Hogtown has no shortage of Vietnamese restaurants; when I lived in Riverside my favourite of which was the adorably decorated Hanoi 3 Seasons (named after the city that invented this delicious noodle-centric soup). Their Cha Ca– grouper prepared in a dill and shrimp paste–is absolutely fantastic. But, seeing as it’s winter and we’re all hibernating (read: lazy) I thought I might share my take on an easy phở recipe that takes about twenty minutes from peeling onions to degustation. And best of all: It’s pretty healthy too! (Despite the Hoisin sauce, which packs a mean 100 cal/2 tbs.)
Necessary Foodstuffs for the Main Event
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 small onions
- 1 tbs licorice root (this is just what I had, it can be substituted for star anise or regular anise or tarragon)
- 3 sticks of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of grated ginger
- 6 cups of veggie broth
- 1/2 block medium-firm tofu
- 1/2 pack of vermicelli noodles (I used the red package of Banh Pho noodles from Thailand)
- A medley of veggies (a.k.a. cleaning out the back of the produce drawer): 1/2 green pepper diced, one medium carrot julienned, 6 mushrooms sliced, 1 broccoli head chopped into florets
Garnish
- Beansprouts
- Red chili peppers
- Lime
- Basil (preferably Thai)
- Mint
- Green onions
Lezz Git Cookin’
- Dry fry the licorice root, cinnamon.
- Add diced onions, crushed garlic and ginger. Sauté until silken.
- Add veggie broth.
- Bring to a boil.
- Throw in ALL THE VEGETABLES! (And the tofu.)
- Wait until the boil resumes.
- Throw in the noodles.
- Wait 6 minutes.
- Dish ‘er up.
- Serve with a plate of garnishes and let everyone doctor up their dish.
- Don’t forget the Hoisin and Sriracha (chili paste of the gods)!
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andapinch 