Recipes > Plant-based Pho w/ Greens & Mushrooms
This popular Vietnamese street food is a noodle soup that consists of delicious stock, noodles, herbs and vegetables.
Chad Sarno
- Serves: 4
- Active Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr
- Views: 42,532
- Success Rating: 44% (?)
Steps
Step 1: Preparing the Noodles
- 1 pack rice noodles
- 2 cups hot water
Method
To prepare the noodles, in a medium bowl, soak them in hot water until soft (approx. 30 minutes).
Check the noodles to avoid over-soaking. When soft, drain the noodles and separate evenly into serving bowls.
Step 2: Blanching the Vegetables
- 1 cup snap peas, quickly blanched
- 4 to 6 small bok choy, quickly blanched
- 1 cup small mushrooms, sliced or broken into pieces
Method
First, prepare your mise en place.
To prepare the vegetables, separately blanch snap peas, bok choy and mushrooms. Mushrooms may also be left raw according to preference.
Evenly place vegetables on top of the noodles in each bowl.
Step 3: Preparing the Garniture
- 1 small bunch Thai basil
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 jalapeno chile, sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Method
Prepare the garniture for serving and divide onto individual side plates.
Step 4: Serving the Soup
- 7 to 8 cups Vegetarian Pho Stock
- sriracha sauce (optional)
- hoisin sauce (optional)
Method
To serve the soup, heat the Pho Stock to a simmer and pour a generous amount over the top of the vegetables and noodles.
Serve with garnitures and optional sauces.
26 Comments
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how do you make the stock please -
Hi Kimberly and thank for your questions. Here's a link to Rouxbe's Vegetarian Pho Stock - please enjoy - https://rouxbe.com/recipes/5102-vegetarian-pho-stock Thanks so much for cooking with Rouxbe. Chef Kirk -
AWESOME recipe! I have been eager to learn how to make a homemade Pho stock and this is absolutely sensational. However, I wish that the lesson was more transparent about how much it yields. The recipe says to use 7-8 cups of the Pho stock and the recipe made about 5 1/2 cups for me and says serves 3qt. Now I will have to make another stock as we planned on having this for a family dinner and the yield was much less than I anticipated. I am still happy to have learned this invaluable recipe but if you could make note of that I think future students would appreciate it! -
So this was a big fail for me. I have lots of mold allergies, and typically don’t eat mushrooms though no one seems to be able to tell me in the medical community if my mold allergies=mushrooms. I had also read that WFPB eating and vegan eating can greatly alleviate allergies. So this was my first attempt and eating mushrooms. The stock steeped in Shitakes and then we used button mushrooms in putting the pho together. I was crippled with a headache for 36 hours. So I will need to find something to use instead of mushrooms. Anyone have any ides? -
Hi Dan. I have made Pho previously and we have a family member who is allergic to mushrooms. When I make broth, I don't use any... I add a tamarind packet which punches up the flavor (you can get on Amazon or at local Asian market). For the added veggies, I use broccoli, onions, cauliflower, snap peas, carrots. I garnish with bean spouts, thai basil, jalapeno pepper, lime, hoisin sauce and siracha.... our family loves it! I know you posted this back in December, but maybe you check your board. Hope this helps. Enjoy! -
Hi Dan. I have made Pho previously and we have a family member who is allergic to mushrooms. When I make broth, I don't use any... I add a tamarind packet which punches up the flavor (you can get on Amazon or at local Asian market). For the added veggies, I use broccoli, onions, cauliflower, snap peas, carrots. I garnish with bean spouts, thai basil, jalapeno pepper, lime, hoisin sauce and siracha.... our family loves it! I know you posted this back in December, but maybe you check your board. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
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Hi Tracy. Thank you for your contribution to the Rouxbe community. Dan, you can skip the mushrooms here and add a TB of miso paste if that does not exacerbate your allegries. Feel free to email me at lauren@rouxbe.com to talk further. I am allergic to shiitakes, too! Lauren -
Hm....I really want to love this soup, but I just didn't. I decided to try the vegetarian pho stock recipe just as it is written (with the exception of the star anise, as I can't seem to find any right now). I simmered the stock for 1.5 hours and kept the citrus in the stock for 1 hour of the cooking time. The stock was OK, however, I too found it flat and lacking umami. I did add a bit of salt (and that certainly helped) as well as a bit of sriracha and hoisin sauce (both of those helped as well), but I still feel like it is missing something. If I make this again, I will perhaps cook the stock longer to try to get some more depth of flavor or try some of Dawn's suggestions above. The finished soup looked beautiful, but was not nearly as satisfying as I know a good bowl of pho can be. -
Rouxbe Staff
Hi Sunnie: If you are used to eating Pho at restaurants, more than likely, it is filled with salt and fat. This is a very nutrient-dense stock. One thing I have found is to rinse the skin of the citrus fruits well, and I find removing them after about 45 minutes seems to help, as it removes the potential for any bitterness. Also, if you are using Tamari, it is best added, when most if the simmering is done, so that you can retain the Tamari flavor. You may also want to look at the spices, and think about reducing the ginger, cloves, peppercorns, etc. Hope this is helpful to you. Thanks for writing--Char -
I had some seafood sate pho at an Asian restaurant. It was unlike any I had experienced before and none since. The broth was smooth and creamy. I can only describe the taste as orgasmic. I could not communicate sufficiently with the chef to discover why it was so different in taste and so delicious. In attempt to replicate the flavor at home I added some sriracha and coconut cream to my basic pho. It was nice but just not the same as the chefs. Does anyone have some suggestions as to what I might add to the pho to turn it into a smooth creamy sate finish? I admire chefs that can deconstruct and recreate dishes from taste alone.
