It is the broth. No really, it is all in the broth. Spending time making your own vegan pho broth is something that has so much value. Often when made commercially, the vegan versions have a lot of salt in them to enhance the flavor.
However, once you make your own from scratch, there is a whole new flavor profile that emerges that can support a plant-forward journey to enhance flavor with nutrient dense spices, herbs, and plants which can lead to increased vitality.
Making the best flavored vegan pho broth is going to be a recipe that you put on repeat once you get the kitchen flow of it down. We make this at least 1-2 times per month and sometimes more. Also…. It’s a great broth to flavor the base other soups too.
“The most expensive food you have is the food you throw away.”
Steve Roberts
One of my favorite tips for making a plant-based kitchen affordable came from my dad. I’m not sure where he first learned it… however it was great to hear it first from him. “The most expensive food you have is the food you throw away.” Wow, that was a mind-expanding phrase the first time I heard it.
And started a whole new train of thought that would lead to me taking a new look at leftover kitchen veggie scraps. Now, each week, I save the extras in the fridge or freezer. And then, once a week, I make a broth with these scraps. And when I let them percolate overnight in the slow cooker with seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, and spices, it leads to a magical most flavorful vegan pho broth. So time is a factor here too. But if you start it the morning before work – it will be ready in the instant pot when you get home.
Using Leftover Vegetables Scraps for the Broth
Making a vegan version of pho does require a commitment to taking time in the kitchen to create the flavor profile. However, the umami rich that comes from the shiitake and kombu cooking overnight can really lead to a very full flavor profile. Once you have the broth, any number of steamed veggies can be placed on top. I have special techniques for this and washing the soba noodles that are outlined in the video below.
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After you have had a chance to learn more about how to make the dish from the video above, please find below a print out of the recipe. You can print the recipe for your own records to sample in time or share this to your Pinterest board.
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Recipe INFO: Flavorful Vegan Pho Broth
Tag me if you make this at home with your own variation and process. There are so many ways to prepare this dish and I would like to encourage you to be in the kitchen and experiment.
Diced tofu (optional) it does not need to be cooked
1 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
dash hot sauce per your taste (ie gochujang, a fermented Korean sauce or sriracha)
dash sesame oil
Instructions
Cut the onion in half and place it with whole ginger on baking pan. Place under broiler for 5 min at 500. Let cool. Slice the ginger and onion into smaller pieces and add to the broth mixture.
You can use vegetable scraps that are leftover from other meals you have made that week. I generally cut them up and place the extra scraps in the freezer or into the back into the fridge. Then when i am ready to make the broth, I take them out and use.
Or you can use of blend of freshly cut veggies to make the broth as noted.
I place all the broth ingredients in the slow cooker overnight on low or medium setting. When I wake up in the morning, the whole house smells amazing.
Once the broth is cooked, strain the spices and veggies out. This broth can now have miso or other flavors added based on what you might like.
Typically I use buckwheat soba noodles and cook per the package instructions. However, the real insight came when I learned to rinse the noodles. The noodles had such a great texture and flavor with this.
You can then steam the vegetables and tofu and place on top. Check out the video to see the technique.
Combine the broth, miso, steamed veggies into a bowl. It can then be topped with hot sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, cilantro, lime, or other flavors that you love.
Notes
Traditional Vietnamese Pho soup consists of bone broth, rice noodles, and thinly sliced meat that can be served with bean sprouts, basil, mint, limes, chiles, and other garnishes. It does does not use a soba noodle or have as many vegetables however the broth which provides the rich flavor is similarly flavored. To fashion it into a plant-based version, I have added a variety of flavors to bring a rich broth forward.
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Kitchen resources
My favorite slow cooker is definitely the Instant pot. It is an invaluable resource to help you in the kitchen to make this recipe as well as many other great soup options. Click above to see the one I use daily.
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Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Thank you for supplying these details. Fredelia Creight Genisia
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Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed it.
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