Vietnam, revisited: Pho ba

Having barely made a dent in my to do list of countries - I've done 15 so far - there really isn't any time to go back for repeat visits.

But I guess sometimes in life instead of moving forward we do go back to places we've already been. Maybe there's something we missed the first time around. Maybe there's something comforting in knowing what to expect. Maybe we just like it.

In this case, I decided to have another go around with Vietnam after trying the roasted chicken soup at this place in Sarasota, Miss Saigon.

I was skeptical at first when my friends raved about the dish. I've never been a big fan of chicken soup. Or chicken for that matter. It can be so cliche. Would all of those Asian spices really kick it up to my palate?

Despite my wariness, I decided to try it on this cold, crappy day right before Thanksgiving.

It was amazing.

It comes as a subtle broth with rice noodles in a big bowl, a crisp, roasted chicken on the side along with jalapenos, bean sprouts, etc. The lightness of the broth really lets the anise stand out, and I love that flavor.

It's so simple I figured I should be able to replicate it at home. So I did some Internet research to come up with key ingredients and set out to create my own version.

My first stab at it was pretty good. Not quite like the restaurant, but still tasty.

I'll fully acknowledge I cheated and used store bought broth, rather than making my own. (Vietnamese cooks would probably cringe to hear this since the broth is the focus of many of their dishes). I used the Kitchen Basics all natural kind. This worked out OK for the most part, but the flavors of the broth were a little overpowering and kind of took over the dish more than I would have liked. Next time, I'll try it with the low sodium version, which has a milder flavor.

I also just used a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Come on. Aren't return trips supposed to be leisurely and easy?

Here's what I came up with so far. Thoughts?

What you need:

2 cartons Kitchen Basics stock

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 cinnamon sticks

5 pieces star anise

3 inches peeled ginger

1 tbsp. coriander

1 rotisserie chicken

1 package rice noodles

For serving:

Basil leaves

Scallions

Bean sprouts

Sliced, fresh jalapenos

Soy sauce

Sriacha sauce (the really spicy Asian kind)

What I did:

I started by putting the two cartons of chicken broth in a pot and adding a few cups of water and the coriander. I put the cinnamon sticks, star anise and ginger in a coffee filter, tied it with kitchen string and added to the pot to bring to a boil. I let it simmer for about an hour before adding the sliced onions and simmering for another 10 minutes until they were tender.

While all of this was going on, I cut the chicken into soup size pieces and prepared the rice noodles as instructed on the package. When the broth was done, I removed the coffee filter with spices.

Pour the broth over some noodles and add desired mix ins to taste.

I know, kind of anticlimactic after all of that. But easy, right?