This Bean Sprouts Pho is a comforting, nutritious soup with a rich, aromatic plant-based broth. Packed with fragrant spices, fresh herbs, and hearty vegetables, it's perfect for a cozy day and sure to satisfy your cravings while nourishing your body.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time35 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Servings: 4servings
Calories: 236kcal
Author: Lainey
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Ingredients
23 inchcinnamon sticks
3wholecloves
2star anise
1large white onionpeeled and quartered
4inchpiece of fresh gingerpeeled and halved lengthwise
4cupsvegetable stock or broth32 ounces
4cupswater
2tablespoonssoy sauce
6ouncesrice noodles
1tablespoonvegetable oil
5ouncesshiitake mushroomsthinly sliced
saltto taste
Garnishes
mung bean sprouts
sprigs of fresh Thai basil
cilantro
Sprigs of fresh mint
thinly sliced green onionsmostly green parts
very thinly sliced fresh jalapeñoomit if sensitive to spice
small wedges of lime
Instructions
Warm a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the onion, ginger, water, broth, and soy sauce and raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 30 minutes to give the flavors to meld.
In the meantime, prepare your rice noodles by cooking them according to package directions. Set them aside.
To prepare the shiitake mushrooms, I added it to the broth and cooked the mushrooms until they were tender. But feel free to cook this separately.
Once the broth is done cooking, strain out the onions, ginger, and spices. The easy way is to use a small metal sieve, but you can also strain the mixture through a colander into another large bowl. Don’t forget to leave the mushrooms in the broth.
Season it to taste with salt and then add the cooked noodles. I love eating pho with tons of vegetables so feel free to add steamed broccoli or steamed bok choy.