Spiced Shiitake Vegan Pho
Pho, pronounced (Fha) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and sometimes meat. (Obvi- No meat here) Pho is a popular food in Vietnam and all over the world. If you’ve never given it a try, I highly recommend you try this recipe! The flavors of cinnamon, clove, and star anise mixed with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce will take your flavor palette off on a whole new journey.
To me, pho brings me to a safe place inside my heart. Anytime I was having a rough day, I would call my best friend and we’d go out for pho and vent things out. I was always in a better mood afterwards and to this day, I still follow this routine. Plus as a young chef, I think I was so enthralled by pho because I was amazed at the combinations of flavors in just the broth of pho itself. Everywhere you go, pho has its subtle differences, and learning the different techniques was always so interesting.
This shiitake spiced pho is a so darn good, you’ll have trouble keeping leftovers for tomorrow. And remember, the best parts of pho are the toppings too! Go crazy with extra sprouts, plum sauce, and basil. Enjoy!
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Makes 3-4 servings of soup
The Goods:
1 package maifun noodles
1 block tofu, cut into fries
For the pho broth:
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 inch chunk ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup liquid aminos
1/4 cup Big Tree Farms Coconut Aminos
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 whole star anise
1 whole cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
1 package shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 baby bok choy, sliced (bottoms & tops separated)
1 tbsp chili paste
1 tbsp plum sauce
6 cups veggie broth
For the finished pho soup:
mung bean sprouts
sliced jalapeños
basil leaves
extra plum sauce and chili paste
The Method:
Fill a large soup pot with water 3/4 of the way, cover, and turn on high heat to begin boiling your water for the noodles. Once water is boiling, add noodles and cook to package instructions. Pour cooked noodles back into the empty water pot, and drizzle a pinch of sesame oil, and cover to keep noodles warm until time to serve.
Preheat oven to 425. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and line up tofu sticks (fries) on it. Bake tofu fries at 425 for 12-15 minutes. Once done, let tofu fries cool for 5-10 minutes before trying to release them from the parchment paper. (letting them cool helps prevent them from sticking to the paper)
In another separate large soup pot, turn on medium high heat with sesame oil. Once hot, add your onions, pinch of salt, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. As the onions become softer, add your garlic, ginger and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
Next add your liquid aminos, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, star anise, cinnamon stick, and whole cloves. Cook down the liquid for another 2-3 minutes, it should start to bubble a bit. Now add your mushrooms and the bottom half of the bok choy (white part). Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms have reduced in size and the bok choy has softened. By now your pho should be smelling amazing!
Add in your chili paste and plum sauce, stir in into everything and then pour in all your veggie broth. Cover and reduce the heat to a low medium temperature and cook for 7-10 minutes.
As your pho broth is cooking, this is a great time to check on your cooling tofu fries, and carefully release them from the parchment paper using a firm spatula.
Check back at the broth, toss in the green tops of the bok choy, and taste test for salt. Remove from heat and grab your serving bowls, and a bowl with all the toppings. (sprouts, jalapeños, basil leaves, plum sauce, chili paste)
Into each bowl, first place your desired serving of noodles in. Then ladle a generous amount of broth over the noodles. Don’t forget to get all those yummy pieces of mushrooms and bok choy! Then add a few tofu fries to the top.
Garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy immediately. I love extra plum sauce over the top and lots of bean sprouts, but my husband enjoys extra chili paste and jalapeños. You know yourself best, garnish away!
Thanks so much for checking out our recipes! I hope you find something here that satisfies your cravings or encourages you to try something new. Make sure to check back every week to see our new recipes!
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