Secrets of the Red Lantern by Pauline Nguyen

Author:Pauline Nguyen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin

There is a great fondness and respect dedicated by food writers and pho obsessives alike to the national soup of Vietnam. The art of making pho has been described by authors and avowed pho-natics Cuong Phu and Mai Long as ‘symbolizing a Vietnam whose people and history are as varied and complex as the preparation of a bowl of pho itself — a dish that has travelled across the oceans and continents, transforming itself to survive’. Pho has integrated so completely into Australian society that there is no longer the need to refer to it as ‘beef noodle soup’ — everyone knows what pho is.

For me, pho represents a dish of tolerance and freedom of expression. Why have so many pho restaurants in Cabramatta survived for over twenty years? It is because there are enough varied palates and personal preferences to keep the vendors alive. Some prefer the Southern version, embellished with herbs, chilli, lemon and sauces. Others will eat only pho bac , the Northern version, unadorned with extra condiments. Some like a complex broth sweetened with herbs and spices, while others prefer the subtler flavours of white radish and charred onion. Some enjoy the fresh noodle; soft, slippery and delicate. Others prefer the re-hydrated kind, which is chewier in consistency. Whether it is pho ga, with chicken, or pho dac biet, with the lot, there is a style to satisfy the fussiest palates.

No-one in my family is alike. My father likes the classic pho tai nam , with just a hint of lemon in his fish sauce to dip. He doesn’t like MSG in his broth but my mother insists upon it. I prefer more noodles and less meat in my bowl and, like my mother, I like to leave the herbs and sprouts crisp on the side — my father allows the herbs to soften in his bowl. Lewis likes pho dac biet — without any fat, of course. He insists that the addition of any sauce is a crime: ‘It takes away the purity of the pho.’ Luke eats his with gau — beef flank marbled with some fat. He prefers just a hint of lemon and a sliver of chilli to infuse the broth. Leroy, on the other hand, loves plenty of lemon, basil, sawtooth coriander and chilli in his bowl, dipping his beefy goodness in a mess of hoisin and chilli sauce.

For a dish steeped in such history and tradition, it is unprejudiced and wholly accepting of individual involvement and personal interpretation. Known among his peers as ‘The Godfather of Pho’, my father has dedicated a lifetime to mastering this dish and, indeed, it has taken him a lifetime to master. ‘The secret is in the broth,’ says my father. ‘It takes up to twenty-four hours to make the soup and every cook adds his own special herbs. The broth demands constant nurturing and patience, skimming it of impurities. It is labour intensive and physically tiring to make but ultimately so rewarding.’

Although it is not my favourite food, it is certainly a special one for me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.