Special spices of Vietnamese pho

Artisan Co Huu Nghi, 71 years old this year, is the nephew of artisan Co Huu Tang, also known as Pho Cu Tang, and is one of the second generation of the Van Cu pho profession.

Mr. Nghi is the one who holds many secrets in the pho profession, and those secrets have followed him everywhere, and later followed his children and grandchildren, the next generations bringing Nam Dinh pho to all regions, even abroad.

Mr. Co Huu Nghi said that the important ingredients of this “national soul” dish are the broth, pho noodles and meat. In particular, the spices added to the broth play an important role in creating the soul of pho in each region, not only bringing about the difference but also being an unforgettable highlight in terms of flavor.

To have delicious pho broth, especially with beef pho, besides the quality of the beef, the age of the beef, the way to filter the meat, fat and the method to reduce the smell and the time needed to simmer the bones to achieve the fatty, rich, sweet taste, the key to creating an impressive pho flavor is the spices.

Artisans have counted up to seven types of spices, including traditional Chinese herbs: ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, shallots... to get the best flavor. Doing so also depends on the ability, experience, and family methods of each pho cook, how they handle and balance each flavor.

For Mr. Nghi as well as many pho chefs, the main secret to a delicious, sweet pot of broth is an indispensable ingredient: fish sauce. To make pho rich and flavorful, fish sauce is indispensable, and choosing the right fish sauce and bone broth will bring success to the pot of broth.

According to artisan Le Thi Thiet, President of Nam Dinh Culinary Culture Association, the secret to the deliciousness of Nam Dinh pho is the addition of fish sauce. According to the artisan, the fish sauce is deodorized to avoid strong odors, and is seasoned appropriately to create a sweet taste for the broth, which will satisfy even the most demanding people.

Fish sauce is also a special condiment unique to the Vietnamese people, used for a long time and is a condiment associated with the history of the formation and development of pho, a part of the soul of Vietnamese pho.

According to experts and culinary artists, fish sauce creates a natural salty and sweet taste for the broth, highlighting the flavor of the meat and other spices. The natural aroma of fish sauce blends together to give pho a unique and unforgettable flavor and a clearer, lighter broth, but the skill of the cook is knowing when to add fish sauce to preserve its flavor.

Artisan Co Nang Van in Van Cu village, also over 70 years old, has been in the pho making business for the fourth generation. Mr. Co Nang Van said that the secret to creating a rich yet delicious taste of the pho broth is fish sauce. For meticulous pho makers, they have to personally choose the right fish sauce to season the most suitable broth, suitable for the taste of the majority of diners, creating a difference.

“Fish sauce is the most common characteristic of Pho Van Cu, Nam Dinh. Saltiness and sweetness must be moderate. Too much is not good, but too little is bland,” said Mr. Co Nang Van.

“Vietnam has many regions that produce fish sauce suitable for pho broth. And each pho artisan, or each pho “line” of each family, always uses only one type of fish sauce to cook the broth. There are days when we run out of fish sauce and cannot buy it in time, so we ‘take a risk’ and add another type of fish sauce that even discerning diners can still recognize,” Mr. Nang Van recounted.

For the artisans of Van Cu Pho village, Pho is also a special dish that brings together the quintessence of products from the homeland. “We mainly choose products that are closely associated with our homeland, from beef bones, meat, rice, to spices…, and especially fish sauce. The quintessence of Vietnamese products will create a quintessential dish” - artisan Co Huu Nghi said.

Pho is not only a favorite dish of Vietnamese people but also conquers many diners around the world and acts as an "ambassador" to promote Vietnamese culinary culture to international friends, in which fish sauce - the "national soul" spice of the nation - has contributed significantly.