Pho is a beloved Vietnamese noodle soup known for its comforting qualities and rich flavors. Chef Kevin Tien emphasizes the importance of two specific ingredients in perfecting the dish: palm sugar or rock sugar, which add nuanced sweetness, and fish sauce, which contributes umami. Rock sugar enhances color and sheen, while palm sugar, being unrefined, retains more molasses for depth. Tien warns against using white sugar, which lacks the same complexity. He recommends seasoning with fish sauce at the end of cooking for a well-balanced bowl of pho.
The key to enhancing pho at home lies in using rock or palm sugar along with fish sauce, which enriches the broth with umami and delicate sweetness.
Using rock or palm sugar in pho adds subtle sweetness and enhances the overall flavor—white sugar simply won't achieve the same depth.
Fish sauce, known as nuoc mam, is essential in pho, providing the distinctive umami flavor. A few teaspoons adds balanced seasoning to the broth.
Chef Kevin Tien stresses that both rock or palm sugar and fish sauce are indispensable for creating a truly authentic and delicious pho.
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