The Secret To Making Pho That Tastes Like It Comes From A Restaurant
You could always judge a Vietnamese restaurant by how tasty its pho is. And for some reason, phở always seems to taste better at a restaurant than when you make it at home (unless you're lucky enough to have Vietnamese aunties or grandmothers in the kitchen). We chatted with chef Kevin Tien of the restaurant Moon Rabbit By Kevin Tien to ask him what exactly makes restaurant pho so good, and how anyone can replicate the flavors at home. Here's Tien's secret: "I like to make a chicken pho base, and my secret is to make sure I roast the chicken bones and toast the spices before adding it to the stock to build an extra layer of flavor."
Tien knows exactly what he's talking about. After all, he's a five-time James Beard Semifinalist and 2024 Best Chef Mid-Atlantic Finalist, and Moon Rabbit was one of The New York Times' "America's Best Restaurants," 2024. Roasting chicken bones and toasting spices trigger the Maillard reaction, caramelizing fats in both the bones and spices, making both ingredients more flavorful and smoky. The result? A tastier, more flavorful broth — the star of the dish. Not treating the pho broth like the main event in the dish is one of the biggest mistakes you should avoid when making pho at home.
To make homemade pho unforgettable, the broth must be layered and nuanced in flavor
A good pho broth is all about nuanced and layered flavors. Aside from fish sauce, the essence of toasted spices, and roasted meat bones, Tien makes sure to add additional seasonings to really make the soup shine. He elaborated, "I also like to make sure I season with MSG and use coconut palm sugar." MSG, or monosodium glutamate, enhances all the other savory and umami notes in the broth, while coconut palm sugar balances the savoriness with a hint of sweetness.
If all this talk about delicious pho has built up your craving for it this week, be sure to check out our easy chicken pho recipe and incorporate some of Tien's tips. When we make pho at home, we like to roast all the meats and bones on a single sheet pan, along with onions, ginger, and some spices. Once roasted to perfection, we toss all the ingredients into an Insta-Pot. Then, we don't shy away from enhancing all the flavors of the broth and kicking up the umami by adding some MSG to the mix. A recommendation is to start with about 1/4 teaspoon and go from there.