I had two small goals over my Christmas break. The first one was to try Pho and the second was to find a place that had good spicy fried chicken. I accomplished my first goal at a restaurant called Quangs. They had the highest recommendations for the best Pho in the Twin Cities. They did not disappoint. I don't know why I waited so long to try it. My Cambodian friend has been telling my wife and I about it forever. I should have listened.
After trying Pho, it has been on my mind ever since. My quest for spicy fried chicken had disappeared. Turns out there is a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho83 just a few miles from my house. Who knew. That just shows you how much I go out and eat at restaurants. I've been tempted to sneak over there for a bowl of Pho but I've promised myself that I'd try making it first. So I had some extra time this weekend.
I didn't know we had a Pho restaurant but I did know we had a couple different oriental markets the next town over. So I dedicated my Saturday morning to check them out. I'm sure I looked like an idiot scratching my head and trying to figure out what I needed. There are some serious shoppers in there. Double check shopping cart mirrors or get run over by everyone going 80mph in there! One of the employees came over and helped my wife and I out. We explained a few things on the list we were looking for. He couldn't understand most of things we were saying and vice versa for us. We showed him my phone and was quick to help us. The employee gave us a spice kit made for Pho. I had no idea the main spices came prepackaged like that. A really nice guy who helped a ton.
We decided to go check the other market down the road. They also came in clutch with helping us out. We had a few questions on the beef bones and if they were the right ones. When checking out at the register the lady in front of us looked in our cart. She said, "Oh wow are you guys making Pho?" I said we were. She goes, "How often do you make it?" Ummm....first time. She was really excited for us. She said she's never made it but her Grandma used to make it all the time for her. So I thought that was pretty fun that she was excited for us. At the exact same time I was thinking...oh sh*t. She probably knew exactly what she was buying and making in her cart and she's never made it? This could get interesting.
I really didn't do a whole lot with the Big Green Egg and the recipe. I fired up the large for the onions and ginger. The rest was on the stove.
Was it Quang good? Not quite. I still need a bunch of practice but happy for my first attempt. It's a good base to start with. I'm looking forward to playing around with the recipe some. I'm going to use a mixture of oxtail with the beef bones next time. I know the broth clarity is a big deal with Pho. I took my time skimming it and ran it through cheesecloth 3 separate times. So it ended up taking two days to make with the fat rising to the top overnight. In the end I think it was worth the effort. Looking forward to making this again.
My wife texted our Cambodian friend a picture of the Pho. He said, "Dang I'm super jealous! What restaurant are you at?" We told him we made it at home. His response, "Wait, you made the broth?" Hahahaha!!!! I guess I can be happy with the lady at the super market now. First Pho attempt out of the way!
After trying Pho, it has been on my mind ever since. My quest for spicy fried chicken had disappeared. Turns out there is a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho83 just a few miles from my house. Who knew. That just shows you how much I go out and eat at restaurants. I've been tempted to sneak over there for a bowl of Pho but I've promised myself that I'd try making it first. So I had some extra time this weekend.
I didn't know we had a Pho restaurant but I did know we had a couple different oriental markets the next town over. So I dedicated my Saturday morning to check them out. I'm sure I looked like an idiot scratching my head and trying to figure out what I needed. There are some serious shoppers in there. Double check shopping cart mirrors or get run over by everyone going 80mph in there! One of the employees came over and helped my wife and I out. We explained a few things on the list we were looking for. He couldn't understand most of things we were saying and vice versa for us. We showed him my phone and was quick to help us. The employee gave us a spice kit made for Pho. I had no idea the main spices came prepackaged like that. A really nice guy who helped a ton.
We decided to go check the other market down the road. They also came in clutch with helping us out. We had a few questions on the beef bones and if they were the right ones. When checking out at the register the lady in front of us looked in our cart. She said, "Oh wow are you guys making Pho?" I said we were. She goes, "How often do you make it?" Ummm....first time. She was really excited for us. She said she's never made it but her Grandma used to make it all the time for her. So I thought that was pretty fun that she was excited for us. At the exact same time I was thinking...oh sh*t. She probably knew exactly what she was buying and making in her cart and she's never made it? This could get interesting.
I really didn't do a whole lot with the Big Green Egg and the recipe. I fired up the large for the onions and ginger. The rest was on the stove.
Was it Quang good? Not quite. I still need a bunch of practice but happy for my first attempt. It's a good base to start with. I'm looking forward to playing around with the recipe some. I'm going to use a mixture of oxtail with the beef bones next time. I know the broth clarity is a big deal with Pho. I took my time skimming it and ran it through cheesecloth 3 separate times. So it ended up taking two days to make with the fat rising to the top overnight. In the end I think it was worth the effort. Looking forward to making this again.
My wife texted our Cambodian friend a picture of the Pho. He said, "Dang I'm super jealous! What restaurant are you at?" We told him we made it at home. His response, "Wait, you made the broth?" Hahahaha!!!! I guess I can be happy with the lady at the super market now. First Pho attempt out of the way!
