Phomidable Vegetarian Phở for Phour

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’

1. Dry fry the licorice root, cinnamon.
2. Add diced onions, crushed garlic and ginger. Sauté until silken.
3. Add veggie broth.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Throw in ALL THE VEGETABLES! (And the tofu.)
6. Wait until the boil resumes.
7. Throw in the noodles.
8. Wait 6 minutes.
9. Dish ‘er up.
10. Serve with a plate of  garnishes and let everyone doctor up their dish.
11. Don’t forget the Hoisin and Sriracha (chili paste of the gods)!

    

    

    

    
    

    

    

    

    
    

Spadina Gardens: A Restaurant That Is Not On Spadina And Does Not Have A Garden

Ordering hot and sour soup is always a bit of a gamble. I’ve had brown hot and sour soup, red hot and sour soup, hot and sour soup with pork or with shrimp, some as viscous as honey. Often too sweet, or too sour, or not hot enough—it seems so rare to find the perfect bowl of hot and sour soup. Spadina Gardens, which is nowhere near Spadina, has been consistently serving perfect bowls of hot and sour soup for the past twenty six years.

Spadina Gardens is a family run restaurant specializing in Szechuan, Hunan, and Peking cuisine. But, don’t come in expecting disposable tablecloths and mystery meat. This hidden gem isn’t a diamond in the rough, but a brilliant diamond without any rough edges (well– sometimes it takes forever to get a bill). For prices comparable to those in Spadina enjoy, perhaps, the city’s best hot and sour soup in an elegant environment. Spadina Gardens is gracefully decorated with dark wood furniture, Chinese lantern inspired lighting, and selective splashes of red.

Not only is the ambience great, but the service is typically spot on. Servers are friendly, willing to answer your questions, and even chat a bit. Orders come quickly, although some times plates aren’t timed well leading to that all too familiar exchange of “o, please start, you can’t let it get cold”. “O, no I couldn’t, not with you drooling like that while I eat, it’s really unappetizing”.

The menu is large with over 200 different dishes. So far I haven’t tried one I didn’t like. Dishes of note are their fantastic general tso, which comes in both chicken ($10.95) and prawn ($13.95) manifestations. Their bean curd in black bean sauce ($8.95) is sure to fly with any vegetarian and most meat eaters will have to acknowledge that it’s pretty freakin’ delicious. Stepping away from the deep fried, the stir-fried chili squid ($11.50) was well cooked to perfection, in a spicy chili, green onion, and green pepper sauce.

In short: go here. Eat & enjoy, but don’t expect an epiphany catalyzing fortune cookie.

SERVICE 4/5
AMBIANCE 4/5
PRESENTATION 3/5
TASTE 4/5
PRICE $$
HOURS Monday to Thursday  11:30am – 9:30pm. Friday 11:30am-10:30pm. Saturday 12pm-10:30pm. Sunday 4pm-9:30pm.
LOCATION, LOCATION 116 Dundas Street West

Saag that doesn’t sag

Sauté onions, chillies, garlic, and ginger until translucent.

A quick and dirty meal that strays from the traditional saag, but doesn’t leave your taste buds wanting. This saag recipe can be made to suit the palate of meat eaters, or the chicken can easily be substituted with either paneer or Yves’ Veggie Tenders.

 

Ingredients
– Enough oil to coat the bottom of two pans (2 tbs approx)
– 1 large yellow onion
– 4 cloves of garlic
– 2 green chilies
– 1 tbs turmeric
– 4 tbs curry powder
–

cardamon adds a wonderfully sweet aroma to the dish, but make sure to remove the pods before serving. The pods themselves are bitter when bitten into.

10 cardamom pods
– 1 tsp cloves
– 2 tbs ground coriander
– 1 tbs red chilly powder
– 1 inch piece of ginger
– salt (to taste)
– 1 can crushed tomatoes
– 3 bunches of spinach (washed and chopped)
– 2 ½ pounds of chicken breast OR 2 packages of Yves’ Veggie Tenders
– 3 cups of plain yoghurt

 

Let’s git cookin’

1. Cut the chicken into bite sized strips or leave the breasts whole for a sexier looking dish. Fry the chicken, real or

Yves' veggie chicken tenders make a great chicken substitute.

Yves’, in the oil until for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown and set aside.
2. In a deep pot heat enough oil to coat the bottom and add the ginger, garlic, onions, and chilies.
3. When onions are translucent add turmeric, curry powder, cardamom pods, cloves, and ground coriander. Fry for another minute—do not allow to burn. If necessary add a little extra oil.
4. Add spinach.
5. Add can of tomatoes & salt.
6. Let simmer for 30 minutes until spinach becomes soft enough to be broken easily by the back of the spoon.
7. Remove from stove and let cool.
8. Pick out the cardamom pods.
9. With a handheld blender blend the mixture; keep it a little chunky, you don’t want it too soupy!
10. Stir in 2 cups of yogurt.

Cut down on costs and preparation time by using frozen spinach.

11. Add chicken. If you have decided on the sexier full breasts you will need to let them simmer on low until cooked through. Time depends on thickness of the breast.
12. Stir and place back on stovetop on low heat. Let cook on low for 20 minutes.
13. Serve on top of basmati rice, or accompanied by naan, or roti, with a dollop of yoghurt on top and sprinkled with chilly powder. & remember to salt to taste!

 

It's fast, it's healthy, it's delicious: it's saag that doesn't sag!