Pressure Cooker Pho Ga

Today I’m featuring a Pressure Cooker Pho Ga from Serious Eats.

The authentic flavors of Vietnamese pho, but in only 20 minutes! This Pressure Cooker Pho Ga for beginners is a cozy, feel good soup that is the perfect way to warm up on a cool autumn evening.

**This post first appeared on Pressure Cooking Today

A couple of weeks ago I spent 6 days in San Francisco and found myself eating at a few different hole in the wall asian restaurants. The night before we flew back home, I was feeling a bit under the weather and we happened to be closing our trip at a simple and homey Vietnamese restaurant. Before even looking at the menu, I knew I needed some Pho Ga – a Vietnamese chicken noodle soup in simplest terms. The broth is so calming and the fresh vegetables and savory chicken were just what the doctor ordered!

Pho is one of my favorite things to make in the pressure cooker because it is done in less than 30 minutes and it makes a beautifully aromatic broth that not only tastes good, but makes your house smell wonderful! To make this pho specifically, you start with a base of onions and fresh ginger, then follow by layering your spices. Star anise, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cilantro, coriander, fennel, and cloves are what I use. If you don’t have all of those spices, no need to worry – the flavors of pho are very forgiving!

While your chicken is cooking is a great time to prep the rest of the ingredients. The rice noodles need to be softened according to package directions and you have just a few ingredients to chop up for garnishing your soup. I like to keep the pho simple because the broth really is the star. The vegetables I chose this time around are green onions, thinly sliced white onion, bean sprouts, and an herb mixture of fresh cilantro, mint, and basil. Again, if you don’t have all of those ingredients on hand, whatever you have in your produce drawer will be perfect!

After you’ve separated your chicken from the bone and strained your broth, it’s time to assemble your soup. Start by layering the softened rice noodles with your chicken and vegetables. Then, pour the steaming broth over top and add in some sriracha, hoisin sauce, more fish sauce, red chili paste or pepper flakes, and enjoy!