Andrea says: “Great for pho beginners, this recipe is also terrific for cooks in a hurry. It involves less than 45 minutes, during which you’ll doctor up store-bought broth so it says, “I’m pho-ish.” The keys to this streamlined approach include toasting spices and dry sautéing the ginger and green onion, which help to extract flavour fast. Poaching the chicken in the broth adds savoury depth. You’ll practise some fundamental pho techniques that you can apply elsewhere, too. Choose a broth that tastes like chicken, such as Swanson brand, which is less fussed up and easy to manipulate. You need two 411g cans or one 907ml carton.”

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2cm section ginger
• 2 medium-large green onions
• 1 very small (15g) bunch coriander sprigs
• 1 1⁄2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 whole clove 
• 840ml to 1l low-sodium chicken broth
• 480ml water
• 1 180g to 225g boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh
• About 1⁄2 tsp fine sea salt
• 150g dried narrow flat rice noodles
• 2 to 3 tsp fish sauce
• About 1⁄2 tsp organic sugar, or 1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
• Pepper (optional)

Method

Peel then slice the ginger into four or five coins. Smack with the flat side of a knife or meat mallet; set aside. 

Thinly slice the green parts of the green onion to yield two to three tablespoons; set aside for garnish. 

Cut the leftover sections into pinkie- finger lengths, bruise, then add to the ginger.

Coarsely chop the leafy tops of the coriander to yield two tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Set the remaining coriander sprigs aside.

In a three to four litre pot, toast the coriander seeds and clove over medium heat until fragrant, one to two minutes. Add the ginger and green onion sections. Stir for about 30 seconds, until aromatic. Slide the pot off heat, wait 15 seconds or so to briefly cool, then pour in the broth.

Return the pot to the burner, then add the water, coriander sprigs, chicken, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to gently simmer for 30 minutes.

While the broth simmers, soak the rice noodles in hot water until pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse, and set aside. After five to 10 minutes of simmering, the chicken should be firm and cooked through (press on it and it should slightly yield). Transfer the chicken to a bowl, flush with cold water to arrest the cooking, then drain. Let cool, then cut or shred into bite-size pieces. Cover loosely to prevent drying.

When the broth is done, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a two litre pot; line the strainer with muslin for superclear broth. Discard the solids. You should have about one litre Season with fish sauce and sugar (or maple syrup), if needed, to create a strong savory-sweet note.

Bring the strained broth to a boil over high heat. Put the noodles in a noodle strainer or mesh sieve and dunk in the hot broth to heat and soften, five to 60 seconds. Lift the noodles from the pot and divide between the two bowls.

Lower the heat to keep the broth hot while you arrange the chicken on top of the noodles and garnish with the chopped green onion, coriander, and a sprinkling of pepper. Taste and adjust the broth’s saltiness one last time. Return the broth to a boil and ladle into the bowls. Enjoy with any extras, if you like.

Andrea says: “One of the secrets to making good and fast vegetarian pho is selecting the right broth at the store. Purchase an amber brown and robust broth, such as those made by Whole Foods or Swanson, which tends to be on the clear side and seasoned with spices that are more in line with pho; use two cans or one large carton. Avoid golden-hued vegetarian broths that are often celery forward and mute pho spices. This pho does not cleverly fake beef or chicken pho like some other recipes, but it echoes the seasonings and satisfying spirit of a good bowl of pho noodle soup. The mushrooms add meatiness, the tofu lends protein, and the quickly cooked green vegetables inject colour and flavour. To make things easier for yourself at pho assembly time, make the seared tofu in advance.”

Serves 2 

Ingredients

• 2cm section ginger
• 2 medium-large green onions
• 1 star anise (8 robust points total)
• 3.75cm cinnamon stick
• 1 or 2 whole cloves 
• 840 ml to 1 l low-sodium or regular vegetable broth
• 480ml water
• About 1⁄2 tsp fine sea salt
• 150g dried narrow flat rice noodles
• 4 pieces pan-seared tofu (below)
• 8 snap peas or slender green beans
• 2 or 3 fresh shiitake, king trumpet, or similar kind of meaty mushroom
• 2 to 3 tsp regular soy sauce
• About 1⁄2 tsp organic sugar, or 1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander, leafy tops only
• Pepper (optional)

For the pan-seared tofu:

• 1 (420g) block extra-firm tofu
• 1 tbsp regular soy sauce
• About 1 tbsp canola or other neutral oil

Method

For the pan-seared tofu, cut the block of tofu crosswise into two pieces, then cut each piece crosswise into four thick pieces; imagine big dominoes or Zippo lighters. You’ll have eight pieces total. Put into a medium or large nonstick skillet. 

