The vegetarian diet has never been a mainstream thing in China, and it just started to gain popularity over the past few years. Vegetarian food is translated as Su Shi (素食) in Chinese, which literally means simple and plain food. Its definition is quite debatable. For Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, even spicy and pungent ingredients such as onion and garlic are not allowed. On the other hand, many Chinese vegetarian restaurants do serve eggs. And I’ve found quite a few people around me claiming to be vegetarian, but still eating chicken soup and food cooked in pork broth. If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time, you know that I’m not a vegetarian myself. However, I started to cook vegetarian meals more often after moving to the US and gaining 20 pounds in the first year.
Today I want to introduce one of my favorite vegetarian soup bases, a recipe slightly adapted from the cookbook Neighborhood – Hearty Salads and Plant-Based Recipes from Home and Abroad by Hetty McKinnon. Hetty is a cookbook author, food blogger, and mother of three. She used to run Arthur Street Kitchen, where she made and delivered fresh salads to the local community. I got to know Hetty during the New York workshop and immediately fell in love with the beautiful vegetarian salads she makes. I’ve also learned that she is a second-generation Chinese immigrant, having grown up in Australia in a traditional Chinese family. She’s been a vegetarian diet for over twenty years and shares plant-based recipes that are influenced by Asian, Middle Eastern, and French cuisines. It was fascinating to read the story about her family’s rejection of her conversion to a vegetarian diet. When I purchased her cookbook, I asked Hetty what her favorite recipe from it was. “The vegetarian pho salad”. She said without a second thought. I immediately knew it was the recipe I’d try out as soon as I got home.
Cooking notes
Hurricane Harvey hit Texas around the time I had gathered all my ingredients for the cooking. It had been raining heavily throughout the weekend. So instead of making a noodle salad (the original recipe uses a reduced pho broth), I made a larger batch of the broth and turned the dish into a noodle soup to warm us on that stormy day. The length of the recipe might look formidable, but trust me, you are going to create the most flavorful vegetarian pho broth ever. The fact is, you need very little active cooking time to prepare the broth. Once it’s done, you can use it in many different ways, with whatever ingredients you have on hand. It takes a bit of time and patience if you do it on a gas stove. Alternatively, you can char the veggies under the broiler.
I love this broth so much, so I would make more and save it for use in other soups later on. The original recipe uses a lot of veggies because it’s a salad recipe. I found that some tofu and one or two types of veggies make a great meal. The quickest way is to boil the veggies in the broth after you remove the aromatics. But personally, I prefer to sear the veggies with some salt and pepper on the stovetop. You can also roast the veggies in the oven while you make the broth. Both ways create flavorful toppings.
It’s a type of tofu that is pre-seasoned and smoked. The best thing is, you can slice it and add it to the dish without having to cook it first. If you do not live close to an Asian market and can’t get five-spice tofu, you can use normal tofu on the stovetop or in the oven to create a crispy texture. It works just as well topped on the noodles.
More delicious vegetarian recipes
Easy Vegetarian Lentil Stew Chinese Vegetarian Noodle Soup Vegetarian Chow Mein Homemade Vegetarian Oyster Sauce (Vegan Stir Fry Sauce) Chinese Sliced Tofu Salad
Happy cooking and I hope you enjoy the dish! If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
