Faux Pho

Uh oh. Back to noodles again.

About a week ago, I ate at a local Vietnamese restaurant, 5 Seasons Grill, that served vegetable pho. I was given the choice between beef broth and vegetable broth, and was impressed at how pho-filling (sorry, I couldn't help it!) the "vegetable" broth was. My friend said that the vegetable broth reminded her of udon soup base. So with an udon soup base bottle in hand, I decided to try making my own vegetarian pho.

The particular brand I was using had fish sauce in it, which does not make it vegetarian. There are brands out there that are fish sauce free, but I have not tried any of them yet. Udon soup base is actually concentrated soba sauce, just diluted with water and is easily found in any Asian food market. When buying noodles for pho, do not get dry rice noodles, purchase the "wet" version that is stored in the refrigerated section. Lastly, there are two types of bean sprouts sold at asian stores and they look pretty similar to each other. Do not buy the one that has a darker yellow sprout, you want the one that is a lighter yellow.

Luckily, this pho wont take days or hours to get broth, just minutes.

Vegetable Pho (Faux Pho)

30 min, Serves 4

8 cups water

1 cup soba sauce (Udon soup base)

6 servings of pho (wet) rice noodles

6 medium shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

1 cup carrots, 1/4 inch thin rounds

6 cups bean sprouts

1 cup snow peas, cut in half

2 cups cilantro, diced

6 sprigs thai basil

Other vegetables*

1. Add water and soba sauce to a pot and boil on medium-high. Once this boils, add carrots and cook for 5 min. Remove cooked carrots with a strainer ladle and set aside.

2. In another pot, boil some water on high. Place a single serving of noodles into this pot for 2 min and remove with a strainer ladle. Move cooked noodles into a serving bowl.

3. Add all vegetables including carrots to the serving bowl. Pour boiling broth over everything so the ingredients cook. Serve immediately. Add Sriracha Hot Chili sauce and Hoison sauce to taste. If you find the broth to be too salty, add hot water. If it seems too bland add a touch of soba sauce or soy sauce.

*Try using cabbage, broccoli, or button mushrooms with your pho!

Eggplant Salsa

I understand that I have posted only noodles so far, so heres something different.

My mother introduced this recipe to me the other day. I came home to a bowl of what only could be described as Eggplant Salsa and had me try a spoonful on a slice of bread. After possibly our 20^th bite later we were still amazed at how surprisingly tasty it was. But then again, I am biased toward anything with a vinegar/sweet taste such as ketchup. You be the judge! Also, there didn’t seem to be a name for this recipe, and so I ended up calling it eggplant salsa because of the way it looked. BTW, my mother will kill me if she knew I was sharing this online. keke.

Eggplant Salsa
30 min, Serves 8

2 Chinese eggplants
2 celery stalks
2 cups parsley
3 bell peppers (yellow, green, red)
1 cup dill
2 cups cilantro
½ onion

1 cup brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
1 cup ketchup

1 loaf French bread*

1. Cut eggplants into ½ in rounds. Heat frying pan to medium high. Add 2-3 tablespoon of vegetable oil and add eggplant. Lower heat to medium and cook until soft and slightly transparent (about 15-20 min). Add oil if necessary, as the eggplant will absorb a lot of it. Break eggplant rounds into smaller pieces as it begins to cook so speed up the cooking process.
2. Finely dice and chop the vegetables, adding them into a medium sized container. Add eggplant to the vegetable mix.
3. Add vinegar, garlic and ketchup into the container and carefully toss ingredients.
4. Add more ketchup to sweeten or vinegar to add sour according to your preference.
5. Spread mix on a slice of bread (preferably flavored plain).

*Any type of bread that has a firm crust like French bread will work. Crackers would work too but they do not soak the flavors as good as bread does.

Vietnamese Vermicelli

Bun is a fresh noodle dish that can be found in most Vietnamese restaurants and homes. I like to enjoy it on a warm day as an alternative to Pho because I find it refreshing. It's only drawback to possibly being a popular dish is its pungent smell and fishy flavor in the fish sauce that is used. The sauce is an acquired taste and smell that some will never get used to! I no longer mind fish sauce, but some days I still find it overpowering. As an alternative I use Sriracha Hot Chili sauce along with Hoison sauce, or even a blend of Rice vinegar and sugar. I'll list the alternatives in the recipe below.

Vietnamese Vermicelli (Bun)
Serves 4, 20 min

4 servings of dry rice stick noodles*

2 cups cilantro, chopped

4 cups bean sprouts

4 cups lettuce, julienned

4 cups cucumber, julienned

8 sprigs Thai basil leaves

4 cups medium firm tofu, cubed

4 tablespoon picked carrot

4 tablespoon ground, roasted peanuts

Fish Sauce

4 teaspoon Garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

4 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoon fish sauce

4 teaspoon red chili sauce

Vinegar sauce

4 cups brown rice vinegar

1 cup sugar

1. Add 6 cups water to a pot and boil. Add dried rice sticks to boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Promptly remove pot from heat and rinse noodles in cold water. Place noodles in separate bowls.

2. Pan fry tofu for a few minutes until the outsides have browned and are firm. Set aside.

3. Add vegetables on top of the noodles. Add the fried tofu on top of the vegetables.

4. Prepare desired sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl and mixing completely. Continue to mix until sugar is dissolved.

5. Separate desired sauce and pour over each dish. Toss ingredients together and serve. Try using fried spring rolls, grilled shrimp, or seared scallops as toppings instead of tofu. Add Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce and Hoison sauce for added flavor.

*Do not confuse dry sticks with dried mung bean noodles. They have a different consistency, and mung bean noodles do not soak flavors as easily as rice sticks do.

Being Greener in the Kitchen

I was reading todays edition of Relish Magazine (relishmag.com) from the Seattle Times paper, and it offered some simple, yet valuable tips that we can all use to be greener in the kitchen. Here are the tips they shared:

• Buy frozen orange juice and mix it in a reusable container, rather than buying a new jug each time.
• Bring foods to room temperature before placing in the oven.
• Instead of rinsing your dishes, scrape them into the trash can before placing in the dishwasher. It saves water.
• Use a slow cooker. It uses less energy than an incandescent light bulb. For slow cooker recipes, go to relishmag.com/slowcooker
• If your oven has a convection setting, use it for baking. It keeps air moving and cooks faster.
• Don't open the oven while baking. The temperature drops 25F each time.
• Use dishtowels instead of paper towels to wipe up messes.

Since I spend more time in the kitchen these days, here are a few things I try to do to keep my kitchen seeing green:

• Use a crocheted dish scrub made from 100% acrylic yarn. The yarn is antibacterial and you can wash most dishes without the help of soap.
• When using the oven, make left overs and freeze. You wont have to turn on the oven to eat again, and microwaving something thats defrosted on its own will take less time to warm up.
• Stop using your garbage disposal and put food scraps in a small bin. Empty daily into a food /yard waste bin.
• Eat foods that don't require much cooking. Not only do you save on energy, you'll also get much more nutritional value from foods such as fruits and vegetables!
• Don't overbuy on groceries. Rotting food is a waste of food and money.