Compass Travel Vietnam
Chicken pho “bathed” with 17 spices, roasted until golden brown, sells several hundred bowls a day in Hanoi
Whole chickens are marinated with 17 spice mixtures and then dried thoroughly before being put into a roasting jar. Roasted chicken pho is making many Hanoi diners excited to come and enjoy it.
In Hanoi, there are many different chicken pho restaurants, but the combination of pho and roasted chicken is quite new.
For nearly 2 months now, the “unlike any other” roasted chicken pho dish of Mr. Nguyen Xuan Kien (50 years old) in Kim Lien, Dong Da district has appeared in many culinary groups, making diners curious to come and enjoy it. . During peak hours at noon (11-1pm) and evening (7-8pm), the restaurant is often full and diners have to wait quite a long time.
It is known that Mr. Kien has been in the chicken pho business for 15 years. However, he has only made roasted chicken pho and opened it for sale for a few years.
Mr. Kien said he used to work as a chef at the old Kim Lien hotel. Later, he went out to do his own business, starting with a traditional chicken pho shop. Later, he went to learn more about roasted chicken and came up with the idea of combining pho and roasted chicken.
“When I went to school, the teacher only taught me the basic recipe. When I returned, I researched more to come up with a more flavorful seasoning recipe, experimenting and calculating, adjusting the roasting time, high heat, and low heat.” “It took me about 3 years to find the complete formula,” Mr. Kien shared.
To produce delicious bowls of pho, according to Mr. Kien, the most important thing is to choose delicious chickens that are raised free range. This owner uses chickens from Yen The Hill (Bac Giang) to raise for meat, weighing 1.7kg-1.8kg.
“The chickens I use are Vietnamese chickens, caged with nets, and let loose on the hills in Yen The. I don’t use industrial chickens or chickens raised in cages, because the meat is friable and not delicious. Although the chickens raised on hills are more expensive, the meat is higher. Solid, quality,” Mr. Kien said.
At 3:00 a.m., chicken is transported from Bac Giang to Hanoi by car to ensure freshness. The chicken is washed thoroughly, then blanched with boiling water to remove impurities.
“The first time, I “bathed” the chicken in boiling water to remove impurities and help the skin tighten. After that, the chicken continued to “bath” with medicinal herbs – the secret to creating the restaurant’s flavor,” Mr. Kien said.
Chicken pho “bathed” with 17 spices, roasted until golden brown, sells several hundred bowls a day in Hanoi
The whole chicken is marinated with 17 spice mixtures such as pepper, Korean chili powder, honey, Thai salt…, then it must be dried thoroughly before being put in the roaster. Depending on the weight and size of the chicken, the chef roasts for 12 to 13 minutes per batch, adjusting the temperature from 200-250 degrees Celsius. If the roast is too long or the fire is too high, the chicken will dry out and burn.
“The last step, I let the chicken “bathe” in a large oil pan for a few minutes to make the skin golden and crispy and fragrant,” the shop owner said.
When eating, diners will feel the chicken pieces are soft, rich, and the skin is both fragrant and delicious.
In addition to the meticulously roasted chicken, the pho broth is also carefully taken care of by Mr. Kien. He simmered the broth from pork bones combined with 250-300 chicken feet for 18 hours. The shop owner adds grilled shallots, pepper, ginger, and fish sauce. “I used a small amount of MSG to complement the flavor of the broth,” Mr. Kien honestly shared.
When diners order roasted chicken pho, the pho noodles are blanched in broth and then put into a bowl, adding sauce mixed according to their own recipe, chicken, and herbs. The sauce was mixed by Mr. Kien with a mixture of coriander roots, pho basil, garlic, chili, sugar, fish sauce, lemon and kumquat.
This sauce is considered by many diners to be rich, harmonious with pho and has a quite unique flavor.
Roasted chicken pho at the restaurant costs 30,000 VND per bowl. Other dishes such as whole grilled chicken cost 160,000 VND/chicken, gizzard intestines 50,000 VND, poached eggs 100,000 VND, grilled chicken thighs 50,000 VND. Side dishes include green mango chicken leg salad and cabbage chicken salad priced at 60,000 VND/plate. A bowl of special mixed pho costs 50,000 VND, mixed pho with thighs or wings costs 35,000 VND.
Every day, Mr. Kien’s chicken pho restaurant sells from 800 to 900 bowls of pho of all kinds, mainly roasted chicken pho. Mr. Kien estimates that depending on each day, the restaurant consumes from 150 to 230 chickens and more than 1 quintal of pho noodles. The restaurant has 13 employees working continuously all day, to ensure that customers do not have to wait too long.
The restaurant space is relatively airy and air-conditioned. The restaurant has about 14 indoor tables and 4 outside tables, often full during peak hours or weekends.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh (25 years old, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi) praised the roasted chicken pho: “The pho here is delicious, the flavor is quite new. The price is cheap. However, diners should avoid it until now.” Peak”.
Mr. Tien Anh (45 years old, Dong Da), a regular customer of the restaurant, commented that the food here is quite delicious, the chicken is firm, fragrant, and not as friable as industrial chicken. However, according to this guest, the restaurant’s staff are not quick to serve.
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)
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Chicken pho “bathed” with 17 spices, roasted until golden brown, sells several hundred bowls a day in Hanoi
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