Features 3 minutes 21 November 2023
A herby guide to your pho.
herbs Noodles Vietnam Pho Vietnamese
Ever wondered what those vegetable garnishes served with your pho are?
Vietnamese cuisine is celebrated for its vibrant flavours and aromatic herbs, famously showcased in dishes like pho, a world-renowned noodle soup. The fresh herb garnishes served with it are essential in enriching its taste and aroma.
Understanding these Vietnamese herbs not only enhances dining but also unveils the country’s culinary tradition. This guide explores the essential garnishes, highlighting their unique flavours and textures that amplify pho's complexity. From crisp bean sprouts to aromatic Thai basil and zesty lime wedges, these additions customise and deepen pho's flavours.
Let’s dive in…
RELATED:Friend or Pho: Who Really Invented Vietnam’s National Dish?
Bean sprouts is a garnish commonly seen served with a bowl of pho. (© Shutterstock)
With pho, a popular Vietnamese noodle soup, the vegetable garnishes typically served alongside include:
Bean Sprouts (Giá)
Bean sprouts are young sprouted beans typically made from mung beans. These sprouts are prized for their crisp and crunchy texture, which contrasts wonderfully with the soft noodles and savoury broth of pho. When added to the hot soup just before eating, they maintain their freshness and crunchiness, providing a delightful texture that enhances the overall dining experience. Their mild and refreshing taste also complements the rich flavours of the soup, offering a pleasant contrast that adds depth to each spoonful.
Thai Basil (Húng quế)
Thai Basil, known as "Húng quế" in Vietnamese, is an aromatic herb that offers a distinctive fragrance and a subtle hint of spiciness that enriches the aroma and taste of the soup. Unlike sweet basil commonly found in Western cuisines, Thai Basil has a slightly peppery, anise-like flavour profile. When added to a hearty bowl of pho, its aromatic essence elevates the overall sensory experience by imparting a fresh and herbal aroma to the dish. Moreover, its subtle spiciness gives a unique depth of flavour that complements the savoury broth, enhancing the overall taste of the soup.
RELEVANT:Vietnam 101: How to Eat Vietnamese Food Like a Local(© Shutterstock)
Lime wedges for extra acidity. (© Shutterstock)
Lime Wedges (Chanh)
Lime wedges served as a garnish alongside pho are intended to add a tangy and citrusy dimension to the soup. When squeezed into the bowl just before eating, the fresh lime juice offers a burst of vibrant acidity that cuts through the richness of the broth, balancing its savoury flavours. This tangy addition not only imparts a refreshing zing but also brightens the overall taste profile of the whole dish, enhancing its depth and complexity. It allows diners to customize the soup to their preference by adding a touch of citrus, elevating the dining experience by introducing a delightful contrast of flavours.
Aromatic culantros that give pho a distinctive aroma. (© Shutterstock)
Culantro (Ngò gai)
Culantro esembles cilantro in appearance but packs a more intense flavour punch. It's the secret ingredient that amplifies the depth and richness of pho's broth. With its robust taste, this herb introduces a wonderful depth that lingers in every savoury spoonful of the soup. It gives you an extra oomph in your pho.
A plate of garnish that goes with a hot bowl of soup. (© Shutterstock)
Sliced chilles
The freshly sliced chilles served with pho are typically Thai bird's eye chillies or similarly small, hot chilli peppers. You can add them to the broth according to your preferred level of spiciness. They are simply there to jazz up your soup game. The chillies impart a fiery kick and elevate the soup's flavour profile, adding heat and depth to each spoonful of the comforting pho broth.
So, how do you like your pho?
Here are 5 pho places for you to try:
Phở Gia Truyền, Hanoi
The numerous hearty options include phở tái nạm (slices of flank steak), phở tái (round steak) and phở chín (brisket). Add crispy quẩy (fried dough sticks), to perfect your dish. For the ultimate hunger obliterating meal, splash out on a little extra and order trứng gà (golden egg yolk).
Phở 10 Lý Quốc Sư, Hanoi
One of three branches in Hanoi, this small pho eatery enjoys a fine reputation, but beware of imitations in the city. The menu offers 10 impressive pho options, including tái and chin (brisket), nạm (flank beef), and bắp trần (beef fillet). A competent team operates the compact corner kitchen, which is visible through a glazed partition. The pho itself is hearty and supremely refreshing with tender pieces of beef that melt in the mouth.
Phở Bò Ấu Triệu, Hanoi
The shop, which lacks any signage, boasts a single distinctive feature: phở bò, to the exclusion of anything else on the menu. And why shouldn’t it, when the minced beef noodles here are so good? Served in an intense beef bone stock, cooked for 10 hours, it comes with a tender beef flank and tendon.
Phở Hoàng, Ho Chi Minh City
This pho shop has been around since 2008 and the owner Mr Hoang is justly proud of his clear beef broth that takes over 12 hours to make. Feel free to customise your beef noodle soup by ordering tendon, flank, minced beef, or even a raw egg on the side. Every bowl comes with garnishes like coriander, basil, lime wedges, onions, and bean sprouts. For drinks, try their monk fruit herbal tea made with over 10 different herbs.
Phở Hoà Pasteur, Ho Chi Minh City
This popular restaurant has been serving delicious pho to the locals since it opened in 1968. The interior and service may not be glamorous, but the food is appropriately affordable and their delicious hallmark broth is a masterclass of balanced flavours. The menu offers a wide range of quality toppings including beef brisket, flank, tendon, and tripe, as well as meatballs. Small Vietnamese side dishes are also available.
