In the middle of last year I was fortunate enough to be able to take three months off work to go and explore the world. My journey took me to the banks of the Yangtze River, to the fast-living streets of Hong Kong, to a sleepy town in the Arctic Circle where the Aurora Borealis danced above our heads in the midnight sky. I spent autumnal afternoons foraging for golden chantarelles in the Swedish countryside, I rubbed shoulders with celebrities whilst dining at The River Café in London and I joined the cue that forms nightly outside of Pho 14 (a Vietnamese restaurant in Paris) as customers eagerly anticipate the bowls of steaming pho flavoured with anise, fresh Vietnamese herbs and wedges of lemon.
I made this pho for the first time last week and the aroma of the spice-scented stock as it boiled away on my stove immediately took me back to Paris, to Pho 14, to our table strewn with herbs, to the sound of Parisians conversing in their sing-song French.
Thank you to Morgan who shared this recipe with me after a trip to Vietnam. There is something special about sharing and passing on recipes. I imagine this recipe has been passed down from generation to generation and for me to now have it to cook from and share with other people makes the experience all the more meaningful.