So, if you want a shotcut to authentic pho, find a vietnamese place and buy it. There are plenty of good noodle dishes (like that chinese style freshwater fish noodle soup) you can make relatively fast or with shortcuts. pho is not one of them.
Also, I think it’s kinda f’d up when famous non Asian chefs actually make videos trying to TEACH people how to make these dishes and to teach it wrong. It’s one thing if they’ve learned the right way and is teaching us, the audience. But really, respect people’s culture. Make it how you like when you’re at home but to go and teach people to do it any kind of way is disrespectful.
@@deathpyre42 Yes of course if they’re doing it right, by all means, teach. Even if you have a slight twist like maybe you prefer it with Italian basil… But for every step to be wrong and call them shortcuts, it’s just not right.
Many moons ago I interviewed a chef whose restaurant was featured on Rachel's "$40 A Day" show. I asked him about his experience and his face went dead and he said, "She's a crazy bitch." That quote has stuck with me ever since.
I can corroborate that. A supermarket here in the southern U.S., Publix, has or had cooking classes in some of their stores, called "Aprons." Rachel Ray was a guest chef at a local Publix, and she was a bitch. Wouldn't sign any books. Alton Brown was another guest chef there, and he couldn't have been nicer. Stayed two hours past when he was scheduled and didn't leave until the last book was signed.
@@kck9742so in your perspective, being nice consists of doing extra exhausting work for free and letting fans run you ragged? And having clear boundaries and telling people “no” is being mean? Interesting….. I don’t disagree that she may be a bitch but I don’t think refusing to sign books when you’re supposed to be teaching a class is that insane
Vietnamese here, if you are interested in Vietnamese cuisine or a traditional bowl of pho, these might be suggestions for you. 1. Broth: you should choose beef bones and chop them into small pieces. Boil it once, then discard the water and add new water. Boiling time depends on the size of beef bones, usually about 8 hours. The ratio of bone and water is about 1:4. Don't let the water get too dry, it will turn cloudy. Also don't roast beef bones, your broth will smell burnt. 2. The seasonings for the broth: shallots, coriander seeds, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, rock sugar (you can choose white sugar if you follow Southern style), salt. Traditionally, pho does not use onions and cloves (the flavor of cloves is strong but slightly burnt). All these ingredients (except salt and sugar, of course) are grilled (best if charcoal grill) and stewed with broth. Depending on your taste, you can take out the seasoning early or late. You can add fish sauce or MSG if you like. 3. Vegetables: Usually, there will be vegetables served with the Northern style, such as coriander, basil, and green onion. Southerners use more vegetables. 4. Beef: If you are using cooked beef, use brisket, boil and let it dry, then slice thinly so that there is enough fat and lean meat. If you want to use rare beef, use beef tenderloin. Normally, Vietnamese beef is tougher but sweeter than American or Japanese beef. In fact, you can find cheap beef that sometimes makes your pho taste better (that's the great thing about pho, making cheap ingredients weirdly delicious). 5. Pho: You should buy fresh pho, but if not, you can buy packaged pho. You should dip the pho in warm water (70-80 degrees Celsius) before putting it in a bowl and pouring the broth in. Usually pho is very fragile, so if it is too hot, it can affect its quality. 6. Additives: You can add chili garlic vinegar, lime juice, fermented chili sauce (or sriracha) along with the fried dough. However, in my opinion the cheapest, most time-saving way and you can "Cheat" is to go to the local pho shops, ask them to buy a broth. You can then put them in bags and store them in the freezer. Every time you use it, you just need to put raw beef and vegetables in the bowl. Then pour the boiled pho water and you're done. Pho sellers will sell you broth for a very cheap price (because they throw away the excess stock at the end of the day to make a fresh batch).
If you don't wanna boil for 8 hours, some people use a pressure cooker for about 2 hours. That way, you won't have to worry about a high gas bill or having to top off the water lol
@@banchousimp coriander seed and rock sugar are optional. You can use clove and onion but like i said, that is not traditional, and one ingredient i forgot to talk about is dry sea worm (Sá sùng), but i don't know that you can find them in US marketplace.
@@LongVu-lh9el Yeah seem fair, My family have a traditional pho restaurant at VN, we prefer use fresh coriander. The dry sea worm is no longer exist even in VN tho :( so we use shit tons of MSG instead
To be fair, texmex is its own style of food with its own rules separate from both American and Mexican cooking. This lady's just making diarrhea in a bowl
I’m Vietnamese and my family has been In the restaurant business since I was 13 and I’m 48 now that’s pretty much all I know. Watching her make pho made me cringe, definitely no garlic in pho!
Man didn't realise that I can learn so much from a reaction video of a reaction video. The differing opinions highlight and enhance specific points that were brought up. Keep up the good work!
Agree, we don't even have a name for bay leaf. I recall when i went to culinary school and that one time when a guess chef teach a dish using it everyone be like wtf is that shit? We just called it "brown leaf" because the thing we have are dried bay leaf. Edit: Everyone in the school are all professional Vietnamese chefs not amateur, they're there just to get a license for salary and rank raise.
@@ZanathKariashi at home and recording for people to see. Lol But also pho so simply to make If you got the ingredients. Even asians know how not to mess it up cuz pho is so good
No garlic. My family doesn't use bay leaf. I imagine other spices would override the bay leaf fragrance. I use a little bit of Chinese 5-spice and cloves but not coriander. I got the idea from a popular brand name's pho spices sachet. I do cheat with the pressure cookers, Sriracha sauce substituting red chili, and arm or chuck roast beef. Thin slice beef is dunked quickly in the individual broth pot for each serving, then all is poured into the bowl of noodle. Yes, the broth doesn't look great or clear with the way I prepare the beef. But I wanna make sure my kids eating no uncooked meat. Now, my kids are men, and they prefer to chew on a cow's leg instead of a medium rare steak, jk.
I made pho for the first time and my broth didnt look clear but i was just glad that it at least tasted good and like pho lmfaoo. I didnt use bayleaf tho but i do love bay leaves. Its a staple in a lot of Caribbean food.
