This one dish became our family’s favourite pick me up after visiting a few Vietnamese restaurants. One cosy comfort food, right from the moment of preparation to till it’s served on the table, Pho (pronounced “fuh”) oozes warmth, aroma and flavours. A rich vegetable broth combined with goodness of so many fresh customizable garnishes and slurpy noodles, believe me it is divine and you do need this to add to your recipe books.
Traditionally made with beef strips, bones and fish sauce, we have substituted the meat and fish with vegetarian and vegan options. A perfect recipe for the fall and winters, it is delicious and hearty without being heavy. And we all absolutely love it. Let’s dive straight into the recipe now 🙂
Broth Ingredients
1 large onion, peeled and halved
1 cinnamon stick (3-4 inch)
4-5 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and halved
2 star aniseed
3-4 whole cloves
2 cardamom pods, I used brown cardamom
1 tsp coriander seeds (I didn’t have seeds so used powder)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
5-6 peppercorns
2 tbsp reduced salt soy or tamari sauce
1 cube vegetable stock, I used knorr
2 tsp rice vinegar
4 cups water
Salt, according to taste
Toppings
160g Vermicelli rice noodles
2 tenderstem broccoli spears
150g shitake mushroom
Handful of bean sprouts
Handful of carrot juliennes
5-6 sugar snap peas
2 tbsp thinly sliced green onion
1 sliced green jalapeno
Half sliced red jalapeno
⅓ cup sliced radish
Herbs of your choice, basil or mint
150g firm tofu, cut into cubes
5 tbsp Hoisin sauce
¼ tsp sriracha powder/paprika
Lemon wedges
Oil for sauteing
METHOD
STEP 1: Warm up a stockpot. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, star aniseed, cardamom and peppercorn. Toast until fragrant, around 2 -3 minutes. Now add onion, ginger and garlic and saute for another 5-6 minutes till it gets a little charred. Now add carrots, water and a stockcube. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for around 30 minutes to let the flavours infuse. Add vinegar, soy sauce and salt.
STEP 2: Prepare your rice noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and set them aside.
STEP 3: To prepare the shitake mushroom, warm a skillet and add 2 tsp oil. Add mushroom and a little sprinkle of salt. Saute for around 5 minutes till light brown. Set them aside.
STEP 4: To prepare tofu, wipe down the same skillet. Add little oil and place tofu cubes and cook over medium heat. In a small bowl take hoisin sauce and sriracha or paprika. Give it a good stir and spread it over the tofu cubes in the pan so that it is evenly coated from both sides. Cook till the tofu is crispy and light brown. Set them aside.
STEP 5: Saute bean sprouts , broccoli spears and snap peas in the same way. They don’t need much cooking as they will soften up enough when mixed with soup.
STEP 6: When the broth is done cooking, strain it.
STEP 7: Take two large serving bowls and divide rice noodles equally. Ladle the broth into the bowls. Top it with garnishes of your choice . Add more sauce or salt if required. Serve hot 🙂
Few Variations
You can always char the onion, garlic and ginger directly on the stove top.
Homemade stock works well equally (or perhaps better 😉 ) instead of a stock cube.
You can choose any variety of noodles.
Instead of sauteing, cooking the mushrooms in the simmering broth is another option.
xx
