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Vietnamese Faux Pho

By Robin Robertson

The fresh tastes of cilantro, garlic, and lime brighten this irresistible soup.

Take a savory trip to Saigon with this veg twist on a traditional Pho Bo. Seitan stands in for the beef and fresh cilantro, ginger, scallions, and lime combine to create an authentic flavor. For nights when you want the whole house to warm with the smell of simmering soup, this one comes through in spades and delivers a filling meal without being overly heavy.
Serves 6
What You Need:
  • 3- to 4-ounce bundle thin rice noodles or bean-thread noodles
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 32-ounce carton low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 5- to 6-inch piece kombu (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
  • 2 cups water
  • 6 to 8 ounces seitan, cut into thin shreds
  • 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice, or more to taste
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Thinly sliced lime sections for garnish
What You Do:
  1. Cook the noodles according to package directions until al dente, then drain and cut into shorter lengths suitable for soup. Set aside until needed.
  2. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and shallots and sauté over medium-low heat until golden.
  3. Add the broth, kombu, soy sauce, ginger, five-spice powder and water. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the seitan, bean sprouts, half of the scallions, and half of the cilantro. Season with lime juice, pepper and, if desired, some additional soy sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes longer, then remove from the heat.
  5. Serve at once, garnishing the top of each serving with a thin wedge or two of lime, and the remaining cilantro and scallions.
Click here for more delicious recipes:
Vietnamese Noodle Soup
Faux Fish Sauce
Chestnut Soup

Photo by To Live and Eat in LA
1 Comments

Posted: Oct 29 2008 13:35PM By Foodeater

This sounds delicious Robin! Always nice to see Pho recipes that don't involve boiled down beef bones... ick! I'm going to have to give your version a try. -To Live and Eat in L.A. http://www.toliveandeatinla.com

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