Instant Pot Pho Ga (Vietnamese chicken soup)

Introduction.
America has been involved in a lot of wars. American soldiers came home with foreign-born brides who brought new foods to these shores. One of these foods was the Pho soup that came from Vietnam. Considering that due to the betrayal of America's Left we lost5 50,000 casualties in the Vietnam war, ending up with a bowl of soup might be considered a poor return. But, at least we have that.

There is an issue of how to pronounce the name of the soup. I have heard it pronounced as 'pho' in photograph. But, a SE Asian lady pronounced it as 'pha'.

The 5 steps of making Pho.:

1. Preparation of the broth;
2. Preparation of the rice noodles(medium bahn pho - white rice noodles- is recommended)
3. Preparation of the meat;
4. Preparation of the side platter used to flavor the mix;
5. Assembly.

Bowls to serve Pho:

Traditional bowls hold 39 ounces and can be made of ceramic.
https://www.amazon.com/Cameo-Authentic-Ceramic-Soup-Bowls/dp/B00BF5OBNG
But, you can use large soup bowls or pasta bowls.

Making the broth and cooking the meat:

Ingredients.
3-4 lbs whole chicken or 3.5 lb chicken legs + thighs
2 medium onions, peeled and halved
3 tsp fresh ginger strips
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp brown sugar
4 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 TBSP coriander seed or 1 t ground coriander
2 TBSP fish sauce
8 cups cold water
1/2 tsp salt + more to taste when broth done
2 TBSP veg oil

Preparation
1. Toast spices. Medium heat (push SAUTE button on Instapot). When smell fragrance transfer spices to a bowl
2. When the pot says HOT pour in the oil and place halved onions flat side down in pot with the ginger pieces. Allow onions to char without moving them for about 5 minutes
3. At 4 minute mark add the garlic
4. After the charring (5 min) add 1/2 cup cold water and deglaze (scrape off) the burnt onion on the bottom of the pot
5. Add in the rest of the ingredients including the chicken and 4 cups of cold water
6. Close the pot and pressure cook for 10 minutes then do a natural release for 20 min

DURING THE PRESSURE COOKING AND THE RELEASE PREPARE THE NOODLES, THE GARNISHES AND TYHE HERB PLATTER.

7. Transfer the chicken pieces to cold water.
8. Strain the chicken broth with a fine mesh and discard all but the broth. Add salt to taste.

Preparing the garnishes.

1/2 small onion sliced. Keep in iced water  for 15 minutes or so.
fresh cilantro, the leafy part
2 stalks of green onion, finely chopped
touch of freshly ground black pepper
OPTIONAL: sliced hard-boiled egg

Preparing the herb platter

Bean sprouts (about a handful per person)
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
Optional
Mint
Thai basil
Hoisin sauce

Preparing the chicken

Once the chicken cooled, use a couple of forks to take off small pieces. Store till serving

Preparing the noodles (the Pho Ga)

Bring to boil about 2 cups of lightly salted water.
Add the white rice noodles and let steep for 10 minutes.

SERVING

In your bowl add the meat, the garnishes, the noodles and boiling broth. Use the flavoring sparingly.
Enjoy.
While you are enjoying this dish, thank our soldiers whose sacrifice was negated by the Press, the College Professors and the demonstrators and the Democrats.