmer without boiling over. This is how the broth can be kept clear always. This particular broth being served today has no well-done meat cooked in it. Together with the proper seasonings, the foundation of the stock must include the best quality ingredients. After that we’d add in charred ginger and onions, then nuoc mam (fish sauce), and that’s how we served it.”

[4:59] Mr. Pho Hung [audio indistinct]

[5:11] Dr. Tran Manh Dat, of the Hanoi University of Education, is a long time citizen who grew up and studied in Hanoi. He has also traveled to foreign countries for education and business. Today, like many others, he by chance happens to attend this cultural event demonstrating the traditional Hanoi pho, and met up with Mr. Co Nhu Hung.

Dr. Dat: “In Paris or Amsterdam or [audio indistinct] or most anywhere else, I’ve always run into pho shops. The pho itself always makes me feel homesick. Today being at this festival, I’m very moved, at the same time feeling proud that our country has a rich culinary culture that is vey rich. Many of my friends from abroad tell me they can never forget Vietnam, because of this pho dish. It is the pho that attract them back to this country.”

[6:28] Now in his retirement, Mr. Pho Hung rarely go visit many places, even to pho shops run by descendants of family Co, and by his countrymen from the same village Van Cu. There are at least a few hundreds of them. Though he does make exception for family members, like this Pho Hang Dong. He always wishes them continued success, in any era or generation.

[7:01] [audio indistinct]

[7:14] Everyone, whether in the family or from the village, or even the customers, wishes Mr. Pho Hung good health and long life, hoping that he will continue as a strong guide for their pho Hanoi, as well as keeping pho famous across the five continents.

[7:35] On a beautiful day in the near future, during the celebration of 1,000 years establishment of Thang Long-Ha Noi [Editor's note: October 2010 will officially mark 1,000 years of the establishment of the city of Hanoi] we hope to be able to view Mr. Pho Hung in action again, right next to his traditional pho cart of Hanoi, with its deductive fragrance.

To read more about events and people related to this video’s production, check out these articles:

• An Interview with Chef Didier Corlou on Vietnamese Pho and Cuisine
• Chef Didier Corlou, A Passion for Pho and Vietnamese Cuisine
• Pho by Chef Didier Corlou

Pho Nam Dinh: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 2 is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Something interesting came out of my chat with Corrine Trang about pho and other Asian noodles. Nothing is really earth shattering here, and for pho fans, this is like preaching to the choir. But through these 5 simple questions I believe we captured the essence of Vietnamese pho, so it’s worth a mention in a separate post.

I asked Corinne a series of questions comparing pho to other Asian noodles, calling it the “ultimate noodle face-off.” And she should know, because she herself wrote the book about noodles, Noodles Every Day. Let’s face it, Vietnamese pho is a late comer to Americans’ Asian culinary awareness. Pho certainly came to America after the Chinese, Japanese and Korean noodles. But pho is getting its fair share of fan buzz and definitely building more followers all the time.

So here’s the pho noodle face-off results, pho against other noodle dishes according to Corinne Trang. The scale is from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest level (best, most complex, etc.)

• Deliciousness of pho: 10/10 (one of the best)
• Degree of difficulty to make pho: 3/10 (not too difficult)
• Degree of difficulty to serve pho: 1/10 (very easy!)
• Number of ingredients required for pho: 7/10 (fair, but not numerous amount required)
• Pho popularity among non-Asians: 10/10

If I have to rate these myself, I would give “Difficulty to make pho” a 4/10 and “Degree of difficulty to serve pho” a 2 or 3, just because I would take into account the fact that many Americans didn’t grow up with pho, and therefore are unfamiliar with how it’s made and served from inside a kitchen. But I think my own viewpoints do not disagree with Corinne Trang’s numbers.

The take-away: Pho is great tasting, not difficult to prepare (especially with the right pho recipes,) super easy to serve, does not require an excessive amount of ingredients, and is very popular among non-Asians. If you also consider that pho can be enjoyed at any time of the day, then you have the perfect combination of goodness in pho.

For me though, there’s a missing link: I’m still working on getting reliable calories counts for pho. So please let me know if you have a good source.

Read the details on the original and complete post with Corinne Trang on Vietnamese Pho, Noodles Every Day, and Life.

Vietnamese Pho Soup Noodle in Noodle Face Off Against Other Asian Noodles is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 09-12-09. Corinne Trang is a prolific cookbook author and Asian cuisines and culinary expert. Her latest book, Noodles Every Day, is my kind of book. I love anything slurpable, pho or otherwise. Sure we’re all about Vietnamese pho here on this site, but don’t forget, pho is but one of many popular Asian noodle dishes. Each bowl of noodle provides a full meal in itself. So now that her new book is out, I am excited to have an opportunity for a Q&A with Corinne Trang. I got her to do a noodle face-off between pho and other noodles, and talk about finding one’s roots, writing books, teaching others, making food and living life.

First a little bio on Corinne Trang. She is an award-winning cookbook author, expert on Asian cuisines and cultures, beverage and food consultant, brands and commodities spokesperson, lecturer (NYU, Syracuse, University of Texas, etc…), and chef. A frequent radio and television guest (NPR, Business Talk Radio, Bloomberg, Martha Stewart Living Radio, CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, Discovery, Lifetime, TV Food Network, and more), she is the Chief East Coast Correspondent for America’s Dining and Travel Guide (Business Talk Radio). For the latest on her current book tour, visit Corinne Trang’s Tour Dates, and for up-to-the-minute info, follow her on twitter.com/corinnetrang.

Now on to our conversation. For those aspired to pursue a culinary profession, Corinne Trang reveals some interesting nuggets about her road to success that might just help inspire some to get there a little faster. Enjoy.

LovingPho (LP): You have been in many places including in Europe, Asia and the U.S. Which of these places may take the most credit in forming the Corinne Trang we know today?
Corinne Trang (CT): All of the places I’ve visited-a winery in Burgundy, France, a farmer’s market in Capri, Italy, a fishing village in Cebu, Philippines, an artisanal soy sauce factory in Japan, a BBQ joint in Lockhart, TX, or sitting on a sidewalk in Saigon, Vietnam eating pho-have shaped my career on many levels. Every place has something special to offer, and no matter how many times I’ve gone back to them, I always learn something new. I think what has shaped my career the most is being open-minded and generally curious, and my desire to try new things, and willingness to take a back seat and learn from those more experienced than myself.

LP: Where did you spend most of your younger years growing up, in between Phnom Penh, Paris and New York?
CT: Well at this point, New York (I’m still young!), but seriously I was born in Blois, France, but when I turned 6 months old my father, who is Chinese but born and raised in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, decided to take the family back to his home. So we lived there until the war broke out, and about 2-1/2 years later moved back to France. When I was 10, we moved to New York. It was supposed to be a summer vacation, but here I am today, still in New York, the city that never stops.

