8ozwide rice noodlescooked, drained and rinsed under cold water
2baby bok choysliced in half, lengthwise
4ozfirm tofucut into cubes
2tablespoontamari or soy sauce
1cupmung bean sprouts
1bunch scallionsgreen and white parts, sliced
basil or cilantro
lime wedges
sriracha, sambal, or other hot sauce
Instructions
In a large pot, combine vegetable stock, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise, and cloves.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
While broth is simmering, rinse dried mushrooms, then soak them in two cups warm water for 15 minutes or until tender. You can also use this time to cook the rice noodles if not already done.
Add the bok choy to the simmering broth for 5 minutes
Into 4 soup bowls, divide the cooked rice noodles and top with tofu cubes
Remove bok choy from the broth and divide among the bowls
Strain the mushroom soaking water and add to the broth, along with the mushrooms, bringing back to the boil.
Stir soy sauce into the broth, turn off the heat, and using a ladle, top the soup bowls with the broth & mushrooms
Top off each bowl with scallions, and bean sprouts
serve with basil or cilantro, hot sauce, and lime wedges.
Notes
I used dried mushrooms because the flavourful soaking water is a delicious addition to the pho broth. If you prefer to use fresh, use 6 ozs of fresh mushrooms and add them into the broth with the bok choy, along with two additional cups of vegetable stock.Use tamari, or gluten-free soy sauce, to make this recipe gluten-free.Star Anise can sometimes be hard to find. If you can't find it, use 2 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice powder instead.