Vegan Pho with Lemongrass Tofu and Mushrooms

Vegan Pho with Lemongrass Tofu and Mushrooms anyone? Recently, a few of my girlfriends and I met for lunch at this cute little spot in the Atlanta area. It was there, that I enjoyed a huge bowl of my first “Vegan Pho”. Pho (pronounced, “fuh”) is said to have originated in Vietnam and is a noodle soup that typically consists of a fragrant broth made with either beef and/or sometimes chicken. And then it’s topped with things such as Thai basil, culantro or cilantro, chili peppers, bean sprouts, green onions, white onions, and lime wedges. You may also find that people like to also add various sauces such as hoisin sauce, fish sauce, hot chili sauce, sriracha sauce, or chili oil.

So, this weekend I invited those very same girlfriends over to my home to enjoy some good conversation and a bowl of my attempt of making a Vegan Pho with Lemongrass Tofu and Mushrooms. Again, it is truly not authentic, and only inspired by traditional pho.

Now, if you’ve ever had Pho, then you understand that the “broth” is a key component to this beautiful noodle soup. And because I am not using any meat in this broth, I rely on the spices and other ingredients to help build the flavor.  All Pho is not equal, and even if you all sit at the same table, your bowl Pho is not going to taste like my bowl of Pho because the topping are also just as important. I personally like to add little more lime, a bit of tamari sauce, a little hoisin sauce and a little sriracha sauce in mine…and getting your bowl of Pho just right may take a few sips. *smile*

Get the Recipe: Vegan Pho with Lemongrass Tofu and Mushrooms

Yield: 6 servings

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

5 from 1 review

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Ingredients

Marinade and tofu Ingredients:

• 1 package extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into 6 to 8 slices
• ¼ cup tamari
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Other ingredients for the pho:

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger, cut into two pieces
• a drizzle of neutral oil
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 10 to 14 ounces rice noodles

Broth Ingredients:

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 7 cups water, I like to do a mixture of vegetable broth and water
• 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 4 parts - reserve one part for your marinade
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 star anise
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• ⅓ cup tamari, or shoyu
• ¼¼ cup cilantro stems, yes, just the stems
• salt, to taste

Optional Toppings:

• scallions
• cilantro, roughly chopped
• mung bean sprouts, rinsed
• jalapeno, thinly sliced
• lime, sliced
• A few sprigs of Thai basil
• hoisin sauce
• sriracha sauce
• fish sauce or vegan fish sauce
• tamari
• chili oil sauce

Equipment

• Large Pot or Dutch Oven
• sheet pan

Instructions

Marinate the tofu:

• Lay the tofu out on shallow dish and pour tamari and oil over them. Allow them to marinate for 15 to 30 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the time.

Bake the veggies:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Place the onion, garlic, and ginger on a small sheet pan and drizzle the with a little oil.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until you have a nice char on the edges of them. Set them to the side once done.

Prepare the broth:

• In a large pot or Dutch oven, place all of the ingredients in along with the baked onion, garlic, and ginger and bring to a boil. Simmer covered  over medium-low heat for 30 to 45 minutes. Taste and add salt, if needed. Strain your broth into another big pot/container and discard or compost all of the other ingredients, leaving you with a pot of rich broth. Then add the broth back into your pot along with the mushrooms and heat for another 5 minutes or so.

Cook the tofu:

• About 15 minutes before your broth is ready, start cooking the tofu. Using a stove top grill, grill the tofu for a few minutes on each side or until you have nice grill marks. You can also pan sear them in a skillet, if you choose for a few minutes on each side, with a little sesame oil. (Baking is also an option if you want, 400 degrees for 30 minutes flipping halfway through.) Transfer to a plate and set to the side once done.

Prepare the rice noodles:

• In a separate pot, boil your rice noodles according to the package, 5 minutes before everything is done.

Serve:

• Order for your pho: a serving of rice noodles, sprouts, broth, tofu, green onions, cilantro, thai basil, lime (squeezed). And top with any other additional toppings, if using.

Calories: 296kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 2039mg, Potassium: 432mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 2080IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 2mg

As you can see, this is recipe involves a lot of different types of ingredients and it’s something you surely will need to plan to make, but it’s totally worth it! Share it with friends! Thanks friends!!