Vegan Pho Bo (Vietnamese Faux-Beef Noodle Soup)
Vegan pho bo swaps the beef for thin shreds of seitan in a quick, gingery broth with rice noodles, bean sprouts, scallions, and plenty of cilantro and lime. It's ready in about 35 minutes.
Print
Pin
Save
Servings: servings
Equipment
- Saucepan for the noodles
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 ounces thin rice noodles or bean-thread noodles
- 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (one 32-ounce carton), plus 1 to 2 cups more broth or water as needed
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce plus more to taste
- 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh ginger minced or grated, to taste
- 6 to 8 ounces seitan cut into thin shreds
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts fresh
- 4 scallions thinly sliced, divided
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro minced, or more to taste, divided
- 2 teaspoons lime juice or more to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 lime cut into thin wedges, for garnish
- Sriracha for serving (optional)
- hoisin sauce for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions until just tender (al dente). Drain, rinse briefly with cool water, and snip them into shorter lengths with kitchen scissors so they're easier to eat from a soup bowl. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and shallot and sauté, stirring often, until both are golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the broth, soy sauce, and ginger. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Add the seitan, bean sprouts, half of the scallions, and half of the cilantro. Add 1 to 2 cups more broth (or water) so the ingredients aren't crowded. Season with the lime juice, pepper, and a little more soy sauce if you'd like.
- Simmer for 3 minutes longer, then remove from the heat.
- Divide the noodles among 6 bowls and ladle the hot soup over them. Garnish each serving with a lime wedge or two and the remaining scallions and cilantro. Pass Sriracha and hoisin sauce at the table, if you like.
Notes
Seitan: Straight from the package is fine. For more texture, sauté the shredded seitan in a little oil over high heat until golden and crisp at the edges before adding it to the soup.
Deeper broth: Simmer 1 star anise pod and a small cinnamon stick in the broth during the 10-minute simmer, then fish them out before adding the seitan.
Storage: Keep leftover noodles and broth in separate containers so the noodles don't turn soft. The broth keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition (Estimate per Serving)
Calories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 9gFat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 352mgPotassium: 111mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 135IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
Vegan-ize any recipe!Grab our free vegan cheat sheet, packed with my favorite easy substitutions to make any recipe vegan.