LP: You were born in France. We’d all like to think that our birthplace has contributed to what we are and do today. How has this formed your current professional pursuit, or maybe growing up in France had little to do with your success now?
CT: Growing up in France had a lot to do with how I think about food. I grew up with a French grandmother who always cooked. Even while running her own business, she always found the time to cook for a rather large family. Going to the farmers market with her was a blast. She’d take my hand, her panier (basket), and we’d go strolling up and down the aisles of the town market. She’d pick up the stinky cheeses, poke and smell them, one after the other. She’d smile and get excited when picking fruits and vegetables.

We’d go to the town butcher for some fresh meat, and the charcutier for cured ham or dried sausage, for example. Then we’d go home talking about the meal she would prepare for dinner that day, all the while eating a warm French baguette just picked up on the way home from the local boulangerie. This was a daily occurrence. Moving to New York was very hard at first, and traveling back to France became really important as a result. The wonderful part was mealtime. We took our time eating, sipping wine (yes I did have glass, even if watered down!) It was not just about eating, mealtime was very much about socializing.

From "Noodles Every Day": Twice-Cooked Egg Noodle Cake With Braised Seafood

LP: Tell us about your time in Europe. What were some of the most memorable things you learned there?
CT: I’m like a sponge. I pay attention a great deal no matter where I am, because if I don’t I’m afraid I’ll miss something and that would be a bummer! I learned to use my senses-feel, touch, smell, hear, and taste. It may seem like a simple thing to say, but it isn’t. I learned to develop my palate simply by trying and remembering.

In Europe every meal shared with friends and family was a pleasurable lesson. In my hometown of Blois, I could be watching my grandmother blind-baking the most buttery, crispy French apple tart, or I could be in Paris standing next to my Chinese aunt deftly chopping a Cantonese roast duck with a cleaver. I could be walking a thousand steps up to the town center in Capri to shop for produce, and walk these same steps down back to the kitchen where I worked as a private chef to make fresh pasta, a daily occurrence. I could be in St. Sebastian, Spain having a delicious meal in a tapas bar where the bartender seemed not to pay attention to what I was picking out of the seafood bar, yet always managed to add it all up when I was ready to pay. I could be strolling along the vineyards in Burgundy tasting the grapes on the vine, or tasting several different types of herring on a smorgasbord and doing shots of aquavit in Stockholm.

The most memorable thing I learned in Europe, and Asia, was to take the time to celebrate one of the greatest pleasures life has to offer, and that is food. It’s something you either feel or you don’t, I think. Some people eat because it’s fuel, taking every ingredient for granted. When I eat, I truly savor every bite and think about it. I want to know why the texture is so. I feel most engaged when I’m handling an ingredient, looking at its shape, paying attention to its color, and smelling its aroma, for example. I love when it talks to me as it sizzles in the pan.

LP: Do you still go back to France often?
CT: I have gone back to France. I do have both my French and Asian side of the family still there. It’s been three years since I’ve gone back now, however, and that’s because I’ve been so busy writing and working in general. I feel restless these days, which means it’s time to go back again.

LP: Can you share with us some of your favorite French dishes, if any, and why they’re significant to you?
CT: I love crêpes because my grandmother used to flip them in her pan, and immediately look at me with a grin as if to say “see that…want to see it again?” and she’d do it again. By the time I got that lacy crispy golden crêpe, it had been flipped several times over.

Lapin aux pruneaux (rabbit with prunes) was another one of my grandmother’s specialties. I just loved the way this sweet old lady used to kill the family rabbits. By the hind legs she’d pick one up, and swing its head against the concrete floor in the backyard. Instantly dead on contact, she’d take a pairing knife and score the skin around the rabbit’s neck, and pull its skin off in one shot. She would then gut it, reserving the offals. In the pan, she’d melt butter and brown the meat cut up into eight large pieces. She’d then sautee garlic and shallots in the same pan and return the rabbit along with prunes, a little cognac and some water. Cooked down until tender, the rabbit was absolutely delicious. I do the same dish but instead of thyme I add rosemary. I also loved the Cavaillon melons she’d serve as a starter. She’d split these small fruits in half, remove the seeds, and fill the hollowed out part with Porto. Even as a kid, I was allowed to scoop up the melon with some Porto. I could go on, but you get the idea.

LP: I think the Washington Post first coined the terms “the Julia Child of Asian Cuisine.” Of course earning such recognition is really no small feat. Do you remember who originally made this comparison and under what context was it done?
CT: When Essentials of Asian Cuisine: Fundamentals and Favorite Recipes (Simon & Schuster, 2003) came out, it was well received. For me it was like a dissertation, taking on eight very important Asian food cultures and tracing them back to their ancient Chinese roots, demonstrating how similar yet unique they each had become over millenia. Of all the books I’ve written, this is my favorite. I had a terrific editor who understood that it was an important book. As a result she gave me carte blanche and I was able to write that book the way I wanted to at the time. I handed in more than double the pages I had originally been contracted to write.

When it finally came out. It was instantly recognized as a “masterpiece” (NPR) and compared to The Joy of Cooking, for example. It’s also been referred to as a reference book and has been cited in several other cookbooks. I’d love the chance to update it some day, but I fear I would double the pages again! It would take a lifetime and a thousand volumes to explain fully all the wonderful foods Asia has to offer. We’re talking about thousands of years of history. With Essentials of Asian Cuisine, I tried and am happy with the results.

LP: How did you feel when first heard or read about this Julia Child comparison? Did you have any problem with it? If so why?
CT: It was truly an honor to be compared to one of the greatest chefs and cookbook authors of our time. I have no complaints, just grateful.

From "Noodles Every Day": Egg Noodle Soup With Five-Spice Duck

LP: You have authored and/or contributed to some very exciting and beautiful cookbooks. Which was your favorite in terms of the creative process?
CT: In terms of creative process the most challenging was Essentials of Asian Cuisine. This is where I got to explore my other passion, photography. All the black and white travel photographs in the book, I shot. I also styled the color food shots, and partially indexed the book. Dealing with cuisines and therefore foreign languages, I was asked by the publisher to work for about three weeks on the index alone. I really got my hands in everything for this book. With The Asian Grill (Chronicle Books, 2006), I wrote, styled, and shot the book myself. Talk about me, myself, and I! I would say I really love the creative process of both these books because I got to wear many different hats. The photography made me see food in a different way. It also made me get up from my desk and walk away from the computer, which is a good thing.

LP: And which are you most proud of after publication?
CT: While Essentials of Asian Cuisine was the most challenging (I call it my baby because I cried many a nights, I couldn’t see the end of it!), Authentic Vietnamese Cooking: Food From a Family Table (Simon & Schuster, 1999) is the one I am most proud of because it is my first cookbook. The feeling when I first held the finished book in my hand is something I can’t quite explain. “Disbelief,” comes to mind. I think I stared at it for a long time, flipping through the pages, not knowing what to do next. I felt excitement and fear at the same time. It was overwhelming. It was also the one thing I knew would make my father proud.

