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Post by hwinpp on May 7, 2010 10:36:02 GMT
This dish is one of my favourites. I can eat it at any time, anywhere. If I have a yen for it and can't find a restaurant, I'll make instant noodles at home and sex it up with an egg and some veggies. Here are some of the more recent ones I've had. Chinese 'kouytiev' soup in a Phnom Penh restaurant, includes sliced fish balls, won tons, assorted sliced innards and seafood. This was a special and I ordered extra beansprouts.  Curry laksa in Kuala Lumpur, this one was very creamy but did not contain my favourite, clams. A victim of Malaysians' health consciousness.  Something special, cendol. It's actually a dessert but since it contains green noodles I've posted the pic. The noodles are served with thick coconut milk on shaved ice. The best part is the palm sugar though, this gives the melted dish the brownish colour.  Thick noodles in clear broth with 'yong tau fu'. Assorted fish and other seafood balls are the 'meat' ingredients. But the specialty is in the next pic.  Same restaurant (as you can see from the table), this time thick noodles in curry soup with yong tau fu special. Minced fish filled into different kinds of vegetables. I chose bitter gourd, aubergine and mushroom and tau fu (which is Cantonese for tofu). And sliced fish patties/ balls.  Thin wheat noodles in clear broth with roast pork (siew yok on the left) and roast duck (siew ngap on the right). Someof the best roast duck I've had.  Ahhh, Vietnamese pho, one of my all time favourites. A clear broth with a slight taste of star anise and lots of secret concoctions with flat and broad silky rice noodles and a meat or meats of your choice. Here I've ordered a beef pho with beef tendons on the side in the little bowl.  Bun bo Hue, also from Vietnam, hardish round and thick rice noodles in a clear broth with a whole array of meats, including slices of beef, brisket and at the top, slightly under soup, that VN sausage that K2 bought recently and was thinking of ways to use  And of course the wonderful plate of herbs (mint, sweet basil, red basil) and veggies to add yourself. What I like here was that they'd added red cabbage as a 'local' Australian touch.  |
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Post by lagatta on May 7, 2010 14:35:17 GMT
I like the idea of adding red cabbage to the Bun bo Hue, it does add a different touch while fitting in with the taste and texture palette of that famous soup.
Why are clams, so rich in iron, a victim of health consciousness? Because they can often be a vector for food poisoning?
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Post by bixaorellana on May 7, 2010 16:46:11 GMT
What an education! This is incredibly interesting and beautifully presented, HW.
Having only been exposed to Campbell's chicken noodle soup when I was young, it took me a while to understand how much variety and complexity there can be in noodles. Since I have almost no chances to sample the Asian noodle spectrum in restaurants, your pictures and commentary have fired me to research recipes.
What makes the noodles in cendol green? (and noodles as a dessert -- whole new idea!)
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Post by fumobici on May 7, 2010 17:55:26 GMT
This is making me feel very hungry. Those soups look wonderful, I think the SE Asians have the franchise on great noodle soup.
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Post by lagatta on May 7, 2010 19:21:37 GMT
bixi, not a soup at all, but there is a Central and Eastern European Jewish dish called a noodle kugel that exists in savoury or sweet versions. I can't think of any other noodley sweet dishes...
I'm lusting after those. I can get good versions of the two Vietnamese ones, but the others might be harder to find. There must be Cambodian restaurants in Montréal.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2010 19:44:29 GMT
May I repost my lovely prawn wonton soup from my regular Parisian lunch? |
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2010 21:38:11 GMT
This is looking so good...We have a fine representation of noodle houses here,I may go tonight and have some pho. The best ones are on the West bank though,which entails driving over the bridge. I need to ponder this.  Thanks for this HW et al. |
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 8, 2010 0:03:41 GMT
Tremendous post, hwinpp, I would eat any of those noodle soups with great pleasure. I love thoe pictures.
By amazing coincidence, I started a batch of Pho Bo today. We can't find quite all the ingredients here, but I enjoy improvising. So, while some might say mine is Pho-ny Pho, I think it will still be enjoyable. In making it, I ran out of phish sauce. I am soaking ground, dried shrimp in hot water plus sea salt with a hope of enhancing the phlavor of the pho.
