3 Ways to Eat Phở Like a Pro
Photo: Alan Tan
Pho — the quintessential bowl of Vietnamese cuisine in America — is as varied and nuanced as each person who enjoys it. Even in Vietnam: preparation of pho can vary greatly from one region to another. Madame Vo has built a reputation for itself as the preeminent New York City restaurant for stunning Vietnamese cuisine, including pho. Chef Jimmy Ly simmers the broth for 24 hours and pays careful attention to detail to perfectly coax out the right flavors in the right amounts to craft the ideal flavor foundation for every bowl of pho. But even then, each bowl can change depending on the person eating it.
And though there certainly aren’t any hard and fast rules about how to enjoy your pho, below are examples of how the team at Madame Vo likes their steamy noodle bowls you can use as inspiration for your next visit to their restaurant.
Jimmy’s Way: The Meat Eater
Jimmy’s Way: The Meat Eater
Chef Jimmy loves to make himself a The Madame Pho, a beef bone based broth that’s simmered for 24 hours and served with rice noodles, cilantro, and the signature short rib. Jimmy’s personalization of the Madame Pho includes a side of sriracha and hoisin mixed together with lime juice and thit tai — thinly sliced rare beef — on the side with black pepper. Jimmy also orders himself nuoc beo — a small bowl of fatty beef broth — to add to his pho to make it even richer.
Yen’s Way: The Onion Breath
Yen’s Way: The Onion Breath
Madame Vo’s namesake and co-owner Yen Vo also likes The Madame Pho. A true Houstonian, Yen prefers her pho with brisket, as well as traditional Vietnamese meatballs with pepper and sriracha on the side. And even though it can leave a lasting impression on the palate, Yen loves her pho served with hanh dam, which is the term for Vietnamese pickled onions, for an extra punch of tartness to contrast with the richness of the broth and brisket.
Lisa’s Way: Spicy Mami
Lisa’s Way: Spicy Mami
Lisa Lu, Madame Vo’s social media master, is down for everything that comes in the Madame Pho with one exception: bean sprouts. She likes all the other herbaceous ingredients in the dish, but beansprouts are never to make an appearance in her pho. Lisa likes to season her pho broth with salty and umami-rich fish sauce and a little bit of sugar. After letting all these flavors mingle, she dips her pho’s celery, Chinese long beans, and meat into a side sauce of hoisin and sriracha mixed together. And, just for good measure, her pho is loaded with her mom’s spicy homemade chili crisp sauce.
Never listen to anyone who says you can’t have your pho your way! While there are certainly traditional ways to enjoy pho, the goal is to eat it however you want.