Last month, Christina walked us through the steps of how she downs a bowl of pho. Now Bill is revealing the secrets behind what makes each bowl of pho in Chinatown so special, one at a time. Do you notice something missing? I didn’t at first, but now I realize that we had left out a very important aspect of pho – ordering.

In today’s post, I will attempt to clarify and simplify the ordering process to help those of you who are new to pho – or even those veterans who still find themselves confused by the clutter of never ending choices – create a perfect bowl for yourself!

Pho, essentially, is made up of two very basic ingredients: the broth, and the pho noodle (pho is the name of the noodle as well as the dish). Restaurants often garnish the broth with chopped scallions, onions, and coriander. This is what you get when you order plain pho (pho khong). Every bowl of pho is accompanied by a plate of veggies, which often includes lime or lemon, basils bean sprouts, green chili, and culantro.

different vegs and herbs that accompany pho, as shown on the menus of Pho Hoa restaurants