This recipe offers a vegan version of a delicious Vietnamese popular soup Pho. Pho soup is considered the national dish in Vietnam. Of course, the versions made with meat are better known, mostly with beef or sometimes chicken.
Vegan recipes can also be amazing
Vegan recipes are characterized by the fact that they usually do not require a lot of ingredients and time. For instance, just like these healthy and easy carrot muffins. This also applies to this vegan Pho, which requires much less time than classic Pho.
The beef version is especially popular. I bring you a vegan alternative. It is just as tasty, but more importantly, much easier and faster. If you would like an authentic version of beef, count with a few hours of cooking (it can take more than 10 hours) the broth, which is the basis for this amazing Vietnamese national dish.
Many people claim that Pho soup should contain meat. However, Buddhism is present in many places in Vietnam, and (not only) monks leave out meat from their diet. Therefore, the vegan version of this fantastic soup is not unusual at all.
Spices for vegan Pho
You can find multiple variations containing different vegetables, but tofu and mushrooms should not be missing. Firstly, it is important to make a quality broth for which you need ginger, onion (cut into quarters), garlic and aromatic spices such as whole cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and coriander.
Everything needs to be nicely roasted in a pan to highlight the wonderful aromatic aromas and flavors. Be sure to toast the onion, which will bring an excellent sweet and deep taste. Don’t be afraid when the onion will get a little bit dark on the sides.
Next, pour vegetable stock over all the ingredients. As soon as the broth starts to bubble, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about half an hour.
The charm of vegan Pho is that this is basically the longest part of the whole recipe. Meanwhile, as the excellent aromatic taste of the broth deepens every minute, you can prepare other vegetables, which you add to the broth after straining the spices, onions, ginger and garlic. We can’t forget the tofu, which can be prepared really tasty. Tofu doesn’t have to be boring at all!
Toppings
And in the end, all we have to do is play with the garnish, or rather the idea of how to finish this delicious Vietnamese vegan soup. First, place the cooked rice noodles on a plate, pour the broth along with the cooked vegetables and garnish with various ingredients you like.
Of course, you should not miss prepared fried tofu, chopped chili peppers, fresh bean sprouts, spring onion or lime. Thai basil, radish or sriracha sauce are also popular.
I definitely recommend hoisin sauce, which you can get in large supermarkets or Chinese stores, or you can prepare your own homemade hoisin sauce at home. It adds a nice sweet and salty taste.
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Vegan Pho
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 7 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable stock (or 2L)
- 400g flat rice noodles
- 1 large onion (and/or shallot)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 thumb-size pieces of ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise
- 5 whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 black cardamom pods (optional)
- 1 block tofu (sliced thinly)
- 200g mushrooms
- 2 carrots
- 1 smaller broccoli
- Soy sauce to taste
- Rice vinegar to taste
For the toppings
- Fresh chili
- Bean sprouts
- Hoisin sauce (I’m using my homemade one)
- Bunch of fresh thai basil
- Sriracha sauce (optional)
- Spring onions
- Radish
- Lime
Instructions
- Cut the onion and shallot in quarters and ginger into fat slices and toast them together with your spices (cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, peppercorns, coriander seeds) on the stove or in the oven for a couple of minutes or until slightly charred. Stir occasionally.
- Transfer to a pot and add vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare your tofu. Slice it into pieces and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan and fry until golden brown, turning only once.
- Cook the rice noodles al dente according to the package instructions. Drain in a strainer, then briefly rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent them from continuing to cook. Drizzle with sesame oil (optional).
- When the broth is done, strain out the onions, ginger and spices through a sieve. Season with light soy sauce and rice vinegar.
- Add sliced carrots, mushrooms and broccoli to your broth and simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
- Divide noodles and tofu among bowls and ladle broth and veggies over top. Serve with toppings of your choice.
Notes
I highly recommend finishing your vegan Pho with some hoisin sauce.
Toasting the spices and the onions brings up more flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Soups
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