The phinal pho won't be until Saturday or perhaps Sunday, as I need to get some decent bean sprouts. I also need some help in eating it, as it made about 8 quarts of soup.
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Post by lagatta on May 8, 2010 0:10:09 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on May 8, 2010 0:51:20 GMT
Thanks, LaGatta. I've heard of noodle kugel, but have never had it. Have you tried it?
Don Cuevas, your phaux pho sounds bo-dacious ~~ really phine!
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Post by lagatta on May 8, 2010 1:28:58 GMT
Bixa, I'd think Don Cuevas might be your noodle kugel expert. Yes, I've had it, and enjoyed it as served by friends and their families, but not my favourite dish.
Now I'm craving a trip to that excellend pho restaurant so close by, but I'm really disinclined to eat in restaurants by myself, unless imposed by travel. I haven't been there in several months. And this is really a hop skip and jump from chez moi.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2010 2:01:19 GMT
One of the things about this particular cuisine that so appeals to me is all the accompaniments,the various herbs that come on the side,along with the bean sprouts that normally,I am not that big on with other foods.The freshness of the ingredients makes it such a pleasant departure from other kinds of soup. Especially in our warm climate where I would not be as keen on devouring a hot steamy bowl of soup,all these crisp greens are refreshing.
We always order up a ton of spring rolls and other appetizers as well,also chock full of fresh,crunchy ingredients.
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Post by hwinpp on May 8, 2010 2:15:34 GMT
Yes. They think they'll get Hep A from it. Nowadays you'd have to go to a street stall to get them. That's just food colouring. You can get them in pink too. The garish colours is what put some people off ordering it. But then it is a dessert after all. Yeah, I think so too. I'm going to try and go to a Vietnamese place this weekend and order a dish I've seen them eating where they use those little hook shaped maccaronis, very strange, I think the French left them here... Sounds familiar... but I might be confusing it with Palatschinken? Isn't that some doughy thing eaten with whipped cram and jelly/ confiture? I was hoping you would. All the soups we had in Paris were good. Not only in the 13th but also on the street of the hotel you recommended, the Ibis. I've forgotten the name. I'm pretty sure in areas with a large Asian population the food would be very good and very authentic. In some countries the people are so poor and agriculture is so controlled that they just can't get the correct ingredients to cook traditionally any more, for me the best example is Burma. Their soups were so poor I stopped eating them and went to Indian restaurants instead for my meals. Nowadays, if you can't get the necessary ingredients in Vancouver or New York, they get flown in. I'm sure it will be good. The secret to everybody's favourite pho is the secret There's a taste in pho that, so I've been told, comes from star anis. They must use very little of it though, because I can usually just get a very slight hint of it. Do you add it? Ha, ha. That must be a favourite and very auspicious name. Tay Ho is my favourite area in Hanoi, West Lake. |
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2010 2:32:37 GMT
The Vietnamese people here have huge,huge,extensive gardens,unbelievable spreads of vegetables,wonderful,innovative utilization of space. I have never seen anything like it ever before. I am due to make a visit again and will take some pics.is incredible... I am wondering with the current situation in the Gulf with the oil spill,how it is going to effect the noodle houses who rely so heavily on the seafood from those waters. ,and many of them who rely on shrimping for a livelihood. |
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Post by lagatta on May 8, 2010 2:36:20 GMT
Indeed it is named after West Lake in Hanoi, and very good restaurant, reasonably priced. Most of the clientele is of Vietnamese oriigin.
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Post by spaceneedle on May 8, 2010 2:44:35 GMT
May I repost my lovely prawn wonton soup from my regular Parisian lunch? You torture me! ;D But I must strike back and tell you that I discovered in my own little humble hamlet a chinese restaurant that makes their own hand shaved noodle chow mein. I don't have pics because it frankly does not last long enough for me to get the camera out. |
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Post by gertie on May 8, 2010 5:10:57 GMT
ARRGGGHHH!! So craving pho now, but won't be able to get any until tomorrow night.
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 8, 2010 18:43:16 GMT
Quote:
"bixi, not a soup at all, but there is a Central and Eastern European Jewish dish called a noodle kugel that exists in savoury or sweet versions."
