This is another childhood favorite of Mai’s.
Mai has an extremely vivid memory of the very first time she had this dish at the age of 7 or 8. A family friend who picked Mai up after dance class took her to a little restaurant at the corner of a busy downtown Saigon intersection. The incredible textures and flavors made such a huge impression that Mai can close her eyes today and see herself there.
Most people outside of Vietnam only know of phở in its one form: in a bowl of broth with beef or chicken. But phở actually refers to both the noodle soup dish and the noodles themselves. The noodles can be used in a variety of other dishes like this one.
Vietnam and China have a long history of cultural exchange and sharing. The Chinese influence is clear in many dishes- including this with the use of oyster sauce.
This dish is a marvel: thick phở noodles are fried until they form a ‘cake’ that is crispy on the outside but nice and soft on the inside, then topped with a delicious mixture of sautéd beef, cải ngọt/yu choy, carrots, tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and cilantro.
Phở áp chảo • Crispy Fried Phở
Course: MainCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Medium2
servings30
minutes1
hour1
hour30
minutesIngredients
1/4 lb 1/4 beef tenderloin
1/2 lb 1/2 cải ngọt / yu choy (alternative: bok choy)
1/4 lb 1/4 carrots
1/4 lb 1/4 white onion
1/2 lb 1/2 tomatoes
5 5 shiitake mushrooms
4 stalks 4 green onion
3 cloves 3 garlic
20 stalks 20 cilantro
1/2 lb 1/2 dry pho noodles
Vegetable oil
- Beef marinade
2 tbsp 2 oyster sauce
1 tsp 1 bouillon powder
1/2 tsp 1/2 ground black pepper
1 tsp 1 fish sauce
- Seasoning for veggies & sauce
5 tbsp 5 oyster sauce
1 tsp 1 bouillon powder
2 tsp 2 fish sauce (or to taste)
1 tbsp 1 cornstarch
1/4 cup 1/4 water
Directions
- Peel and slice carrots diagonally.
Cut yu choy and green onions into 1 inch pieces.
Cut tomatoes into thin wedges – 4-8 wedges per tomato depending on the size.
Thinly slice white onion.
Mince garlic cloves.
Roughly chop cilantro.
Cut shiitake mushrooms in half. - Slice beef tenderloin into bite-size pieces and season with ingredients in “beef marinade” section. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pho noodles in a large pot of water. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to prevent noodles from sticking.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high. Add the phở noodles, arranging them in an even circular layer.
If you want to make individual servings, divide the pho noodles into portions and fry them separately. - Fry until the bottom has formed a crispy layer that holds the noodles together. Flip and cook the other side.
- While the second side is cooking, heat a bit of vegetable oil in another pan on medium high. Add half of the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the beef and sauté until cooked. This will be very quick- about 30 seconds. Do not overcook. Remove beef to a bowl and set aside.
- Add some more oil and the remaining minced garlic to the pan.
- Add carrots and white onion. Sauté until onion is translucent.
- Add tomatoes and shiitake mushrooms. Sauté until tomatoes are soft.
- Mix together cornstarch and water. Add this, along with the oyster sauce, bouillon powder, and fish sauce called for in the “Seasoning for veggies” section to the pan.
- Add yu choy and green onions. Sauté until greens are wilted.
- Add beef back to the pan, sauté for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, add in cilantro, and mix.
- When the noodles are ready, add them to a plate and pour the beef-veggies mixture on top.
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