Phantastic Vegan Pho
If you’ve never heard of Pho, pronounced “fuh,” it’s a Vietnamese soup that is normally made with a beef broth and thinly sliced beef (gross) that is served with a bunch of fun sides like bean sprouts, herbs, and jalapeño slices. Pho is made with rice noodles and a broth to die for, but you can make Pho in so many variations, even for us friendly vegans and vegetarians.
The key to a good Pho is the broth and the ingredients in this broth weirded me out at first, but when you taste it, OH-MY-GOODNESS. Heaven. And better yet, it’s vegan!
At most Pho restaurants, the soup is served with a large bowl of broth, noodles, a plate of fresh garnishes and is accompanied by condiments like hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, Sriracha, and chili paste, to add even more incredible flavor to the broth. The fun part about this dish is that each bowl of Pho can be customized to you based on your preference. Spicy or not, meat or not, you can make it your own. No matter how you like it, don’t forget to add your fresh herbs. I cut mine from my new AeroGarden. Best Christmas gift ever!
I took a recipe I found on Pinterest (of course) from Cookie and Kate and tweaked it to make it my own. This recipe uses mushrooms instead of beef, and tamari instead of fish sauce and for added texture and protein, I include Tofu.
Heads up on this one, although it’s easy to make and doesn’t take too long, you will use a lot of dishes. So remember to clean up along the way so you don’t have a pile of dishes in the sink at the end.
How to Make Vegan Pho
Before you get the broth started, be sure to drain your tofu of all liquid and strain in a tofu press. If you don’t have one, trust me you should get one, but another option is to simply wrap the tofu in a dish towel and place something heavy over top to drain all the liquid. Set it aside and let it strain for 20-30 minutes.
Now, get the broth started. Warm up a large soup pot or Dutch oven (my preference) over medium heat. Then add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise. I told you the ingredients were weird, but stick with me, it’s worth it. Warm the spices until fragrant and stir frequently for a few minutes.
Add the onion, ginger, veggie stock, water, and tamari. Don’t forget to check out my easy vegetable stock recipe as it works beautifully in this recipe. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a consistent simmer for 30-minutes to get those amazing flavors to combine.
While the broth is cooking, cook your rice noodles according to the directions on the package. Be sure to rinse in cold water when done and set aside. It’s ok for the noodles to get cold.
Next you want to get the tofu in the oven. Cut the tofu however you like, but I typically cut in half length wise, then in half width wise, and slice into thin rectangular strips. Place on a baking sheet, spray with olive oil and add salt & pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway so both sides get browned.
Don’t forget to get those meaty mushrooms cooking. Warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the shrooms and salt & pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes and add in the balsamic. This is the key ingredient with the mushrooms in my opinion. The balsamic adds this delightfully tangy flavor that melts in your mouth. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, slightly browned and the balsamic has absorbed, about another 5-8 minutes.
Once the broth is done cooking, strain out all the ingredients simmering in the pot so you’re left with just the broth. Season it to taste with extra tamari, salt & pepper.
Now it’s time to make your Pho your own. Add the noodles in your bowl, ladle in the broth, add the tofu, mushrooms, and fresh garnishes to your liking. Serve immediately and enjoy this goodness.
Try it folks. It’s the perfect time for soup!
Peace & Love,
Nikki
Vegan Pho
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients
3 whole cloves
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
4 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and halved lengthwise
4 cups vegetable stock or broth
4 cups water
3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
6 ounces rice noodles
5-7 ounces thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
3-4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Garnishes
Bean sprouts
Fresh basil
Green onions, sliced
Jalapeño, very thinly sliced
Lime, sliced into wedges
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees for the tofu.
Drain the liquid from your tofu and strain in a tofu press, or in a dishtowel with something heavy overtop to press out the extra liquid for 20-30 minutes.
Warm a medium soup pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat and add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise. Toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the onion, ginger, vegetable stock, water and tamari. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and simmer for about 30-minutes.
While the broth does its magic, cook your rice noodles according to the directions on the package. Rinse in cold water when done and set aside.
To prepare the shiitake mushrooms, warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms and salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms about 3-4 minutes and add the balsamic vinegar, cooking until tender, lightly browned, and the balsamic has fully absorbed, about another 5-8 minutes. Set aside.
While the mushrooms cook, slice the tofu in half, length wise, then again width wise, and slice into thin rectangular strips. Place on a baking sheet, spray with olive oil and add salt & pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway so both sides get lightly browned.
When the broth is done cooking, strain all the ingredients out so you’re left with just the broth. Season it to taste with extra tamari, salt & pepper.
Build your bowl by adding the noodles, ladle in the broth, add tofu, mushrooms, and fresh garnishes to your liking. Serve immediately and enjoy this goodness.
TIPS:
I always add a little Sriracha to my bowl to add a little kick but remember you also have Jalapeño too. You don’t want to overdo it.
I also squeeze about 2 small lime wedges per bowl of Pho. It adds a nice zing.
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