I just found your thread, Bob and Karen! Sounds like you are having a great trip! We have such fond memories of BKK last year and I'm sorry to hear Tongue Thai is not there - was a favorite of ours, thanks to you!

I'm writing this from Heraklion, Crete, where we are spending our Thanksgiving, and we head to Athens later this week.

I hope your move goes smoothly and we hope to see you in South Florida this spring - please let me know what day(s) you'll be there so we can meet up.
I wish you a great time on the rest of your trip - I'll be following along here.

P.S. Hello to the Hawaiiantravelers from both of us!

Carol - glad you are doing well!

Bob & Karen,
Its terrific that you are proceeding apace. When are the cooking classes? Where Karen learns the secret to a good Pho?

Robert, this afternoon is the cooking class. She is looking forward to it. Linda has had pho for breakfast each AM.

Are you home? How was Bologna?

Raining again this AM... I will stick close to the hotel today. K & L have their cooking class this afternoon at Hanoi cooking center. This was her second choice... The other small school cancelled on her.

I just had my first Pho. Good, but very messy

Please, pretty please, if Karen learns the secret to a good pho, could she share ?

We took a class in Hoi An a few years ago where the chef wrote down the secret ingredients for the stock, but I lost the notes !

Enjoying your report ...

Hello from Kassel Germany where we have snow. Brrrrrr!

I'm curious about pho and what it is, exactly. Please she'd some light on it. Thanks.

Carol

Hello from Kassel Germany where we have snow. Brrrrrr!

I'm curious about pho and what it is, exactly. Please shed some light on it. Thanks.

Carol

Pho is Vietnamese noodle soup. We have many places here in Houston that serve this dish. It has veggies, meat, noodles, etc. Quite popular here but it's not our cup of tea.

Let google be your friend...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho

For photographs of the various types, just google 'Pho images'.

It is a huge bowl of beef or chicken soup. The broth is the secret of it all. Before K shares I will tell you the broth is baked.
In the soup are many rice noodles-- really good. My beef pho must have had 1/2 lb of tender beef, lots of herbs, some spring onion. K will share the recipe.

The girls did not return to the hotel until about 7:30. They loved the class, of which they were 2 of the 5 students. The school is run by the founder of Koto restaurants, an Australian, but the chef is Vietnamese. $55. They were given some wine too.


Bill, the taxi ride was 170,000 D which was to the far side of old town from the Marriott--$8.

Pho... The secret is in the broth. Bake 2 kg of beef bones 20 min on one side, 20 min on other. 390 degrees F....Then put in pot with 6 Asian shallots left whole,1.5 cm knob of ginger unpeeled, cut in chunks, and char grilled until fragrant and skin can flake off..1 pigs trotter sawed in half by butcher, 500 kg of beef brisket,, 1 star anis,1 cinnamon stick, and 1 tsp of salt. Add water...no amt suggested, but I would say 4-6 cups.

Skim off froth as beef cooks. Simmer for 30 min, but do not boil. Remove brisket and simmer stock for 4 more hours. Strain

When ready to serve. Reheat broth , drop noodles in boiling water to heat 20 seconds. Place in bowl. Add meat that has been thinly sliced, chopped spring onions, thin sliced regular onions, cilantro,basil,( both chopped corsely). Laddle hot broth over noodles, serve with Lemon wedges, 1 long red chilli sliced with seeds and fish sauce on the side (to taste).

Note Vietnamese. Fish sauce is much milder than the Thai fish sauce.

I realize this may not be detailed enough, but this is how it is printed out.

Sounds delish. I love all kinds of noodle dishes.

Fun fact: Pho (which is ubiquitous here in LA) is pronounced "fuh."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgX2q9WPoqo

Wow that's a lot of work for a bowl of soup, no wonder there are so many places here in Houston that serves this dish, no body wants to take the time to prepare this at home!

MrsB- it's the same in Vietnam...Like bagels, most people buy it from their favorite vendor.
Every place you get it it tastes a bit different. different spices, vegetables, herbs, etc. IMO, the biggest difference is that some are sweeter and some savory. I've been hunting for a favorite Pho place here, and still have not found one.

We went to Pho24 several times as well as many other spots all over Vietnam. Now, we go to Vietnamese Pho restaurants near our US home regularly.

We also roasted silk worms. They jump around in the pan as you roast them. Then add a bit of oil, fish sauce and chilli and lime leaf. Crunchy on the outside , mushy on the inside. Not much taste them selves, but you taste the spices. Great source of protein.

Another thing the teacher cooked for us was ferterlized duck egg. Some how that did not look interesting enough to me to try.

These were just asides she did to help introduce us to the culture. It really was a great exspierence. We used the Hanoi Cooking Center. It is run by the same people who run KOTO. You can google for more info re them. Great take. We did the Vietnam street food class.

I'll be skipping the silk worms thank you

We had a fab day today. The weather made a change overnight and today was cloudy and very cool, about 61 F. Perfect.

We had a nice breakfast in the club. Our van came for us at 11. First stop was some shopping on Hang Gai St (yes, patricia we did go into the Long Gallery, but came away empty handed). The ladies went into a number of shops, buying some small things but at #54 K found a number of things she wanted. Tanmy Designs... The receipt and the bag say different #s---54/61/66??? Wonderful tablecloths and pillowcases. We have bought from them each time we have been in Hanoi.

We walked up one side of the street and back the other side--2 hrs.

From there we were driven to Onha hang Ngon restaurant, 26A-B Tran Hung Dao st. Good Vietnamese food. I had asked for Quan An Ngon and I think we were taken to the wrong place.

Next we arranged with the driver for 4 rickshaws for an hours drive--- mostly in old town... Tons of fun.... 100,000 D each plus tip, another 100,000 or about $9 total each. Now we want to take another ride.... It is not by any means leisurely, with motorbikes at your elbows, swerving in and out, buses blowing horns, pedestrians walking in front of you, vehicles going the wrong way, exhaust, etc....but what fun.

Finally we made a quick stop at Big C.

Back to the hotel before 6 and up to the club for some alcohol. Surprise they actually had a fresh roasted turkey too which was quite good, and gravy, zucchini squash, sauerkraut?????- I don't remember that.

We are exhausted but feel fulfilled....

Tomorrow is a hang around day--- maybe a swim in the huge inside pool on the 8th floor overlooking the city....