Pho is a connection.

Pho is a dish of ingenious combination and connection: a blend of colors, flavors, and ingredients; a connection between seasons, different spaces, and even a connection between memory, the present, and the future.

Once, during a cooking class I attended, the chef—a Vietnamese head chef at a 5-star hotel in Hanoi —asked the students what was most special about pho. Some said the meat had to be fresh, others said the broth had to be simmered from beef bones for hours, and some mentioned cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom… But in the end, the chef shook his head and said, “You’ve only just noticed the detail. The most special thing about pho is that the ingredients are used in their almost original state, prepared using the simplest methods: blanching and boiling. The broth is made by simmering bones for a while, then combined to create a harmonious dish with an extremely unique, appealing, and delicious flavor.”

"Yes, indeed," everyone exclaimed in delight. Pho is truly a skillful and harmonious combination. Eating a bowl of pho provides all the necessary components: starch, meat, vegetables, broth, and solids; firm and soft textures. It contains ingredients from the sea, perhaps with a few sea worms, or from the forest, perhaps with cinnamon and star anise simmered in bone broth. There's the white of the rice, the red of the thinly sliced ​​beef marinated in fish sauce and ginger, the golden yellow of the chicken, the green of the scallions and cilantro, and perhaps the spiciness of chili peppers and the sourness of vinegar and lime...

Pho is so familiar that you don't think much about it beyond simply enjoying it. But reflecting a little more on its originality and skillful combination makes pho incredibly pure. It turns out that almost everyone likes pho because of that authenticity. Just like in life, all sorts of seasonings and fancy presentation eventually become tiresome, and in the end, only what is truly authentic leaves a lasting impression.

Pho can be found everywhere, but when you mention pho, you're talking about a quintessential Hanoi dish. As writer Thach Lam once wrote, "Pho is a special delicacy of Hanoi; it's not that only Hanoi has it, but it's precisely because it's only in Hanoi that it tastes so good..."

Actually, going to the Northwest regions, in the early morning chill of the misty mountains, enjoying a steaming bowl of pho at the morning market—thick, wide-cut rice noodles, thickly sliced ​​beef, and a sweet broth made entirely from simmered bones without a trace of MSG—is quite a delightful experience.

But Hanoi pho is known for its long, thinly sliced ​​rice noodles, large, thin slices of beef, lightly blanched rare beef that is pinkish and crispy but not tough, with a variety of choices including rare, well-done, brisket, and flank, and a clear broth – and that has naturally become a standard for pho.

Thạch Lam defined what constitutes delicious Hanoi pho at the beginning of the last century, and that concept of delicious pho has been deeply ingrained in people's minds: “Delicious pho must be classic pho, cooked with beef, with a clear and sweet broth, soft but not mushy noodles, crispy but not chewy fatty brisket, with plenty of lime, chili, and onions, fresh herbs, Northern peppercorns, a sharp drop of lime juice, and a touch of water beetle essence, subtly present like a hint of doubt… For decades, no one has known that subtle water beetle essence, but Hanoi pho remains complete.”

Each person and each family has their own secret recipe for pho. They know how to choose the ingredients, what components to use, and how long to simmer them to make a delicious broth. The meat must be bought early in the morning, sliced ​​thinly across the grain, and marinated with specific spices. Then there's the roasted ginger and onions, the cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom, the coriander roots and seeds simmered in the broth, and the fresh scallions, cilantro, and chili peppers…

A good pho restaurant fills an entire street with its fragrant aroma. Some pho restaurants have been around for decades, passed down through two or three generations, and are still popular with customers, such as Pho Bat Dan, Pho Ly Quoc Su, Pho Khoi, Pho Thin, Pho Hang Dong, Pho Ga Cham… Hanoi also has many traditional pho restaurants from Nam Dinh , considered the birthplace of pho.

Life is so busy these days that young people find it hard to keep up with the cooking secrets of their grandmothers' and mothers' generations. Sometimes, they want to cook pho at home, as long as the ingredients are fresh and the seasoning is just right. Even without being overly elaborate or sophisticated, they can still make a delicious pot of pho to serve their family, finding joy in it on the weekend.

The purity of pho means that people can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner without feeling too full. It's also suitable for any season; a steaming hot bowl of pho is perfect in winter, but even in summer, after sweating, one still feels comfortable.

Moreover, pho is a connection between regions, both domestically and internationally. From Hanoi and Nam Dinh, pho can be found in many places throughout the country, each with its own unique flavor. Southern pho includes herbs and bean sprouts. Gia Lai pho is made from dried rice noodles and is similar to Southern pho because it includes beef meatballs. Pho is also present in many countries, and in menus today, the word "Pho" is still used as is without needing to be translated into the local language. I once had a German professor who loved Vietnamese food. During the months I studied in Germany, he invited the whole class to eat Vietnamese food several times. Once, we went to eat pho, and the class, which included colleagues from developing countries, all loved pho.

Families now send their children abroad for studies, and before they leave, parents often teach them how to cook pho. Alternatively, once they're there, the children learn how to cook it themselves by searching online. The good thing is that in the US, Europe, or Australia, beef is readily available, delicious, tender, and inexpensive, so sometimes the children can cook it themselves to ease their longing for the taste of pho at home. Or, when friends gather for a celebration, each person can make a signature dish from their country. Or, on occasions like Vietnam's National Day or Vietnamese Cultural Week, pho is often brought out as a representative dish; mentioning Vietnam brings to mind pho and spring rolls – more than enough to win over friends from all over the world.

A colleague of mine, who works in South Africa, told me that in early December, the Vietnamese agencies in Pretoria organized a Pho Day. 400 bowls of pho were served free of charge. Our comrades, wearing conical hats and shirts with the Vietnamese flag, skillfully prepared the noodles and added the pho broth, looking beautiful and cheerful, impressing the entire diplomatic corps in Pretoria.

Pho has thus become a link between the past, present, and future. In the old days, when times were tough and children were hungry, they would long to be sick so they could eat pho. My parents told me that when my mother was pregnant with me, she craved pho, so my older brother and sister-in-law drove to a restaurant, and he stayed outside to watch the car while my sister-in-law went in to eat, because they didn't have enough money for two bowls for two people. It turns out that many families have experienced that story.

Pho has now been recognized as a heritage. A heritage not kept in a glass case, but one that continues to be vibrantly present in daily life, to be preserved and innovated, and to continue to be a connection between people. Pho travels with Vietnamese people across the globe; every Vietnamese person who cooks pho for foreign friends becomes a culinary ambassador, introducing Vietnamese culture, country, and people.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/pho-la-ket-noi-10299261.html