Shortcut Pho Ga

I bought thai basil and bean sprouts this weekend when I was at the asian grocery store. I had no plans for the bean sprouts but since the store is so far away from my house, I decided to get them anyway. They are cheap.

broth:
2 slices of ginger
half a yellow onion
1 pound boneless chicken thighs (This is why it I call it shortcut pho ga.)
black pepper
salt
msg
2 disks of palm sugar
1 star anise
3 whole cloves
1 black cardamon pod (aka chinese cardamon)
dash of saigon cinnamon (I ran out of cinnamon sticks)
water
fish sauce

to serve:
rick noodles (I like the fresh kind but dried will also work.)
chicken, sliced
thai basil
bean sprouts
green onions, sliced
cilantro, chopped
hoisin sauce
sriracha sauce
sugar
limes


1. Char the ginger and onions and add to a pot. Dump the rest of the soup ingredients into a pot. Simmer until chicken is cooked.
2. Remove chicken from pot and slice.

To serve: Soak rice noodles in hot water. Drain, add broth and garnish with the other optional ingredients. The list above is what I usually like in my pho. Other optional ingredients include, sliced onions, sliced jalapeno peppers, peanuts, fried garlic, fish or meatballs, quail eggs, mint, other herbs...