Vegetarian Phở

Phở: We see this as a restaurant name very often in Northern California. I knew that it was an Asian dish which is pronounced as 'PH' and not 'FO'. But, little did I ever imagined that these restaurants would also serve a vegetarian version of the this dish. Maybe because of vegetarian/ vegan population in California, Pho is very popular here! 

While on a discussion with my friends few days back, we decided to go for Pho. It is a perfect winter comforting food. I said I have never had Pho, always very skeptical to go to an Asian restaurant as I am not sure of the broth or sauce they would use. The discussion made me very curious... I searched more on Pho from Vietnamese food bloggers, and I realized I love Pho! 

Pho is a rice noodle soup which I would normally have a my husband's cafeteria. In fact, I would specially go there to enjoy a hot bowl of hot noodle soup. They would refer to this as Soup Bowl. We could select the topping and with freshly boiled rice noodles and veggie broth, Pho was served in a large bowl. I would also add some chili paste to mine as I like it spicy :) 

Why did I not think earlier of making this at home?? I make veggie broth all the time for wonton soup and dumpling soup... so this would just be very easy.

Pho is a rice noodle bowl which is served with aromatic meat broth, slices of meat, and some veggies. I watched YouTube videos and found that people in Vietnam start their day with hot bowl of Pho. How comforting and delicious!!

So with my knowledge and style of veggie broth, I was on a mission to make Vegetarian Pho. The next part was selecting noodles...there were so many types. So while I stood in the Asian food aisle at Sprouts market, I started Googling for the rice noodles used in Pho. Check the links below. These bloggers have explained the Importance of Banh Pho. Pho means rice noodles and Banh Pho are flat noodles used in a bowl of Pho. 

"One can say that pho is not pho without the correct banh pho rice noodles in it." This sentence is from the website, Loving Pho:  Information about pho noodles

"How to buy Pho rice noodles?" Viet World Kitchen:  Types of Pho Rice noodles

Here is my recipe of making Vegetarian Pho:

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
5 cloves garlic
2 inch ginger
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 stalks of Lemon grass
1 star anise
6 cups water
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp.oil

To serve:
Bean sprouts
Pho noodles (flat narrow rice noodles)
Chopped cilantro
Chopped onion greens
Sliced Serrano or Jalepeno
Baby Bok Choy
Sliced mushrooms
Pan seared Tofu

• Finely chop veggies. Saute in a tbsp. of oil. Add lemongrass and star anise. Add 6 cups of water and salt, and simmer for for 45 minutes. Strain the veggies. Boil the broth before pouring in the Pho bowl and some pepper powder.
• Soak some rice noodles in a bowl of water for an hour. This makes the noodles soft and cooking them will take very little time. 
• Add soaked and softened noodles in a boiling water. Stir and let the noodles cook for 30-45 seconds.
• Get all the water off the noodles. Place hot noodles in a large serving bowl. Since noodles are the main part of the dish, they should be plently.
• Add toppings of your choice.
• Bean sprouts, mushrooms, bok choy, onion greens, cilantro, lime, green chilies.  
• Add tofu, brocolli, or veggies of your choice.
• Pour hot veggie broth over the veggies and noodles and serve.
• Add some spicy chili paste or sriracha.

 Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

To make veggie broth.

Finely chop veggies. Saute in a tbsp. of oil. Add lemongrass and star anise. Add 6 cups of water and salt, and simmer for for 45 minutes. Strain the veggies. Boil the broth before pouring in the Pho bowl and add some pepper powder.

Here is a pack of dried rice noodles. Soak some rice noodles in a bowl of water for an hour. This makes the noodles soft and cooking them will take very little time. 
Bánh Phở

Add soaked and softened noodles in a boiling water. Stir and let the noodles cook for 30-45 seconds.

Get all the water off the noodles. Place hot noodles in a large serving bowl. Since noodles are the main part of the dish, they should be plently.

Add toppings of your choice.

Bean sprouts, mushrooms, bok choy, onion greens, cilantro, lime, green chilies.  

Add tofu, brocolli, or veggies of your choice.

Pour hot veggie broth over the veggies and noodles and serve.

Here is my homemade spicy chili or schezwan sauce

Add some spicy chili paste or sriracha.
Squeeze some lime juice.

Also click here for my homemade dumpling/momo recipe.

Enjoy this hot bowl of Phở!!

Manchow Soup

Few days back while we were busy with yard work and planting new vegetable plants is raised beds, we thought of going to a restaurant for dinner. The menu looked pretty decent, and we thought we could order some delicious Indochinese food (you all know it's our favorite).

My husband loves soup, especially Manchow soup with crispy noodles. Not all restaurants serve this soup with crisp noodles, and we have to ask them to bring some. My husband feels Manchow soup is incomplete without these fried noodles :) So we ordered one by two (a bowl of soup to share). Oh Oh... we were not really happy. The soup tasted like an instant soup pouch using dehydrated powder and to add to it, it was under-cooked. For people like us, we enjoy fresh ingredients and fresh food, Packaged and dehydrated gravies, sauces, and soups do not make us happy. And that soup made me rethink: is it actually worth going to a restaurant? If we can prepare delicious food using fresh and good quality ingredients in the same amount of time, why should we go to a restaurant! Specially for indo-chinese food, it is not worth it.

So here is my soup... I love homemade fried noodles too to serve with Manchow soup. Again, not a big fan of store bought fried noodles (they seem stale and rancid). Manchow soup is very similar to Manchurian gravy, and is very easy to make. Simmering veggies with water is the key to make the soup flavorful. You could also use veggie broth or chicken broth of your choice. Freshly minced ginger and garlic will infuse fresh flavors to the soup. You got to try it!!