I completely agree that pho is a dish that cannot be cheated. Imagine my complete grief when my mom poured out my pho broth after simmering everything for 7+ hours. Plus, my mom does what Rachel Ray does with the beef to my broth all the time. Cooks stuff that shouldn't be cooked in the broth.
Yes, there are just some dishes that you don't make cheat versions. It just doesn't work. Every culture has certain comfort or celebration food that you don't do shortcuts. But you see horrible recipes online 'easy 30 minute beef stew' nope, just no. And iirc this lady made a career out of simplifying and dumbing down cooking. I give ger credit, she rarely cooks from a box.
This is so refreshing to see a youtuber who makes a reaction video and actually is honest when he doesn't know something. This is great! Keep up the good work :)
This is typical of the slipshod cooking being “fed” to the American home Chef by Celebrity Chefs! Thanks for reviewing Uncle Rodger’s video and exposing the misinformation network. I just found your channel and will follow to continue my exposure to quality cooking techniques and ideas.
Pho is literally one of my all time favorite foods. I’m lucky enough to grow up in a neighborhood with a ton of Pho restaurants, and I guarantee if I selected one a random, they would wipe the floor with Rachel Ray.
Pho can come with a variety of beef/steak toppings. Chuck, brisket, flank steak, skirt steak can all be used as a COOKED Pho topping. These cuts of beef are often boiled as part of the first part of making of the broth, taken out when fully cooked, refrigerated for several hours while the pho broth continues to cook, then sliced thinly right before the bowl of pho is made. Quickly cooling the meat after it has been boiled causes any connective tissue that was gelatinizing to congeal and change its texture, giving it a nice slightly chewy bite. If you want the UNCOOKED, rare, beef that is cooked in the bowl by the broth, you want eye of round sliced paper thin against the grain.
I will admit, Rachel Ray once visited a restaurant I had worked at for her show on dining for 30 dollars a day and I thought "wow, that's really cool." This Pho is not cool however.
i'd love to know where these celeb chefs get their info, like did she / her team never consult a single vietnamese person to find out how it's traditionally made. just wing it lol
I made pho the other day. It was my 3rd attempt and I nailed it. I finally got the balance between the spices, onion and ginger perfect. The bones I used were direct from a butcher instead of the supermarket. I am convinced that made a huge difference. I eat Vietnamese whenever I am in Dorchester/Boston. It's the closest I have ever come to a great pho. Its black cardamom not green.
@@shireads2954 lol sorry. Not in western mass though funny enough, I am not as far as one might expect. I am in Mass too, though on the other side of the state from you. Near Plymouth
The only "cheat" I do in making pho is using a pressure cooker to speed up the time. Everything else should stay the same or it wont taste like pho anymore
Fun fact: there's also a vegan version of pho called pho chay ('chay' means vegetarian in Vietnamese), since many Vietnamese people who follow Buddhism don't eat meat.
Thai basil is worth growing hands down ❤️ I use it for pho, salads, spring rolls, and rice bowls. I’m sure I could make a sandwich and pasta dish with it too.
I am working in a Vietnamese restaurant, I love pho and my family loves it too. So we NEVER put garlic and bay leaves in pho stock. If you do that, your fucked up 🤣 and yes we love msg, we do put msg on the table
Wow. I thought my pho was terrible (it is, compared to legit pho) but Rachael took it to another level. Brian... you should do Mexican mom's reacting to Rachael Ray pozole next if you haven't already.
Pho broth is ultimately a French consomme like you've mentioned there's a lot of French influence in Vietnamese cooking. Especially with Pho and Banh Mi. BTW Pho is one of those dishes that shouldn't have "shortcuts." But I don't put bay leaves in my pho broth. Something else she fucked up is that I like to toast my spices in a pan on low heat to bring out the natural flavor and aroma. I cook my bones for 8-9 hours but add my spice bags later (with 2 hours left). If you put the spice bag in TOO early, the flavors of the spices dissipates so I like to put it in later so the flavors are there and noticeable.
If you thought this was bad, look up her first video where she made pho (she pronounced it fo), with pork and egg noodles. It was so offensive I wrote her a letter.
MSG also occurs naturally in foods like tomatoes and soy sauce. People say they’re allergic to it or it gives them headaches but it’s very hard to eat a diet completely free of it honestly!
Fun fact there is no blood in meat (as the blood would make it turn rancid extremely quickly due to its oxygen content) that is in fact myoglobin (what is often mistaken for blood in a steak) while they perform similar functions they are different chemicals.
My grandma do “short cut” pho when she don’t have time but even that would usually take her a few hours. There is no such thing as short cut like how Rachel is showing you. Please just to go pho at a pho restaurant.
The headache, sleeplessness, cancer and all the other stuff was never proven and is most likely solely in people's heads. There are enough papers on it as Karen's insisted it is unhealthy. It's literally less unhealthy than tablesalt.
I agree the MSG is safe and doesn't deserve to be villainized, but people can be sensitive to anything. It definitely gives me migraines because I've eaten MSG rich food unknowingly and only thought to ask after I had the blinding headache. That doesn't mean I don't have MSG in my pantry and don't love it. But my mom and I definitely get very real headaches. The pain is just worth it sometimes.
Im fairly certain when I was doing my training, that my head chef taught me that bay leaf isn’t out of the question due to the French influence and that pho is heavily influenced by the French dish “pot au feu”, which is also where the roasting of the onion comes from
As a Vietnamese, when I was younger (about 10s years old), I heard repeatedly that Pho was influenced by "pot au feu", hence the pronunciation. As an adult, I'd learned that the French did have influences in the Pho as we use beef as an ingredient, at that time Pho was the only beef soup their hence they keep the procunciation ("Pho" was understood as that particular beef noodle soup). Before that buffalo and cow were never used for food, they were farming tools which worth a fortune. First, we learned to cook beef from the French. Then because it was so expensive to cook that way and that thicker soup wasn't fit Vietnamese taste, we slowly combine the method with our traditional way of cooking broth/stock to make Pho we know today. And no, bay leaf doesn't belongs in Pho, despite of the influence of the French, all ingredients are all Vietnamese traditonal ingredient (minus anything beef related).
