Garnish Plate for Pho

condiment vietnamese soup/stew herb chile pepper

Andrea Nguyen

Serves 2

Source

Ingredients

2 handfuls (about 3 oz | 90 g) bean sprouts

2 or 3 sprigs mint, regular or spicy

2 or 3 sprigs Thai basil

3 or 4 fresh culantro leaves

2 or 3 sprigs rice paddy herb

1 lime, cut into wedges

1 Thai chile or 1/2 jalapeño, Fresno, or serrano chile, thinly sliced

Method

If you’re blanching the bean sprouts, work it into the pho assembly process and use the pot set up for dunking noodles; the noodle strainer is perfect for the job. Blanch them before starting on the noodles to avoid giving them a starch bath, and put them on their own plate so they don’t leak water on other garnishes. Otherwise, arrange the raw sprouts with the herbs and lime on a communal plate.

If the chile is small, cut it at a sharp angle to yield largish slices that can be easily identified in the bowl. Put the slices in a little dish so they don’t get lost. Before bowl assembly, set the garnishes at the table with any other sides and condiments so you can dive in immediately.