Vegetarian Pho

 

 

I have been thinking of a way to make a vegetarian version of the Vietnamese staple soup Pho. The secret of any good Pho is the broth which is usually cooked 4 to 5 hours and left overnight for the flavors to develop. The clear broth is made with beef bones like marrow bones, knuckles or oxtail and a mix of sweet fragrant spices like cinnamon, star anise and fennel. Doing my research I found recipes that have common elements like the charred onions and ginger, the spices seemed to be the same with an addition of one or two in some of them. I have to come up with my own…….

I have been using mushrooms in soup stocks and sauces for a long time; sometimes using red wine or different herbs to capture the richness of meat. This time was not going to be different .I used dried shiitake mushrooms which have a concentrated earthy flavor that lends a deeper accent to the broth. I put my own signature by using my universal spice threesome; all spice, black pepper and ground cinnamon in addition to the recommended spices plus garlic and lime peel. Roasting the onions and the garlic makes it sweeter and enhances the overall flavor of the broth.

I was really surprised by how deep and rich the broth was; I did not miss the meat and bone flavor at all.

When you strain the broth you can fish out the mushroom, slice it and add it to your soup.

 

Recipe-Vegetarian Pho with Vegetables 

Serves: 4 to 6

Broth

5 Liters/ 20 cups of water

1 oz. washed dried shiitake mushrooms

1 large yellow onion, skin on and cut in half

2 carrots cut into 4 pieces

2 celery stalks cut into 4 pieces

5 whole garlic cloves, skin on

3 “ fresh ginger

3 scallions cut into 4 pieces

5 bay leaves

1 tsp fennel seeds

8 star anise

15 black pepper corns

10 allspice corns

8 whole cloves

1 tsp. powdered cinnamon

½ tsp. powdered allspice

2 tbs. Bragg’s amino

Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Put water in heavy bottom pan and add to it mushroom, cook on medium high heat. In the mean time broil onion and garlic in a pan in a 400 degree oven. Stick ginger on a metal skewer and roast it on an open flame turning it around until charred. Cool ginger down, peel and chop and add to pot. Place star anise, black pepper corns, allspice corns, and cinnamon stick in a small skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant. Take spices off heat; add bay leaves and fennel seeds. Put all spices in a piece of cheesecloth, tie cloth with twine and add to pot. When onions are charred and caramelized, peel skin off cut into pieces and add to pot. Cover pot and simmer broth over low medium heat for about an hour or until liquid is concentrated into about 8 cups. Add Bragg’s, powdered cinnamon, powdered allspice and salt to taste. Strain broth; remove mushrooms and discard of rest of vegetables and spices. Slice mushroom and save for soup. Put broth back in pot.

Soup

4 carrots, peeled and sliced thin

1 broccoli florets cut into bite size pieces

4 celery stalks, cut into 1” pieces

4 baby bock choy, chopped

1 package thin rice sticks, Maifun

Baked tofu (optional)-Recipe below

Steam vegetables until tender crisp; about 10 minutes or until tender crisp. Shock vegetables in cold water then strain. In a pot bring 8 cups of water to a boil, cook rice sticks for about 5 minutes or until tender. Strain noodles and plunge in cold water to stop cooking. Strain noodles and set aside

Condiments and Garnishes

1 Lb. bean sprouts

1 cup chopped cilantro

1 white onion, sliced very thin

1 scallion, chopped

4 Thai basil sprigs

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)

2 limes cut into eighths

Hoisin Sauce

Chili Garlic Sauce

Soup Assemblage:

Bring broth to a boil, put a serving of noodles in a bowl, add vegetables and tofu then top with broth. Garnish with sliced onions and cilantro. Serve with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime wedges, jalapeno, Hoisin sauce and chili sauce.