Nothing like a hot bowl of spicy pho on a cold winter day. This week I tried making a vegetarian pho at home, and while purists will say that's blasphemy (as pho broth must be made with meat), I think it turned out rather well and was quite quick - took about an hour form start to finish.
Ingredients (serves 3-4, depending on how hungry you are)
Broth
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
- 2 small shallots, peeled and cut in half
- 2 star anise
- 6 cloves
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of peppercorns
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
- 2 inches of ginger, peeled and cut in half
- 1 teaspoon of non-aromatic oil like avocado or white oil
- 1/2 cup mixture of light soy sauce and rice vinegar (50-50)
Toppings/veggies
- 1/2 head of broccoli, washed and cut into bite sizes
- 2 carrots, washed and cut into slices
- A handful of mushrooms of choice, sliced
- 1 tea spoon of oil of choice
- Salt and pepper to taste
(I also added a sliced white sausage, lightly sauteed, for myself)
Dressings (this is the game changer, mix and match and see what works best for you)
- Hoisin sauce
- Shiracha
- Sliced fresh jalapenos
- Fresh Thai basil
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Bean sprouts (I really don't like bean sprouts so I don't put any in mine)
- Sliced radish, red or white
- Wedges of lime
Noodles
- I used rice vermicelli (cook as per instructions on packet), you could use glass noodles too, works well
Process
Cut the onions, shallots, garlic, and ginger in half and toast the onions on a dry hot pan and set aside. Add the salt. Add water and cook for as long as possible. Add the spices 30 minutes before you want to finish meal prep in a tea bag or something like a muslin cloth and cook for 15 minutes in the broth.
Stir-fry the mushrooms with a little bit of oil. Blanch the carrots and broccoli and then stir fry them with the soy sauce and vinegar.
Soak the noodles as per package instructions. Put some in a bowl. Pour the broth in through a strainer. Add as many veggies as you would like. Add as many toppings you prefer. Chow down :)
Ingredients (serves 3-4, depending on how hungry you are)
Broth
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
- 2 small shallots, peeled and cut in half
- 2 star anise
- 6 cloves
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of peppercorns
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
- 2 inches of ginger, peeled and cut in half
- 1 teaspoon of non-aromatic oil like avocado or white oil
- 1/2 cup mixture of light soy sauce and rice vinegar (50-50)
Toppings/veggies
- 1/2 head of broccoli, washed and cut into bite sizes
- 2 carrots, washed and cut into slices
- A handful of mushrooms of choice, sliced
- 1 tea spoon of oil of choice
- Salt and pepper to taste
(I also added a sliced white sausage, lightly sauteed, for myself)
Dressings (this is the game changer, mix and match and see what works best for you)
- Hoisin sauce
- Shiracha
- Sliced fresh jalapenos
- Fresh Thai basil
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Bean sprouts (I really don't like bean sprouts so I don't put any in mine)
- Sliced radish, red or white
- Wedges of lime
Noodles
- I used rice vermicelli (cook as per instructions on packet), you could use glass noodles too, works well
Process
Cut the onions, shallots, garlic, and ginger in half and toast the onions on a dry hot pan and set aside. Add the salt. Add water and cook for as long as possible. Add the spices 30 minutes before you want to finish meal prep in a tea bag or something like a muslin cloth and cook for 15 minutes in the broth.
Stir-fry the mushrooms with a little bit of oil. Blanch the carrots and broccoli and then stir fry them with the soy sauce and vinegar.
Soak the noodles as per package instructions. Put some in a bowl. Pour the broth in through a strainer. Add as many veggies as you would like. Add as many toppings you prefer. Chow down :)