@@thudo2156 According to wiktionary, it is a folk etymology. In fact it is a clipping of the earlier lục phở, nhục phở, corrupted pronunciations of Cantonese 牛肉粉.
Would love to watch your reaction to Uncle Roger's reaction to Chef Wang Gang's fried rice. I think that's the best fried rice that's ever been featured on his channel and would love to hear your input as well
For the thinly sliced raw beef in pho, top round is best. I also used arm roast quite a bit...my market has this on bogo sale a lot. For the cooked beef in the broth when you are making it, brisket and flank is typical, but I have also used skirt steak because my Mexican market has it on sale often because fajitas! But it's not the best honestly...a little tough. There ARE a decent shortcut...frozen pho broth concentrate works in a pinch. Mama La's is what I usually use. In college I also had pho broth in cans (it was in a blue can) in my pantry...it was okay. Convenient for quick single/double servings. Both shortcuts are better than whatever Rachel made.
Re uncle roger going off on rachel ray garlic/bay leaf addition. Uncle was right, we don't use garlic or bay leaf in pho broth. Only charred onion and ginger. Speaking as an actual restaurant pho owner/cook.
9:30 yes, we do grow bay leaves in Vietnam, especially in the South since that was where the French first set foot on Vietnamese land a couple of centuries ago.
She literally says we're using beef stock because we are making beef pho. Then goes on to say beef, chicken, fish, doesn't matter. Well which is it Rachael?
She assumes you'll change whatever broth or bouillon powder you're using depending on the protein. All the shortcut broths or bouillon are based on the French holy trinity flavors and they will be wrong for Pho. Pho broth doesn't have celery or carrots in it, even if eventually it may have shallot in.
I grew up eating all kinds of pho from the street stalls right in the alleyway to fancy restaurants famous nationwide and I have never been unhappy with my experience. This pho makes me so sad just to look at it. I can't imagine being served this and have to eat it out of social courtesy.
This is the equivalent of me watching someone butcher gumbo roux. There’s just certain bases that must be respected. Pho broth & Roux are sacred dammit lmfaoo😂
I had to pause the video when you started talking about Consume. Another way to make a clear stock without the use of an egg, is to freeze the stock, not matter what stock it is. Then, place it in a strainer covered with cheese cloth, or several chux cloths, over a bowl and allow to slowly defrost in your fridge. All the solid is left behind and the stock/broth is clear
I absolutely LOVE pho! We have a lot a fantastic Vietnamese restaurants that serve it nearby. I have never made it...but maybe after these reaction videos I might try it. Poor Rachel has never enjoyed this in a restaurant. It's too bad...
I've always loved pho, but never attempted to make it - I had no idea how to go about it, and I'd rather support the local restaurants here that do an amazing job. One of the places near me has a very unique blend of several influences - vietnamese, chinese, thai, and more. As a result they serve both an amazing traditional pho and a house-made special with wonton. Nothing I try making will compare...especially not if I follow Miss Ray's example 🤣
I learned to make Pho from a Vietnamese grandmother. I watched this on Uncle Roger's channel and I could hear her cussing and spinning in her grave. I called my friend and we watched it together. Best laugh in ages. One question. WHAT THE HELL IS "FORTIFIED. " broth?
There is no such thing. To fortify cereal is to add vitamins and minerals to improve nutritional content. To fortify wine is to add alcohol to make it stronger. The broth is not having anything additional added to it. It is made as it is supposed to be made. Poorly of course. I guess Rachel Ray is as good at butchering language as she is butchering recipes.
You put fried noodles in shallow bowl. But should put a soup noodle in a deep bowl for it to be able to hold more soup and your customers or friends or to whom you would serve it will be able to enjoy the soup. We Asians love our soup. So serving us not enough soup is kinda offending. THE SOUP IS THE SOUL OF THIS FOOD MS. RACHEL RAY.
while a french cut, I really like Bravette for Pho, it's tough if you don't cook it fast and hot, but if slicing super thin for pho, it works amazingly, also super cheap cut
Chef Brian! Recently found your vids! Love the educational part of them! It has really helped me understand the cooking process and made my stomach much happier!
I just learned that the pho restaurant near my parents house is really authentic. They do everything you mentioned except they use Jalapeno's instead of red chilis. But I feel like I can allow it given how good the food tastes.
I’ve been to multiple Viet owned restaurants in the Bay Area owned by immigrants and they usually serve pho with jalapeños! I assume because they’re easier to source or people are more familiar with them? Or because they’re slightly milder so they’re more accessible to their customers to eat
I've never been to Vietnam, but Hacienda Heights is pretty close; I'm on the west coast (USA) and the Pho we get here always comes with a plate of fresh basil, mint, cilantro, bean sprout, lime, and thin sliced green chilies. These are always served on the side, never cooked in the soup. I would be disappointed if my Pho arrived with all that stuff already in it.
A good shortcut to Pho is to simply make the pho broth it self ahead of time and freeze it. In my case I cooked it down so that it was reduced and put it into ice cube trays. Now I have a legitimate instant pho broth that I can head up and add some water back to for consistency and voila. Instant Pho broth without having to do what Rachael Ray did.
Apparently, the Bay Leaf used in this video is the wrong kind, though. There's a variant that grows in the whole South East Asia called Indonesian Bay Leaf or Salam leaves. I think that may be it.
Brian I love your perspective, the only thing I gotta say is not running the video you're reviewing while you're talking. I guess you wanna keep things moving, but it's super distracting. Keep up the good work, I love learning the deep dived into the technicalities of cooking Asian food (I'm a little partial).
Seeing the boiled strip steak slices reminded me of the 80's movie classic, "Better Off Dead" starring John Cusack. In the film, hit on-screen mother boiled bacon for one of the dinners. Also as disgusting...
