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!!

Sesame Triangles

It is fun to serve simple food in style, and this recipe is a perfect example of that. 

Few weeks back, we had our friends over and I presented a platter of this easy appetizer. It was a hit... everyone loved it and with some bean sprouts served on the side, gave some healthy crunch to it.My homemade schezwan sauce spiced it up to suit our palate.

This is not a new recipe; if you are grown up in India, specially in Mumbai, this is a very common Indo-Chinese appetizer by the name of 'Gold Coin'. Bread as a base in normally cut in a circular shape using a cookie cutter, veggies dough is spread on it, dipped in sesame seeds, and then deep fried. My recipe is almost the same, except that I cut the bread into triangles to avoid any wastage. You can make these in shapes of your choice!

Ingredients (Serves 4-5)

4 slices of bread of your choice

2 cups of minced veggies of your choice (onions, bell pepper, cabbage, carrots, green beans)

2 cloves garlic 

1/2 inch ginger

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper powder

1 tbsp. corn starch

2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/4- 1/2 cup sesame seeds 

Oil fry frying

• Mince all veggies of your choice with garlic cloves and ginger. Remove in a bowl. Add salt and pepper. Mix and let the veggies rest for 15 minutes.
• Gently remove the sides of the bread and cut into fourths. Leave it aside.
• Add corn starch and all purpose flour to veggies and mix well. It should form a soft and sticky dough.
• Spread around 1+1/2 tbsp. mixture on each piece of bread. Spread it evenly so that it sticks well to the bread piece. 
• Dip veggie side into sesame seeds and gently press for sesame seeds to stick on it.
• Deep fry each triangle in medium hot oil OR spray some oil and bake in 400F oven for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• Serve with spicy schezwan sauce.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Mince all veggies of your choice with garlic cloves and ginger. Remove in a bowl. Add salt and pepper. Mix and let the veggies rest for 15 minutes.

Gently remove the sides of the bread and cut into fourths. Leave it aside.

Add corn starch and all purpose flour to veggies and mix well. It should form a soft and sticky dough.

Spread around 1+1/2 tbsp. mixture on each piece of bread. Spread it evenly so that it sticks well to the bread piece.

Dip veggie side into sesame seeds and gently press for sesame seeds to stick on it.

Deep fry each traingle in medium hot oil OR spray some oil and bake in 400F oven for 15-20 minutes.

Remove on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve with homemade spicy chili!

Click on the photo for the recipe.

Crispy Sesame Triangles!!

Biryani Pot Pie

It is the holiday season, and I love gifting myself. With so many amazing home decors and cookwares and serveware, it is just hard to resist shopping. This is a perfect season to shop and prep for next Diwali too. Golds and Glitters... add glamor to the festivals!!

So here I come accross these cute mini Copper Cocottes. Cocottes are cook and serve containers, and these mini cocottes are perfect for individual portion size to cook and serve, and present food in style!

It has been so many years now... I had always wanted to make a vegetarian version of pot pie and biryani cooked in a pot pie fashion has been on my mind. I was always on a look for perfect container, and ta da I found them. I just love these from William Sonoma. The cocottes are extremely cute. They totally represent my style of cooking and presenting. It gives the feel of traditional Indian copper pot with a touch of contemporary individual cocottes,  and totally worth the price. This set is surely heavy on the pocket, taking into consideration that I had half of its cost in gift card and I just paid half of the price out of pocket :) They can be used on gas stove as well as in the oven. They are made of thick and heavy material: a great quality product. Perfect for my Biryani Pot Pie! Although they are not dishwasher safe, but come on, taking care of something that you all, is not difficult at all :) They are very easy to clean too. I have packed them back into the plastic wrap and the box they came in. Now thinking of the next recipe I want to use these cute pots in!

Biryani pot pie is the regular rice preparation layered with veggies and fresh spice blend. The pie crust is a whole wheat dough, and helps biryani to cook and keep the moisture and flavors in. The dough cooks to form a crispy crust to enjoy as a side with veggies or raita. Caramelized onions give sweetness to this biryani and the pie crust. We surely enjoyed it for dinner!

This recipe is so easy to make and assemble for your guests. Just bake when the guests arrive and hot biryani is ready to serve.

Ingredients: (Serves 4) Makes 4 Individual pot pies.

For biryani masala: Biryani Spice Blend.