LP: From whom do you find inspiration for actions everyday, either within or outside of the culinary industry?
CT: I find inspiration in my students. I love to teach. I love to watch them trying to figure it out. I too learn from them. I learn how to better communicate an idea, a feeling.

LP: I don’t want to get you in trouble, but would love to see your list of top ten chefs. Do you mind sharing it?
CT: There are so many culinary professionals who have and continue to inspire me for many reasons. I get excited about food when I put it in my mouth and it challenges my thinking. That’s number one for me. When I can taste each ingredient the dish offers, it’s a plus. Food that pleases my eyes and invites me to touch it is what I want; it could be a pulled pork sandwich, foie gras on toast points, or a bowl of pho. And I always say, less is more; simple, elegant, inviting, with discernable textures, flavors, and colors.

Here we go, but “ten” is unfair because there are so many unknown chefs in Asia and Europe, in small eateries or sidewalks who really could teach a thing or two (or more) to those of us who have been recognized by this very competitive industry as being at the top of our game. That said, I’ll purposely alphabetize the ten chefs for whom I have tremendous respect.

• Mario Batali
• Jean-Louis Dumonet
• Alain Ducasse
• Chris Lilly
• Anita Lo
• Nobu Matsuhisa
• Masaharu Morimoto
• Eric Ripert
• Ming Tsai
• Hoss Zare

LP: Except for the book “Authentic Vietnamese Cooking,” most of your other books decidedly have multi-country cuisine flavors to them (instead of dedicating to one country’s cuisine.) Personally I think a collection of multiple cuisines may have more appeal to readers. What were some of the factors that governed your decision to write a book one way or the other?
CT: My deepest commitment is to exploring the relationship between culture and food, offering my readers insight into how the many cuisines of Asia have evolved over time. There is not one cuisine that we can refer to as being pure. Every single cuisine in the world has been influenced one way or the other by another. When writing my books, my goal is to demonstrate the similarities between the various cuisines, as well as their differences. I also want to make Asian cuisines accessible, offering a variety of flavor profiles. Essentially I want my readers to feel like they are traveling through Asia when they cook my food.

LP: The flip side of the same question: why did you dedicate a book to just Vietnamese cuisine?
CT: Authentic Vietnamese Cooking is about exploring my very own personal background, half French and half Chinese, the two cultures that influence Vietnam. My father is Chinese but born and raised in Cambodia and the oldest child in his family. He had many siblings who married and decided to either stay in Phnom Penh or relocate to Saigon. No doubt the Vietnamese food I had growing up is influenced by these factors, and these are the recipes included in the book.

LP: Let’s talk noodles and pho. Your latest book is “Noodles Every Day.” I think it’s a great subject for a book, by the way. It has some 70 recipes for all kinds of Asian noodles. So here’s the ultimate noodle face-off, based purely on your new book and your expert judgement.

Which of your noodle dishes do you consider most delicious? Give it a 10. Where does pho fit in on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest)
CT: You’re killing me…I can’t believe you’re making me pick. Can I say they all are, Pho of course being a 10 and right up there with them all? I’ll do that! It’s a user-friendly cookbook. I’ve picked a popular food, the noodle, and have simply applied Asian flavor profiles using basic Asian ingredients that can be got in the international aisle of your local supermarket. (The same goes for my previous cookbook The Asian Grill, which focuses on a popular cooking technique.)

Which of your noodle dishes do you consider most difficult/involved/complex to make? Give it a 10. Where does pho fit in on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest)
CT: Pork Bun (it’s important to remember that buns, spring rolls and dumplings are all considered to be part of the noodle/snack category in Asia) is the most difficult because you’re dealing with yeasted dough. Easy for some, and not so easy for others, Pho being a 3!

Which of your noodle dishes do you consider most difficult/involved/complex to serve? Give it a 10. Where does pho fit in on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest)
CT: They’re all easy to serve. It’ all about the noodles, sometimes single dishes, sometimes with a dipping sauce, or garnishes. Nothing difficult but perhaps some more time consuming that others. Pho being a 1 because it is also easy to serve; just a matter of putting the garnishes on a plate.

Which of your noodle dishes requires the most ingredients? Give it a 10. Where does pho fit in on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest)
CT: I think they’re all about the same. I tried to keep them all fairly simple because I wanted to make these Asian noodle recipes accessible to everyone, the idea going back to Asian cooking being a home-style type of cooking. Most Asian foods are quite simple, which does not make them any less authentic, in fact perhaps more so. Rice Vermicelli with Pork and Spring Rolls and that’s only because between the rice noodles and vegetables, the spring rolls, and the dipping sauce, there are really three recipes in one!

In the world of cookbooks, Pho has two recipes in one, the stock, and the noodles and its ingredients, Pho being a 7!

Which of your noodle dishes do you consider most popular among non-Asians? Give it a 10. Where does pho fit in on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest)
CT: Pho, Pho being a 10!

LV: So here’s the pho noodle face-off results, pho against other noodle dishes according to Corinne Trang:

• Deliciousness of pho: 10/10 (one of the best)
• Degree of difficulty to make pho: 3/10 (not too difficult)
• Degree of difficulty to serve pho: 1/10 (very easy!)
• Number of ingredients required for pho: 7/10 (fair amount required)
• Pho popularity among non-Asians: 10/10

From "Noodles Every Day": Singapore Noodles

LP: I know you keep your calendar quite full. Can you share with me your typical day, sort of like “a day in the life of Corinne,” if there’s such a thing as typical day for you?

CT: I work from home, cafes, restaurants, the road, planes, buses, and trains. Ah the pleasures of working on a laptop and with a cell phone. At any given time, I’ll be on the phone, while writing an article, or working on a book proposal, or developing recipes for a brand, or menus for a restaurant. It’s hard for me to focus for any long period of time on a single project. I multi-task, and most recently I’ve read that one tends to waste a lot of time working that way. There’s some truth to that, but that’s my creative process and it works for me for now. I have Facebook on my desktop. I enjoy social networking, another forum that gives me the chance to share some of my thoughts about food. I Twitter when I travel or want to share some good news while on book tour. I’ve met good people on both sites, including you!

LP: If you have to choose 5 words that describe who you are and what you’re about, what might they be?
CT: Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy…I’m all about yin and yang, otherwise said, balance.

LP: Which do you find most challenging, radio shows, television shows, book signings, cooking demos, speaking gigs, or something else?
CT: Book signings in book stores when there’s no food tasting or talk planned. They’re boring, and people smile but walk right passed me. It’s a waste of time. I want to be engaged with my audience, and let’s face it the only way they’d consider buying my book is if I (1) start talking about food, or (2) offer them something to eat, or 3) both.

LP: And out of all these, which one(s) would you rather do all day, everyday without getting tired or bored of?
CT: I love the variety. I have fun with radio, television, teaching, and lectures in general. I do have a soft spot for radio because that’s where I have the chance to go into food with great depth, and I don’t have to put on a ton of makeup!