Number of times she says "shortcut" or basically "this is wrong but Ill do it anyway" ... Seems clear to me she knew she didnt have the tools or ingredients to do it properly, but just wanted to milk out some content.
Brian I don’t know if you’ll read this but your failure speech made me cry. I wrecked my car and got laid off in the same month. I’m so lost with living in the middle of nowhere and no car to get to interviews or to work if I get a job and hearing you talk about overcoming your failures is the first time since July when I got laid off that I felt some sort of hope. Thank you.
It's not necessary that bay leaves were introduced by the French. It's likely not. Before the French came over, Vietnam was very close to becoming an empire. At that point it massed up a big chunk in the Indochine, including parts of Laos, and more part of Cambodia than just the modern south. It also had a chunk in southern china before the French gifted that part back to china. Now both lao and Cambodian cultures are heavily influenced by Indian culture (rule of thumb: southeast Asia, likely indian-influenced, east Asia, likely china-influenced), not to mention that Vietnam did trade with India all the way back. Vietnamese Buddhism came from them. So most likely curry was introduced to Vietnam way before the French, and if curry was, so were bay leaves. The origin of pho is most likely due to the Chinese immigrants in the north side, as it was originally cooked with Fun noodles and ox meat.
That's the kind of pho that you serve at a funeral -- a funeral for the pho. I heard my ancestors crying and I'm not even Asian! This niece is praying for you, Uncle Rodger and Brian. I am going to my happy place now in the hope of avoiding nightmares about fish dishwater poured over raw buffalo kabobs sitting on soba noodles and canned spinach-looking Italian basil dressed with green pepper jelly. Hiyaa! 🤯😱😭
You said Mirepoix and flashbacks to school days with my first teacher's voice asking every student who was distracted how to make a mirepoix. Every once in awhile someone would actually pass the question and ask what sort of stock she wants before guessing on the bones.
I tried to make pho once and it was time and labor intensive. Even the “quick “ was with a pressure cooker. Just go support a local small restaurant that serves it. Everyone will be happier that you did.
So, if you want a shotcut to authentic pho, find a vietnamese place and buy it. There are plenty of good noodle dishes (like that chinese style freshwater fish noodle soup) you can make relatively fast or with shortcuts. pho is not one of them.
Also, I think it’s kinda f’d up when famous non Asian chefs actually make videos trying to TEACH people how to make these dishes and to teach it wrong.
It’s one thing if they’ve learned the right way and is teaching us, the audience. But really, respect people’s culture. Make it how you like when you’re at home but to go and teach people to do it any kind of way is disrespectful.
@@Boobalopbop Yea. But of course if they make it right then it can be any chef.
She shouldn't have called it Pho. That was her first(of many mistakes). Awful 😖. Agree -10 👍
@@deathpyre42 Yes of course if they’re doing it right, by all means, teach. Even if you have a slight twist like maybe you prefer it with Italian basil… But for every step to be wrong and call them shortcuts, it’s just not right.
@@Boobalopbop agreed. (then again rachel ray never really does a good job with western food either. )
Many moons ago I interviewed a chef whose restaurant was featured on Rachel's "$40 A Day" show. I asked him about his experience and his face went dead and he said, "She's a crazy bitch." That quote has stuck with me ever since.
😂
Somehow, I suspected that. Thanks for the validation.
I can corroborate that. A supermarket here in the southern U.S., Publix, has or had cooking classes in some of their stores, called "Aprons." Rachel Ray was a guest chef at a local Publix, and she was a bitch. Wouldn't sign any books. Alton Brown was another guest chef there, and he couldn't have been nicer. Stayed two hours past when he was scheduled and didn't leave until the last book was signed.
@@kck9742 Age hit her like a ton of bricks, she seems super bitter in every encounter I hear about her.
@@kck9742so in your perspective, being nice consists of doing extra exhausting work for free and letting fans run you ragged? And having clear boundaries and telling people “no” is being mean? Interesting….. I don’t disagree that she may be a bitch but I don’t think refusing to sign books when you’re supposed to be teaching a class is that insane
Vietnamese here, if you are interested in Vietnamese cuisine or a traditional bowl of pho, these might be suggestions for you.
1. Broth: you should choose beef bones and chop them into small pieces. Boil it once, then discard the water and add new water. Boiling time depends on the size of beef bones, usually about 8 hours. The ratio of bone and water is about 1:4. Don't let the water get too dry, it will turn cloudy. Also don't roast beef bones, your broth will smell burnt.
2. The seasonings for the broth: shallots, coriander seeds, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, rock sugar (you can choose white sugar if you follow Southern style), salt. Traditionally, pho does not use onions and cloves (the flavor of cloves is strong but slightly burnt). All these ingredients (except salt and sugar, of course) are grilled (best if charcoal grill) and stewed with broth. Depending on your taste, you can take out the seasoning early or late. You can add fish sauce or MSG if you like.
3. Vegetables: Usually, there will be vegetables served with the Northern style, such as coriander, basil, and green onion. Southerners use more vegetables.
4. Beef: If you are using cooked beef, use brisket, boil and let it dry, then slice thinly so that there is enough fat and lean meat. If you want to use rare beef, use beef tenderloin. Normally, Vietnamese beef is tougher but sweeter than American or Japanese beef. In fact, you can find cheap beef that sometimes makes your pho taste better (that's the great thing about pho, making cheap ingredients weirdly delicious).
5. Pho: You should buy fresh pho, but if not, you can buy packaged pho. You should dip the pho in warm water (70-80 degrees Celsius) before putting it in a bowl and pouring the broth in. Usually pho is very fragile, so if it is too hot, it can affect its quality.
6. Additives: You can add chili garlic vinegar, lime juice, fermented chili sauce (or sriracha) along with the fried dough.
However, in my opinion the cheapest, most time-saving way and you can "Cheat" is to go to the local pho shops, ask them to buy a broth. You can then put them in bags and store them in the freezer. Every time you use it, you just need to put raw beef and vegetables in the bowl. Then pour the boiled pho water and you're done. Pho sellers will sell you broth for a very cheap price (because they throw away the excess stock at the end of the day to make a fresh batch).
