Fletcher Flavors

By Kim Hoan Vu (MALD '00)

For most of us, there's always one dish or another that brings back vivid memories of our childhood. In my case, pho, a type of Vietnamese rice noodle soup, brings back warm memories of my first nine years in Vietnam. This was the food of comfort and the treat that I would get when I was sick, a rather common event in my early life. It was probably the only food that would still taste good even when everything else seemed bland. There wasn't anything more counteractive to a cold than a hot bowl of pho, which is fragrant with cinnamon and star anise, as well as flavorful with a gingery beef broth that was cooked slowly for hours.

Pho was originally created in Hanoi, Vietnam, although it is also extremely popular in other parts of Vietnam, where it has taken on regional flavors. For example, Hanoi style pho is purer in form, a basic broth and noodle with beef, but not much adornment of condiments or fresh herbs. Meanwhile, Saigon style pho is served with a variety of additions such as fresh onions marinated in vinegar, fresh basil, cilantro, "thorny" cilantro, lime, several kinds of chili pepper, bean sprouts, fresh scallions, cooked scallions, several kind of beef and the list goes on.

Today, pho's popularity has spread outside Vietnam. You can find hundreds of pho noodle shops in California and any other places with Vietnamese populations. In Paris, I noticed that pho was on the menu of many non-Vietnamese restaurants as a starter. This dish has even became popular among New Englanders as evidenced by the fact that many always-packed "Pho Pasteur" restaurants that are popping up all over the Boston area.

The recipe for this issue of the Fletcher Ledger came from my dearly departed father who claimed to have learned the secret of a famous Hanoi pho noodle house. Apparently, when my father was 16 years old he ran away from home and moved to Hanoi because he wanted to learn modern written Vietnamese, or quoc ngu. (My grandfather, a passionate nationalist, forbade my father to learn this new form of Vietnamese because it was a product of French colonialism.) My father worked at a pho noodle soup house in Hanoi in exchange for room and board (all the soup he can eat) while he learned the new language. It was a tool that later became very useful: it helped him win the National Literary Award at age 33. Anyway, enjoy this soup, as it will surely make you feel good as it helps you keep warm for those cold winter days!

Editor's Note: Fletcher Flavors features recipes from The Fletcher Flavors Cookbook. The cookbook, comprised of over 80 recipes from 25 countries, is sold to raise money for charity. The second edition of Fletcher Flavors will be published later this year. If you would like to submit a recipe or are interested in buying a copy of the book, please send Kim a note at kvu02@tufts.edu

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