Sue Tran is in a deep slumber when suddenly the warm fragrance of beef, ginger, onion, star anise and cinnamon wafts through her West Jordan home.
Before the 18-year-old can pry open her eyes, she is sighing with delight, as these are the soothing aromas of her mother's pho (pronounced "fuh," and rhymes with "huh"), a beef noodle soup that is considered the official comfort food of Vietnam.
"The smell gets me the most," said Tran, whose family immigrated to the United States 15 years ago. "It's kind of like the smell of coffee. It's just really nice to wake up to."
In its simplest and most original form, pho is a rich, aromatic broth with rice noodles, thinly sliced cuts of beef and onions. More modern versions include chicken and pork.
Unlike other soups where everything is thrown into the pot, pho is assembled in steps. First the skinny blanched rice noodles are placed in the bottom of a warmed bowl. Thinly sliced raw beef, green onions and cilantro are arranged on top. Then the steaming, bubbling beef broth is ladled over the top, cooking the beef, wilting the onions and herbs and sending forth a blast of aromas.
That's just the basics, though. Just like hamburgers in America, the Vietnamese personalize their pho with different condiments. They add bean sprouts, sliced jalape os and a squeeze of lime. They tear up fresh herbs such as Thai basil, mint and sawleaf herb (called ngo gai, which taste similar to cilantro) and sprinkle the pieces over the soup. They top off their creations with a swirl of sweet and spicy hoisin, sriracha chili sauce or fish sauce.
"Each person makes their own," said Tran, who probably adds more hoisin and fish sauce than most. "I like pho salty."
While there are almost as many variations as there are cooks, there is one pho fact that is undisputed - good pho begins with good broth made from top-quality beef bones such as knuckles and legs. These bones, along with charred onions, ginger and toasted spices, are gently simmered for hours, creating a clear brownish broth.
The exact origin of pho is still under debate by food historians. Many people believe it was first made around the turn of the century when the French occupied Vietnam. While the Vietnamese rarely ate beef - cows were considered beasts of burden - it was the meat of choice for the French and it was soon sold in local markets, according to the authors of The Foodlover's Atlas of the World.
One theory suggests that Vietnamese cooks were taught to make the favorite French dish pot-au-feu (meat and vegetables slowly cooked in water) and the word pho comes from the word feu.
Whatever its beginnings, pho has a firm foothold in Vietnam, explains Tom Huynh, a real-estate agent from Utah County.
Huynh said pho is so time-consuming to make that most Vietnamese cooks don't attempt it. Instead, they head to a plethora of noodle shops and street stands to enjoy the soup, which is typically eaten as a quick breakfast or lunch. (See "Great Vietnamese in Utah? Pho real," Page E1.)
"It is fast food in Vietnam," said Huynh, who moved to the United States when he was 21. His favorite these days is the chicken soup, called pho ga, which he eats at least two times a week. The hearty soup nourishes him physically and emotionally.
"It reminds me of Vietnam and brings back a lot of good memories of when I grew up," he said.
Pho took a stronghold in America in the mid-1970s, brought by immigrants who fled Vietnam's communist regime. Hundreds of small noodle shops cropped up in cities with large immigrant populations. And in the past few years, pho has gained popularity among non-Vietnamese as well, showing up on menus at upscale restaurants and university campuses.
But pho is a relatively new addition to Utah's culinary scene. When Calvin Lam and his family arrived in Utah in April 1994, good restaurant pho was nearly impossible to get.
"It was hard to find here, so I told my mom she had to start cooking pho for my brothers and sisters and me," said Lam, who opened Pho Saigon Noodle House, at 1830 W. 3500 South in West Valley City, in December with his parents and siblings. Today, it is one of about a dozen restaurants along the Wasatch Front that serves pho.
The menu includes Vietnamese and a few Chinese dishes, but pho is the house specialty with 13 varieties. For the most adventurous diners, there is the traditional Saigon pho that contains the thin strips of raw flank steak and brisket as well as cooked tendon, beef balls and tripe. But there are plenty of options for less-seasoned pho eaters, including well-done, eye-of-round, chicken and even seafood, upon request.
Pho typically comes in large portions. At Pho Saigon, for example, customers receive a huge bowl of pho for $5.50 or the gargantuan size for $6.30. (On the menu, they are simply called small and large.) The restaurant also offers a kid-size bowl for $2.99.
Lam said that although most of his customers are Vietnamese, more Caucasians, Latinos, Tongans and other ethnic groups have discovered the soup, which is an inexpensive way for a large family to enjoy a restaurant meal.
"Once they try it, they love it. They come back and bring their family and friends," he said.
While that makes him happy as a business owner, Lam says it is also personally satisfying that his culture is being accepted in Utah.
"When they eat this traditional soup," he said, "I have a smile on my face."
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Contact Kathy Stephenson at kathys@sltrib.com or 801-257-8612. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
Shopping for ingredients
Some ingredients to make pho - rice noodles, Thai basil, sawleaf herb, fish sauce and hoisin and sriracha sauces - can be found at the following Asian markets:
Great China Market: 722 S. State St., Salt Lake City; 801-539-0501.
Hong Phat: 3086 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City; 801-975-1534.
Kim Heang Market: 4870 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville; 801-840-5680.
Kim Long Market: 3450 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City; 801-972-8440.
Southeast Supermarket: 422 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City; 801-363-5474.
Super Saigon: 1850 W. 3500 South, West Valley City; 801-975-7244.
Tai-Loi Market: 2899 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City; 801-433-0919.
The flavor enhancer
Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is a food additive often added to pho. While the sweetness of the broth might be a result of caramelized onions and ginger, or perhaps added sugar, it more than likely is from the addition of MSG.
The additive heightens flavor, it is FDA-approved and can be found in snack foods, canned soups and broth, sauce packets and numerous other food items. But not everything about the white stuff is positive.
Much controversy surrounds the additive. While it is difficult to know whether MSG creates or aggravates underlying conditions, many people believe MSG is the cause of adverse reactions. MSG may cause sleepiness in some people and hyperactivity in others; headaches, runny noses, blurred vision and joint pain are other common reactions.
Each bowl of pho is made to order, so just say "no MSG, please," if it's not for you.
- Jennifer Marie Clark
Pho cooking tips
l Start with quality beef bones. Look for knuckle and leg bones that contain marrow. Avoid necks. Asian markets sell cut-and-bagged beef bones in the refrigerated section. Vietnamese markets will sometimes have leg bones at the butcher counter. Ask the butcher to cut them into 2- to 3-inch sections. The butcher also will slice the beef thinly.
l Char the whole onions, skin-on, and ginger with skin on as well. Toast all the spices before adding them to the stockpot; it deepens the broth's flavor.
l For clear broth, parboil and rinse the bones before starting the broth.
l Serve pho hot and eat it immediately or the noodles will break apart.
Say what? A key to pho terms
Pho: Beef noodle soup
l Bo: Beef
l Tai: Rare beef, in thin slices
l Ch'n: Brisket
l Ch'n nac: Well-done brisket
l BÜ vi n: Meat balls
l Nam: Well-done flank, or sinewy beef
l Gau: Fatty flank steak
l G0n: Tendon
l S!ch: Tripe
l NgÜ: Cilantro
l Ngo gai: Sawleaf herb
l Dac biet: Special combination, usually meaning rare beef, brisket, flank, tripe, tendon and beef balls
l Xe lua: Extra-large bowl
l Pho ga: Chicken noodle soup
l Banh pho: Flat rice noodles used in pho, sold dry or fresh
- http://www.catalunatics.com/cooking/soup
