A while back, I posted about instant pho kits and someone commented on how he loved a quick bowl made from the contents of the little boxes of pho bouillon sold at Vietnamese markets. I’d seen them but never went near them. They are typically stocked at the cash register or shelved in the spice aisle. Each box measures about 2 ½ inches by ¾ inch thick and there are many kinds to cover the most popular Viet dishes.
I took the plunge and got a box of “vien gia vi” (literally seasoning cube in Vietnamese). There are 4 cubes to a box and each one makes 2 servings. That’s a lot of flavor packed into each. Was the product good? Is it a viable pho shortcut?
Ingredients and Cooking Instructions
The ingredients listed on the box were: Salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate, anistar [SIC, they meant star anise]. It’s ironic that despite being labeled a spice cube that the only spice is the star anise. Additionally, the ingredients are presented only in English and French, no Vietnamese. Do they think that Viet people don’t care about what’s in their food?
The cube that you see above seemed like it was a bit waxy from fat. It does not say, “Use me, eat me, I’m filled with flavor.” Despite my skepticism, the cube smelled like a good bowl of pho. I was curious.
The instant pho cube instructions were only in Vietnamese and they tell you to put one cube into ½ liter (generous 2 cups) of boiling water, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then use the liquid for 2 bowls of pho with 150 grams (5 ⅓ ounces) of banh pho flat rice noodles in each bowl.
Seeing as how this product is made in Vietnam, I assumed that they were calling for fresh rice noodles. I guesstimated it at 4 ounces of dried and soaked 8 ounces some in hot water until pliable. I was fixing lunch for my husband and me.
The cube seemed a little strong with 2 cups of water so I increased it to 3 cups. (If you use this stuff, add water to taste.) I also added the white parts of the several green onion to perk things up. What I wasn’t ready for were the strange layer of scum and dark bits that floated to the top. The smell was kind of nice but the particulates looked gross. After simmering the green onion for several minutes, I got my scum skimmer out and removed as much of the dark bits as possible. Gross.
It must have been the “anistar.” I imagine that the waxy stuff was beef fat, perhaps for flavor but also to hold the other ingredients together. After all, they are technically all dry.
Bowl Assembly
We had some grilled beef steak left over in the fridge and I decided to put that in my quickie pho. Then I topped it with the usual yellow onion, scallion, and cilantro.
Looking good, huh? I circled back to the hot pot of broth. I remained a bit skeptical and hoped that whatever the stuff was that was in the cube was not going to harm me. The fact that the company may have not disclosed everything used in the cube worried me. On the other hand, this is a product that countless other people have used and I hadn’t heard a complaint. So I filled our bowls with the instant pho cube broth and presented them at the table.
We were famished and dove in. It was.... okay. Not as weird as we thought, though it lacked the body and depth of a bowl made from scratch. I have no idea how much MSG there was in there but I advised my husband, a broth slurper, to not eat all the liquid. While it tasted okay, who knows what eating it all up could have done to us.
Turns out, the stuff was harmless. No bad side effects. However, the little pho spice cube box has sat on my kitchen counter for weeks. I look at it as a novelty or decor, but not as something I want to cook with. There’s something to be said about truth in labeling that elicits consumer faith in a product.
You know that I occasionally reach for a package of instant pho loaded with MSG and the like but there was just something strange about the spice particulates and waxiness of the these cubes. I didn’t fully trust them. But should I?
If you’ve tried this or similar instant Viet noodle soup cubes, let me know your thoughts. I’m open minded. After all, I’ve not discarded them!
Related posts:
- Instant Pho Packages: The Low Down
- Faux Pho: What is it and does it matter?
- Pho in a box (I bought this in 2008 at Saigon’s Tan Son Nhat airport)
- Chicken pho noodle soup recipe
- Beef pho noodle soup recipe
- Instant Pho Fixes: Pacific Foods, Trader Joe’s and Happy Pho
- Vietnamese Noodles 101: Banh Pho Flat Rice Noodles
Patricia says
I love the idea, but can you tell me if this product contains MSG? (I know they add tons of it at the pho places)
BTHebert says
Sodium is salt, glutimate is fermented starches (sugar), MSG is just a fancy word for salt and sugar.
Andrea Nguyen says
Yep, it's the third ingredient listed in the contents!
Uyen says
Yes it does. From the post above: "The ingredients listed on the box were: Salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate, anistar [SIC, they meant star anise]."
Paul says
I've used these cubes many times over the years for a faux pho. They sure are convenient, and while not anywhere near as rich in flavor as from-scratch stock, it's not bad. Agreed, they are salty and strong and you need to add more water to taste. A little hoisin and rooster sauce to dip the meats into and then back in the soup, it gets pretty tasty IMO.
Thanks for posting this!
[email protected] says
HAH I've bought these before..I think theres still half a box in my cabinet..I thought they were kinda gross. What amazes me is the variety of these little blocks that the company makes. Oh if it was just that simple to throw in a mystery cube and viola!
If I do quick pho it is the canned stuff.
Sammy Vu says
I've just received 2 packages of instant Pho noodlle from a friend. I thought it could be a good solution for a lazy-cooking day. However, I paid off for my laziness. The bowl of quick was absolutely gross because of the seasoning powder's sediment. I shouldn't have believe in those industrial products. All in all, I am always for self-made Pho's stock.
Thank you for sharing this, Andrea!
Simon Bao says
Andrea, the product sounds less convenient and less reassuring than 2 packages of Instant Pho. And the few times I've had Instant Pho, there were neither creepy sediments nor creepy floating stuff.
Duyen Nguyen says
I haven't tried it and will not try it. Thanks for testing them!
Merryn says
Excellent story thank you. I too have wondered about these cubes and appreciate you have tried them in their best light and reported honestly your results.
Www says
Hmm, typepad seems to have signed me as WWW instead of Faith, however I've had a pretty similar experience with the cubes. I don't use much instant but the brand I use has been reliably okay
Andrea Nguyen says
Oh man, I need to try the pho in can. Thanks for reminding me.
Andrea Nguyen says
Thanks, Faith. Typepad is weird at time. Glad it's not just me and the cubes.
Andrea Nguyen says
Gross is the word, eh? I was creeped out.
Andrea Nguyen says
The particulates were odd. I was surprised that they were there!
Andrea Nguyen says
You're welcome, Merryn.
Frank Mosher says
These spice cubes are great! I have at least 8 different types, and would rather use these than the large containers of broth mixes.
ann says
I am not sure if I want to try these cubes of seasoning. The company probably did not disclose all the ingredients that go into the cubes. I not quite a health "freak" but don't want to take any chances.
Homemade broth still rules in our house. Thank you for writing about the cubes though.
Becky H says
I've also experienced the waxy residue from the beef flavored pho cubes. It's annoying to wash off the pot.
Twan says
Nope, I wouldn't even try. It looks gross to me, and I don't know how much MSG they put in there. Thanks for trying it and let us know how it turned out, Andrea. It's a great report 🙂
Suzette says
I tried making broth the way my MIL taught me, and somehow it never tasted quite like hers. I later found out that she had neglected to tell me about her secret ingredient: she adds a cube or two of this to her vat of broth! It especially helps when we don't have oodles of meat and bones in there. All in all, we only use it as an addition to our broth rather than the substance of our broth!
Andrea Nguyen says
Frank, I appreciate your honesty. Thank you! Looks like I have to do a side-by-side with the canned stuff.
Andrea Nguyen says
Becky, thank you for validating the waxy stuff. It was strange. Geeze.
Andrea Nguyen says
Twan -- I do things so y'all don't have to, eh? 😉
Andrea Nguyen says
Suzette-- so your MIL uses the cubes to reinforce her scratch broth. I bet you could put some MSG in there and it would do the same too. No shame in using a little MSG. Millions (zillions?) of cooks do it. I'm not one of them but some people swear that pho is not pho if it doesn't have MSG. Seriously.
Cri cri says
I guess that spice cube can help you out when you are in a hurry but i think that since you want to eat pho, why not eat a real one with a homemade broath? Nothing is better than the smell of the broath of pho and i think that using those spice cube is ruining the spirit of pho.
chris says
I've tried a couple of brands of these evil little cubes. The results were just that. . . evil. I did try a canned pho once, but found it both salty and flavourless, with extra-soft noodles. I usually make a big pot of stock, divide it in half and add appropriate spices for pho to one half, and spices for bun bo Hue to the other half. I keep it in my freezer. If I didn't have any stock and really needed a pho fix, I'd resort to the instant pho noodles (pho an lien) with spice packages. I won't use the cubes or canned product again.
Suganya says
I've used the chicken broth cubes. I don't remember any waxy stuff, but it is pretty salty. Quick, but not as good as the fresh broth.
Marilyn says
Hi Andrea! I have never used those spice cubes for pho before but I know my mom cooks with the chicken bouillon cubes sometimes. Have you ever tried the pho soup base that's in a jar container? (link below)I have used this before and the broth turned out pretty good! It's not necessarily "instant" broth as the jar includes a real spice packet with anise and it recommends that you simmer for 30 min or so. I thought it turned out really good and authentic! My dad even loved it. I don't think this has MSG in it.
http://vietnamesesupermarket.com/images/products/thumb/100_0748LB.JPG
[email protected] says
I tried it once, and it was NASTY, NASTY, NASTY.
If I am desparate for a bowl of Pho, I would rather use the canned pho broth.
thu
Katherine says
Maybe the meat cubes are bad. But I tried the vegetable one not bad.
Judith Hadley says
I bought a similar product by the same company, even the packaging looks very similar. It's been sitting in my cupboard for months. The cube smelled OK - kind of chickeny and there were no floating bits or scum. However the broth smelled weird so I added cilantro, ginger, spring onions some sliced serrano pepper and some chicken broth I had made. Served with some prawns marinated in sweet chili sauce and quick fried it was surprisingly delicious! But of course with all that I could probably have left out the spice cube......
Andrea Nguyen says
Well, there you go. You're a cook who does not need the help of instant anything! Hooray!
Don Nealious says
I just bought the cubes today. No info. That's how i wound up here.
Early last year I bought some pho paste that came 10 packets per box. You add one packet to 1 Litre of water. It was the best we tried. Store no longer sells it
I don't have the original box to try and trace it.
The langauge barrier prevents me from explaining myself well to the store personnel.
Any clues?
Andrea Nguyen says
I think you're looking for this product? https://amzn.to/2rX9PTO
BTHebert says
I use them as a base for making my own Ramen. I add garlic, Ginger, cilantro, Soy sauce and Srirachi sauce, ramen noodles or chinese dumplings, dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, and whatever protein I have available. Much better than top ramen.
Andrea Nguyen says
Nice idea! Thank you for sharing it.
Minda A says
I use these as my mom would: added to a traditionally broth prepared from scratch, since I don’t usually have star anise around. (Another blogger said this was his mother in law’s trick—a good tip, I’ve found!) So. Charred onion+ginger, broth+the Cube+coriander seeds/cinnamon stick/cloves/cardamom/Omani limes, kombu (my new fave ingredients). Tamara, rice vinegar, A and/or fish sauce to taste. My pho is vegan>soup mushrooms (shiitake, nameko, wood ear, etc), carrots, bok choy and Thai basil/cilantro/mint/green onion to the noodles
Minda A says
BTW Vegans: It’s likely the Cube is not vegan. I am not a strict vegan and it doesn’t taste like beef broth to me. If you remove the Cube from the above recipe, you’re good
Andrea Nguyen says
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and tips!