Wednesday, May 4, 2011

almost instant faux pho

The first time I had pho, it totally knocked my socks off. The flavors are so rich and fresh, it's seriously healthy, and I love adding sauces to make the dish taste just how you like. Unfortunately after becoming vegetarian, I quickly found out that the flavorful pho broth is made with a crap ton of animal parts. Boo. I hear that there are a few places that do veggie pho, but I have yet to hunt those locations down. So craving pho, and being short on time, I threw together my first attempt at homemade faux pho.

Stuff you need: 1. Veggie broth 2. Rice noodles of some kind- I used stick noodles 3. Various sauces- hoisin, soy, and chili garlic were perfect for this dish 4. Veggies- I used bean sprouts, bell pepper, cucumber & green onion 5. 1/2 lime

Start by bringing your vegetable broth to boil in a pot- just enough to cook the noodles in- kind of like pasta. When the broth is boiling, remove the pot from the heat, and throw your noodles in for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.

While you're waiting for your noodles to get tender, chop up all the rest of your ingredients. I cut the bell pepper into julienne strips, the cucumber into sliced quarters, and the green onion into little chunks- just bite sized pieces that you can easily slurp up.

When the noodles are ready and the veggies are prepped, take a bowl and fill it with noodles and a big ladle full of the broth. On top of this, toss all your chopped vegetables and bean sprouts, and then season with the sauces of your choice- hoisin is especially great, and the chili garlic gives it a nice kick. Finally, squeeze the lime half on top of everything, and devour. Really, that's it!

For being such an impromptu meal, I was really surprised that the flavors were so great. If you don't like how it's tasting, it's so easy to add a little more of this and that until it's just right. The only thing I think my faux pho lacked was basil- which it's traditionally served with. Next time, I will make sure to use basil as well, but honestly, I think it was pretty damn delicious as is. Quick, filling, healthy, and spectacular. I will definitely be making this one more often :)

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