LOVE THIS! Thank you for sharing! I’ve def learned a couple things here! 🤘
One thing i dont agree ~ no coriander seeds, and rock sugar, and we use cloves
If you don't wanna boil for 8 hours, some people use a pressure cooker for about 2 hours. That way, you won't have to worry about a high gas bill or having to top off the water lol
@@banchousimp coriander seed and rock sugar are optional. You can use clove and onion but like i said, that is not traditional, and one ingredient i forgot to talk about is dry sea worm (Sá sùng), but i don't know that you can find them in US marketplace.
@@LongVu-lh9el Yeah seem fair, My family have a traditional pho restaurant at VN, we prefer use fresh coriander. The dry sea worm is no longer exist even in VN tho :( so we use shit tons of MSG instead
"dis not short cut... Short cut still bring you to correct destination"
I haven't laughed so hard in a long while.
Right up until she BOILED THE STEAK, I was accepting this as "quick western version", like texmex. Then she BOILED THE STEAK
To be fair, texmex is its own style of food with its own rules separate from both American and Mexican cooking. This lady's just making diarrhea in a bowl
Tbh, I was wondering if the meat was even gonna cook all the way with how thick is was...at least instead of e.coli they are getting tough rubber!
LOL when she boiled the steak...I haven't heard of cooking like that since learning about poor English Victorian cooking.
🤢🤮😭😭😭😭💩
I’m Vietnamese and my family has been In the restaurant business since I was 13 and I’m 48 now that’s pretty much all I know. Watching her make pho made me cringe, definitely no garlic in pho!
P.S. Uncle Roger was right no bay leaf lol
Do you have a good broth recipe to share??
@@peternguyen3288 I know right. One of my friends is Vietnamese and a chef and even I know a bay leaf doesn't belong there 🤦🏾♂️.
@@kristinlundell9924 I can tell you what to put in it but I don’t have a recipe sorry. Like Uncle Roger always says I cook with “Feelings” lol
@@peternguyen3288 I'm not mad at it! My Grandma taught me how to cook with feelings :)
Food without love isn’t good. This is food that’s being made to fill a time slot.
We’ll said!
Yes, that mess went into the garbage after filming. She's a hack.
Lol you can cheat it by buying the pho stock cubes that they sell in Vietnamese markets here in Hanoi. That is the only cheat you can do.
Man didn't realise that I can learn so much from a reaction video of a reaction video. The differing opinions highlight and enhance specific points that were brought up. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for watching!
I'm here to confirm that bay leaf is not used in pho. I have never ever seen a real bay leaf in my life
Agree, we don't even have a name for bay leaf. I recall when i went to culinary school and that one time when a guess chef teach a dish using it everyone be like wtf is that shit? We just called it "brown leaf" because the thing we have are dried bay leaf.
Edit: Everyone in the school are all professional Vietnamese chefs not amateur, they're there just to get a license for salary and rank raise.
@@SKaede "lá bay" =]]
@@SKaede Those were shitty leaves bay leaves are supposed to be green when dry
Jamie doesnt just fuck up Asian food, hes practically pissed off the food culture from every country and continent
This pho is like someone heard about it and some of its ingredients, did 0 research, and then make it by memory alone.
I think you are correct.
The fact that this is brian reacting to uncle roger reacting makes this a lot better
🙏
They say pho is one of those things you can’t go wrong in a restaurant. So clearly she done an amazing job🤣
😂
yeah..but she's at home. That's totally different.
@@ZanathKariashi not if she is on camera trying to teach people how to make it
@@ZanathKariashi at home and recording for people to see. Lol
But also pho so simply to make If you got the ingredients. Even asians know how not to mess it up cuz pho is so good
No garlic.
My family doesn't use bay leaf. I imagine other spices would override the bay leaf fragrance.
I use a little bit of Chinese 5-spice and cloves but not coriander. I got the idea from a popular brand name's pho spices sachet.
I do cheat with the pressure cookers, Sriracha sauce substituting red chili, and arm or chuck roast beef. Thin slice beef is dunked quickly in the individual broth pot for each serving, then all is poured into the bowl of noodle. Yes, the broth doesn't look great or clear with the way I prepare the beef. But I wanna make sure my kids eating no uncooked meat. Now, my kids are men, and they prefer to chew on a cow's leg instead of a medium rare steak, jk.
ur pho sounds nasty tbh
If you don't mind me asking, how do you use a pressure cooker to make the broth? And how is the end product compared to cooking in a pot?
I made pho for the first time and my broth didnt look clear but i was just glad that it at least tasted good and like pho lmfaoo. I didnt use bayleaf tho but i do love bay leaves. Its a staple in a lot of Caribbean food.
I completely agree that pho is a dish that cannot be cheated. Imagine my complete grief when my mom poured out my pho broth after simmering everything for 7+ hours. Plus, my mom does what Rachel Ray does with the beef to my broth all the time. Cooks stuff that shouldn't be cooked in the broth.
Yes, there are just some dishes that you don't make cheat versions. It just doesn't work. Every culture has certain comfort or celebration food that you don't do shortcuts.
But you see horrible recipes online 'easy 30 minute beef stew' nope, just no.
And iirc this lady made a career out of simplifying and dumbing down cooking. I give ger credit, she rarely cooks from a box.
12:17 To answer your question, traditional proteins used for pho bo include eye of round, brisket, bo vien (Vietnamese meatballs), and tripe. 🙂
"Phó is not shit soup!"
Well, I just found my newest catchphrase.
"Jamie, you just like fucking up Asian dishes don't you?"
It's Jamie Oliver... what do you expect
This is so refreshing to see a youtuber who makes a reaction video and actually is honest when he doesn't know something. This is great! Keep up the good work :)
This is typical of the slipshod cooking being “fed” to the American home Chef by Celebrity Chefs! Thanks for reviewing Uncle Rodger’s video and exposing the misinformation network. I just found your channel and will follow to continue my exposure to quality cooking techniques and ideas.
