We solicited questions about phở to submit to chef Andrea Nguyễn, author of The Pho Cookbook. She was kind enough to take time to provide some insights and useful tips!
Phở: Việt Nam’s ‘Democratic’ Dish
Walk down any street in Việt Nam or step into any Vietnamese restaurant in the world and you can’t miss the aroma of phở filled with ginger, star anise, and of course that hint of nước mắm - fish sauce. The go-to dish for everything from heartache to hangover, phở is more than just a noodle soup -- it represents the heart and soul of Vietnamese cooking. Loa’s Jenny Lý and Lilly Nguyễn chat about all things phở.
Bring on the Funk: Dipping Fish Sauce
In Vietnamese cuisine, plenty of dishes are superstars in their own right. Phở aside, there’s the fresh and colorful vermicelli noodle salad, light and airy gỏi cuốn or summer rolls, and the fried Vietnamese crepe – bánh xèo. But all these dishes are incomplete without Việt Nam’s number one sidekick: nước mắm chấm. The sauce is splashed all over, ladled on, dipped in–you can even slurp it! Loa’s Kathy Triều brings us up close and personal with the essential nước chấm.
