Vegan Phở

The Veg Broth:
1 large onion quartered (does not have to be peeled)
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 quarts vegetable stock,
plus 1 tsp Better than Bouillon vegetable stock paste dissolved in 1 cup hot water
2 tsp vegan fish sauce, or a piece of Kombu seaweed
1 tsp vegan friendly sugar, or other natural sweetener

cheese cloth and string for spices

8 star anise
1 heaping tsp whole black pepper
1 tsp whole coriander
4 small sticks cinnamon
1 tsp allspice berries (optional)
8 whole cloves


The Noodles and Veg:
Vietnamese vermicelli
Your favorite vegan proteins (prepared tofu cubes, vegan meatballs, vegan seafood, etc.)
Bean sprouts
Lettuce or Napa cabbage, sliced thinly
Quick pickled carrots ( julienne carrots; toss carrots in a dressing of vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt)
Cucumbers, julienned (may also use the quick pickle treatment like above)
Baby corn, if desired
Fried onions, for garnish
Fresh basil
Fresh coriander (cilantro)
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha sauce

1)  Make the quick pickled carrots/cucumber as listed above.  Then, place in refrigerator for later use.

2)  Roast/char the onion and ginger.   Preheat the oven to 450℉ ( about 225℃).  Coat the onion and ginger with the vegetable oil.  Place on a baking sheet.  Roast the onion and carrot for about 45 minutes.  Alternatively,  one can char the onion and ginger over an open flame if one has a gas cooktop or a bbq pit.  Be very careful though, if one goes this alternative route.  One does not want to burn down the house.

3)  Make the broth.  In a large pot, add the roasted onion/ginger, vegetable stock, hot water with Better than Bouillon, vegan fish sauce or Kombu,  and sugar.  Make a bouquet garni by placing the star anise, whole black pepper, whole coriander, cinnamon, allspice, and whole cloves in a small piece of cheese cloth tied up with a string.  Add the spice bundle to the pot.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 1 hour.   Simmer much longer if you have time.   The longer it simmers, the better it will taste.

As well, one can use an Instant Pot® or pressure cooker to speed up the whole process.  Follow directions in (3) above, using an Instant Pot®.  Set the Instant Pot® on the soup setting (or manual setting).  Then set time for 30 minutes.  At the end of cooking, allow Instant Pot to release steam naturally.

4)  Prepare the Vietnamese vermicelli by placing noodles in a bowl of hot (not boiling) water for at least 5 minutes.   No need to boil the vermicelli.

5)  Construct the bowl of phở.  Place the soaked noodles and vegan proteins in a large bowl.  Add the prepared broth to the bowl.   Then layer the vegetables as desired.  Alternatively, the vegetables may be served on a plate along side the bowl of phở for added drama at the dinner table.  Season with hoisin and Sriracha sauces as desired.