JayasheeI love a good, brothy soup, and my all-time favorite soup is pho. I love all of the complex flavors, the sticky noodles, and making my own topping buffet. I’ve been having a hard time finding a good vegan pho in Montreal as many places here use beef broth in their pho chay, or charge $20 for a vegan version. This made me super miss all of the amazing Vietnamese food in LA, and highly motivated to make my own! Pho is definitely a labor of love. Getting a good flavorful broth is so important for pho, so while this is a little time consuming, it’s totally worth it! This is how we made it:
Vegan Pho with Baked Tofu
Ingredients:
Broth:
1 onion, coarsely chopped
8 thin slices of ginger
12 cups water
6 veggie broth cubes
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 tsp whole cloves
6 cardamom pods
4 stars of anise
2 sticks of cinnamon
Salt to taste (I didn’t use any)
In the soup:
1 package extra firm tofu, cut into 1” cubes
1 package pho noodles (rice vermicelli)
½ onion, thinly sliced
1 lb mushrooms- enoki, shiitake, oyster, button, etc.
¼ cabbage, chopped (not traditional, but super healthy. You can also use bok choy or any other nutritious green)
Toppings:
Bean Sprouts
Jalapeño slices
Lime slices
Cilantro
Thai Basil
Directions:
Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the coarsely chopped onion and ginger slices, and dry roast until the onions begin to char, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. You really have to stay on top of stirring or the onions will stick.
Add the water, veggie broth cubes, dried shiitake mushrooms, and garlic. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for about 45 minutes.
In the meantime, let’s bake that tofu and prepare your rice noodles.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss your cubed tofu with ¼ cup Bragg’s Liquid aminos. You could also add a little minced garlic or a squirt of sriracha and give it a stir.
Pour the tofu and remaining liquid on the parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with a little nutritional yeast, and bake for 25 minutes, flipping once halfway into the baking time.
Let’s do these noodles. You’re a multitasker. You’re the queen of the universe. You can handle this. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. It’s okay if they get a little stuck together. Unraveling my pho noodles in my bowl is my favorite sport!
Back to the most important part….your broth! keep your broth at a simmer, and then add the spices and braggs. Continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, and pour the broth through a strainer to remove the onions and spices, and then return the broth to the stove. Return to a boil.
Add the thinly sliced onion, mushrooms, and cabbage. Reduce to a simmer, and cook the veggies for 15 minutes.
To serve, place ¼ of the noodles into each bowl and ladle some of the broth and veggies into each bowl. Top with tofu, bean sprouts, jalapeños, lemon, cilantro, basil, sriracha, etc.!
Loving our pho? Tag us in your photo on Instagram @notthatkindofveganofficial or on Facebook for a shoutout!
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