Vegetarian Pho
- Total time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Serves
- 4 (about 3 cups / 700 ml each)
This vegetarian pho builds a fragrant vegetable broth with charred onion, ginger, warm spices, and mushrooms, then serves it with rice noodles and pan-seared tofu. It takes 1 hour 20 minutes and makes four generous noodle-soup bowls.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 67 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
Estimated from the listed ingredients.
- Prep
- 25 minutes
- Cook
- 55 minutes
Ingredients
Broth
- 1 large yellow onion (250 g), halved
- 4-inch (35 g) piece fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole star anise
- 4 whole cloves
- 6 cups (1.4 L) vegetable broth
- 2 cups (475 ml) water
- 8 oz (225 g) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) tamari
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup
Noodles and bowls
- 8 oz (225 g) dried flat rice noodles
- 14 oz (400 g) extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral oil
- 2 cups (160 g) bean sprouts
- 1 cup (30 g) Thai basil or cilantro leaves
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Before you start
- Use vegetable broth and tamari whose labels meet your vegetarian requirements; some broths and sauces include animal-derived flavorings.
- Extra-firm tofu is the protein source. Press it for 15 minutes before cooking so it browns rather than steams. This recipe requires a pot, a skillet, and a fine-mesh strainer.
Instructions
- Heat a dry Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the onion cut-side down and the ginger cut-side down in the pot; cook until deeply browned in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cinnamon, star anise, and cloves and toast for 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetable broth, water, shiitake stems, tamari, and maple syrup. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 35 minutes. Strain into a clean pot; discard the onion, ginger, spices, and stems. Keep the broth at a low simmer.
- While the broth simmers, cook the rice noodles according to the package directions until just tender. Drain, rinse briefly with cool water, and divide among four large bowls.
- Heat the neutral oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pressed tofu in one layer and cook, turning occasionally, until golden on several sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the sliced shiitake caps for the final 3 minutes and cook until tender.
- Divide the tofu, mushrooms, bean sprouts, herbs, and scallions among the bowls. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups hot broth into each bowl. Serve with lime wedges.
Meal prep, storage, and reheating
Refrigerate broth, noodles, tofu, and fresh toppings separately for up to 3 days. Reheat only the broth until simmering; warm the noodles briefly in hot water, then assemble the bowls. Do not store the assembled soup, because the noodles absorb the broth and soften.