Warm yourself up with the amazing flavors of Pho and enjoy the aroma of this dish while it’s cooking in your kitchen. There’s something special about the smell of fresh broth simmering on a cold day. Bursting with fresh and savory flavors, this Vietnamese-style meal makes use of healthy ingredients including fresh herbs, crisp bean sprouts and greens. Pho is considered more like a meal than a soup so think of it as your entree. Just serve along with fresh pressed juice and a leafy green salad and you will have yourself a light and delicious raw-cooked fusion meal. Of course if you’re short on time, you can skip the homemade broth and just heat up a pre-made (low salt) mushroom broth, add a bit of minced ginger and a splash of tamari and follow the recipe for the Vegetable Pho.

PHO BROTH

Makes (4) 16 ounce serving.

12 cups filtered water
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup leeks, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
¼ cup fresh cilantro (or 2 tbs dried)
¼ cup fresh basil (or 2 tbs dried)
¼ fresh mint
¼ cup fresh ginger (2 tbs dried)
2 orange slices
Juice of half a lime
3 dried anise flowers (optional)
1 tsp black pepper

Place all ingredients into a large pot and bring to boil. Turn heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 ½ hours. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes then strain the broth into a large bowl and add ¼ cup tamari, stir well.

Add broth back to pot (if making 4 servings of Pho) and keep warm (on low heat) until ready to serve or store in the fridge until ready to use (will keep in fridge for up to 5 days). You can also freeze the broth in individual 16 ounce containers for quick meals. This Pho broth also works well with buckwheat noodles and other greens (kale, collards, spinach, watercress).

VEGETABLE PHO

Makes 2 servings

1 package brown rice noodles (I used King Soba Organic 8.8 ounces)
1 cup snap or snow peas
1 head of bok choy
1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 cup bean sprouts
½ cup green onions, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro or basil
2 tbs sliced jalapeño
2 tbs sweet chili paste

Place water into medium sized saucepan over high heat and allow to come to a full boil. Prepare your vegetables. Add noodles to boiling water and stir well. Note: if brown rice noodles are not stirred within the first few seconds of being dropped into boiling water, they will stick together and cook unevenly. Boil for about 5 minutes then cover with a tight fitting lid, turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes to soften.

Heat 4 cups of Pho Broth in a small saucepan. Once broth begins to boil, cover and turn off heat. Strain the noodles and rinse well. Divide the noodles in half and place into two large serving bowls. Evenly divide the vegetables and place on top of the noodles. Pour broth over the contents of each bowl. Serve the garnishes in pinch pots or small bowls (fresh basil/cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedge, sliced jalapeño, green onions and sweet chili paste).

Note: The traditional way to eat Pho is to add a little bit from the pinch bowls as you go. Avoid adding them in all at once. This way the herbs will maintain their freshness and flavor and the bean sprouts will keep their crunch — it’s all about texture. If you add them too soon, you’ll end up with wilted herbs and soggy sprouts, which defeats the whole purpose of eating fresh.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories: 575
Carbs: 131 g
Protein: 11.5 g
Fat: 4.5 g
Omega 3: 0.06 g
Fiber: 8 g

Calcium: 158 mg
Iron: 3.5 g
Magnesium: 41 mg
Potassium: 1119 mg
Selenium: 4.3 mcg
Zinc: 0.7 mg

B1: 0.17 mg
B2: 0.3 mg
B3: 2.4 mg
B5: 1.08 mg
B6: 0.33 mg
Choline: 26 mg
Folate: 116 mg
Vitamin C: 77 mg
Vitamin E: 0.53 mg
Vitamin K: 90 mcg

BCAA’s
Isoleucine: 0.23 g
Leucine: 0.3 g
Valine: 0.31 g

Source: cronometer.com