LP: At the end of a busy day, what is your go-to comfort food?
CT: It all depends on my mood. This week I’ve been into dark chocolate. Next week I could be craving soon doo bu, Korean tofu stew, and next month, pho.

LP: And finally, what are some of the big deals coming up for you, during the rest of 2009, and into 2010?
CT: I’ll be making a guest appearance on NBC’s Today Show on September 9th [video below], then also this year I’ll be judging at the Jack Daniel’s 2009 World Championship Invitational Barbecue, Oct 23-24, 2009, and next June 2010 I’ll be doing an Asian food and wine-pairing event at the Seghesio Family Wines World Cuisine Chef Series, June 5-6, 2010 in Sonoma, California.

Corinne Trang on Vietnamese Pho, Noodles Every Day, and Life is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

I was happy and honored that Andrea Nguyen agreed to an interview. This gives me a great chance to pick her brain and learn what makes her tick. Between writing for well-known publications, teaching classes, giving live tours, demos and interviews, and writing best selling books, Andrea Nguyen is the go-to sources for all things Viet cuisine and Viet pho.

Many searching for advice on Viet cuisine undoubtedly have heard of Andrea Nguyen. She is a celebrated food writer and teacher with a unique ability to interpret traditional Asian cooking styles for modern cooks. Her work appears in the Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News, and Saveur magazine, where she is also a contributing editor. Andrea’s first book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, received three prestigious James Beard and IACP cookbook award nominations. Her new cookbook, Asian Dumplings, hits the shelves on August 25th, 2009.

Andrea Nguyen's Asian Dumplings book

With her very popular website VietWorldKitchen.com, a new book and its companion website Asiandumplingtips.com, Andrea is more than busy. Her new book Asian Dumplings is now available everywhere. You can also buy Asian Dumplings on Amazon.com. So let’s get to the Q&As. As usual I add my own comments in the brackets [...] to clarify or explain as needed.

LovingPho (LP): What are some of your favorite Vietnamese dishes, either to make or to just enjoy them being made by others?
Andrea Nguyen (AN): Pho noodle soup and any kho dish simmered in caramel sauce!
["Kho" dishes are normally pork or fish simmered in caramel sauce in a claypot. They're great over just white rice! See her own example of fish kho.]

LP: What are some of your favorite non-Viet dishes? And why?
AN: Good wonton noodle soup because the textures are so alluring. A juicy hamburger on a homemade bun with hot, crisp French fries because I love practically anything that’s grilled or deep fried.

LP: What do you consider as some of your proudest accomplishments (food related or otherwise,) both in recent years and of all time?
AN: Having Into the Vietnamese Kitchen published and knowing that people are using the book to make food at home. Also, having my mom say that she cooks from the book.

LP: People can read about how you started your culinary career from your own blog and many interviews you have given. What happened was you ended up abandoning your “professional career” to pursue cooking. It’s a classic case of triumph of passion. But were there times in the early years that you ever felt a food career could be a mistake, or did your passion keep you going regardless?
AN: Life is a strange thing and I kept my eyes on the prize. I couldn’t get a book deal for years, though people in the higher echelons encouraged me to get my name out there. Knowing that people you value value your work fueled my tenacity.

LP: Do you have a funny story of failure during those years that you’d like to share?
AN: Writing is a learning process. It’s quite organic. I found out that I’d been making rice wrong for decades. My mother set me right and now 98% of my pots of rice turn out perfect. Practice and constant discovery is key.

Andrea Nguyen's bánh chưng (sticky rice cake)

LP: The food industry is as wide ranging and diverse as any other big industries. Did you have some kind of plan in mind or just wing it? I see your passion in your work now and would like to know what it took for you to finally found your niche.
AN: I thought I’d cook but that was such hard work. I’m an academic geek who is into educating people about new flavors and ideas. You can be creative nowadays with your career. I started out in banking but those skills I now use to figure out business opportunities, contracts, etc. I kind of have a plan and see where life takes me. My folks taught me to always have a backup plan. It’s the immigrant/refugee thing, you know? If this writing/food career doesn’t work out, I bag groceries quite well at Trader Joe’s.

LP: Recipes are essentially detailed instructions to make something. In your views, are recipes really the pinnacle of what humans can achieve to share and teach, or do you see even better ways to share and teach about food?
AN: Recipes are like performance art pieces for me. I do them over multiple times to communicate enough details to help home cooks. I’m a professional home cook and through recipe books, I like to offer a cultural and historical understanding of food and flavor. I learned cooking by reading and practicing on my own and encourage others to do that too. However, we don’t all learn the same way so cooking classes and demonstrations, particularly of difficult techniques, are always welcomed.

LP: How often do you deviate from your own recipes and why?
AN: I love to test out my own recipes to sort of test myself. It’s often a mistake and I find myself saying, “Darn, I should have listened to me!” If I seriously deviate, it’s because I’m testing out a new idea or technique.

LP: Most everyone enjoys eating out. With your knowledge about foods and the culinary arts, how critical are you about the foods you order in restaurants?
AN: I’m a bit too critical but remind myself that eating out is entertainment, a time-saver, and opportunity for discovering new ideas.

LP: And do you feel such knowledge has increased or decreased the level of enjoyment you may get out of a restaurant meal?
AN: I like to eat out and learn something new. It can be as simple as having a bowl of filet mignon pho in a double layer metal bowl (go to El Monte in SoCal) and thinking about how that Korean vessel keeps the soup extra hot. Or, eating at Alinea in Chicago and savoring post-modern culinary dinner theater.

Andrea Nguyen's Shanghai soup dumplings

LP: Do you find yourself naturally becoming the focus for culinary discussions, and opinions, at the restaurant table?
AN: I have opinionated family and friends so it’s normally a broad discussion of food, cooking, history, politics, etc. Food is a great lens for exploring human existence.

LP: When you enter an unfamiliar Viet restaurant, what food do you think about first? Do you think to yourself “I wonder how good pho is here?” or is it a different dish you’re wondering about? Why?
AN: I look around and see what everyone is eating. If I’m in a pho joint, I take a big inhale to get a whiff of the broth. Sometimes you really get to smell the pho fragrance and that’s a nice sign.

LP: I think you’ve been back to Vietnam a few times, and no doubt you had to visit the food markets there. Can you share with us what you can find in a Viet market there that you wish are available here in the states?
AN: Seafood like you wouldn’t believe. Live rice paddy crabs that you’d use for bun rieu cua. Produce like fragrant hoa thien ly. Prepped ingredients like minced shallot, lemongrass, and chiles. Freshly grated coconut for coconut milk. You would be hard pressed to find that abroad.

LP: What are your views about the state of Viet cuisine in Vietnam? Whom do you feel are doing good things to advance Viet cuisine there?
AN: There are a number of locals like Mrs. Nguyen Dzoan Cam Van who are pushing things a bit in terms of modern Viet cuisine that retain its traditional foundations. Viet kieu (Viet expatriates) open places like Ngon to present Viet fare in pleasant surroundings. Foreigners such as Didier Corlou and Bobby Chinn meld eastern and western traditions.

