This Vegan Vietnamese Pho is easy to make and requires very simple ingredients. It is a warm and comforting recipe just like a taste of home. If you like Vietnamese cuisine, you definitely do not want to miss out on this recipe.
Pho is a traditional dish in Vietnam. It is made with bone broth, with a variety of spices such as star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon that makes it a signature dish. The key to having an authentic and flavorful pho lies on the broth. And no, you cannot just use regular vegan broth to make the dish. The broth requires certain spices combined together to bring out the flavors of pho itself. It is usually served with beef, but this recipe is made vegan with substitutions to make a vegan broth and vegan toppings such as mushrooms and tofu. Chay means vegetarian in Vietnamese so whenever you are out and see this word, the dish is vegetarian.
Growing up, Pho is a rotating dish in my home. My mom would make it a few times a month and it is always a hit for my entire family and relatives. She usually makes it on the day my dad has his day off from work. That way, we can have it for dinner together instead of him eating late at night when he returns back from home. He worked as a chef in Boston and didn’t usually return home until close to midnight in which all my siblings and I were in bed already for school the next day.
I’ll open the front door to our house and smell the aroma of pho right away. It is warm and comforting from the spices. When I turn to the right where the kitchen is, I can see the large pot of the pho, the broth boiling while my mom prepares a bowl for me to have for lunch. I would rush upstairs, get change and come downstairs with my stomach growling for some after a long day at school.
We would have the pho for the next couple of days because my mom usually makes a big batch. This also means my uncles and aunts would come over often so they can also have my mom’s home-cooked meals. I remember there was a time when I was home with my sister and one of my uncles came over looking for my mom, but she went out for an errand. I asked if he needed help with something and he said no, just wanting to drop by. I thought he would leave but like many of my other uncles and aunts, he would ask what we were eating that day and if he can have some. The answer is always yes since my mom always makes something new. Pho was one of the dishes they come over often for and my mom would always send them home with some.
I never thought I could make my mom’s pho because I always thought it has to involve beef, but I was wrong. I used the same spices as my mom but made a vegan broth with it instead and used mushroom powder to enhance the flavor of the broth. Needless to say, after you try this pho, you would not be able to tell the difference between the one made with meat and this one without.
So, are you ready to make this Vegan Vietnamese Pho with me? Let’s start cooking!
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This Vegan Vietnamese Pho is easy to make and requires very simple ingredients. It is a warm and comforting recipe just like a taste of home. If you like Vietnamese cuisine, you definitely do not want to miss out on this recipe.
Ingredients
Broth
-4 liters (16 cups) water
-6 scallions, white parts
-3 large carrots, chopped into chunks
-2 large fresh pears (any variety), sliced in half
-1 large celery stick, chopped into 2-inch pieces
-½ head of a small green cabbage
-1 large yellow onion, chopped in half
Spices
-4 (2-inch) ginger, thinly sliced and smashed
-4 star anises
-4 cardamom pods
-2 cinnamon sticks
-1 rock candy (or 1 tbsp organic cane sugar)
-3 tsp mushroom powder (should not have any other addictives to it)
-2 tbsp salt
Others
-1 package rice noodles
-1 package (14oz) firm tofu, drained and pressed from water
-1 lb dried shiitake mushrooms (can sub for regular shiitake mushrooms), soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes
-1 tbsp soy sauce
-2 tsp mushroom powder
-1 tsp Five-Spice powder
-1 tsp salt
-½ tsp sugar
-fresh, Thai basil
-scallions, thinly sliced
-bean sprouts
-fresh lime slices
-chili peppers, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Make the broth. Add all water, scallions, carrots, pears, green cabbage, ½ onion and 2 slices of the ginger to a large pot. Bring to a boil and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes.
- While the broth is simmering, lightly char the remaining 2 slices of the ginger, the star anise, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks. After the 30 minutes, add all these spices into the pot along with the rock candy, mushroom powder and salt. Allow it to simmer for another 30-40 minutes. If the water is running low, add more water (about 1 cup). Taste for seasoning when ready.
- Meanwhile, cook the tofu and mushrooms. Sliced the tofu into cubes and thinly sliced the mushrooms. Add the tofu and mushrooms to a bowl. Add the soy sauce, mushroom powder, five-spice powder, salt, and sugar to the bowl and mix well. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Heat a pan with some olive oil over medium heat. Add the tofu and allow it to cook until crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Flip the tofu and cook the other side until crispy as well. Once ready, transfer the tofu to a bowl.
- In the same pan, add a little oil and add the mushrooms in. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a separate bowl.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions.
- When the pho broth is ready, add some of the noodles to a bowl. Add some of the tofu and mushrooms, top with the broth. Top with some scallions and chili peppers. Serve with bean sprouts and a squeeze of fresh lime. Enjoy!
Keywords: pho, rice noodles, Vietnamese
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