I fell in love with pho, the Vietnamese noodle soup, in Trang An (north of Vietnam), during our Vietnam trip last year.
Fragrant, transparent broth with soft rice noodles and water spinach topped with tofu and fresh herbs was just ideal after a rainy day in the boat and on the motorbike. We were enjoying every sip and the flavour grew with every spoon. It became a desiring spicy madness until I realized that I tipped the last drops in the bowl. It has undoubtedly be my new dish that I have to learn, I thought. Especially to enjoy it on cold winter days in Europe.
Before Vietnam, I have tried pho in restaurants from Berlin to Barcelona, but it was never that simple and aromatic as in Vietnam. There in Vietnam, they eat it every day for breakfast, lunch or dinner, there are no rules and every place serves it completely different than the other. And if you are a vegan there’s always at least one option for you on their menu, it was never a problem for us during our whole 3 weeks trip.
So here you are, my first try-out version of vegetable pho!
▹ Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free
Portions: 2 large servings; 3 small servings
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 45 min
INGREDIENTS: Noodle Soup
- 1 yellow onion, chopped into large pieces
- 2 cloves of garlic, cut in half
- 2-5 cm piece of ginger, peeled, cut in half.
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp whole pepper grains
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 tsp olive oil or any other neutral-flavoured oil
- 1 vegetable broth cube
- 2 tbsp tamari sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 1/2 broccoli, cut into florets
- 10 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 180 g rice noodles
INGREDIENTS: Tofu Slices
- 1/5 block firm tofu, sliced
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil or any other neutral oil
- 1 tsp salt
INGREDIENTS: Garnish
- fresh sprouts
- sliced green onions/scallions/leek
- Sliced fresh chilli or dry chilli flakes
- lime slices (optional)
- chilli sauce
Instructions
1. Place onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, pepper grains, and whole cloves in medium heat pot and fry dry, stirring continuously until fragrant for approx 2 minutes.
2. Then add a teaspoon of oil and fry for another minute, then add 5 glasses of hot water and grate in a cube of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then boil for 25 minutes over low heat so that the flavours partially dissolve.
3. Cut the tofu and prepare it by heating the oil in a non-stick pan over a strong fire, and sprinkle salt for even distribution.
Then add the sliced tofu to the pan, reduce the heat to a medium height and do not stir it until it turns golden brown for about 5-8 minutes. Then turn it over and let it cook on the other side; again, do not disturb it until the tofu turns golden brown for about 5 minutes. Take it off the stove and put it aside.
4. Take another large pot, put a strainer in it and drain the broth, straining onions, garlic, ginger, and spices. Add tamari sauce, rice vinegar, carrots, mushrooms, and broccoli to this broth, heat on medium-high heat and boil partially covered for about 5 minutes.
5. While the vegetables are boiling, put the rice noodles in a small pot, cover them with boiling water and let them stay in it for about 5 minutes. Pour it down and put it aside.
6. To make a bowl of noodles, simply spread the noodles over the bowls, put the vegetables and broth on top, add the fried tofu and fill the bowl with all garnish. I usually use fresh sprouts, green onions and fresh or dried chilli flakes – serve immediately and enjoy the heat!
Variations: you can add other vegetables to the soup such as bok-choy, water spinach, edamame beans, fresh coriander, etc.
Storage: The leftovers can be stored for up to one day and warmed up before serving.
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