With temperatures plummeting in Kyiv these days, there’s nothing like a good little soup to warm you up. If you like Asian flavors, “Pho” soup is a sure thing. “Pho” is the Asian answer to a French “Pot au feu.” In Vietnam, you start eating this soup in the morning and can have it throughout the day. It’s not rare to find it on breakfast menus at hotels in Vietnam.
As I am a fan of this soup, which reminds me of my childhood, I have been searching for a decent version in Kyiv. I have found some jazzed-up, revisited attempts at “pho” in some of the capital’s trendy fusion restaurants, but none which is authentic enough for me. It could be that the ingredients simply can’t be found in Ukraine, I just don’t know.
So imagine my excitement when I asked the Vietnam Embassy booth at the IWCK Charity Bazaar* in 2015 and they recommended the two following places:
I shall start with BMT, because this is where you truly find the best “pho” in town. This restaurant is strictly speaking a fast-food joint, particularly when you see the speed at which it’s served, but the ingredients are fresh and some dishes are cooked on demand. BMT prides itself on being “always perfect, delicious and fast” (to quote their motto). Vietnamese cuisine is laid bare with “nems” (fried spring rolls) or fresh rolls and a wide variety of dishes such as “bo bun” (salad) “thit kho” (pork in caramel) and not forgetting my dearest “pho.”
Slightly further out of Kyiv is a restaurant Sapa which is made up of several large rooms which can accommodate groups (or banquets). What I really like about Sapa are the fried spring rolls and the wide variety of dishes. There’s a vast selection of delicacies from all over Vietnam.
My only regret during my search for “pho” was that I couldn’t find “Banh Cuon” (ravioli made of minced pork with black mushrooms). Anybody?
To conclude this article I would like to share my grandmother’s “pho” recipe with you:
Step 1: The Broth. To be prepared the day before
To make the broth, put the following ingredients into a large pan. Cook everything on a high heat until boiling, scrape off any foam, then cook for three hours on a very low heat. Chill the broth and once the pan is cold put in the fridge overnight.
Ginger
Shiitake mushrooms
A whole onion chopped
Marrow bone
Beef chuck
Nuoc Mam (fish sauce)
Water
Step 2: Serving
The next day, remove any grease as well as the ginger, marrow bone, and onion. Cut the beef chuck into narrow strips and put to one side.
Before serving, cook some noodles, reheat the broth and add some chopped chives and coriander.
Ready to serve: In a large bowl, arrange some noodles, the chives and coriander and a few slices of the meat and then pour the hot liquid broth over them. Finally, you can season the soup with some lemon and chili, fish and oyster sauces.
Bon appetit!
BMT : 44A Zodchykh St. tel. +38 063 888 3337
Sapa : 61/2 Mykoly Zakrevs’koho St. tel. +38 044 530 3663
*This year’s IWCK Charity Bazaar will take place on Dec. 3 at NSC Olimpiysky from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m.
