Most natural Pho restaurant?

[perplexed_one]

I am looking for a natural, non-MSG/chemical using PHO restaurant in Toronto. I love pho I just don't want something that will make me thirsty or itchy (MSG), etc.

Price should not be an issue after all they use the most natural ingredients.

thanks

[dasaylay]

Make your own. It's probably the cheapest and probably the most healthy way to go. Just google some simple recipes. Most will include: roasted ginger + onion, beef bones, clove, star anise, salt and a nice piece of brisket to go together. Have fun!

[Freddy Pharkas]

Eating out is most viable for Pho. It's really time consuming to cook it at home and it's not worth the time and effort unless you have a large gathering. This is coming from a Vietnamese person.

[dasaylay]

Eating out is most viable for Pho. It's really time consuming to cook it at home and it's not worth the time and effort unless you have a large gathering. This is coming from a Vietnamese person.


I'm Chinese/Korean mix, but I work in a Vietnamese restaurant. It is true that if you were to make a batch for yourself, it might not be worth your time, but a $6 bowl of pho from a restaurant may be more sensible.

We're both just stating that for healthier alternatives/natural, making it at home is the most sensible way. If however, you're preparing it for a family of 4 or more, then by all means, make it at home yourself. Ingredients are cheap, and taste isn't that bad despite not having MSG in the soup. However, I admit, the downside to a tastier homemade broth with no MSG is the added amount of salt in the soup.

[UrbanPoet]

what you dont know is that a batch of Pho soup will last you several days... the soup can be reheated and eaten with rice for dinner, or with noodles for several days.

[toycam]

what you dont know is that a batch of Pho soup will last you several days... the soup can be reheated and eaten with rice for dinner, or with noodles for several days.

What I do is freeze individual portions of stock in (freezer friendly) ziplock bags. Beef balls and pre-sliced beef are pre-portioned aswell. Quick, cheap, easy soup!

Here's a recipe if somebody is inclined to DIY: http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=335811

To answer the OP's question about an MSG free pho joint. I don't know if they exist.

[B0000rt]

You can easily use Chicken broth as your base, so long as you boil more chicken in there, and add all the proper spices and flavourings, it'll taste just as good.

A combination of the smell of star anise and cinnamon is what gets me thinking of pho... Most places don't ever have this strong flavour in their soups...

[Moongoose McQueen]

Yes the Pho back home has a strong aroma of cinnamon. Cinnamon in Pho just doesn't work for me. *puke*

[Exas]

making pho is pretty damn easy. just make sure you keep tasting it while you cook it, or else you may end up adding too much salt, sugar, etc.

you need:
Oxtail
Brisket
Chicken broth + some chicken parts (whole old chicken, or any carcass from nights before), or beef broth (better)
ONIONS (very important)
A big pot.
Salt, sugar, MSG :D , that star thing (smells like licorece (sp?))

Bring to boil, throw everything in. If you have a pot thermos, pop it in overnight. If not, have fun standing with it for 3+ hours to simmer it. good luck :D

[Gingergirl]

Exas It's star anise

I use beef bones ( nice congealing of the soup later) and carrots as well to add flavour If you have a rainy Sunday it's a great soup to make.

What noodles does everyone use? I use both flat Chinese and clear medium thickness Vietnamese noodles?

[dasaylay]

I just banh pho noodles found at grocery stores. Just put into boiling water for a few minutes til it becomes opaque and chewy. Another alternative is to soak it in warm water for atleast one hour.

[AG007]

I just banh pho noodles found at grocery stores. Just put into boiling water for a few minutes til it becomes opaque and chewy. Another alternative is to soak it in warm water for atleast one hour.

Which brand of pho noodles do you use? When I cook, it's not chewy even though I didn't put the noodle in the boiling water for a long time.

[dasaylay]

Which brand of pho noodles do you use? When I cook, it's not chewy even though I didn't put the noodle in the boiling water for a long time.

It was a vietnamese brand. It came packaged in a clear plastic package with 2 clusters of noodles. When I cook the noodles, I make sure to always test the noodles often to make sure it's not too soft. Ideally, you wouldn't want the noodles to become too soft in the pot, so cooking to al dente (to the bite) is probably best for pho and pasta in general. Once the noodles have hit that point, I throw it into a calender and run the noodles under some cold water.

Noodles shouldn't be soggy when you take it out, but rather have some stiffness to it. Keep in mind, when you add the hot broth into the bowl of noodles, the noodles will absorb some moisture, which will make the pho the perfect consistency.

Just give it a few more go's and hopefully this helps. I wouldn't imagine that different brands will differ too much in terms of product quality. It's only ground up rice after all :cheesygri

[sportmiester]

Pho is great comfort food, especially in the cooler fall/winter months. To answer the OP's question, I believe Pho Hoa is a chain across Canada - I've had good (i.e. tasty) experience with them so far. Can't vouch whether they're 100% natural though - perhaps others might know? Happy hunting!

[AG007]

Thanks, dasaylay...

[dasaylay]

Thanks, dasaylay...

You're welcome :-0

[scratchieepants]

haha I just realised dasaylay is an awesome name!~

[dasaylay]

haha I just realised dasaylay is an awesome name!~

You're cantonese aren't you? :razz:

[scratchieepants]

cantonese/vietnamese if there is such a thing :P

[dasaylay]

cantonese/vietnamese if there is such a thing :P

No worries. I'm cantonese/korean mix but I'm starting to pick up on vietnamese when I'm working at a viet/thai restaurant :-0