LP: It’s really a blessing (and interesting too) that pho is now one of the most recognizable Viet dish outside of Vietnam. What are your thoughts on this?
AN: I’m just hoping to get better bowls of pho in more places in the future! I’m selfish that way. Seriously, the popularity of pho in urban centers around the world reflects the maturation of the Viet-immigrant communities. People tell me about eating pho in the Czech Republics! How cool is that? Our peeps are everywhere. I’ve had Vietnamese food in the “new” section of Avignon, France, which dates back to medieval times. The Vietnamese restaurants are on side streets and one place used a dumb waiter system to bring the food to the dining room.

LP: Many people feel pho recipes are too complex and involved to try making themselves. What are some ingredients that you think pho can do without but still give acceptable results? Or is it all about authenticity and completeness?
AN: Vietnamese people often think it’s too time consuming to make but I’ve had plenty of non-Viet people cook my pho recipe and prepare delectable bowls. One man took his homemade pho to some local Vietnamese nail salon gals and they loved it. The ladies responded by asking, “Is Into the Vietnamese Kitchen available in Vietnamese?” If you make pho once, you’ll understand what goes into preparing a good bowl and appreciate both home and restaurant cooking. Plus, you can freeze pho broth.

LP: What are some ingredients that pho must absolutely have?
AN: Charred onion and ginger, good fish sauce, yellow rock sugar, and good beef marrow bones for beef pho.

Andrea Nguyen's Moon Cake

LP: How do you feel about franchised foods in general and franchised pho in particular?
AN: Would love to see a good franchise abroad but what we have now is not consistently good. Pho is not close to becoming like McDonald’s.

LP: Speaking of franchise, what are some of the Viet foods that you think will lend themselves well to being franchised foods? Is it the fried variety?
AN: Banh mi sandwiches can be like Subway but lots better.

LP: Back to pho franchises. Pho is popular in the U.S. for sure, but can the franchises co-exist with independent shops in Viet communities, or do they have to expand into more mainstream American markets while risking their own survival there?
AN: There’s too much competition in the Viet communities for good pho shops. I’d go out into the mainstream.

LP: In your opinion, is there such thing as pho etiquette? If so what are some important pho etiquette?
AN: Taste the broth first before dousing it with hoisin sauce, lime juice and Sriracha. The cook has worked hours to brew that broth so don’t kill it before you taste it!
[Great advice!]

LP: Your new book is exciting. What are some exciting things you have coming up for the rest of 2009 and into 2010 that readers can look forward to?
AN: I love my new book Asian Dumplings. It’s comprised of a collection of over 75 amazing recipes, gorgeous photography and design, step-by-step instructions, and helpful illustrations. I’ve been making dumplings since I was a child and have longed for a book that demystified the techniques and flavors that go into making them. Thanks to the many people who pitched in and my publisher Ten Speed Press (Random House), we now have Asian Dumplings out for people to get doughy.

Looking forward, I’ll be teaching Vietnamese and dumpling classes around the U.S., traveling to Sydney, Australia, for their first international food festival, and doing radio and TV interviews. It’s all really exciting and fun. And, I’ll be thinking about my next book.

LP: And finally, what are your desert island ingredients and cooking implements? Sorry but you can only have 3 of each.
AN: Fish sauce, pepper, and good peanut oil. A wok, steamer, and saucepan.
[I don't doubt Andrea's ability to make great cuisine on a desert island, having just these in her possession.]

Visit Andrea Nguyen on VietWorldKitchen.com and Asiandumplingtips.com. You can also follow her on twitter.com/aqnguyen.

A Conversation With Viet Culinary Author and Teacher Andrea Nguyen is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 09-12-09. Pho recipes come in great numbers around the Internet and you can find them easily using your favorite search engine. Some pho recipes are penned by well-known chefs and culinary experts, while others are shared by experienced pho cooks and private citizens. The most popular, however, are the ones written by chefs and published in various cookbooks. So here’s a collection of the top pho recipes you can find on the Web.

It should be pointed out that this list is different from the list already published as “Ten Pho Recipes from Around the Web,” which was more of a random sampling of pho recipes at the time I wrote it. Many are not as authentic as they should be, and two of those ten are very good, solid recipes by two of the most respected experts in Viet cuisine. I published that article in a rush, so now with a little more time and effort put into it, here are my pick of must-have top pho recipes.

Top Beef Pho (Phở Bò) Recipes

Top Chicken Pho (Phở Gà) Recipes

Top Vegetarian Pho (Phở Chay) Recipes

Notes for tables above:

• Popular pho recipes found on the Internet, as of May 2009.
• “Google PR (PageRanks) Recipe” is PR for webpages on which the recipes appear. “Google PR (PageRanks) Site” is PR for site home page. Google PRs gives good indication of webpages’ popularity.
• Quantcast data and Year Est. (established) are for the whole website. These give an indication of site traffic (visitors) and site trustworthiness (longevity.)
• Default sort by Google PR of Recipe then Quantcast Site Rank. Click any table header to resort by that column. Refresh page to default sort.
• See more notes about the ranking methodology at the end of the article.

The bottom line?

As you can see, many of these are great pho recipes. 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. And as I’ve said before, once you’ve got the broth, the rest will just fall into place.

At one end of the spectrum are recipes that take the straight-forward, traditional format and approach, and they get you awesome pho broth very reliably. At the other end are pho recipes that not just get the job done, but are also beautifully presented, clearly showing you everything throughout the cooking process. Then, somewhere in between are great pho recipes that are real fun to read too just because the authors are interesting people and/or their blogs are very nice to look at.

While older recipes have stood the test of time, the newer ones have something valid to offer, employing more modern techniques in the process. So check ‘em all out, pick one, make some and enjoy. Better yet, select one at a time and try them all out. They’re all good. You’re already fanatic about pho, you’ll be an expert pho cook in no time.

By the way, a decent alternative to cooking pho broth for hours on end is with Quoc Viet Foods’ Pho Soup Base.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to try that pho chay. Delicious!

Ranking Methodology: Quantcast and Google PageRank

Ranking of these pho recipes are based on a simple analysis consisting of a combination of my own subjective judgement on a recipe’s authenticity and its creator’s reputation, with the help of Quantcast rankings and Google PageRanks for the website and webpage on which each is published.

• Quantcast.com is a website that collects statistics voluntarily provided by other websites and provides reports on those statistics. I used Quantcast’s monthly visitor traffic count to the site (not necessarily to the recipe,) and Quantcast’s ranking number for that site (smaller number ranks higher.)
• I also looked at Google PageRank (PR) of the webpage the recipes reside on. The PRs provide relative importance of a webpage based on its popularity as “voted” by other webpages around the Internet.

As many may know, there is no perfect tool to analyze web traffic information, especially if you don’t have access to a site’s analytics. So I only used the data to assist with my subjective selection of the “top pho recipes.”

