Oops! I think Edouard was keeping me sort of glued to the TV, (I'm in Houston and love the rain it brought=o), so, I had a few mispelled words. But... ha-ha... since no one mentioned it, guess you all knew what I meant. On the noodles instruction paragraph... It was supposed to be: run through 'Cold' water, and not 'Gold' water. Surprisingly, no one had asked me to send him/her a jug of gold water! LOL... Also, please "ChoPped" the green onion and not 'choOped'... LOL, is that even an English word?!? Jessyf, I often don't have sliced beef neither and the ground beef in the stock is normally enough meat for me. Medium rare to rare sliced beef is the main meat in Pho. However, many people prefer it thoroughly cooked. If you do, dip the sliced beef into the hot steamy stock to cook it to your preference and arrange it on top of the noodles. Then, when you're ready to serve, pour the stock into the bowl. Jim, as for the hot sauce, there's no such thing as the "right" hot sauce. It is more of a preference. I have an Italian taste tongue, so my choice of "hot" is black pepper for Pho! And, of course, you can chose to have a combination of black pepper, hot sauce and jalapenos with Pho. That is, if you don't turn into a dragon afterward. As Jessyf mentioned, yes, Sriracha is normally used in the restaurant for Pho. You're right about having other type of meat in Pho. But, they're mainly of or derived from beef/cow parts. Fish ball is not one of the type of meat in Pho, beef meat ball is. That is why many times, we call it Pho B(B2=beef/cow) to differentiate from a similar noodle soup, Pho Gà (gà =chicken). Chicken Pho is made slightly different.

Thanks Carol and Woodie... No it wasn't me that tossed the stock down the drain Carol, but I know I've nearly done it several times...LOL and someone else did do it as I remember. It would be so easy to do wouldn't it, when we're so accustomed to draining something in the sink. Woodie I'm sure Ken's chicken soup is first rate ! I used to make thick lentil or chickpea soups more often than chicken soup, but I now love the flavour after the bones, garlic and onion have been roasted first. I often sauté the vegetables first in garlicky oil when making a lentil or chickpea soup as well, as it adds to the rich, toasty flavour. Mmm I look forward to soup weather. It's still pretty warm here but nights are turning a bit cooler. SharonCb

I think the key to a good chicken soup is the chicken itself! Buy a good chicken. Put it in a stock pot almost covered with water. Bring to a gentle boil, skimming off the foam. Add onion, carrots, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about an hour - or until the chicken is very tender and comes off the bone easily. Remove the chicken. Remove the bones and add them back to the chicken stock. Simmer for about another hour..add more water if needed. Strain the stock (you can chill and remove most of the fat if desired -but leave some) Heat stock to a boil, add HOMEMADE noodles and cook until tender - you can add fresh carrots to this also. Add the chicken back in at the end. It doesn't get all stringy if you just put it back in right before you serve. I think it is best reheated the next day! I love to make soup!!!!

I'm fine with leftover barley in soup, and won't strain it out. Sometimes by the next day, the soup may be too thick, so I simply add more water or broth. To me, it still tastes good. Sometimes, better. Same with beans... which are nearly always better at a later meal. I'm not a fan of rice, except wild rice, in soups. Even the first day, never mind further days, the texture doesn't appeal. (Don't like risotto, either.) Noodles and pasta can be problematic, for those I simply try to avoid leftovers... with varying success. Some of this will depend on type of noodle.