Vietnamese Pho For Uncle Roger

My fourth and FINAL attempt to achieve the Uncle Title. And I've chosen an incredibly difficult dish to make. But, I truly believe this might earn me Uncle Roger's coveted title. Vietnamese pho is perhaps the most famous noodle soup in the world.

I want to give a massive thanks to Thuy Diem Pham. I had to do my research on this one, and even though I may have still made a few mistakes, hopefully Uncle Roger will appreciate the diligence. I'm linking the recipe below as well as her Instagram handle.

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[NickDiGiovanni]

BIG thanks to Thuy for the recipe (her recipe and info is in the description below). Don't forget to toss a like on the vid for that Uncle Title.

[mrnigelng]

Still don’t know how you found my number. But review coming soon…

[haleyholmes]

As a Vietnamese, im glad that this video exist. There are two of my idols, Uncle Rger and Nick. And the national dish that my people are proud of!!

[ashtdp]

This was a great video nick! Being south Vietnamese, I can confirm he got most parts right! The only things I would change is no radish used in the broth, don’t dunk noodles in pho broth- you always cook it separate to not dilute or “cloud” the broth, also use more fish sauce!!! and more herbs like green onion, sliced white onions and cilantro to garnish the broth and add more flavor to it. I also personally add hoisin and Siracha sauce directly to my broth haha.

[dxvde]

I love how Nick explains every single step he does very clearly.

[AsianAndyfilms]

I’m Vietnamese, and I just learned how to make Pho from Nick. Def gonna tell my mom about the way you get leave the noodles in lukewarm water for 30-45 mins.

[petpoke]

As a Vietnamese, I'm very impressed by how Nick knows about the difference between Northern and Southern Vietnamese Pho. This is not something that you would usually see from a foreigner without the act of researching or experiencing the culture themselves.

[vuongthachvu]

As a Vietnamese, I appreciate your effort in trying to make a good pho. Even just watching you make it on YouTube, I believe it is delicious and captures 70% of authentic Vietnamese pho. Come to Vietnam, and we will create a street vendor stall for you with the title "Uncle Nick." LOL

[danielchen]

I love how he just keeps trying! The only thing that can conquer uncle roger might not only be MSG, or rice cooker, but nick's determined heart.

[richardtly]

As a Vietnamese person growing up on pho my whole life, my kudos to Nick, you hit the majority of elements: charring the onions and garlic, heating up the spices, blanching the bones and meat, going low and slow. That fall off the bone moment, chef's kiss!

Things I would do different: I don't cook the noodles in the broth, or if I do, it's with a separate amount of broth that I don't use in the final bowls, because cooking the noodles in the broth clouds it up, and actually may take away from the beefy flavor, after all that previous effort to keep it clear! I cook the noodles separate and strain them well to minimize any impact on the broth.

I'm Vietnamese of south descent, and we put a lot more accoutrements at the end, a little finely sliced green onion, cilantro, and onion to further enhance the broth, and in addition to Thai basil and bean sprouts there are some other select Asian greens that can really make the broth pop even more. Nick made a more northern style pho, which some prefer for it's simplicity and focus on the main elements.

I've really enjoyed your pursuit of the uncle title Nick, best of luck!

[Anna-gmlu]

As a vietnamese watching this, im actually really impressed about how a foreigner knows the difference between the flavors from the north and the south. i didnt know this until i was 8

[weixiuqin]

Gordon definitely taught us how to say pho. Plus my guy spent a whole day makeing pho

[daolam]

As a Vietnamese who has obsessively perfected my own phở recipe, good job, Nick!

There are a few things in the video that I feel like he can improve:

1. We don’t use daikon in our phở broth: although daikon is good to add into the broth for umami flavour, it has a unique scent. Because of this scent, it is used specifically to flavour a different dish called hủ tiếu. If you want to add umami to phở, you can either use MSG or chicken bullion.

2. Fish sauce is a must and you must add a lot: phở broth seasoning consists of a tiny bit of salt, MSG, and a lot of fish sauce to create that magical phở smell. The more expensive the fish sauce, the better the broth smells and tastes.

3. Don’t grate your rock sugar cube, man! It is sugar, it will dissolve into the broth.

4. Don’t dunk the noodles into the broth: by doing so, you release the starch from the noodles into the broth and will make it cloudy. Instead, have a separate pot of hot water to dunk your noodles and drain well before you put them into the bowl.

5. Bean sprouts: there are 2 schools of phở in VN. The Northern style does not have any extra herbs or vegetables. They eat straight up phở by itself. The Southern style is where you get a plate of bean sprouts and a garden of herbs to accompany your bowl of phở.

In most phở restaurants, bean sprouts are not added into the soup. They are served either fresh or blanched on a separate plate. When you eat the soup, you have a choice to add as much or as little sprouts into your soup as you like. Also, by keeping it separately, the phở broth is not diluted by the juice from the sprouts.

5. Accoutrements: phở is served with paper-thin slices of white onions, finely chopped green onions and cilantro on top and a lot of them. This mixture is there to enhance the fragrance of phở. In the US, thin slices of habaneros are served on the side to add extra heat to the broth whereas in Vietnam, we have a variety of bird’s eye chilli by themselves, pickled, or finely chopped in vinegar.

Because of the herbs and spices, Phở is a healing dish to nurture people who have cold, flu, or covid. The essence of Nick’s phở is there and with some tweaking, I believe he can create a very good pot of phở in the near future.

[russmackint]

Can we appreciate how amazing Nick had been to actually have a collab with Uncle Roger?

[chau_vn]

As a Vietnamese, i am proud on how you made this.

[themissinglinksofhistory]

My mom makes this dish a lot from the chicken version to the beef brisket version it is a dear and a nostalgic dish I always eat

[mauricebao]

As some regular old Vietnamese guy whos eaten infinite bowls of pho in his life. Fish sauce is NOT optional. you NEED fishsauce otherwise it will be bland. I've had a lot of bland pho too and it was because there wasn't enough fish sauce. don't grate your rock sugar man, just throw it in there, its sugar its gonna go to the same place, your stomach. I've also never seen daikon Radish inside of pho, but that sounds like an okay idea never really put that into practice unless it was chicken ramen. but i digress.
Don't cook noodles in the broth man, because like ramen, there is some extra starch inside the noodles that you do not want in your final broth, and then it'll get kind of thick, there is a noticeable difference. you also shouldn't put the limes in the broth, you serve it on the side and the customer would squeeze it in there themselves, because if you leave the lime inside the broth, it'll go bitter. i usually go for green onions as a garnish, as well as some beansprouts on the side, and i also use thinly sliced onions in the broth too. I'm talking like i can see through the slices thin. I cant speak for all the other Vietnamese people out there but I remember getting a whole untrimmed piece of filet mignon at the asian market and slicing that really thin to put on top of the pho. for Pho Dac Biet, we usually put tripe in there, and some times for Bo Vien we use the meatballs. My family is from the South, so there's got to be a balance 8/10. good luck becoming an uncle

Edit: IF anyone watched the recent uncle roger video I told you so! congratulations Nick!!! This man begged until the man finally gave him the title

[rrufio]

I like how Nic learning from his mistakes and always trying to improve. Signs of a good chef.

[miming]

I am fascinated with your cooking skills and knowledge ❤

[Simon]

These guys are the best combo there is to find. Looking forward for a collab between Uncle Gordon, Uncle Roger and Uncle Nick.