{"id":1631,"date":"2021-06-09T16:38:20","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T11:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/?p=1631"},"modified":"2021-06-09T16:40:45","modified_gmt":"2021-06-09T11:40:45","slug":"pho-is-the-soup-for-summer-or-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/09\/pho-is-the-soup-for-summer-or-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Pho is the Soup for Summer or Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pho is the perfect winter soup because it\u2019s a massive bowl of warm broth filled with meat and noodles. How could that not be a good winter warmer?<\/p>\n<p>But think about Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City if you give it it\u2019s real name). It has an average annual climate that consists of\u00a0 \u201creally hot\u201d and \u201cincredibly humid\u201d. And yet pho is a very popular dish there.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_75 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69f44efa4d669\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69f44efa4d669\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/09\/pho-is-the-soup-for-summer-or-winter\/#Why_Is_Soup_Popular_In_A_Hot_Climate\" >Why Is Soup Popular In A Hot Climate?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/09\/pho-is-the-soup-for-summer-or-winter\/#What_Is_Pho\" >What Is Pho?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/09\/pho-is-the-soup-for-summer-or-winter\/#Pho_Is_A_Great_Dinner_Meal\" >Pho Is A Great Dinner Meal<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/09\/pho-is-the-soup-for-summer-or-winter\/#Pho_Just_Great_Any_Time\" >Pho, Just Great Any Time<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Is_Soup_Popular_In_A_Hot_Climate\"><\/span><strong>Why Is Soup Popular In A Hot Climate?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Soups make very good use of meat. While Vietnam\u2019s economy is currently one of the fastest growing in the world, war and poverty have dogged this country for a long time. When you have little, you learn to make it go a long way. If you\u2019re Veitnamese, you also learn to make it delicious.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d conjecture that maximising available resources in the kitchen was a big driver for the growth of soup. The broth could be made using whatever meat bones were left over.<\/p>\n<p>Pho is also a soup based around a voluminous liquid broth. It\u2019s not a hearty soup like European winter-based soups. It\u2019s a big bowl of broth with noodles, meats and herbs added. If you\u2019re preparing for a long day in the heat of Vietnam\u2019s south (or the searing heat of Vietnam\u2019s north during summer), a big bowl of liquid soup for breakfast makes sense.<\/p>\n<p>And that highlights another reason why they love their soup despite the heat. They eat it for breakfast. You can buy pho soup pretty much anytime in Vietnam. And you\u2019ll see Vietnamese enjoying it alongside you. But it is mostly, and traditionally, consumed during the cool of morning.<\/p>\n<p>These are many good reasons why Vietnamese people choose to enjoy hot soup in a hot climate.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It made good use of resources when they were scarce<\/li>\n<li>It provided fluids for a hot day ahead<\/li>\n<li>It was consumed at breakfast<\/li>\n<li>It was (is) delicious!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For me, it\u2019s the last one that is the most important.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_Pho\"><\/span><strong>What Is Pho?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Okay, I\u2019m hoping many of you already know this. So I won\u2019t labour over it. Pho is a soup made with an aromatic beef stock. The stock is skimmed during boiling to keep it clear and crisp to the palate. It is made with marrow bones and sometimes chicken as well. Once ready, the pho noodles are added, then topped with sliced meat, herbs and bean shoots.<\/p>\n<p>A good pho should be judged on its stock and this is the first thing I savour. It should be a balanced blend of the meat, herbs and a slight sweetness.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/d1e3z2jco40k3v.cloudfront.net\/-\/media\/mccormick-us\/recipes\/kitchen-basics\/v\/800\/vietnamese_beef_noodle_soup.jpg\" alt=\"Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo) | McCormick Gourmet\" width=\"618\" height=\"687\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pho_Is_A_Great_Dinner_Meal\"><\/span><strong>Pho Is A Great Dinner Meal<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019ve always enjoyed pho as a dinner meal. I was introduced to it as a student. When that ginormous bowl was carried to my table, it didn\u2019t matter what it tasted like. I\u2019d just finished swim training and was sold on the size alone. It was filled with sliced meat, noodles&#8230;and then there was that delicious broth\u2026 I was hooked.<\/p>\n<p>Having enjoyed it as a dinner meal while knowing nothing about Vietnam or Vietnamese food, I know how good it is for dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast.<\/p>\n<p>During winter I visit my favourite Vietnamese restaurant, <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/quan55.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quan55<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0 and sit at their outside dining tables to enjoy a warming pho. They have patio heaters and I dress warmly, but it\u2019s the bowl of pho that is the star, warming me from the inside out.<\/p>\n<p>But you can equally enjoy it during summer. For all the reasons I stated earlier, it\u2019s perfect for winter or summer.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pho_Just_Great_Any_Time\"><\/span><strong>Pho, Just Great Any Time<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Pho has to be the best way to fill up a belly I\u2019ve ever come across. It\u2019s delicious, filling, nutritious, and great at any time of the day or year. If you haven\u2019t enjoyed pho before, or haven\u2019t had one in a while, get down to your local Vietnamese restaurant and order one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pho is the perfect winter soup because it\u2019s a massive bowl of warm broth filled<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1633,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/imagesvc.meredithcorp.io\/v3\/mm\/image?q=85&c=sc&poi=%5B419%2C314%5D&w=1024&h=512&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F23%2F2018%2F12%2F19%2Fis-pho-healthy.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Pho is the Soup for Summer or Winter","footnotes":""},"categories":[1712],"tags":[1714,1711,1713],"class_list":["post-1631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soup","tag-pho","tag-quan55","tag-soup"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1631"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1636,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1631\/revisions\/1636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawkerstreetfood.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}