Drizzle in the soy sauce and coat both sides. Cook over medium heat until sizzling, seared, and dry looking, about five minutes. There will be little moisture visible in the skillet. Drizzle the oil over the tofu, then use a spatula to flip the pieces. 

Let cook for four to five minutes to sear and brown the second side. Shake the skillet to check if the tofu will dislodge from the bottom. When there is a little movement, use a spatula to flip the tofu over to add extra color and character to the first side, if needed. Aim for a rich, mottled brown surface with dark brown edges. When satisfied, transfer to a rack to cool and dry for about five minutes before using. Set aside.

Then, peel then slice the ginger into four or five coins. Smack with the flat side of a knife or meat mallet; set aside. 

Thinly slice the green parts of the green onion to yield two to three tablespoons; set aside for garnish. 

Cut the leftover sections into pinkie-finger lengths, bruise, then add to the ginger.

In a three to four litre pot, toast the star anise, cinnamon, and cloves over medium heat until fragrant, one to two minutes. Add the ginger and green onion sections. Stir for about 30 seconds, until aromatic. Slide the pot off heat, wait 15 seconds to slightly cool, then pour in the vegetable broth.

Return the pot to the burner, then add the water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to gently simmer for 30 minutes.

While the broth simmers, soak the rice noodles in hot water until pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

Prepare the tofu. (If you made the tofu in advance, let it warm up to room temperature.) Cut each finished tofu slab into thin slices or two large triangles. Set aside.

Cut the snap peas in half lengthwise; or cut the green beans into short lengths. Slice the mushrooms about 6mm thick. Set aside to later poach.

When the broth is done, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a two litre pot; line the strainer with muslin for superclear broth. Discard the solids. You should have about one litre Season with soy sauce for a strong salty flavor; if needed, add sugar (or maple syrup) to refine edges.

Bring the strained broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Put the noodles in a noodle strainer or mesh sieve and dunk in the hot broth to heat and soften, five to 60 seconds.

Lift the noodles from the pot and divide between the two bowls. Repeat the dunking with the peas (or beans) and mushrooms to lightly poach in the broth, 30 to 60 seconds, depending on the vegetable; divide between the bowls.

Lower the heat on the broth to keep it hot while you add the tofu (if needed, warm it in the broth first), chopped green onion, cilantro, and sprinkling of pepper to the bowls.

Taste and adjust the broth’s saltiness to your liking one last time. Return the broth to a boil, ladle into the bowls, and serve. Enjoy with any extras, if you like.

Andrea says: “I hope you don’t make seafood pho for the book. It’s not true pho,” my mom said. Why not? I’d tried lobster and fish pho at Vietnamese restaurants in the United States and was surprised (and somewhat aghast) that they simply cooked the seafood in beef pho broth. The lesson learned from those experiences was this: seafood pairs well with pho spices. To create a piscine pho noodle soup that isn’t overly fishy, I opt for a vegetable broth seasoned with spices, dried and fresh shrimp, and bottled clam juice (the filtered liquid from steamed clams; the Bar Harbor brand is excellent). Ginger and seafood are great friends, so the aromatic root replaces black pepper for zingy heat. The finished pho is elegant, attractive, and delicious. Before making this recipe in a pressure cooker (see notes), review the main recipe to get the gist of things and to avoid feeling rushed, char and peel the aromatics a day in advance and refrigerate; cut and bruise before using.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the broth:

• Chubby 5cm section ginger, unpeeled
• 1 medium-large 270g white onion, unpeeled
• 90g Fuji apple, peeled, cored, and cut into thumbnail-size chunks
• 2 medium celery stalks (115g total), coarsely chopped
• 1 large (180g) carrot, cut into thick rounds (scrub and use unpeeled, if you like)
• 450g napa cabbage leaves, halved lengthwise then cut crosswise into large pieces
• 2 star anise (16 robust points total)
• 2.5cm cinnamon stick 
• 1 1⁄2 tsp fennel seeds
• Heaping 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2.25l water
• 240ml bottled clam juice
• 1 1⁄2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more as needed
• 3 tbsp dried shrimp
• 300g big shrimp, shells intact (select large, extra-large, or jumbo size)
• 1 1⁄2 to 2 tbsp fish sauce
• About 1 tsp organic sugar, or 2 tsp maple syrup (optional)

For the bowls:

• 300g dried narrow flat rice noodles
• Cooked shrimp from the broth
• 300g fish fillet, such as rockfish, snapper, sea bass, tilapia, paiche, or salmon
• 1⁄2 small (60g) white or red onion, thinly sliced against the grain and soaked in water for 10 minutes
• 2 thinly sliced green onions, green parts only
• 5g chopped fresh coriander, leafy tops only
• 1 tsp finely chopped peeled ginger

Method

Start by charring, peeling, and prepping the ginger and onion. Use the medium heat on a gas or electric coil burner, or the grill setting in an oven (have the rack in the top or second position).

