Guest Recipe - Tony's Sutton Hoo Chicken Pho
Pho is a Vietnamese broth which is really good for you and the best ones have a slowly simmered bone broth as their base. Read on to see the recipe from local foodie, Tony Moorcroft of @fitfatfunfood on Instagram.
When you make a bone broth the quality of bones is important. You can simply use the carcass of a Sutton Hoo roast chicken, but you get better results if you add some fresh bones. For the best broth, use a used carcass and add maybe 4 to 6 fresh chicken wings.
You can prepare the broth slowly in advance, then make the pho quickly when you are in need of a quick, healthy meal.
Ingredients for Bone Broth
Either a whole Sutton Hoo Chicken carcass and 4 fresh Sutton Hoo Chicken wings or 8 to 10 fresh Sutton Hoo Chicken wings
2 litres cold water
2 onions, chopped in half (unpeeled)
2 carrots roughly chopped
A bunch of parsley stalks
4 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
Any other veg you may want to use - eg celery, shallots
A 2 inch knob of ginger, unpeeled
2 bay leaves
A few peppercorns
Optional:
A star anise
A splash of cider vinegar (to release as much collagen as possible from the bones)
BONE BROTH PREPARATION
Place everything in a large pot and bring up to a simmer.
Let it cook for at least 4 hours but up to 8 hours.
During this time, keep an eye on it, removing any scum that comes to surface and topping up with water every now and again.
After 2 hours you can take out the wings, let them cool a little and remove the meat for using later. Add back all the bones and fat.
After the 4 to 8 hours, allow the stock to cool slightly and strain through a fine sieve. Discard the veg and bones.
Allow to cool to room temperature then cover and leave in fridge overnight
Following morning the fat will have risen to the top - scrape off the fat - keep it for amazing roast potatoes or for cooking. The stock should be like jelly now and ready to use.
Pho Ingredients
1 litre of bone broth
Vermicelli rice noodles (one bundle)
Chopped ginger
Veg to your liking: eg pack choy, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, finely shaved carrot, spring onions
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Chilli sauce
Fresh bean sprouts
Chopped Coriander
Chopped Mint
Lime
PHO PREPARATION
Bring the bone broth to a simmer - add salt or soy sauce to taste.
Add chopped ginger to taste.
Cook the rice noodles as per pack instructions and rinse.
Drop your chosen vegetables into the stock and cook until just tender.
TO SERVE
Add a handful of noodles into a bowl.
Ladle on the stock and veg.
Add flavourings to taste - fish sauce, soy, chilli sauce, squeeze of lime, chopped herbs and maybe some fresh chilli.
Slurp!