1h 10mMushroom Pho
Vietnamese vegetarian rice-noodle soup with mushrooms, vegetable broth, charred onion and ginger, warm pho spices, fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and lime. It is light enough for breakfast and satisfying enough for lunch or dinner.
- Cuisine
- Vietnamese
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- dried flat rice noodles-12 oz
- sliced cremini mushrooms-8 oz
- fresh shiitake mushrooms-6 oz
- vegetable broth-8 cups
- yellow onion-1 large
- fresh ginger-3 inch
- whole star anise-3 pod
- cinnamon stick-1 stick
- whole cloves-4 each
- bean sprouts-2 cups
- fresh Thai basil-1 cup
- fresh cilantro-0.5 cups
- soy sauce-3 tbsp
- coriander seeds-1 tsp
- brown sugar-1 tsp
- kosher salt-1 tsp
- fennel seeds-0.5 tsp
- lime-2 medium
Slice the mushrooms, halve the onion and ginger, rinse the bean sprouts, and cut the limes into wedges before starting the broth.
Keep fingers clear of the knife blade while slicing mushrooms and cutting limes.
Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Place the onion and ginger cut-side down and char until deeply browned in spots, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Use tongs when charring the onion and ginger because the skillet and vegetables get very hot.
In the large pot, add the star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds. Toast the spices over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the vegetable broth, charred onion, and charred ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 30 minutes.
While the broth simmers, place the dried rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Soak until pliable, about 20 to 25 minutes, then drain.
Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean heatproof bowl or a second clean pot. Discard the solids. If you strained the broth into a bowl, rinse or wipe out the large pot and return the broth to it. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, and kosher salt until the broth tastes savory and pho-spiced.
Strain hot broth slowly to avoid steam burns and splashing.
Add the cremini and shiitake mushrooms to the broth. Simmer gently until the mushrooms are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.
While the mushrooms simmer, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the bean sprouts and cook thoroughly until steaming hot throughout, rather than giving them a brief dip; lift out and drain. For pregnant people, older adults, young children, and immunocompromised diners, serve only thoroughly cooked sprouts or omit them. Add the soaked noodles to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 30 to 60 seconds, then drain and divide among bowls.
Use caution when dipping sprouts and noodles into boiling water to avoid splashes.
Rinse fresh bean sprouts, then cook them thoroughly. Pregnant people, older adults, young children, and people with weakened immune systems should avoid raw or lightly cooked sprouts; omit the sprouts if thorough cooking is not possible.
Ladle the hot mushroom broth over the noodles. Serve immediately with cilantro, Thai basil, bean sprouts, and lime wedges.
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