CONTINUE READING:My Signature Dish: The Story Behind T.U.N.G Dining’s Iconic PhoIllustration image: © Shutterstock
Written by Pruepat 'Maprang' Songtieng
After over a decade of writing for leading luxury and lifestyle publications, and dining and wining with world’s famous, this Bangkokian finds herself as a Digital Editor of the MICHELIN Guide Thailand and Vietnam. She enjoys exchanging cultural views over a glass of wine or Gin Rickey. If not on the beach, she can be found at the gym, catching a plane, or at home reading Agatha Christie’s novels.
Features
Features 4 minutes
The Different Types of Kway Teow Dishes in Malaysia and Singapore
The ubiquitous Teochew flat rice noodles are showcased in various cooking styles across Southeast Asia — especially in Malaysia and Singapore. Learn about their different styles, their origins, and where to find them in the two neighbouring countries.
Malaysia Noodles Singapore
Features 2 minutes
Seoul hotels to start your day with spring flowers
Book a hotel in the neighborhood best known for all types of spring flowers in full bloom in Seoul. Seoul is expected to have flowers in full bloom throughout the weekend and the following week.
Features 3 minutes
A Guide to Vietnamese Coffee
In Vietnam, coffee isn't merely a beverage, it's a social ritual.
beverage Vietnam
Features 2 minutes
The (MICHELIN) Guide to Napa Valley
Where to sip, indulge, and rest in California's famed wine destination.
Editor's Pick Hotels Travel
All articles of Features
Keep Exploring - Stories we think you will enjoy reading
Dining In 1 minute
Zest Up Your Summer with This Beet Salad Recipe, MICHELIN-Style
Beet-ing the heat with this fresh summer salad.
salad Vietnam Da Nang
Travel 3 minutes
2 Days in Hanoi for Street Food Lovers
When it comes to street food, you’d struggle to find a city with more on the menu than Hanoi. Two days is just enough to get a taste but be warned: you’ll be booking your return visit faster than you can say bun cha
Editor's Pick Hanoi 2 Days In
Dining Out 2 minutes
A Taste of Hue in Saigon: The Story of Bún Bò Huế 14B
Nestled in a charming corner of District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, Bún Bò Huế 14B stands out as a vibrant new sensation.
Behind The Bib Ho Chi Minh City Vietnamese
People 3 minutes
A dive into the mind of a chef.
Dish Ho Chi Minh City my signature dish
Dining Out 4 minutes
MICHELIN Inspectors’ Favourite Meals in Da Nang
These are the most memorable dining joints in Da Nang according to our dining experts.
Da Nang Danang Inspectors
Travel 4 minutes
2 Days in Ho Chi Minh City for Street Food Lovers
Ho Chi Minh City is known for its high-calibre street food at rock-bottom prices. Here we pinpoint some of the strongest contenders for two days of eating, drinking, being merry and not breaking the bank.
Ho Chi Minh City 2 Days In Street Food
Travel 4 minutes
2 Days in Da Nang
48 hours is just enough time to soak up the sun, unwind on the beach and explore the museums, temples, wildlife and nightlife of Da Nang, Vietnam’s criminally underrated third city.
2 Days In Neighbourhood Guide Danang
Sustainable Gastronomy 3 minutes
Nén Danang: Vietnam's First MICHELIN Green Star Award Winner and Why Sustainable Cuisine Is in the Country's DNA
Summer Le shares her fruitful journey in showcasing the stories of Vietnam's local ingredients and produce.
Editor's Pick Vietnam Sustainability
Dining Out 2 minutes
The Inspectors Reveal All on La Maison 1888, Da Nang’s First MICHELIN Star
A MICHELIN Guide Inspector reflects on a year of dining experiences at La Maison 1888, Da Nang's first MICHELIN Star restaurant in the MICHELIN Guide Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City & Da Nang 2024 edition.
Danang Editor's Pick Inspectors
MICHELIN Guide Ceremony 6 minutes
The 2024 MICHELIN Guide Vietnam Boasts 3 New One Stars, 1 First-Ever Green Star, and Bib Gourmand Venues that Double Last Year’s List
The 2024 MICHELIN Guide Vietnam features a total of 164 food establishments: 7 one MICHELIN Star, 58 Bib Gourmand and 99 MICHELIN Selected venues.
Ho Chi Minh City Michelin star Hanoi
Dining Out 2 minutes
Inspectors’ Favourite Bib Gourmand Spots in Vietnam 2024
Enjoy the highlights that impressed our MICHELIN Inspectors among the recently chosen affordable dining spots in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Ho Chi Minh City Bib Gourmand Vietnam
MICHELIN Guide Ceremony 3 minutes
The Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurants for Da Nang - newly covered city this year, the second edition of the MICHELIN Guide in Vietnam - will be unveiled on June 27, when the complete selection of the MICHELIN Guide Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City & Da Nang will be officially released.
Vietnam Vietnamese MICHELIN Guide Ceremony
Travel 6 minutes
Peter Franklin’s Saigon: Late Nights, Bars, Snail Shops, and More
The MICHELIN Guide invites you to experience Ho Chi Minh City through the captivating lens of Peter Cuong Franklin, the visionary chef who has redefined the city's culinary landscape.
My Ho Chi Minh City Editor's Pick Ho Chi Minh City
- MICHELIN Guide
- Magazine
- Features
- What Are the Vietnamese Herbs Served with Pho?
