Vegan Pho

Vegan Pho

Ingredients:

• 1 Chayote, washed and cut in half
• 3 Carrots, scrubbed and washed clean, with stem stub chopped off
• 1 Kabocha Japanese Squash, scrubbed, quartered, scoop out seeds and discard seeds
• 1 Daikon Radish, washed and cut in half
• 1 Ginger Root, put in plastic bag, smash with a hammer, and roast in oven or toaster oven on 400 F for 10 minutes until slightly charred
• 1 Whole White Onion, quartered and roasted in oven or toaster oven on 400 F for 10 minutes or until charred
• Pho Seasoning (cloves, star anise, cinnamon, cardomon, coriander pods, all in a tea bag; can be purchased at Asian supermarket in spices aisle)
• Sea Salt (we like Celtic Sea Salt)
• Red Onion, thinly sliced (one handful per person)
• Cilantro, washed, and chopped (one handful per person)
• Cilantro, washed, left whole ( a few sprigs per person)
• Basil, washed, stems removed (small handful per person)
• Perilla (Vietnamese Herb, purple on one side of the leaves, found in Asian supermarkets in produce section) (small handful per person)
• Mint, washed, stems removed, one handful per person
• Bean sprouts (mung bean sprouts), large handful per person
• Lime wedges, 1-2 wedges per person
• Sriracha (we like organic one called Organicville Sky Valley found at Whole Foods Market)
• Hoisin Sauce (found in Asian Grocery store, we've used Lee Kum Kee in the past, but recommend Joyce Chen Hoisin sauce since there's no MSG, preservatives, or food coloring added; they also have a Joyce Chen gluten free one too)
• Fried tofu or vegetarian protein (we like Trader Joe's sprouted organic tofu. Lightly fry slices of tofu in coconut oil or coconut oil spray, season lightly with some sea salt)
• Fresh pho noodles in the produce section of Asian supermarket, usually vacuum packed or frozen in frozen aisle (1 small bag will serve 4-5 people)

Directions:
To make the broth: Boil pho spices with chayote, carrots, kabocha Japanese squash, daikon radish, roasted onion, roasted ginger, and any other veggies you would like in your vegetable broth. Cook for 2 hours on simmer until vegetables are soft and broth is light golden brown. Add salt to taste (we like Celtic sea salt). Strain or scoop out all the cooked veggies, and leave the clear broth in the pot. Keep warm or at a low simmer.

If you are short on time, we recommend you buy low sodium vegetable broth, add 50% more water, and boil it with the pho spices for 30 minutes - hour or so. It will reduce back down and the spices will be infused in the broth. Add salt to taste.

To serve each individual: boil the rice noodles and bean sprouts for a few minutes until noodles are soft and can be broken when squeezed between thumb and pointer finger (boil one serving at a time, enough for one person, about a large handful of noodles and a small handful of bean sprouts).  If you like your noodles chewier like me, don't boil noodles too long, 1-2 minutes max. Drain boiled noodles and bean sprouts and add to individual serving bowl. Garnish bowl with tofu slices, sliced onion and chopped cilantro. Pour hot broth over noodles, bean sprouts, sliced onion, and chopped cilantro. To eat, serve with fresh lime wedges and fresh herbs. Feel free to add some sriracha and hoisin sauce to taste. As an option, instead of adding the hoisin sauce and sriracha to the bowl, my sister likes add a little hoisin sauce to each bite of noodle as she eats. ;)