Pho is a delicious noodle soup that you can enjoy in Vietnamese restaurants or that you can make at home. The most complicated part of the recipe is the broth, which takes several hours if you want to cook it from scratch; however, the result makes up for the wait. If you want to make the vegetarian version of this dish, you just need broth, rice noodles, garnishes and condiments to combine before serving.
Ingrediants
- Vegetables of your choice for cooking the broth, such as onions, leeks, carrots, and turnips
- Waterfall
- One large onion peeled and split in half
- Whole spices to flavor the broth, such as star anise, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and ginger
- 500g tofu, vegetable substitute for beef, mushrooms, broccoli, Chinese or Peking cabbage (use more than one ingredient according to your taste)
- Oil for browning
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- A pinch of five spice powder
- 1 pack of thin or thick rice noodles
- Toppings to your taste, such as lime, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, sriracha sauce, and Thai basil
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Cooking the Broth
Step 1. Cut the vegetables
To make a vegetarian pho you need several vegetables; peel them and cut them into large pieces. You can use any combination of four or more vegetables, try to use half a kilo of each ingredient. Here are some suggestions:
- Leeks
- Carrots;
- Corn;
- Turnips;
- Onions
- Apples or pears (they are not vegetables, but they give a sweet, pleasant taste and an interesting aroma).
Step 2. Put the vegetables, water, salt and sugar in the pot
Transfer all the ingredients (including fruit, if you have decided to use it) in a broth pot and cover them with water; add a teaspoon of salt and one of sugar.
- If you love slightly sweeter soups, you can still add half a teaspoon of sugar.
- Turn on the stove over high heat and let the water start boiling; then reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer the ingredients.
Step 3. Roast the onion with the ginger and other spices
While the vegetable broth is boiling, sear the onion cut in half, a few slices of ginger, and any other spices you have decided to use. Put them on an open flame, such as that of the barbecue, or in a non-stick pan and heat them over very high heat for a few minutes; after several minutes, flip the ingredients to roast all sides.
- Scrape off the burnt parts of the onion and place it in the pot with the boiling vegetables.
- Some spices suitable for this preparation are: star anise (about six whole pieces), cloves (five), a spoonful of peppercorns or a stick of cinnamon; use them all to get a very intense aroma.
- You can put the onion directly into the broth, while it is worth storing the spices in a bag; Transfer the ginger slices and all other flavorings to an empty tea bag and dip it into the boiling liquid.
- If you plan to filter the broth before serving, you can avoid this step; otherwise, some whole spices could end up on some diner's plate.
Step 4. Simmer the ingredients for a few hours
The longer you wait, the more intense the flavor; when the soup is ready, use a slotted spoon to remove the large pieces of vegetables and the bag of spices.
You can also pour the broth through a colander and transfer it to another large pot to separate it from the solid ingredients
Step 5. Taste it before serving
This detail is important to understand if you need to add more sugar or salt. If it's tasteless, add more salt; if it's not sweet enough, sugar rule.
Incorporate only small doses at a time (half a teaspoon of sugar or a pinch of salt) and always taste the liquid to avoid over-flavoring it
Part 2 of 3: Prepare the Spaghetti, Garnishes and Condiments
Step 1. Saute the tofu
It is a very common source of protein for the preparation of vegetarian pho; however, you can use other plant sources of this nutrient, such as beef substitutes or mushrooms. Slice the tofu, the "fake" beef or the mushrooms and put them in a non-stick pan previously greased with oil; if you prefer, you can add other vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, Peking cabbage, or broccoli.
- If you like, also add some minced garlic and half a teaspoon of five-spice powder while cooking these ingredients.
- Brown the tofu, beef substitute, or mushrooms until golden.
- Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
Step 2. Cook the rice noodles
Follow the instructions on the package; you should boil them in boiling water, but cooking times vary according to the thickness of the pasta.
- For example, if you are using thick noodles, you need to cook them longer than thin ones.
- Once cooked, drain them in a colander and wet them with cold water for a few minutes; in this way, you stop cooking and prevent them from sticking excessively to each other.
Step 3. Prepare the gaskets
The last thing you need to cook to make pho and personalize it are the toppings and toppings. You can use the ingredients you like best and arrange them on a plate just before bringing the soup to the table. Here are some suggestions:
- Bean sprouts;
- Thai basil leaves;
- Coriander;
- Chopped shallot;
- Sliced jalapeño pepper;
- Wedges of lime
- Chopped peanuts
- Sriracha sauce;
- Hoisin sauce.
Part 3 of 3: Serve the Pho
Step 1. Put some rice noodles in a bowl
To assemble a pho, transfer about 100g of rice noodles to a large bowl. This dish is typically presented in a large bowl, so use a larger container than you are used to; the ideal is to use a one-liter bowl.
If you don't have these containers, you can use smaller bowls, but in this case only pour 50 g of spaghetti into them, otherwise there is no room for the other ingredients
Step 2. Add the tofu, vegetarian beef substitute, or mushrooms
Brown these ingredients (all or only those you prefer) and transfer them to the bowl by placing them on top of the spaghetti.
Don't worry if they get cold, the broth will heat them up again
Step 3. Transfer the broth over the spaghetti and toppings
Use a ladle for this operation and submerge all the ingredients; pour a lot of broth! It must cover both the spaghetti and the condiments.
Step 4. Add the last few ingredients
Complete the bowl of pho with the garnishes of your choice; you can use as many or as few, according to your tastes. Pour in some hoisin or sriracha sauce to compensate for the sweetness or spiciness of the broth.
- You can also make a couple of bowls with the sriracha and hoisin sauce so diners can dip the ingredients.
- Use chopsticks or fork to eat spaghetti and large ingredients, while for broth use a large spoon.