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Rouxbe Staff
Hi Gordon: Well, this seems as though you have a delicious Pho. It appears that the chef may have done one of two things. Sounds as though a flurry (roux) was made to thicken the Pho--I would make certain that the flurry was free of lumps and made with the actual stock. But, pureed and diluted potatoes also make a good flurry, which will add texture and thicken the Pho stock. I would suggest to use an immersion blender to get a good smooth, silky texture on the flurry. The trick is starch. Let us know how this works for you. Thanks for writing, Char
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Thank you Char. I appreciate your input on the texture. Could I also get some advice on creating matching flavors? I was not clear in my original request as I find it so hard to even describe the base flavor I would like to recreate. The satay pho that is a smooth flow in the mouth without a distinct peanut or heat taste is the best I can come up with. I googled Satay and surprisingly this very restaurant came up on the first return page. #56 Seafood Sate Rice Noodle Soup - Scallops, tiger prawns, squid, and crab meat with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cucumbers, onions, and green onions in a savoury sate rice noodle soup, served with bean sprouts, lime, and fresh basil leaves on the side. $13.95 They now have a new chef and the original recipe has changed to pleasant but not extremely notable and whatever the notable was, it is no longer . Something the original chef added to basic pho broth to make the taste different and subtle and delicious in the satay version. It also took on a golden orangey color. and I was wondering what might have been in a Vietnamese chef' kitchen for seasonings. Do added fats such as coconut also compete with starch for taste difference?. (I replace beef or chicken in my broth by using dried mushrooms and perhaps that makes a difference too.)
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could it have been fish sauce? or is that a vegetarian restaurant. Fish sauce if often a hidden, (if used correctly) flavor that adds a wow factor. But would not be in keeping with FOK eating. -
Rouxbe Staff
Hi Gordon: I have tried a vegan fish sauce called Ocean's Halo, it is a soy-free vegan fish sauce. I have often spoken directly to the chef, and expressed my interest in a recipe, and have gotten hints, or the actual recipe. You may want to try that. Also, Ocean's Halo is available at Walmart--adds a nice flavor, especially when I am making Kimchi. Hope this helps. Char
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Rouxbe Staff
Hi Anne: I recommend a vegan fish sauce, Ocean's Halo is a nice brand that I use when I need vegan fish sauce. It is available at most grocers. Thanks for writing. Char
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***STAR ANISE SUBSTITUTES https://www.authorityhealthmag.com/star-anise-substitute/ -
Rouxbe Staff
Hi Liz! Thanks for the article. I personally use fennel or anise if I am out of star anise. Thanks for the 411. Cheers, Char
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yes I agree about the yield. -
Does anyone eat the vegetables in the stock after they are drained.. or is that blasphemy? LOL
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Rouxbe Staff
Jeanette, the vegetable can be eaten, but often they will lack flavor. Some, like shiitake, are more likely to retain some flavor. Taste them and see how you like them. The vegetables can be used in a soup or stew or another preparation, as desired. -
For the grading process, do the recipes need to be made using the exact ingredients, or can some be substituted if I don't have access to some of them?
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Rouxbe Staff
Hello, Carolyn: It is probably better to go through student services, however, I would suggest the following: At the photo of the mise en place, add a DISCLAIMER that you are changing ingredients. You can also label the photo, and point out the difference, The key ingredients are in the Udon, and the making of the sauce. If you have any further questions, feel free to email me at: char@rouxbe.com Good luck with your assignment, it is really fun to make the Udon. Cheers, Char
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After opening up the Halo Fish sauce, regular fish sauce, Tamari, or Soy sauce, is there a benchmark for when it should be consumed to avoid spoiling? These are all processed foods so wondering because often not indicated on the packaging. Thank- You Nancy J-C -
Rouxbe Staff
Hi Nancy, if there is a 'use by date' on the label, consider going along with that information. Otherwise, in my experience, these products are high in salt and last a rather long time. I have not experienced spoilage with these items. Instead, they tend to evaporate over time and with this passage of time the flavor shifts. Based on these changes in flavor, you might decide you no longer enjoy the product, although it is probably usable. ~Eric
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Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Do you use the entire leek? Or just the light green parts?
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Rouxbe Staff
Hi Lauren, go ahead and use the entire leek for the stock. I cases where you would serve the leek, note that the green end is more fibrous, so it would need some additional cooking to soften. Enjoy! ~Eric
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