Thank you for tuning in!!!
@@ChefBrianTsao Thank you for producing content with humor, intelligence and personal opinions. Keep doing you ….. we will keep watching…… Chef!!
this is why i miss shows like The Frugal Gourmet and Yan Can Cook
Brisket works well in phở. It's one of the most popular toppings. But it has to be slow cooked until tender.
Pho is literally one of my all time favorite foods. I’m lucky enough to grow up in a neighborhood with a ton of Pho restaurants, and I guarantee if I selected one a random, they would wipe the floor with Rachel Ray.
It’s the Pho’king best!
Pho can come with a variety of beef/steak toppings. Chuck, brisket, flank steak, skirt steak can all be used as a COOKED Pho topping. These cuts of beef are often boiled as part of the first part of making of the broth, taken out when fully cooked, refrigerated for several hours while the pho broth continues to cook, then sliced thinly right before the bowl of pho is made. Quickly cooling the meat after it has been boiled causes any connective tissue that was gelatinizing to congeal and change its texture, giving it a nice slightly chewy bite. If you want the UNCOOKED, rare, beef that is cooked in the bowl by the broth, you want eye of round sliced paper thin against the grain.
In my area of the US, there are a lot of pho restaurants and the soup can be ordered with intestine or other ingredients most Americans won't eat.
My personal favorite toppings are Vietnamese meatballs cut into quarters, thinly sliced tripe, and cubed tendons. Keeping them chewy is essential.
I will admit, Rachel Ray once visited a restaurant I had worked at for her show on dining for 30 dollars a day and I thought "wow, that's really cool."
This Pho is not cool however.
I added MSG to my spice cabinet because of Uncle Roger, and I cook with it regularly now. MSG is the tits!
Same!
I also did that
I switched from MSG to Mushroom & Company brand umami. Either one is awesome.
My family's white as they come, and we have a whole jar of msg in the pantry just for the extra flavor
Next time I do stir fry I’m getting some-the local Asian market sells it. They’re my go to for so many things now.
i'd love to know where these celeb chefs get their info, like did she / her team never consult a single vietnamese person to find out how it's traditionally made. just wing it lol
They probably asked a Korean intern (who is actually from San Diego) and figured it was good enough.
Remember, Rachel ray is no chef at all. She's an ordinary cook, who was created to look like a great chef with her mother's recipes.
Rachel ray staff doesn't consult with anyone. As you just seen from the above comedy
I made pho the other day. It was my 3rd attempt and I nailed it. I finally got the balance between the spices, onion and ginger perfect. The bones I used were direct from a butcher instead of the supermarket. I am convinced that made a huge difference. I eat Vietnamese whenever I am in Dorchester/Boston. It's the closest I have ever come to a great pho. Its black cardamom not green.
If you're in Western Massachusetts, can I come to your house and learn your ways? Lol
@@shireads2954 lol sorry. Not in western mass though funny enough, I am not as far as one might expect. I am in Mass too, though on the other side of the state from you. Near Plymouth
I have never considered the shape of bowls before and that was actually super helpful information, thanks for the knowledge!
Glad I could be of help!
@@ChefBrianTsao i think the word you were looking for regarding the size of the opening was 'diameter'
The only "cheat" I do in making pho is using a pressure cooker to speed up the time. Everything else should stay the same or it wont taste like pho anymore
Fun fact: there's also a vegan version of pho called pho chay ('chay' means vegetarian in Vietnamese), since many Vietnamese people who follow Buddhism don't eat meat.
Thai basil is worth growing hands down ❤️ I use it for pho, salads, spring rolls, and rice bowls. I’m sure I could make a sandwich and pasta dish with it too.
The French influence especially in baked goods. A great Vietnamese bakery always such a delight.
I am working in a Vietnamese restaurant, I love pho and my family loves it too.
So we NEVER put garlic and bay leaves in pho stock. If you do that, your fucked up 🤣 and yes we love msg, we do put msg on the table
Wtf 🤮. Some grocery stores sell pre-sliced beef in the frozen section. That would have been way better than the boiled chunks she used.
That’s what I was thinking afterwards, wish I mentioned it in the video
Wow. I thought my pho was terrible (it is, compared to legit pho) but Rachael took it to another level.
Brian... you should do Mexican mom's reacting to Rachael Ray pozole next if you haven't already.
Always makes me sad seeing people butchering other countrys cuisine. Just tells you they dont respect the craft.
Pho broth is ultimately a French consomme like you've mentioned there's a lot of French influence in Vietnamese cooking. Especially with Pho and Banh Mi. BTW Pho is one of those dishes that shouldn't have "shortcuts." But I don't put bay leaves in my pho broth. Something else she fucked up is that I like to toast my spices in a pan on low heat to bring out the natural flavor and aroma. I cook my bones for 8-9 hours but add my spice bags later (with 2 hours left). If you put the spice bag in TOO early, the flavors of the spices dissipates so I like to put it in later so the flavors are there and noticeable.
Uncle Roger's reviews crack me up. She pho'd that dish all the way up.
If you thought this was bad, look up her first video where she made pho (she pronounced it fo), with pork and egg noodles. It was so offensive I wrote her a letter.
Good for you!!!!
MSG also occurs naturally in foods like tomatoes and soy sauce. People say they’re allergic to it or it gives them headaches but it’s very hard to eat a diet completely free of it honestly!
Fun fact there is no blood in meat (as the blood would make it turn rancid extremely quickly due to its oxygen content) that is in fact myoglobin (what is often mistaken for blood in a steak) while they perform similar functions they are different chemicals.
My grandma do “short cut” pho when she don’t have time but even that would usually take her a few hours. There is no such thing as short cut like how Rachel is showing you. Please just to go pho at a pho restaurant.
The headache, sleeplessness, cancer and all the other stuff was never proven and is most likely solely in people's heads. There are enough papers on it as Karen's insisted it is unhealthy. It's literally less unhealthy than tablesalt.
