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.

Baked Tofu with a Ginger, Tamari Glaze

This is a very versatile recipe that can be used in different dishes like stir fries or as an appetizer with a dip.
Ingredients:
1 14 oz. package extra firm organic tofu
2 Tbs. canola oil
Glaze:
3 cloves of garlic, mashed
3” ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp. dark roasted sesame oil
6 tbs. tamari
¼ tsp. Asian garlic chili paste
2 tbs. canola oil

Directions:
Set oven at 400 degrees. Slice tofu block into ½” slices. Place slices in one layer on a kitchen cloth and cover with a second cloth. Place a flat plate and a heavy pan on top of covered tofu to release excess moisture. Set aside for about 20 minutes. In the meantime mix all the glaze ingredients. Brush a sheet pan with canola oil and place tofu slices in one layer. Brush top layer of tofu slices with oil. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until starting to firm up. Pour glaze over tofu slices making sure tofu surface is covered, turn slices and spread mixture on other side. Bake another 10 minutes or until firm and caramelized.

Comfort Lentil Soup

Sunset from my parents house in Lebanon

I haven’t been feeling well; I had oral surgery earlier this week and still recovering. My beloved husband Brian cooked a couple of comfort soups from his childhood; Split Pea Soup with ham hock (which is something that I did not know what it was until I married him) and Clam Chowder. Both were very tasty even when they were blended. He made quite an effort, and I was really appreciative, after all he hasn’t been cooking much lately because he is not inspired!!! Yesterday was day four of my surgery and I was l feeling yucky and still needed soft food. I was craving my Mom’s lentil soup which she used to make for me and my siblings when we used to get sick with the flu or other winter ailments. It is supposed to make you sweat and it does. So, I made it with a short cut, dumping all the ingredients minus the spices all at the same time, used an immersion blender to cream it instead of a hand mill, added the spices and finished it with olive oil and voila…..My comfort soup was ready……And I went back to Lebanon…..

The following recipe is following the progressive steps, but if in a hurry, or not feeling well then choosing the shorter route will still give you a good soup.
Serve the soup with toasted pita chips, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You can also embellish it by topping it with toasted pumpkin seeds, a crumble of feta cheese, grated parmesan, chopped cilantro or mint…..Use your imagination……
Recipe:
Serves 4-6
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 tbs. Olive oil + extra to drizzle
1 ½ cups lentil, picked and rinsed
½ cup short grain rice white or brown (you need more water and more cooking time if using brown rice
1-1 ½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. black pepper
Salt to taste
6-8 cups water
Note: You need more water and more cooking time if using brown rice.


In a big pot, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add spices and salt until fragrant. Add lentil and 4 cups of water until lentil is tender. You may have to add a bit of water at a time keeping your lentils covered with water at all times. Using your immersion or regular blender until smooth, add rice rest of water until rice is cooked and tender. You may add less or more or less water according to consistency of your preference. Adjust salt and spices to taste. Serve with your condiments of choice….Sahtain…..

Candied Quince, Mama's way, As Remembered

I stopped last week at one of my favorite fruit stands north of Seattle and I lucked out. I found quince, Italian eggplant, pomegranates and tender Lebanese cucumbers……Time to do some preserving. I pickled the cucumbers four different ways, plain, with dill the way Brian likes it, hot with Serrano chilies whole and sliced. The eggplant, I preserved in olive oil with two kinds of stuffing. One is a mixture of crushed garlic, crushed pine nuts and pomegranate seeds. Another, mixture of crushed garlic, crushed walnuts, thinly diced red pepper and Serrano chilies for the other. Both are very tasty but the first is my favorite and I really can’t make a just one or the other. I had leftover, stuffing so I sliced zucchini from my garden, roasted them and layered them with the stuffing and topped it with olive oil. Give it a few weeks and I have a tasty appetizer or a quick meal on hand, and of course you have to eat it with pita bread making sure to sop the oil…… Recipes to follow at some time…..
Now, going back to quince…... A quince is a fruit resembling a pear that was first cultivated in the Middle East. In fact, the proverbial apple offered to Adam by Eve may actually be more accurately translated as a quince. It is such a beautiful fragrant fruit that a lot of people in this country do not know what to do with. My Mom always made candied quince and jam. In Spain they take it a little further and bake the jam or paste to make it dense then eat it with Manchego cheese, it’s called Membrillo. In my research last year I stumbled on a recipe to make jelly from the peel, I liked the idea of not wasting any part of the fruit. But on the other hand I did not find any recipe that resembled what my mom used to make, so I had to come up with one, I relied on my memory and my instinct and it was a success. The jelly, which I had never made before, using neither quince, or any kind of fruit was a flop, I overcooked until it turned into a thick glob that was hard to spread…..Ah, live and learn….
Coming back to the here now…..I did not write the recipe down last year, or maybe I did and it is buried somewhere on a pad around the house……So, I had to come up again with a recipe ……
The following method is one that my mama used to preserve different kinds if fruit like figs, quince, citrus rind, chestnut and even eggplant which she stuffed with walnuts and flavored with cloves pierced into the fruit……Ummmm……May be that should be my next attempt, after I discuss with Mom, she may not have a recipe since she’s more of an instinctive talented cook. This method takes a long time to finish but it is worth having a product that retains its shape and a nice crunch. You can skip the cooling and simmering steps and cook it through but you have to stay by its side stirring occasionally and may risk breaking the pieces that may be soft and not as crunchy.
Wash your fruit and make sure to remove any fuzz on the skin. To make the process of peeling easier cut the fruit into 10 pieces before you peel. Put your slices in water to slow the oxidizing process. Keep the peel if you want to make the jelly.

