Pho kho Gia Lai arrives as two things that belong together: a bowl of tossed noodles and a bowl of hot broth. The demand is that three components come together at once, the broth, the seasoned pork and the stir fried beef, and each one has to be right.
The broth simmers from 2kg pork bones with a whole chicken for 1 to 2 hours, with the star anise, coriander seed and cloves toasted before they go in. The noodles get exactly 1 minute in boiling water so they keep their chew.
This batch weighs about 9.9kg, at roughly 84 calories per 100g.
Method
Soak the chicken and pork bones in lightly salted water for 15 minutes, rinse 2 to 3 times in clean water and drain.
Bring 3 liters water to a boil, then add the chicken, the pork bones, 1 onion and the toasted 4 pieces star anise, 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed and 15 cloves. Season with 1 teaspoon MSG, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, cover and simmer over medium heat for 1 to 2 hours, skimming the foam.
Rub the beef with salt, rinse and slice it thinly. Marinate with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon minced shallot, 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1/2 tablespoon tapioca starch for 20 to 30 minutes.
Marinate the ground pork with 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce and 1 teaspoon minced shallot.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan and fry 1 teaspoon minced shallot and 1 teaspoon minced garlic, then stir fry the ground pork until it firms up. Add 50ml water and season with 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sweet soybean sauce, 1 tablespoon chili sauce, 1/2 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder. Bring to a boil and skim.
Stir in 1 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon sate chili oil, then add 1 tablespoon cornstarch slurry and cook over low heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan over high heat and stir fry the beef quickly for 3 to 4 minutes until firm.
Lift out the chicken, drain and tear it into thin slices. Blanch the noodles in boiling water for exactly 1 minute, then lift them out.
Put the noodles in a bowl, add 500g fresh greens, the torn chicken and the stir fried beef, spoon the pork sauce over the top and serve with a bowl of hot broth.
Tips
Exactly 1 minute in boiling water keeps the noodles firm, as a longer blanch turns them mushy.
Stirring the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend into the liquid part of the seasoning first helps it dissolve faster.
Toasting the star anise, coriander seed and cloves before they go into the pot gives aroma without harshness.
Steady skimming during the simmer is what keeps the broth clear.
Three to four minutes over high heat is enough for the beef, as longer makes it tough.
Without cornstarch, tapioca starch does the same job of thickening the sauce.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.