This vegan Pho recipe will change your mind about Vietnamese Noodle Soup

This vegan recipe for Pho, or Vietnamese Noodle Soup will turn you over your head about vegetables with the depth of flavour that comes from adding charred veggies, the right spices and ensuring the umami flavour making it the most wholesome, well-rounded comfort food dish to fill you up without packing on the pounds.

Think Pho, and your tastebuds willl make you travel back to a rich, well cooked broth layered with flavours of different meats including pork and beef, and it may be close to impossible to imagine that one can get that depth of flavour from vegetables, however that is where you are wrong. This vegan recipe for Pho, or Vietnamese Noodle Soup will turn you over your head about vegetables with the depth of flavour that comes from adding charred veggies, the right spices and ensuring the umami flavour making it the most wholesome, well-rounded comfort food dish to fill you up without packing on the pounds. While a large number of ingredients are required for this dish, one can prepare large quantities and refrigerate it, using it through the week as one desires. Read on:

Vegan Pho(Gimme Some Oven)

INGREDIENTS

PHO BROTH INGREDIENTS:

1 large white onion, peeled and halved

3-inch piece of fresh ginger, halved lengthwise

5 star anise

4 whole cloves

3 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

2 cardamom pods

1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds

8 cups good-quality vegetable stock (or mushroom stock*)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

fine sea salt, to taste

PHO SOUP INGREDIENTS:

7 ounces uncooked thin rice noodles

1 tablespoon olive oil (or any neutral-flavored oil)

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 heads baby bok choy, halved

Optional: 1-2 cups extra veggies (such as sliced carrots, broccoli florets, snow peas, etc.)

Garnishes: fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, and/or Thai basil), bean sprouts, lime wedges, thinly-sliced chillies (Thai bird chillies or jalapeños), thinly-sliced onions (green onions or white onions), sauces (hoisin and/or sriracha)

INSTRUCTIONS

Char the onions and ginger. Turn the oven broiler to high, and place the baking rack about 8 inches away from the heating elements. Place the onion and ginger cut-side-up on a baking sheet, and brush with a bit of oil. Broil for about 7-10 minutes, until the tops of the onion and ginger are slightly charred. Remove and set aside.

Prep the noodles. Meanwhile, as your broth is simmering, cook the noodles separately 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. (I also recommend tossing the noodles with a drizzle of oil — such as sesame oil — to prevent them from sticking.)

Make the broth. Meanwhile, heat the anise, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander to a large stock pot over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes until fragrant. Add in the charred onion, ginger, stock, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the broth reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and continue to simmer for at least 30 minutes. Strain out (and discard) the onions, ginger and spices. Stir the brown sugar, soy sauce and rice vinegar into the hot broth. Then finally, taste and season the broth with salt as needed. Continue simmering on medium-low, covered, until ready to serve.

Cook the veggies. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove from heat. Then 5 minutes before you are ready to serve the soup, stir the mushrooms, bok choy and veggies into the hot broth so that they can briefly cook.

Assemble. The anticipation is over, and now we get to the best part which is assembly of this complicated looking dish. Begin by adding noodles to the bowl, followed by ladles of soup, plenty of veggies and complete the plating by adding plenty of garnish and a generous squeeze of lime juice.

Serve immediately. Soups taste best when they're piping hot and you gulp down the scalding liquid down without any hesitation, so don't wait any longer and enjoy your broth, adding extra accompaniments and sauces as per your taste preference.

(Recipe courtesy Gimme Some Oven)