Rick Kanary
The Silhouette
If you haven’t had Pho before, you are missing out. When the cooler weather starts creeping in, it’s definitely one of my favourite dishes. And the best part about Pho is that it is easy to make and highly customizable.
Pho is a Vietnamese style, noodle-based soup with a variety of proteins, topped with fresh, crunchy vegetables and peanuts. The delicate melange of spices brings a wonderfully complex taste of the East to your evening. Some cooks will adamantly claim that a full-flavoured Pho broth needs to take you hours. I am happy to disagree. With the right ingredients you can whip up this fabulous dish in very little time at all.
Whether you are looking for a warm and hearty soup for a cool autumn night, or you want to impress a date with your exotic taste and culinary abilities (and have fun assembling it together), then this recipe is a killer choice.
Undergraduate Pho in a Flash
Prep Time: 30 minutes (15 if you are good with a knife!)
Cook Time: 25 minutes (knife skills won’t help here)
Total Time: 55 minutes (Don’t quote me on that!)
Yield: 4 (leftovers!)
Ingredients
Broth
6 cups of Chicken Broth (low sodium!)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp finely diced white onion
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 star anise
2 whole cloves
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 black cardamom pod
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp red chili flakes
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
1 tbsp sriracha sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
Cheese cloth (or a wire strainer or ‘spider’)
For Individual Bowl Assembly
1 to 2 lbs noodles (udon, egg noodles or ‘banh pho’)
250g beef (sirloin or outside round) very thinly sliced
12 black tiger shrimp, deveined and shelled
2 mild Italian pork sausages
1 cup of shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup of bean sprouts
½ cup of crushed peanuts
1 carrot, julienned
1 lime (cut into wedges)
½ cup shredded cilantro/mint/thai basil (your call!)
Method
Put a large pot of water on high heat to boil.
Place chicken broth, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, sriracha, ginger, garlic, chili flakes, brown sugar and onions into a pot and place on high heat. While you are waiting for the broth to boil, place spices (cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and fennel seeds) in a shallow pan and toast them on low heat, mixing often, until fragrant.
Both pots should be boiling. Place the toasted spices in a cheesecloth (If you do not have cheesecloth or a wire strainer, feel free to use ground spices) and add to the boiling broth. Turn the heat down on the broth to medium low, just above a simmer.
Place your noodles in the boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes (most Asian-style noodles don’t take long to cook, and they all have different cook times so check the package first). Once cooked, remove the noodles. Add the sausage and shrimp to the boiling water. The shrimp should only take a few minutes. When the grey color has turned pink, they’re ready to be removed from the pot. The sausages will take a little longer.
Now you have some time for your garnishes. Finely shred the Napa cabbage and your herb-of-choice. Julienned the carrot. Cut the lime into wedges.
By this point, both your broth and sausages should be ready. Remove the sausages and thinly slice them on a bias. Arrange your proteins and garnishes each on a separate serving dish and place the noodles into individual bowls (about 1/3 to ¼ of the way).
Now comes the fun part. Place some of the thinly sliced beef, shrimp, and sausage into the bowl. Using a ladle, top your noodles and proteins with hot broth.
Garnish with shredded Napa cabbage, julienned carrot, bean sprouts, shredded herb-of-choice, lime wedge, and crushed peanuts.
Giggle and dance around the kitchen with your date (I assumed you have music playing!).
2013 Food Trends
Asian Comfort Food
If you’ve ever watched an animated film or television production exported out of South East Asia, it is likely that you will agree that nothing looks more delicious than animated food drawn by the hands of Japanese graphic artists. From colourful bowls of noodles to sugar-coated confectioneries, cartoon food has been delectable to viewers since the early days of Sailor Moon and her donut obsession. And guess what? All of those colourful creations, are real. With the growing love of noodles and soups like Pho and Ramen, restaurateurs are taking note and making them a staple in more mainstream and western restaurants and chains.
Looking for some Asian comfort food in the Hamilton area? Check out:
Pho Dau Bo - 15 Cannon Street East
Saigon Asian Restaurant - 1024 King Street West
Cauliflower
Not too many people are pleased to hear about the rise o
f this flowery, tree-like vegetable, but true enough, this crumbly bland veggie is up and coming in the food world. Taking over for 2012’s kale trend, cauliflower is predicted to be the next hipster fun food. And although it has an unfriendly demeanour, mashed cauliflower is a carbohydrate-free alternative to conventional mashed potatoes, and a little seasoning can jazz anything up.
Looking to try something new with the caul’? Try this easy recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1-2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Milk and salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Donuts
Associated with gluttonous cops and balding characters on long running television series, donuts have not had the most glamorous of reputations. But, long gone are the days of cupcakes and macaroons, donuts are the new ‘it’ dessert and will be available at more bakeries and on more menus. With both poached and baked options and unique new flavours like salted peanut and chocolate chip, the donut is receiving a makeover.
Looking for donut fun in the Hamilton area? Try:
Sweet Paradise - 630 Stone Church West
Hot Sauce
In an attempt to spice things up (ha), many chefs and foodies have decided to embrace the Sriracha - along with its spicier South American and Caribbean counterparts - and amp up the flavour on certifiably bland staples like soups, sandwiches and nachos. This year, look forward to requiring a glass of milk along with your food to tone down the shiny new spicy flavours. But hey, spicy food has been known to boost serotonin levels and lower blood-pressure.
Top hot sauces from a girl raised by Caribbean parents:
Tabasco Red Pepper Sauce - $7
Matouk’s Hot Calypso Hot Sauce - $5.50
Hot Mama’s Red Pepper Jelly - $8
Home Grown/ Vegetarian
They’re pretty, they’re healthy, and they’re trendy. Vegetables are the new meat, apparently, and you can look towards more vegetarian options at your favourite local hangouts. As more and more jump on the veggie, vegan and pescatarian train, restaurateurs are taking note and catering to the demand. If you love meat, fret not, it’ll still be around, but try branching out into some of these delicious new meatless options.
Opinions Editor Mel Napeloni’s favourite vegan-friendly dishes in the Hammer:
Injera from Wass - 207 James Street South
Orange Vegan Chicken from Affinity - 87 John Street South
Sauteed Cactus from MEX-I-CAN - 107 James Street North