The default sort of the rankings in the table is by Google PR, but you can resort to your preference by clicking on the appropriate table header. A site may have millions of visitors per month according to Quantcast (e.g., recipezaar.com and epicurious.com) but its webpage that has the recipe of interest may be ranked lower in popularity by Google PR. We can’t make a judgement about how many of the total site visitors actually viewed the pho recipe using the Quantcast data; we can only assume (with great reservation) that higher overall traffic gives higher relative traffic to the pho recipe. This by itself did not govern my ranking of the table entries, but it was helpful.

A final note: Older and active sites will tend to have higher rankings, but not always. Anyway, the year the site was established is also given for those interested.

Top Pho Bo and Pho Ga Recipes You Must Try Yourself is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

One of the highest ranking pho recipes you will find online is a Pho Bo recipe posted on About.com. The recipe was taken from “The Vietnamese Cookbook,” a top-selling cookbook devoted to Viet cuisine penned by Diana My Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant who currently lives in Washington D.C. The cookbook contains more than a hundred recipes for popular Viet dishes such as spring rolls and lemon rice, but no dish will equal the popularity of the Vietnamese Pho soup noodle.

From “The Vietnamese Cookbook,”

Diana My Tran was born and raised in Vietnam. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1975, with her husband and parents-in-law, days before her first child was born. Today, she is a successful designer and dressmaker in Washington, D.C. Her recipes have appeared in newspapers nationwide. She is also the author of The Asian Diet: Get Slim and Stay Slim the Asian Way.

The pho bo recipe is simple yet effective. It is a recipe for the traditional beef pho and will give you good pho. It is written clearly and comes with easily understandable instructions. The recipe is thorough yet it keeps preparation process to a manageable one hour, making it ideal for busy do-it-yourselfers. Ms. Tran’s recipe also has all the important ingredients and garnishes that are necessary to achieve the classic beef pho.

What many people appreciate about Diana My Tran’s recipes, as evident in her beef pho recipe, is their simplified processes. Though the recipes are complete, thorough, and uses complete sets of ingredients, Diana My Tran still manages to make the recipes appear simpler than normal. In fact, most of her recipes are mostly simplified, making her the ultimate source of people who are, like her, juggling home cooking and extremely busy careers. And since she lives in the United States, she also offers simplified recipes customized to fit the busy American lifestyle. In her own words, “Traditional Vietnamese food can take time and effort  to prepare – time I usually don’t have. I want to keep our family heritage alive, especially for my children, so I have created my own easier versions of Vietnamese dishes, tailored to the American lifestyle.”

The recipes also tend to have a Western twang to them but Diana My Tran has managed to retain the traditional Viet taste as well, successfully balancing the two influences she has received over the years. To make things even better, all the recipes are easy to follow and lead to wonderfully indulgent taste trips to Vietnam cuisine.

Diana My Tran is not a professional chef, but she has become a favorite author in Vietnam 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.

Diana My Tran and Her Recipes – Exotic Vietnam Meets the Fast-Paced West is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

The question is: Are there secrets to making the perfect pho at home? Well, people in Vietnam do not actually make pho at home. Even if they know how, they do not really bother to cook it themselves because it is far easier and cheaper to walk a few steps to a street stall that sells good pho. Home-made pho is the unique product of Viet immigrants arriving at foreign shores after 1975.

By contrast, Viet immigrants to other countries can and do try their hands at cooking pho at home, initially out of necessity. Learning how to cook pho, for these Viet immigrants, is a way for them to keep the link with the homeland alive, to heal wounds caused by displacement, and to remind themselves of their own heritage. Nowadays, however, it’s more about convenience and good times to meet friends at a pho shop.

Because pho is essentially a dish that knows no language or boundaries, many non-Vietnamese have fallen in love with pho and have developed the desire to learn how to cook pho in their own kitchens. The thing is, it is far too easy to make a bad bowl of pho than it is to make a good one. To make good pho at home, one has to pay attention to the details of cooking it. And thanks to the Internet, good pho recipes can be found much more easily than at any time before. See my articles on Ten Pho Recipes from Around the Web and Pho Broth.

So let’s get back to the question of secret techniques to creating the perfect pho. One of the great qualities of pho is that techniques vary – no two bowls of pho made from two separate kitchens will ever taste the same. A chef’s creativity is always a good thing, but it’s important to understand that, while the previous statement is true, there is a narrow range of acceptability outside of which your home-made pho dish is actually becoming something else.

Many Vietnamese outside of Vietnam will tell you that the perfect pho is the one made by his/her own mother. That may be true probably because they grew up with it. But, for me, the perfect bowl of pho is the one that you keep coming back for more. Nevertheless, there are some basic techniques that can help in your quest to make good pho. Here are a few of them.

1. Always choose good beef bones. Your choice of beef bones for making your pho broth is very important. The bones and the marrow in them will give the foundations of the flavor of your broth. For great-tasting broth, choose knuckle bones, leg bones and oxtail.
2. Keep your broth clear. There is a reason why you need to pay attention with the simmering of your broth, even if the length of time it takes can test your patience. You need to continually skimming the scum and foam off the top of your broth to keep the broth clear. A clear broth is one of the essential qualities of pho. It means that the broth has been rid of all the impurities and the excess grease that come with marrow. One tip for achieving clarity in your broth is to boil the bones for five minutes, rinse the bones and then simmer them in a fresh pot of water, as many good recipes call for.
3. Never dilute the broth. When you are cooking pho, always aim for an intense flavor in the broth. You defeat this purpose if you dilute the broth as it simmers, even if you end up with less broth than what you have started with.

These are just some of the techniques that most veteran home cooks follow when making Vietnamese pho. It’s not a surprise that they all pertain to the creation of good broth. That is because coming up with a good broth for pho is the first, and toughest, step toward making the perfect pho. Once you have a great broth, the rest should just fall into place.

And the best sign of a perfect pho is an empty bowl with the chopsticks resting across it.

Are There Secrets to Making the Perfect Pho at Home? is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

I wrote about Chef Didier Corlou before (see article “Chef Didier Corlou, A Passion for Pho and Vietnamese Cuisine“.) because I very much admire his tremendous knowledge and passion for Vietnamese foods, and for pho in particular. Recently I had a chance to interview the “Maitre de cuisinier de France” himself over email. Chef Corlou is a very busy man so I’m honored to have him spend some time to share his views on Vietnamese and French cuisine, his view on the state of pho, and his new culinary ventures.

First a little bit more about Chef Corlou. In a sentence, Chef Corlou’s resume could be summarized as noted on his homepage of didiercorlou.com.

After over 30 years of experience worldwide – in Africa, Asia, Europe and America – and 14 years as Chef of Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, I now offer you a variety of buffet, diner and cocktail menus, with exotic-themed or European, traditional or contemporary dishes.

“Le Chef” Corlou is a member of the Culinary Academy France and is a 5 Stars Diamond Award Chef. With extensive traveling, cultural and culinary experience from around the world, Le Chef is now working out of Vietnam, running his new Verticale restaurant in Hanoi, opening up On the 6 in Saigon, while managing a training center and catering business.

