Fast food: Quick Vietnamese-style pho

Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: Vietnamese
Cooking time: Less than 30 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main
Favourite flavours: Chicken, Easy recipes, Soup

It can be stressful serving up a family meal each night, especially when you need to feed the household fast. Our delicious solutions show weekday cooking can be healthier, and often quicker, than takeaway. So set the stopwatch and get cooking!

INGREDIENTS

1 small barbecue chicken
1 litre salt-reduced chicken stock
1 litre water
4 green onions, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
4 star anise
4 whole cloves
3cm piece ginger, peeled, sliced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
200g rice stick noodles
1 bunch baby buk choy, shredded
Extra sliced green onion, to serve
Sliced small red chilli, to serve (optional)

METHOD

Remove skin from chicken and discard. Shred chicken and place in a bowl.
In a large, deep saucepan, combine stock, water, green onion, star anise, cloves, ginger and fish sauce. Bring to the boil on high. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 5 minutes or until soft. Drain well. Divide noodles between 4 serving bowls.
Place buk choy into same bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 1-2 minutes or until just wilted. Drain well. Divide the buk choy and the shredded chicken between the serving bowls.
Strain stock, then ladle liquid into serving bowls. Serve topped with sliced green onion and chilli.

Top tip
You can use any Asian greens in this recipe. They are usually very good value.

For more quick, delicious recipes, see this week's Woman's Day (on sale February 16).

MESSENGER