Welcome to the exotic travel of asian foods. First entry: PHO - A bowl of heaven

Hello Steemians, my name is Miki.  

I’m an Asian and I live to eat. I love traveling to new places not only to enjoy wonderful landscapes, but also, more importantly, experience the local cuisines. Whenever I visit a new city or country, the first thing that always comes to my mind is “Hey, how about the food?”.

Eating is my interest, and discovering new tastes, new flavors is my passion. Therefore, my very first entry will be ALL ABOUT FOOD. On this post, I want to introduce my most favorite dish “PHO”- the so-called “national and traditional food” of Vietnam, a lovely little country on the Southeast Asia.

You never heard about it? Sure, but surprisingly, the Huffington Post listed “Pho” as one of 12 most delicious food you must discover when traveling abroad. They even described it as “the bowl of heaven”. Another American publication, Business Insider claimed Pho as “the most iconic meal in Vietnam that you must try”. Pho was also ranked 28th in CNN’s 50 best dishes in the world: “fragrant, tasty and balanced, the polar opposite of the moto rider who brought you to the little café where you find the best stuff.”, so it's “some dishes you eat to stay alive, while others you eat because to not eat them would be a crime”.

The word “Pho” is even listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles from Vietnam.”

The classic “Pho” with beef

For those of you who haven’t known this famous dish, let me explain shortly what it is and how it tastes, though it is pretty hard to describe exactly the tastiness. Pho is an absolutely attracting dish, quite simple in execution but extremely complex in flavor. At first glance, it is just a kind of noodle soup with tiny pieces of greenery- snooze. However, when you smell the aromatic steam rising from that tiny little bowl, you become fascinated, then you want to know more. Pho consists of rice noodles, sliced beef and broth seasoned in ginger, grilled shallot, cinnamon, star arise and various Vietnamese special herbs. Other ingredients include: lime leaves, lime juice, basil, bean sprouts, chilli and peppers.

Pho  ingredients

It is exciting to watch it being made:

Credits from inspiredtaste.net

Undoubtedly, Pho is one of the most typical, traditional dish in Vietnamese cuisine, like Ramen Japan or Pad Thai in Thailand. In its country, Pho appears in every walk of the daily life,  from the countrysides to the cities, from small shabby eating places on the streets to luxurious restaurants. Vietnamese people have Pho for breakfast, lunch and also dinner but they never get bored because of its unforgettable flavor. It is hard to clarify when this tasty meal was created but people said that Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, was where Pho became well-known. The appealing naturally sweet of the broth enhanced by combination of several ingredients and spices create a unique flavor that we can never forget. 

The small “Pho” eating place and people eating 

“Pho” with chicken

Beside the typical Pho with raw beef, you can try other variations such as Pho with chicken, tripe, tendon etc. Interestingly, Pho in distinct parts of Vietnam tends to be different in styles, recipes and flavor. Pho in the North is said to be the classic one, which is cooked with fish sauce, Pho in the South is sweeter since people put more sugar, soy sauce and some Chinese special sauce. Some popular Pho trademarks in Vietnam are “Pho bo Nam Dinh”, “Pho Thin”, “Pho Ly Quoc Su” from the North, or “Pho Pasteur”, “Pho 24” from the South. The restaurant chain “Pho 24” is even franchised in foreign countries such as Australia, Hongkong, Macau, Indonesia, Cambodia and Korea. You could easily find Pho in California, even in a luxury place like L.A. since they have a huge Vietnamese community there. 

“Pho Sai Gon” - Pho from the South 

It's the real Pho which I once ate in the capital of Vietnam, after waiting in a queue like this. :(

But i tell you, it worths every penny of your time. ;)

In other countries, especially in big cities with heavy Asian population, you can easily find Pho restaurants. And if in your area, Pho is nowhere to be seen, you can always get a Southeast Asian cookbook to make it yourself (trust me, it is not difficult :)). Otherwise, get on an airplane to Vietnam and indulge yourself a bowl of this delicious dish in its original country. But... be careful, this Vietnamese treasure is absolutely addictive :) 

Some more readings for you ;)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/30/best-food-abroad_n_4504253.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-eat-in-every-country?IR=T

http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-067535/