Vegetarian Pho
This is a vegetarian version of a recipe I googled years ago. I’ve modified it to be easier and cheaper, and taken to calling it “Bastardized Pho”, as it is not in any way a traditional recipe, but delicious nonetheless.
The process sounds complicated, but is actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it. The recipe does include some elusive spices that you might not have in your cupboard. Luckily, the company Spicely Organic makes tiny green cardboard boxes of every spice known to human, so you can pick up oddities like Star Anise and Black Cardamom without paying a fortune. The recipe can also be tweaked to include whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. Oh, and it’s pronounced “Fuh”.
Broth Ingredients:
- 3T fresh ginger root, sliced into quarter sized pieces
- 1 white onion, cubed (reserve a teensy bit for garnish)
- 6 fennel seeds
- 2 pods star anise
- 3 pods black cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 seeds coriander
- Pinch hot pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth (don’t settle for anything less than great with your broth, because it will dominate the flavor of whatever you make. I like the vegetable “Better Than Bouillon”.)
Garnish Ingredients
- Rice noodles (any size works, but I usually get the skinny ones)
- A vegetable or two- I usually use broccoli, but you can try kale, squash…
- Veggie protein, cubed (tofu and the mock chicken we wrote about in a previous blog both work well)
- Cilantro or basil (a spicy basil like Thai basil tastes best)
- Bean sprouts, if you like them (shudder)
- Limes
Serves two
To make:
- Get your rice noodles going. There are a lot of ways to cook rice noodles, but my favorite method is this: Heat water on the stove. When it reached a boil, turn off the heat, add dry rice noodles, and cover. Let sit until noodles soften (at least 5 min), then drain. Do NOT cook rice noodles the way you would wheat noodles- you will end up with a mushy, gloppy mess.
- While rice noodles sit, char ginger, onion, and all the spices in a pot. (Turn the heat on high, stir frequently until the ingredients become fragrant and darken around the edges.)
- Pour veggie broth into pot with charred spices and and simmer for 20 min.
- In the meantime, lightly steam whatever vegetables you plan on adding to your Pho. I usually just toss them in a heat-proof strainer, balance the strainer over my simmering broth, and put a lid over the whole operation. This saves pots and gives the veggies a nice flavor.
- Sauté veggie protein until golden brown.
- Cut limes, tear basil, slice the remainder of your white onion into veeery thin strips. Set aside.
- When your broth has finished simmering, strain it over a bowl and discard the chunky remnants.
- Ladle broth over noodles, and serve the rest of the topping in bowls on the side, like so:
-e
