Pho and the Vietnamese-American Restaurant

Phở — a deeply complex, long-simmered beef bone broth flavoured with charred ginger, charred onion, star anise, cinnamon, clove, and fish sauce, poured over rice noodles and thinly sliced beef, garnished with a plate of fresh herbs — is Vietnam's national dish and the foundation of Vietnamese-American restaurant culture. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Vietnamese refugees established phở shops across America, and the dish became one of the most influential imports in American food history. The Vietnamese phở restaurant — with its massive stock pots simmering from dawn, its herb plates, its condensation-fogged windows — is now as common in American cities as the Chinese takeout or the Mexican taquería.

A large bowl of clear-to-amber beef broth (simmered 6-12 hours from beef bones, charred ginger, and charred onion, seasoned with star anise, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, coriander seed, and fish sauce) poured over cooked flat rice noodles and thinly sliced raw beef (the broth's heat cooks the raw slices). The herb plate on the side: Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced jalapeño, and hoisin and sriracha sauces for the diner to add to their own bowl.

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