Kat's Pho

In the middle of 2017, when I decided to eat only plant-based food, I realised that one of my favourite soups will not be on my menu any more: Vietnamese Pho. This soup is based on a chicken or beef broth in which lots of animal parts and spices are boiled for hours.

I was on a mission to come up with a plant based pho. I call it kat's pho due to being my interpretation of a vietnamese style pho.

I really like the plant based stock and usually make up a batch which is enough for 3 soups. If I have anything left over I freeze the stock in ice cube trays and use it in curries or pasta sauces, when ever I need a little bit more liquid. It just adds a tiny bit more "oomph" rather than adding plain water.

The stock is quite potent which I like. Once the veggies and rice noodles are added to the stock it gets milder. Due to rice noodles being very plain they dillute a lot of the flavour. But if you are not a fan of chilli, please use less chilli or leave it out to start with. You can always add fresh chilli to the soup to infuse 1-2 minutes before eating it. Don't forget to remove it before you eat to avoid accidental consumption-

Ingredients for the Stock

himalayan rock salt, finely ground
ground cinnamon
whole cloves
star anise
carrot
reddish
bay leaf
ginger root
apple
onion
chilli

Ingredients for the Stock

himalayan rock salt, finely ground
ground cinnamon
whole cloves
star anise
carrot
reddish (optional)
bay leaf
ginger root
apple
onion (if you are sensitive to onion leave it out)
chilli (optional)

Amounts to be Chopped for 1.5 Litres of Water, Serving 3

1 tsp himalayan rock salt,
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
5 whole cloves
4 star anise
1 medium carrot
1/2 medium to small reddish
1 bay leaf
2.5 cm long piece of ginger root
1/2 apple
1/4 onion
1 small deseeded chilli, optional (start with a 1/4 or half this amount if you don't like your food spicy)

now add 1.5 litres of water, bring it to the boil and let it simmer, with the lid on for 1 hour. Strain the stock and keep warm.

Ingredients for the Pho

tamari (gluten free soya sauce)
extra virgin coconut oil (use a good quality brand, it's worth it)
lime
bean sprouts, a handful per person
flat rice noodles
oyster mushroom, 1 per person
chilli
thai basil, coriander and/or mint are all perfect and can be used together if you like lots of fresh herbs

Prepare Mushrooms

I believe any sort of mushroom would work here. I happen to like the king oyster mushroom due to its consistency and shape.

Cut the mushroom on the diagonal, pretty thinly. Then add 1/2 tsp of coconut oil and 1/4 tsp of tamari to the pan, per oyster-mushroom. Adjust these amounts to your liking and according to the mushrooms you use. Fry the mushroom slices until they reach the desired softness and colour. This can take 3-5 minutes depending on the heat you are using. I turn them a few times to make sure they are not burning or getting too dark.

Once they are done, keep them aside. They will be thrown into the hot stock later-

Prepare Rice Noodles

bring a large pot of water to the boil, then turn it down to a simmer
add your rice noodles and stir them so that they do not stick to each other. Make sure you have enough water to cover them well.
keep stirring and tasting. Every brand of rice noodles behaves differently, which means I cannot give you an exact time how long they will take, but approximately 3 1/2 minutes.
while the noodles are simmering prepare a large bowl with very cold water, you can add a few ice cubes.
as soon as the noodles are done, strain them in a sieve and then add the noodles only, to the cold water. Use a large spoon to seperate them. This method helps keeping them from sticking together. Once they are separated, strain them again and keep them aside.

Assembly

add to the bowl:

noodles, loose and seperated
herbs
chilli, optional
fried mushrooms
bean sprouts
hot stock
a squirt of lime
if you feel you need to adjust the flavour, I use tamari and siracha sauce (I know that's called cheating, because they use sugar in the siracha sauce)
try the soup first before you add anything, I actually think it does not need any more flavour-

bon appetit!