1 tbsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

6-7 peppercorns

4-5 cloves

1/2 inch cinnamon

3-4 cardamom

1 star anise

1/2 mace

1/2 bay leaf

2-3 dry red chilies

1+1/2 cup long grain basmati rice

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. salt

2-3 cardamom

For gravy

4 tbsp. ghee or oil 

1/4 cup cashews

1 large onions

1 large potato

1/2 cup diced carrot  

1/4 cup diced bell pepper

1/4 cup peas

1 large tomato

1 cup yogurt

4-5 cloves garlic

1 green chili

1 inch ginger

pinch of turmeric powder 

1+1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup finely chopped mint and cilantro leaves

Freshly made biryani masala

1+1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp. oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp ghee or oil

Method:

• Dry roast spices and grind them to form coarse to fine powder (to your choice). Keep it aside. 
• Boil 4 cups of water with 1 tsp.salt, 2 cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, 1 bay leaf. When the water boils, add 1+1/2 cup washed Basmati rice. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove excess water and let the rice sit in the colander. Leave it aside.

• In a pan, heat 4 tbsp. ghee.Add 2 cups thinly sliced onions. Saute and let the onions caramelize. Remove 1/2 of the caramelized onions in a bowl and keep it aside to use later.
• Add diced potatoes and cashews and fry for 3-4 minutes.
• Add diced bell pepper and diced carrots. Add ginger garlic and green chilli paste. Add 1 tsp. salt and pinch of turmeric. Cover and let the potatoes cook for 5 minutes.
• Add freshly ground biryani masala and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well. Cover and let the spices cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes, peas and yogurt. Mix well. Cover and let the gravy cook till potatoes are almost done and spices and cooked well. Turn off the heat.
• Add 1/4 cup chopped mint and cilantro leaves. Mix.

• Mix whole wheat flour with salt and oil and make a medium soft dough with 3/4 cup water. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

To assemble in individual cocottes/baking dish:

• Preheat the oven to 400F
• Grease individual bakeware with ghee. Pour spoonfull of biryani gravy at the bottom. layer with par-cooked rice. Sprinkle some mint and cilantro leaves and few caramelized onions. Layer again with a spoonful of gravy and again with rice. Sprinkle some saffron or little turmeric powder and spread some caramelized onions. Add 2 tbsp. water. 
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Take one part and roll it or flatten it in your palms. Cover the baking dish with rolled dough. Seal the edges well.Spread some oil or ghee over the dough.
• Bake in preheated over for 15 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes till the dough turns beautiful golden brown.
• Serve with sliced onions, fresh lemon, and side of yogurt raita.
• Enjoy crisp pie crust and steamed biryani!

Dry roast spices and grind them to form coarse to fine powder. Keep it aside.

Here is a coffee grinder that I use as dry spice grinder.

Freshly ground biryani masala.

Boil 4 cups of water with 1 tsp.salt, 2 cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, 1 bay leaf. When the water boils, add 1+1/2 cup washed Basmati rice. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove excess water and let the rice sit in the colander. Leave it aside.

Sliced onions

Diced veggies.

Ginder, garlic, and green chili paste.

Biryani masala.

In a pan, heat 4 tbsp. ghee.Add 2 cups thinly sliced onions. Saute and let the onions caramelize. Remove 1/2 of the caramelized onions in a bowl and keep it aside to use later.

Add diced potatoes and cashews and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add diced bell pepper and diced carrots. Add ginger garlic and green chili paste. Add 1 tsp. salt and pinch of turmeric. Cover and let the potatoes cook for 5 minutes.

Add freshly ground biryani masala and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well. Cover and let the spices cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, peas and yogurt. Mix well. Cover and let the gravy cook till potatoes are almost done and spices and cooked well. Turn off the heat.

Add 1/4 cup chopped mint and cilantro leaves. Mix.

Individual copper mini cocottes.

Cook and serve in individuals containers.

Grease individual bakeware with ghee. Pour spoon-full of biryani gravy at the bottom. layer with par-cooked rice. Sprinkle some mint and cilantro leaves and few caramelized onions. Layer again with a spoonful of gravy and again with rice. Sprinkle some saffron or little turmeric powder and spread some caramelized onions. Add 2 tbsp. water.

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Take one part and roll it or flatten it in your palms. Cover the baking dish with rolled dough. Seal the edges well.Spread some oil or ghee over the dough.

Bake in preheated over for 15 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes till the dough turns beautiful golden brown. Ghee helps to fry the dough to make it deliciously crisp.

Serve with sliced onions, fresh lemon, and side of yogurt raita.

Enjoy Crisp Pie Crust and Steamed Biryani!!