I agree the MSG is safe and doesn't deserve to be villainized, but people can be sensitive to anything. It definitely gives me migraines because I've eaten MSG rich food unknowingly and only thought to ask after I had the blinding headache. That doesn't mean I don't have MSG in my pantry and don't love it. But my mom and I definitely get very real headaches. The pain is just worth it sometimes.
As a Vietnamese from the capital, watching this video kill me inside. The amount of things she did wrong make me cringe so hard.
Im fairly certain when I was doing my training, that my head chef taught me that bay leaf isn’t out of the question due to the French influence and that pho is heavily influenced by the French dish “pot au feu”, which is also where the roasting of the onion comes from
Is feu where pho gets its pronunciation from?
As a Vietnamese, when I was younger (about 10s years old), I heard repeatedly that Pho was influenced by "pot au feu", hence the pronunciation. As an adult, I'd learned that the French did have influences in the Pho as we use beef as an ingredient, at that time Pho was the only beef soup their hence they keep the procunciation ("Pho" was understood as that particular beef noodle soup). Before that buffalo and cow were never used for food, they were farming tools which worth a fortune. First, we learned to cook beef from the French. Then because it was so expensive to cook that way and that thicker soup wasn't fit Vietnamese taste, we slowly combine the method with our traditional way of cooking broth/stock to make Pho we know today.
And no, bay leaf doesn't belongs in Pho, despite of the influence of the French, all ingredients are all Vietnamese traditonal ingredient (minus anything beef related).
@@thudo2156 😲 that's actually really interesting
@@thudo2156 According to wiktionary, it is a folk etymology. In fact it is a clipping of the earlier lục phở, nhục phở, corrupted pronunciations of Cantonese 牛肉粉.
Thai basil always tastes nicer & better instead of Italian basil which has a stronger earthy slightly bitter kick to it.
Would love to watch your reaction to Uncle Roger's reaction to Chef Wang Gang's fried rice. I think that's the best fried rice that's ever been featured on his channel and would love to hear your input as well
It’s been added to the list!
For the thinly sliced raw beef in pho, top round is best. I also used arm roast quite a bit...my market has this on bogo sale a lot.
For the cooked beef in the broth when you are making it, brisket and flank is typical, but I have also used skirt steak because my Mexican market has it on sale often because fajitas! But it's not the best honestly...a little tough.
There ARE a decent shortcut...frozen pho broth concentrate works in a pinch.
Mama La's is what I usually use.
In college I also had pho broth in cans (it was in a blue can) in my pantry...it was okay. Convenient for quick single/double servings.
Both shortcuts are better than whatever Rachel made.
16:18 My family used to live on Guam, and my dad got hooked on Thai birdseye chilies. He found some seeds and now he grows his own.
Nice!!
Re uncle roger going off on rachel ray garlic/bay leaf addition. Uncle was right, we don't use garlic or bay leaf in pho broth. Only charred onion and ginger. Speaking as an actual restaurant pho owner/cook.
Thanks for clarifying! 🤘
9:30 yes, we do grow bay leaves in Vietnam, especially in the South since that was where the French first set foot on Vietnamese land a couple of centuries ago.
She literally says we're using beef stock because we are making beef pho. Then goes on to say beef, chicken, fish, doesn't matter. Well which is it Rachael?
She assumes you'll change whatever broth or bouillon powder you're using depending on the protein. All the shortcut broths or bouillon are based on the French holy trinity flavors and they will be wrong for Pho. Pho broth doesn't have celery or carrots in it, even if eventually it may have shallot in.
I grew up eating all kinds of pho from the street stalls right in the alleyway to fancy restaurants famous nationwide and I have never been unhappy with my experience. This pho makes me so sad just to look at it. I can't imagine being served this and have to eat it out of social courtesy.
This is the equivalent of me watching someone butcher gumbo roux. There’s just certain bases that must be respected. Pho broth & Roux are sacred dammit lmfaoo😂
Love this, this woman, should not call this dish pho, call it whatever you put into soup.. :(
I enjoy how you explain things. Thanks for the great content!
The only "fish" pho I've seen is a seafood pho is with fish cake, crab, and shrimp. I'm not sure if there's any other kind
I had to pause the video when you started talking about Consume. Another way to make a clear stock without the use of an egg, is to freeze the stock, not matter what stock it is. Then, place it in a strainer covered with cheese cloth, or several chux cloths, over a bowl and allow to slowly defrost in your fridge. All the solid is left behind and the stock/broth is clear
We don’t use bay leaf in Pho though
Thank you for clarifying that!
Aw, you talked over my favorite part "If you don't live near good Vietnamese restaurant, move to better city!" Lol
I absolutely LOVE pho! We have a lot a fantastic Vietnamese restaurants that serve it nearby. I have never made it...but maybe after these reaction videos I might try it. Poor Rachel has never enjoyed this in a restaurant. It's too bad...
I've always loved pho, but never attempted to make it - I had no idea how to go about it, and I'd rather support the local restaurants here that do an amazing job. One of the places near me has a very unique blend of several influences - vietnamese, chinese, thai, and more. As a result they serve both an amazing traditional pho and a house-made special with wonton. Nothing I try making will compare...especially not if I follow Miss Ray's example 🤣
I learned to make Pho from a Vietnamese grandmother. I watched this on Uncle Roger's channel and I could hear her cussing and spinning in her grave. I called my friend and we watched it together. Best laugh in ages. One question. WHAT THE HELL IS "FORTIFIED. " broth?
There is no such thing. To fortify cereal is to add vitamins and minerals to improve nutritional content. To fortify wine is to add alcohol to make it stronger. The broth is not having anything additional added to it. It is made as it is supposed to be made. Poorly of course. I guess Rachel Ray is as good at butchering language as she is butchering recipes.
Absolutely love your type of content, providing great facts and knowledge, very much appreciated
You put fried noodles in shallow bowl. But should put a soup noodle in a deep bowl for it to be able to hold more soup and your customers or friends or to whom you would serve it will be able to enjoy the soup. We Asians love our soup. So serving us not enough soup is kinda offending. THE SOUP IS THE SOUL OF THIS FOOD MS. RACHEL RAY.
