Pho or Vietnamese Shrimp Noodle Soup

Here's David's quote regarding one of the families all-time favorite recipe:

"For me, eating this pho is the culinary equivalent of listening to the Grateful Dead.  When I listen to the Dead, I can hear each of the individual players and instruments playing separately and beautifully, but together for the benefit of the whole.  When I taste pho, I can taste the individual flavors of chicken, shrimp, basil, cilantro, garlic, ginger, mint, cinnamon and lime as they all come together to make a symphony of tastes that makes my tongue dance!"

We absolutely love pho any which way! Check out our beef version that I posted earlier in my blog.  It's a staple dish among the Vietnamese and in our household as well. Enjoy!

4 boxes of chicken broth

2 cans vegetable broth

4 cups water

2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined (save the shells to help add flavor to the broth)

3 - 4 carrots, broken into pieces

3 - 4 celery ribs, broken into pieces

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 head of garlic sliced in half

6 - 8 cloves of garlic, mashed

1 - 4 inch piece of fresh ginger

8 whole cloves

12 whole peppercorns

1 stick of cinnamon

3 - 4 chicken bouillon cubes

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire

1/4 cup white wine

5 oz sliced shitake mushrooms

fresh basil

fresh cilantro

fresh mint

1 bunch green onions sliced thin

2 large red onion sliced paper thin

8 ounces bean sprouts

3 fresh limes sliced into wedges

1 - 2 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced thin

1/2 lb. rice stick boiled in water for 4 minutes right before serving

Tuong Ot Sriracha Red Chili Sauce

Hoisin Sauce (optional)

Bring water, broth, shrimp shells, carrots, celery, chopped onion, whole head of garlic sliced in the middle, half of the ginger, peeled and sliced, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, a few sprigs each of cilantro, basil and the zest and juice of 1 lime. Simmer for at least 1 - 2 hours.

Marinate the shrimp in soy sauce, wine, Worcestershire, minced garlic, finely grated ginger, sliced red onion and green onions. Set aside in fridge.

Arrange a platter of bean sprouts, all the fresh herbs, sliced jalapenos and lime wedges.

After broth has cooked, strain the broth. Discard veggies, shells, etc... Bring the broth to a boil and skim the foaming fat. Add bouillon, stir well. Add shrimp, onions, remaining marinade and mushrooms to the broth. Heat though and bring to another boil until shrimp turns pink in color, then ready to serve.

To assemble and serve soup, distribute noodles in big soup bowls, then pour broth and shrimp mixture over noodles to cover.

Just before eating tear the fresh herbs into pieces. Add a handful of sprouts and squeeze a lime wedge or two, jalapeno slices to taste. Serve with Sriracha and Hoisin Sauce. Use Sriracha sparingly.