Let the skin get a little splotchy with black; use tongs to occasionally rotate the ginger and onion and to grab and discard any flyaway skin. Turn on the exhaust fan and open a window. To steady the aromatics on the stove, use a small grilling rack, heavy-duty broiling rack, or oven-safe cooling rack.

Monitor the aromatics because they char at different rates due to their uneven size and shape. After 10 to 15 minutes, they’ll have softened slightly and become sweetly fragrant. Bubbling at the root or stem ends may happen. You do not have to blacken the entire surface.

Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Remove the charred skin from the cooled onions or shallots, and as needed, rinse under running water to dislodge stubborn dark bits. Trim off and discard the blackened root and stem ends; halve or quarter each and set aside.

Use a vegetable peeler or the edge of a teaspoon to remove the ginger skin. Rinse under warm water to remove blackened bits. Halve the ginger lengthwise, cut into chunks, then bruise lightly (use the broad side of a knife or a meat mallet). Set aside with the apple, celery, carrot, and cabbage.

Put the star anise, cinnamon, fennel, and coriander in a small stockpot, about eight litre capacity. Over medium heat, toast the spices for several minutes, shaking or stirring, until fragrant. Add one litre of the water to arrest the cooking process. Add the ginger and onion along with the apple and vegetables, salt, and dried shrimp. Pour in the remaining 1.25 litre water and the clam juice.

Partially cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, peel and devein the shrimp. Toss the shrimp shells into the stockpot. Cover and refrigerate the shrimp for later use.

When the broth reaches a boil, uncover and lower the heat to gently simmer for one hour. (There’s usually no scum to skim.) At the 50-minute mark, add the reserved shrimp to the pot; use a noodle strainer or mesh sieve and work in batches to retrieve them easily. Cook until just curled into a C shape, then transfer to a bowl to cool. If not serving soon, cover and refrigerate.

When the broth is done, let rest for five to 10 minutes, uncovered, before straining through a muslin-lined mesh strainer positioned over a medium pot (see page 28 for guidance). Press and squeeze on the solids to expel extra broth. Discard the solids. There should be about two litres.

If using the broth right away, season with fish sauce and, if desired, with extra salt and sugar (or maple syrup); see seasoning tips on page 29. When cooking in advance, partially cover the unseasoned broth, let cool, then refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to three months; season before using.

Prep and assemble the bowls While the broth cooks, or about 30 minutes before serving, ready ingredients for the bowls. Soak the dried noodles in hot water until pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse, and drain well.Divide the noodles among 4 soup bowls.

If the shrimp are extra-large or jumbo size, cut each into manageable pieces: lay it flat on your work surface, steady it with one hand while cutting it from the back to the belly. You’ll get two thin, nearly identical pieces. Otherwise, keep If the fish fillet has skin attached, remove it first (see notes for tips). Cut the fish flesh into broad, thin pieces; hold your knife at an angle as if you’re cutting sushi. Set aside.

Set the onion, green onion, cilantro, and ginger alongside the noodles, shrimp, and fish to form a pho assembly line. Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat. At the same time, fill a pot with water and bring to a rolling boil for the noodles.

For each bowl, place a portion of the noodles in the strainer or sieve and dunk in the boiling water. When the noodles are soft, five to 60 seconds, pull the strainer from the pot, shaking it to release excess water. Empty the noodles into a bowl. Arrange the shrimp and the fish on top. Add the onion, green onion, cilantro, and ginger. Check the broth flavor, raise the heat, and bring it to a boil. Ladle 480ml broth into each bowl, then serve immediately with any extras.

Notes:
To make the broth with a pressure cooker, use a six to eight litre cooker. Peel the ginger, cut into thick slices, and smack; halve and cut the onion into thick slices.

Over medium heat, toast the spices in the cooker. Add the ginger and onion; stir until aromatic. Add one litre water.

Then add the vegetables, apple, salt, dried shrimp, shrimp shells, 720ml, and clam juice. Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure (15 psi), adjust the heat, then cook for 15 minutes. Depressurize naturally. Remove the lid and reheat the cooker to poach the shrimp. Cool the broth for five minutes, then strain, season, and follow the rest of the recipe.

To remove the skin from a fish fillet, lay it skin side down on your work surface. Run your finger along one of the edges to separate the flesh from the skin and form a gap. Slide a boning or fillet knife in the gap, then saw and push the knife all the way through from one end (or side) to the other. Discard the skin.

Recipes adapted from The Pho Cookbook: Easy to Adventurous Recipes for Vietnam’s Favorite Soup and Noodles by Andrea Nguyen (Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, £16.98), out now