I love Brian explaining things technically makes me forget i'm an idiot that burns water directly from the tap
while a french cut, I really like Bravette for Pho, it's tough if you don't cook it fast and hot, but if slicing super thin for pho, it works amazingly, also super cheap cut
Chef Brian! Recently found your vids! Love the educational part of them! It has really helped me understand the cooking process and made my stomach much happier!
Great quote "pho is not sh*t soup" agreed
I just learned that the pho restaurant near my parents house is really authentic. They do everything you mentioned except they use Jalapeno's instead of red chilis. But I feel like I can allow it given how good the food tastes.
I’ve been to multiple Viet owned restaurants in the Bay Area owned by immigrants and they usually serve pho with jalapeños! I assume because they’re easier to source or people are more familiar with them? Or because they’re slightly milder so they’re more accessible to their customers to eat
Brian, beef pho uses eye round/eye of round as the "lean" steak and brisket as the "fatty" steak.
Nice! Thank you for clarifying!
I've never been to Vietnam, but Hacienda Heights is pretty close; I'm on the west coast (USA) and the Pho we get here always comes with a plate of fresh basil, mint, cilantro, bean sprout, lime, and thin sliced green chilies. These are always served on the side, never cooked in the soup. I would be disappointed if my Pho arrived with all that stuff already in it.
A good shortcut to Pho is to simply make the pho broth it self ahead of time and freeze it. In my case I cooked it down so that it was reduced and put it into ice cube trays. Now I have a legitimate instant pho broth that I can head up and add some water back to for consistency and voila. Instant Pho broth without having to do what Rachael Ray did.
Depending on how you like your pho, you can have just brisket, just raw thin slices, both or the combo that have both with tripe and tendon (my fav)
Offal does not get enough love.
@@crapstirrer agree
God I love offal so much
I'm having so much fun with your videos, and I'm learning too. I'm subscribing.
Thank you!
Maybe try Uncle Roger's reaction to Jet Tila's Pho, it was pretty good according to Uncle Roger.
Apparently, the Bay Leaf used in this video is the wrong kind, though. There's a variant that grows in the whole South East Asia called Indonesian Bay Leaf or Salam leaves. I think that may be it.
Brian I love your perspective, the only thing I gotta say is not running the video you're reviewing while you're talking. I guess you wanna keep things moving, but it's super distracting. Keep up the good work, I love learning the deep dived into the technicalities of cooking Asian food (I'm a little partial).
Usually, I call that plate. It's definitely not a bowl.
There's one thing in that Pho that relates to Vietnam though, the colour of the broth is the same as the Mekong
If you like Puerto Rican food, it's also full of MSG. Adobo, Sazon... all full of MSG.
Confirmed no garlic and bay leaf in Pho. My gosh watching this is painful 😣
Seeing the boiled strip steak slices reminded me of the 80's movie classic, "Better Off Dead" starring John Cusack. In the film, hit on-screen mother boiled bacon for one of the dinners. Also as disgusting...
The pho place by me uses thin cut flank steak and they bring it to you raw on a plate you add it in yourself like hot pot so it's rare
Number of times she says "shortcut" or basically "this is wrong but Ill do it anyway" ... Seems clear to me she knew she didnt have the tools or ingredients to do it properly, but just wanted to milk out some content.
Brian I don’t know if you’ll read this but your failure speech made me cry. I wrecked my car and got laid off in the same month. I’m so lost with living in the middle of nowhere and no car to get to interviews or to work if I get a job and hearing you talk about overcoming your failures is the first time since July when I got laid off that I felt some sort of hope. Thank you.
It's not necessary that bay leaves were introduced by the French. It's likely not. Before the French came over, Vietnam was very close to becoming an empire. At that point it massed up a big chunk in the Indochine, including parts of Laos, and more part of Cambodia than just the modern south. It also had a chunk in southern china before the French gifted that part back to china.
Now both lao and Cambodian cultures are heavily influenced by Indian culture (rule of thumb: southeast Asia, likely indian-influenced, east Asia, likely china-influenced), not to mention that Vietnam did trade with India all the way back. Vietnamese Buddhism came from them. So most likely curry was introduced to Vietnam way before the French, and if curry was, so were bay leaves.
The origin of pho is most likely due to the Chinese immigrants in the north side, as it was originally cooked with Fun noodles and ox meat.
Thank you for reviewing. I knew the steps were bad but having someone explain why was perfect.
I am amazed how it is even possible to go so wrong with a dish...
It takes a special kind of talent
There is no fish pho but there is a seafood pho. With Kani stick, shrimp, squid and fish ball
Brian: Runs the world renowned kitchen.
Me: Never heard of it :)
So...how many times did 'Pho Cookery' come out wrong before you had a good take? ;)
I want to see Uncle Roger react to your reaction
One can dream
Love the channel and content!
Appreciate you! 🤘
That's the kind of pho that you serve at a funeral -- a funeral for the pho. I heard my ancestors crying and I'm not even Asian! This niece is praying for you, Uncle Rodger and Brian. I am going to my happy place now in the hope of avoiding nightmares about fish dishwater poured over raw buffalo kabobs sitting on soba noodles and canned spinach-looking Italian basil dressed with green pepper jelly. Hiyaa!
🤯😱😭
You said Mirepoix and flashbacks to school days with my first teacher's voice asking every student who was distracted how to make a mirepoix. Every once in awhile someone would actually pass the question and ask what sort of stock she wants before guessing on the bones.
Nope, from southeast Asia. Bay leaf is expensive and we don't generally use in our dishes in my country.
I tried to make pho once and it was time and labor intensive. Even the “quick “ was with a pressure cooker. Just go support a local small restaurant that serves it. Everyone will be happier that you did.
That's so many herbs. It's like a pound of herbs for one bowl. At a Vietnamese place they give you like two sprigs of basil.
Also, I never noticed how drunk Rachael Ray sounds.