Here’s a Didier Corlou bio.

• 1956. Born in Henebont, France.
• 1976. Africa, the Big Start: discovering of Ivory Coast and its lagoon from Abidjan.
• 1977. Entering to the ACCOR group: Caribbean, Bora Bora, the Comoros. With the regions and countries, it’s the meeting with the green papaya, giant mussels, wild pig, ginger and vanilla…
• 1991. Arriving in Vietnam…
• 1992. The cuisine simmers with Sultans in Malaysia, Fidel Castro or President Clinton, crowning of Prince Sihanouk; Chef at Sofitel Metropole where he managed a French and Vietnamese restaurants…
• 2003. Winning Gourmand World Cookbook for “Didier Corlou’s Vietnamese Cuisine” and publishing “Cooking with Chef Didier”…
• 2005. Opening of L’Escale restaurant in Siem Reap, Cambodia…
• 2006. Consultant, advisor in gastronomy for Sofitel Metropole and for many projects in Asia; Prepared dishes for President Bush at the APEC Summit…
• 2007. Guest Chef at Le Notre School, France;
Opening of “La Verticale” restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam – ranked top 100 world best new restaurants by Conde Nast magazine in 2008; Opening of Corlou Catering, Pastry, Cuisine in Hanoi, Vietnam…
• 2008. Guest Chef at “World Gourmet Summit 2008” in Singapore; Guest Chef at “Hotel New Otani Osaka”, Japan; Guest Chef at Le Notre School, France for the new fusion cuisine; Publishing “A la verticale des epices” and “Five seasons – a Vietnamese collection of Gastronomic Journey”…
• 2009. Guest Chef at Diner de gala Escoffier, Shanghai, China; Guest Chef at TRU Vietnamese and Thai, Hongkong; Guest Chef at Ikarus in Hangar-7, Austria.

Chef Corlou has recently received the “Star Diamond Award” from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

Let’s get on to the interview. I use text in brackets [...] to clarify the message as needed.

Lovingpho (LP): Do you consider yourself a French chef specializing in Viet cuisine, a Viet chef specializing in French cuisine, or maybe somewhere in between, or competely outside of the range of these descriptions?
Didier Corlou (DC): I am a French chef who [is] fascinate[d] in the gastronomy of all the world, and has an advantage in Vietnamese cuisine.

LP: What were the factors that drew you to Vietnam in general, and Viet cuisine in particular?
DC: The first reason is to discover, of course, the Vietnamese cuisine. However one more important thing is the habitants. All these factors make me stay with this beautiful country.

LP: What were some of the most important factors/ideas/concepts during your training that you deem important/critical for your knowledge and success today?
DC: I don’t consider myself a successful chef. However, in my oppinion, the most important factors lie on the way you present your work with a strong will and the desire for learning new things.

LP: If you can share some of your proudest achievements at the Sofitel Metropole Hotel, what would they be?
DC: During more than ten years working at Metropole, I am glad that I’ve built up the standard of Vietnamese cuisine.

LP: What would you select as some of the most important Viet dish(es)? And why? And what are some of your favorite Viet dish(es) you like to enjoy yourself? And why?
DC: For me, Pho is the most important and also my favorite Vietnamese dish, because it is very delicious, but not expensive. You can find it everywhere.

LP: What would you select as some of the most important French dish(es)? And why? And what are some of your favorite French dish(es) you like to enjoy yourself? And why?
DC: It is difficult for me to say which French dish is the most important. Each region has its own regional product and speciality. So it depends also which French region I am standing to answer the question what is my favorite French dish.

LP: How many years have you followed pho development, or developed pho yourself? And how have you seen pho changed during this time?
DC: [Since] my arrival in Vietnam, I have seen a lot of progress of Pho with better quality and more delicious [ingredients]. Moreover, each region now has developed its own Pho according [to] its own regional product. For instance, now we have Pho with prawn in the regions near the sea, Pho with vegetables in Dalat, and Pho with foie gras… [!]

LP: What are some of the worst/unacceptable pho preparation techniques that you have encountered?
DC: Everyone has own technique but the most important thing to have a good taste of Pho is the broth. In my oppinion, the worst technique is adding the glutamate-Maker of food seasonings [monosodium glutamate] in the broth and I [would] never do it. I make my Pho with Vietnamese spices (Cardamom, star anis…) instead of glutamate.

Chef Corlou’s Pho With Salmon!

Chef Corlou’s Cooking Class – Making Banh Cuon

LP: What do you think is the difference between pho in North Vietnam versus pho in South Vietnam today, or are there differences any more? And if so which do you personally prefer?
DC: North of Vietnam is the origin, the cradle of Pho. Generally, the Pho of the northern [is] featured by the salty taste, and the South by sweet. And Pho in the South is paired with more herb[s] than in the North.

LP: Can you share your thoughts on pho development outside of Vietnam, specifically in Australia, Europe and in the U.S.?
DC: Pho is more and more developed not only in Vietnam. There are 2 Vietnamese dishes that I see developing strongly outside of Vietnam: Pho and “Bun Bo” – Fresh noodle with beef. I see in France, there is the “Pho complet” – The Pho with prawn, pork and beef…in a bowl. It is very good.

LP: Do you see a problem/issue with pho being developed within Vietnam and outside of Vietnam in parallel, at the same time? Will they diverge into something different?
DC: I don’t think the development of Pho is [in any] threat, we must leave Pho [to] progress, we can not put it in the museum. [Everyone] can have his way of cooking Pho [as] he [wishes]. However [even if] Pho has developed to other kinds like “pho cuon”, “pho chua” , “deep fried pho”… no one [should forget] the tradittional Pho.

LP: It is difficult for restaurateurs and business people not to jump in to franchise foods that are popular and if there exists a market for them. Can you share your views on franchised pho?
DC: As you can see, the “Pho 24” is very successful with the franchising. It is no problem if we can market the Pho, but it must follow a recipe. Also, it [still] exists [in] many small restaurant[s] in the street [which are] very popular. I really appreciate that.

LP: Do you have one and only one recipe for pho, or do you advocate several different recipes? What are your reasons for your preference(s)?
DC: I have a basic recipe for cooking Pho. When cooking the “Hanoian Pho”, I respect strictly to this recipe. However, I still create my own style of Pho based on the products [I find]. For example, I can change some spices in the broth but just a little to have a matching between the broth and the products [/ingredients].

LP: Today pho is just fine the way it is for many people. Where do you see pho heading in the future?
DC: Pho is for everyone, [anytime] and easy to eat though it takes a long time to cook. In my opinion Pho is a potential [platform] to develop [further].

LP: Given so many types of foods to choose from, how often do you enjoy a bowl of pho? And if you do, where would you go for pho?
DC: That’s right we have now many types of foods, but for me one bowl of Pho a week in a small traditional Hanoian Pho street is ideal.