Ingredients:
For Crispy Noodles
1 packet Ching's Hakka noodles or any noodles of your choice
Oil for frying noodles

For Soup
2 tbsp. oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce (optional) or few chopped chilies (optional)
1 tsp. vinegar
2-3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
1+1/2 tbsp. corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

• Boil water, add noodles and cook till they are soft. Strain noodles and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process and making them mushy. Let them rest in the strainer for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil. Divided noodles into 4 parts. Gently add one part into medium hot oil and fry till they turn golden brown and crisp. Remove on a paper towel. Store in airtight container if using it later or for a party.
• Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a soup pot. Add chopped onions, minced garlic and ginger. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped cabbage and fry for a minute. Add chili garlic sauce and mix well.
• Add 3+1/2 cups water into the sauteing veggies.
• Add salt, soy sauce, vinegar. Mix well. Bring it to boil and simmer on low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
• Dissolve corn starch in 1/4 cup water.
• After 15 -20 miinutes, the soup should have reduced and the concoction should have formed delicious broth.
• Add corn starch mixture to simmering soup while stirring well. The soup will become light in color. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes till the soup turns bright and dark, and cornstarch gets cooked well.
• Serve in a bowl with freshly chopped onion greens (optional).
• Serve fried noodles at the side and top immediately before serving.
• Crisp noodles enhance the flavor of the soup. 
• Enjoy!

Boil water, add noodles and cook till they are soft. Strain noodles and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process and making them mushy. Let them rest in the strainer for 5 minutes.

Heat oil. Divided noodles into 4 parts. Gently add one part into medium hot oil and fry till they turn golden brown and crisp. Remove on a paper towel. Store in airtight container if using it later or for a party.

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a soup pot. Add chopped onions, minced garlic and ginger. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped cabbage and fry for a minute. Add chili garlic sauce and mix well.

Add 3+1/2 cups water into the sauteing veggies.

Add salt, soy sauce, vinegar. Mix well. Bring it to boil and simmer on low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

Dissolve corn starch in 1/4 cup water. 

After 15 -20 miinutes, the soup should have reduced and the concoction should have formed delicious broth. Add corn starch mixture to simmering soup while stirring well. The soup will become light in color. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes till the soup turns bright and dark, and cornstarch gets cooked well.

All the serving bowls in the pictures are made by me.

I took a clay/pottery class to learn making bowls on potter's wheel or making sushi plates with sheets of clay. It was a fun class indeed!

Soup and appetizers for dinner.

Serve in a bowl with freshly chopped onion greens (optional).

Serve fried noodles at the side and top immediately before serving.

Crisp noodles enhance the flavor of the soup. 

 Enjoy!!

Guava & Tomato Rasam

We had quite a wonderful yield of guavas this year. Our 2 year old tree is doing well and survived California winter. We were surprised to see so many fruits on the tree. These are pink guavas with reddish pink flesh and seeds inside. We expected them to be sweetish in taste just like we have it in Indian, but they are more on sour flavor. We wanted to slit and sprinkle salt and paprika just like it would be sold be street vendors in India. But that was not possible... they were too sour to be enjoyed as is. Since we could not have then in the fruit form, my husband thought of adding it to Tomato Rasam would be a good idea. The tangy rasam taste would be enhanced and would be a good use of sour guavas.

There are so many people who inspired this recipe. The idea of making Rasam with Guavas took more shape when one of my Maharashtrian friend told me how her mom made a Maharashtrian Amti with Guavas. Also my walking buddy and colleague who belongs to southern part of India shared her quick tomato rasam recipe. I would normally pressure cook dal lentils and tomatoes to make rasam, but she suggested to cook tomatoes first and then let it make delicious broth with water. This sounded exciting and then came the combination called Tomato and Guava Rasam :)My husband plucked a banana leaf from our banana plant to enjoy this meal South Indian style!

Ingredients (serves 3-4 people)
4 ripe tomatoes chopped
3-4 sour guavas chopped
5 cups water
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. salt

For tempering:
1 tbsp oil
2-3 cloves garlic minced
4-5 curry leaves
1-2 dry red chilies
1/2 tsp. asafoetida

Rasam Masala
1+1/2 tbsp corriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
4-5 whole black pepper corns
4-5 curry leaves
2-3 dried red chilies
Method: Dry roast all the above ingredients in a pan. Let it cool, and grind it into fine powder. Use this fresh rasam masala.

Method to make rasam:
In a deep pan heat oil. Add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle.
Add chopped tomatoes. Cook for a minute.
Add chopped guavas. Cook till they get soft and mushy.
Using a whisk or a muddler, muddle cooked tomatoes and guavas to make them mushy.
Add water,  salt and freshly ground rasam powder and bring it to boil.
Temper: heat oil in a temper bowl, add minced garlic, curry leaves, dry red chilies and asafoetida. Add to the rasam and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve as is or with rice.

Below are pictures of our Guava tree!

In a deep pan heat oil. Add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle.

Add chopped tomatoes. Cook for a minute.

Add chopped guavas. Cook till they get soft and mushy.

Using a whisk or a muddler, muddle cooked tomatoes and guavas to make them mushy.

Add water,  salt and freshly ground rasam powder and bring it to boil.

Temper: heat oil in a temper bowl, add minced garlic, curry leaves, dry red chilies, and asafoetida. Add to the rasam and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and serve as is or with rice.

Goodness of Ghee on steamed rice!

A simple South Indian Feast!!