vietnamese: pho chay
(makes enough broth for about 6-8 bowls)
1. on medium-high heat, sautee in a large pot until fragrant:
a little vegetable oil
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped coarsely
1 large onion (or 2 small), chopped coarsely
4 shallots, chopped coarsely (or just use one more onion)
2 whole pods star anise (total 16 star points)
4 whole cloves
2. add to the pot:
1 gal (16 c) water
1/3 daikon, well-washed and cut in chunks
2 medium carrots, well-washed and cut in chunks
1-2 broccoli stems, well-washed and cut in chunks
3-inch stick of dried cinnamon
1 T whole black peppercorns (or a dash of pepper)
2 T salt
1-2 T sugar
3. when the water boils, turn down heat and simmer for 1 hour, covered.
4. while the broth is simmering, boil a few minutes (until soft), strain and put into large soup bowls (fill up about 1/3 of each bowl):
dried flat rice noodles
5. in a separate pot, boil or steam any desired combination of the following until tender (each vegetable may take a different amount of time to cook), strain, and place in the bowls on top of the noodles (all of these are optional):
daikon, peeled and cut into cubes or strips
carrot, peeled and cut into cubes or strips
fried tofu, sliced in thin strips
wheat gluten/seitan, sliced in thin strips
shiitake mushrooms, sliced into strips
broccoli (don't overcook)
any other veggies that you want
6. when the broth has been simmering for 1 hour, strain it by pouring through a fine-mesh strainer (lined with multiple layers of cheesecloth if possible); discard the solids. the strained broth should be light-colored and relatively clear; taste it and add salt if necessary.
7. top the bowls with:
scallions, chopped
onion, sliced in rings as thin as possible
cilantro leaves, chopped coarsely
8. finally, spoon the piping-hot broth into the bowls, and serve with any of the following on the side (all optional):
lime wedges (for squeezing into soup)
sliced chili peppers
chili sauce
bean sprouts, raw or slightly boiled
basil and/or mint and/or long coriander and/or other vietnamese herbs
hoisin sauce
enjoy!
NOTES:
* any unused broth can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.
* pho originally comes from northern vietnam, but there is also a southern version. some differences are that northern pho is served with crispy fried crullers on the side for dipping in the soup, but generally without herbs, bean sprouts or hoisin sauce on the side; while southern pho is served without the crullers but with herbs, bean sprouts and hoisin sauce on the side. as with many foods in vietnam, northerners and southerners will fight to the death over which version is the best....
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