Vietnamese noodle soup simmered slowly

Prepare a pho soup in a slow cooker is a great idea. Fragrant broth is the soul of this soup and slow cooker allows the heat to a simmer and intensify the umami all day - without you having to do anything. In Asia, where the simmering broth usually overnight, people welcome the day by eating noodles. Here, there is no better soup comforting meal when we get home. Fortunately, it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare, then you can do before going to work. If you're like me however, measuring something other than coffee spoons in the morning is too painful, so instead of preparing soup in the morning, you can prepare the day before and refrigerate. Reduces the risk of overcooking the chicken using chicken with bones into pieces. Simmer the soup in the morning before leaving and returning, finish the soup broth foaming and shredding the chicken, then dip the noodles in hot broth. In 20 minutes, they will be soft - and the meal is served.

Ingredients

• 3-4 chicken breasts

or

• 8 chicken thighs, preferably with bones

or

• 3 legs with thighs
• 12 cups (3 L) chicken broth
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar, preferably brown
• 10 slices of fresh ginger
• 8-10 star anise
• 3 cinnamon sticks, halved
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes or chili garlic sauce spicy (optional)
• A large package of vermicelli 2 inches (5 cm), about 80 g
• 1 cup (250 mL) basil leaves and mint coarsely chopped
• Trim - green onions, cilantro, lime wedges, Thai basil and mint leaves, Thai bird chili thinly sliced ​​or dried red pepper flakes, fresh bean sprouts.

1. Set the slow cooker to high. Remove skin from chicken if you want (to get a low fat chicken recipes). Let add flavor. Keep chunks so they do not overcook. Add the broth in the slow cooker with the fish sauce, sugar, ginger, star anise, cinnamon and dried chilli flakes. Add the onions, separating the rings progressively. Dip the chicken, bone side on top, in the broth as possible.
2. Cover and cook for four hours at elevated temperature to chicken bone or three hours for boneless chicken. Then place the chicken in a bowl. Cut the noodles in half. They should fill about a measuring cup 4 cups (1 L). Add to soup simmering separated. Cover and cook until softened, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the type of noodle. Stir occasionally to separate noodles.
3. Meanwhile, shred or cut the chicken into small strips, shedding skin and bones. When the noodles are almost ready, remove cinnamon sticks, slices of ginger and star anise soup and discard. You can keep them if you want. Put the chicken in the soup while stirring. Just before serving, add the basil and mint and stir. Serve with a ladle into bowls and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. The soup keeps well in the refrigerator for at least three days.

Make available to your guests a full plate of toppings and let them choose which they prefer.  
Traditionally, a little lime juice is pressed into a bowl of soup. Sprinkle shredded herbs with chili.  
Truss bean sprouts in the center of the soup.