Ingredients:

14 cups Quince, peeled cored and cut into 10 slices
16 cups water
7 cups sugar
In a non reactive pan, like thick bottom stainless steel, cook quince 7 minutes after its starts boiling. Strain fruit through a colander. Measure 14 cups of water and put back in the pan with sugar, reserve the remaining liquid for quince jelly. Simmer sugar syrup on medium heat for about 15 minutes, return fruit to pan and simmer for about 10.Turn the heat off and let it cool down. Turn heat on and bring to a simmer for 15 more minutes. Turn heat off and cool down again then bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes stirring gently to make sure that it does not stick, if you notice a film is forming on the bottom of the pan reduce heat and keep an eye on it stirring gently. The quince will be ready when the syrup is thick and covers the spoon and slices.
When you put pan again on the stove for the last time, prepare your jars. You will 4 to 5 need wide mouthed 500ml 3 piece jars i.e. rings and lids. Wash your jars with warm soap and water. Sterilize the jars and ring top in a pan for 15 minutes after boiling. Remove jars and lids from water and place over a dry towel. Place lids in boiling water and keep until jars are filled and ready to seal. Ladle warm jam into jars using a canning funnel, or not, leaving about ½” space from top. If you have less full jar do not preserve keep in the fridge and use in the next few weeks. Clean around jar rims using a paper towel. Remove lids from boiling water, use a canning magnet if you have it or sterilized tongs, and be careful not to burn yourself. Place lids on top of jars and screw rings in. Pour out hot water from pan; place jars in pan and top with cold water about 1” over. Place pot on high heat and sterilize jars for 15 minutes after water starts boiling. Turn heat off and leave jars in pans 5 more minutes. Carefully remove jars from pan and turn them upside down on a clean towel. Using a mitten, press lids down into towel making sure jars are sealed well. I saw my Mom do it this way, it’s a way to make sure that your jars are sealed well and do not leak. Do not disturb for about 8 hours.
When you are ready to serve remove quince from syrup and drain then dredge in coarse granulated sugar paired with walnuts……Or, serve it as is or with ice cream or sandwiched in a scone… Reserve syrup and spread it on toast………
Sahtain….Or good health…

Two Sisters and Quince

A long time ago there were two sisters who lived happily at their parent’s house in Lebanon. The younger one liked to cook and the older one with the sweet tooth liked to bake. At that time they were in their late teens. It was a happy time during one of the peace breaks during a long war. Their mother was away visiting their brothers who were studying in the United States. That fall they decided to make candied quince, maybe because they missed their mother or maybe because they liked the idea and the adventure. The two girls consulted with their aunt who lived two floors above in the same building. They bought quince from the vendor across the street who displayed his produce very nicely in front of his store. He always wore a white lab coat and spent the day proudly polishing his fruit - they didn’t use wax back then to have fruit that shines.
The two sisters peeled, cored and sliced the golden fragrant fruit. They cooked it in sugar syrup just the way their aunt taught them to. They cooked and cooked until it was ready…….But the candied fruit did not turn ruby red like the quince their mom made……What to do, what to do?? Food coloring!!!
They added one drop, two drops….Mixed, not the right color either…..One drop, two drops, three drops….Mixed again…That is the right color….Ruby, translucent jewels…. They cheated but they were very proud….Then their aunt came to check on them, they showed off the fruit of their labor. Their aunt was very surprised at the result for she had never made quince jam with such a beautiful color. The sisters kept the secret and only shared it with their mom when she came back from her trip…..

The two girls in the story were my sister and I and the mother, our very own.
This past summer my sister and I recalled the story over a glass of our mother’s famous fresh lemonade and when she came out attracted by our giggles, we shared it with her and then with my nieces who wanted to know why all the laughter……
Today I made candied quince and quince jelly……I had a smile on my face all day recalling the time a long time ago when my sister and I decided to candy some quince…..