Pho 101
A beginner's guide to the confoundingly delicious Vietnamese dish
Michael Jensen
Pho Van
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Ah, pho—the Vietnamese rice-noodle soup that, aside from your humble author, is the country’s greatest export. The dish is becoming so widely available in American cities that soon it’ll seem about as foreign as overstuffed burritos. The Austin restaurant scene is now riddled with solid choices for pho lovers, from 888 to Pho Thai Son to Pho Van to simply Pho, to name but a few.
As popular as pho has become, the many garnishes and utensils involved in its consumption still manage to confound many Texans who aren't sure exactly how to eat it. Truth is, there is no hard-fast right (or wrong) way to do it. I eat mine sans greens and veggies, and with lots of hoisin sauce and Sriracha on the side for dipping, which is not exactly the most traditional manner. But that's the appeal of pho: There's an endless array of options, none of them bad. There are, however, a few strategic ways to maximize your pho experience:
- Double-fisting is key. Chopsticks go in your right hand, spoon in the left. You can twirl noodles with one and sip broth with the other. Ambidexterity makes you look like a native eater, but it’s also practical.
- Mix it up. Whether you top your pho with Thai basil, bean sprouts, tripe, or chicken livers, you need to stir that stuff around. The secret to good pho is heat—it’s the warm broth that softens the cold, crisp veggies and cooks the rare, thinly sliced steak that most pho bowls are topped with. See, you weren’t just getting served raw meat after all.
- Don’t forget the lime. It’s not just for tequila shots, folks. Though it isn't so common in American cooking, it has an acidic tang that's great for balancing out the beefiness of pho. Do what my mom does: Wait until the end, when there’s only a bowl of broth left, then squeeze in a bit of lime and slurp until you see the porcelain bottom.
There you go. Now you know. Go eat pho.
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