LP: Please share with our readers your current endeavors with La Verticale, OnThe6, and your Training Center.
DC: At this moment I want to concentrate on La Verticale and try to put the spices of Vietnam in the right place like they deserve. In Vietnam, we have many spices, we have 54 minorities with a lot of minority spices. The King people is majority but do not know how [to] use these spices. They use more herbs than spices. [Editor's note: King people are an ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, originating from what is now northern Vietnam and southern China, according to Wikipedia on Vietnamese People.]

I want to continue developing the new Vietnamese cuisine; also, to share my cuisine with people who [are fascinated by] Vietnamese cuisine. I [have] issued the collection “Five [seasonings]” with Vietnamese traditional recipes and modern recipes. The [training] center always has these available.

LP: Finally, they say a Frenchman must have wine with every meal. What would you choose that may go well with pho?
DC: It is a interesting question! Normally, at the restaurant, it is difficult to have the matching wine with soup. But for the Pho, it is great to have a glass of Merlot red wine before eating but never beer! The red wine will put up the taste of Pho. However, do not drink while eating the Pho. After, the tea is good idea.

I’d like to send a big thank you to Chef Didier Corlou for this interview, and also to his assistant Ms. Luong for her help coordinating it. All photos courtesy Chef Didier Corlou.

An Interview with Chef Didier Corlou on Vietnamese Pho and Cuisine is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 01-16-12. There’s nothing like enjoying a bowl of pho at your favorite pho shop with your pho companions. But there are times, for various reasons, you’d like to make pho yourself at home. Most authentic pho recipes like Andrea Nguyen‘s or Didier Corlou‘s call for cooking the bone and meat in broth for up to 2.5 to 3 hours. Adding other preparation time, including the time to bring water to boil, and you’re looking at maybe 4-5 hours total cook time. So for those who want to take a shortcut and shave off a few hours, try the Quoc Viet Foods Beef Flavored “Pho” Soup Base option.

Quoc Viet Foods makes shelf storable soup bases, seasonings, coffee and tea. When it comes to authenticity, it’s always a challenge to find ready-made food products, including Vietnamese pho. Yet Quoc Viet seems to achieve the impossible for pho, that is to “convert the traditional Vietnamese products into a convenient form” while maintaining the flavor expected of such product. This means for those who never made pho or tasted pho, they can now get very close to the real thing, easily.

You can read more about my other post on Quoc Viet Foods. But enough about the company. Let’s get to the goodness of their Beef Flavored “Pho” Soup Base.

The package comes in a compact round plastic container. The wraparound label clearly describes the content and includes an ingredient list, nutrition information and cooking directions in English, Viet and Chinese. While the nutrition info states that there are 32 servings per container, the cooking directions indicate it makes 20 bowls. Confusing, but still very nice! At a price of US$ 6.99 per container, I’m paying US$ 0.35 for the broth in each of my pho bowls, excluding a few other ingredients of course.

Inside the container are the powdered soup base with marrow, and 2 bags of spices. The soup base is the key part of the pho broth and is essentially your “instant” bone/bone marrow solution that you didn’t have to cook for 2-3 hours. It also packs plenty of beef fats which you can skim off at serving time if you wish. The spice bags are your normal star anise, cinnamon, and various other spices. What’s awesome about the soup base/spice bag combination is they give you all you need for the broth, including all seasonings that you need-I added some fish sauce but it’s really not required. The only other 2 things you’ll need are the ginger and onion which should be charred or grilled before use in the broth.

Quoc Viet Foods Beef Soup Base	Quoc Viet Foods Beef Soup Base Nutrition Facts
Quoc Viet Foods Beef Soup Base Cooking Directions	Quoc Viet Foods Beef Soup Base Package Content

The direction is very easy to follow. You’ll have to buy your preferred meat to cook, but this whole process entirely does away with having to buy the bone/oxtail and cooking them to get to the marrow, and to purchase the spices separately. For my broth I bought 2.8 pounds of beef flank, a piece of ginger and a medium size onion. The required ingredients list and cooking directions can be viewed from the photos below, but here’s a recap:

REQUIRED INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 lbs, beef flank or brisket,
• 1 lb, beef tendon*,
• 1 bulb, onion,
• 2 pieces, ginger.

DIRECTIONS:

• Blanch meats for 15 minutes. Discard solution and rinse meats.
• (Step not in package direction): Char or grill the onion and ginger pieces. I cut my onion in half, but it’s your choice to do so or not.
• Put meats, onion, ginger, in a large pot and add enough water to cover meats. Boil at medium flame for 1 hour.
• After 1 hours, add spice bags and content of soup base. Do not tear spice filter bags.
• After 15 minutes, remover filter bags. Boil at medium flame until meats are softened.
• Remove meats, onion and ginger pieces.
• Adjust water to 2 gallons or to taste.
• Bring to boil and serve.

* The meats and tendon are optional, or you can also substitute/add tripe, meatballs, etc. depending on your preference, just as you would order in a restaurant. See my “Tips on Ordering Pho Your Way.”

For me I ended up with so much broth that I had to divide into 3 smaller containers, put 2 in the freezer and enjoy the third portion over a few days. Again the key was the soup base which is all inclusive. There are no seasonings required as the soup base is super concentrated, and you can add water to adjust to taste. My total cooking time was about 3 hours, but that’s just me because making and eating pho is a religion for me so I took my time. For others who just want to get quickly to a nice steaming bowl of pho with chopsticks and spoon in hands, you can probably do it in 1.5 hours or less. An alternative is to use a smaller portion of beef (hence cutting down cooking time further) and/or use pre-cooked meatballs instead. By the way, for those unfamiliar with meatballs, you don’t cook them in the broth for the whole duration. Just heat them in the broth just before serving.

Finally I rate my pho broth creation using Quoc Viet  Foods’ Beef Flavored Pho Soup Base as follows:

• Quality and taste: 8/10.
• Convenience: 10/10.
• Affordability: 10/10.
• Total value (quality & affordability): 9/10.

You can find this and other Quoc Viet products in many Viet and Chinese food markets in the 50 U.S. states, Denmark, Canada and Japan. Quoc Viet’s website indicates their products include

1. Chicken Flavored “Pho” Soup Base
2. Beef Flavored “Pho” Soup Base
3. Beef Stew Seasoning
4. “Hue” Style Beef Flavored Soup Base
5. Chicken Flavored Soup Base
6. Pork Flavored “Hu Tieu” Soup Base
7. Pork Flavored Soup Base
8. Tamarind Soup Base
9. Vegetarian Soup Base
10. Crab Flavored Soup Base
11. Thai Tom Yum Soup Base

Unfortunately Quoc Viet is a wholesaler and does not sell directly to consumers over the Internet. The company is also very active at local demos, festivals, and charity fund drives, so if you’re lucky you can catch them in action serving pho to hungry pho fans at these events.

Quick Beef Pho Recipe with Quoc Viet Foods’ Pho Soup Base is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles