'Nice pho what?' Vietnamese Caribou soup, that's what

Caribou stew: Thick, gravy-esque, mouthwatering goodness.

Caribou soup: Warms the soul, perfect with bannock and tea on a winter's day.

Caribou pho: Wait... what?

Imagine transforming your favourite caribou soup into a lip-smacking Vietnamese dish. Or, giving your favourite pho a makeover with caribou meat instead of beef.

That's what Shayna Allen did when she was craving a taste of Vietnamese food in her home community of Inuvik, N.W.T..

"It's not a dish you can't get here, so that's why I just tried to make it in my kitchen," Allen said in an interview with CBC Northwind host Wanda McLeod.

Allan said she didn't have a lot of the ingredients in her kitchen, so she just improvised.

"I love caribou soup, so I said why not make basically a pho broth with it, with kind of the same concept as a caribou soup broth."

The best of both worlds.

"I used a lot of spices that I've never used before, such as coriander and fennel… with fennel it's a very unique spice to use. If you use too much of it, it can overpower the dish," she said.

"With those kinds of spices you have to be very careful."

The result: good enough to boast about.

"I usually don't talk up my recipes or my dishes. I usually say 'I can improve this,'" Allen said.

"But I felt like this was one of the best things I've ever made."

She even named her recipe: Nice pho what. It's a pun, and a play on the Drake song Nice for what. Allen says she was listening to it while making the dish.

It tasted so good, Allan decided to share her recipe on CBC North's Facebook group.

"Love how you did it," said one member.

"Shaynaaa! This looks AMAZING!" said another.

Here's what makes it even more amazing; Shayna is Inuvialuit and is just starting to explore cooking with traditional foods. 

"Although I did grow up on traditional foods, I haven't used them a lot within my kitchen," she said

"I'm cooking more now with traditional foods because it makes me feel more connected with my culture, my family." 

A traditional caribou base, some Vietnamese spices, a dash of hip-hop and praise on our recipe group. No doubt, it's a recipe that's making connections.