"'Sounds familiar... but I might be confusing it with Palatschinken? Isn't that some doughy thing eaten with whipped cram and jelly/ confiture?'"
Kugel=noodle pudding. Think bread pudding, but made with noodles instead of bread.
I rarely ever make that.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 8, 2010 19:34:59 GMT
Think bread pudding, but made with noodles instead of bread. I rarely ever make that.  I can see why! |
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Post by lagatta on May 8, 2010 19:59:37 GMT
Palatschinken are the Austrian German name for a Central European type of crêpes: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatschinke Nothing to do with "Schinken" - it is a question of German-speakers mishearing the names of the dish in other languages in the old Empire. Palatschinken can certainly be kosher; Schinken no. And yes, a kugel is sort of similar to a bread pudding, also in that it can be sweet or savoury, or sweet-savoury. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kugel |
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2010 20:58:34 GMT
Pho and other soups make such a fantastic breakfast in Southeast Asia. Are there any other parts of the world where a soup that is just as good for lunch or dinner is eaten the same way at breakfast? (I am excluding things such as oatmeal, which could theoretically be considered to be a sort of soup, but which is not eaten as lunch or dinner as far as I know.)
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2010 22:13:11 GMT
I remember as a child,we would have borscht on Sundays after church in the wintertime,more of a brunch type dish I guess,served with potato pancakes and the ever present sour cream.
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 8, 2010 22:20:28 GMT
"There's a taste in pho that, so I've been told, comes from star anis. They must use very little of it though, because I can usually just get a very slight hint of it. Do you add it?"
Yes.
Star anise, cloves, fresh ginger, dried lemon grass, etc. The star anise taste is somewhat pronounced in the stock I made. Just tasted it only; we haven't assembled and eaten any yet. That's for tomorrow.
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Post by lagatta on May 8, 2010 23:41:02 GMT
bixa, as you could see I was being polite about Kugel. It is stodge.
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 10, 2010 9:14:00 GMT
After several days of preparation and waiting, we had our homemade pho yesterday. I'd count it as a success; the stock was flavorsome, the beef was tender, the slippery noodles were fun and there was a varied assemblage of herbs with with to garnish the soup. The exception might have been the extremely picante sliced chiles serranos. I was aflame from eating them. There's plenty left for at least another meal for two.   |
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Post by imec on May 10, 2010 13:55:11 GMT
Great OP HW! Beautiful looking soups! And nice looking Pho to me DC!
When I began my first real job nearly 30 years ago, I used to frequent a Szechwan restaurant tht srved what they called "Szechwan Noodle Soup" - Shanghai noodles in a rich broth made from bones and thckened with peanut butter and various spices. It was topped by a thick meat sauce made of ground pork. The restaurant is no longer there but I have the recipe and make it myself occasionally - will photograph next time.
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 10, 2010 16:26:55 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on May 10, 2010 16:29:43 GMT
I thank you for those pho photos, Don Cuevas. I haven't had much meal inspiration lately, but those pictures have pointed me in a new direction, by making me believe that the delights in the OP are indeed accessible. Did you use regular spaghetti for the noodles? What strikes me is how serving the soup with side garnishes is so similar to several classic Mexican soups. Imec! Of course we want to see the pictures, but you'll pleeeeze post the recipe, yes?  Look ~~ a thread awaits you! anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=recipes&action=display&thread=3055&page=1 |
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2010 17:11:57 GMT
Looks like an excellent pho to me, Don Cuevas -- and I know my pho!
Just a note for people with hesitations about certain ingredients: the Indochinese in Paris think that Italian tagliatella is an excellent noodle for this soup.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 10, 2010 17:29:36 GMT
No hesitation here. There was a discussion before about using Italian style pastas in Asian dishes, something that opened a world of possibility to me.
It would be interesting, though, to know how to make some of the more exotic noodles HW shows, the "flat and broad silky rice noodles" or the "hardish round and thick rice noodles", for instance.
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And of course the wonderful plate of herbs (mint, sweet basil, red basil) and veggies to add yourself. What I like here was that they'd added red cabbage as a 'local' Australian touch.
I can see why!
