The Notorious P-H-O

Move over tomato soup! We've recently found that when it comes to comfort food nothing beats Vietnamese Phở soup. We started eating Phở somewhat recently and are very fortunate to have a wonderful all-vegan Vietnamese restaurant near us where we can get it any time. But as we sat and sipped our uniquely flavored and addictive new favorite food we wondered- how can we make it easy for other vegans to get ahold of this delicacy? 


So we set out on a course to make a batch ourselves and see if we could capture some of this Asian soup magic. 


This recipe may seem intense but we assure you the product will be well worth the effort. It can be quite the process, but don't fret, we've included lots of pictures for this recipe to help you out!


It makes 4-6 servings so either invite some friends over, bring some to someone who needs a good meal, or save it (broth and noodles separately) for another rainy day.


First we are going to make the broth. This broth is difficult to compare to any other traditional american-style soup. The flavor is rich and unique. It's pretty amazing stuff.


You will need:
2 unpeeled shallots, halved

1 small unpeeled onion, quartered
a 2-inch piece of ginger, coarsely sliced
2 pods of star anise
3 two-three inch cinnamon sticks
8 garlic cloves, halved
4 cloves
8 cups clear vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
salt


Now, we know what you're thinking. Unpeeled onions and shallots? And what the heck is star anise?


Firstly, yes leave the peel on your onions and shallots because they will add to the flavor of the broth but won't actually end up in your soup.


<--- Secondly, this is star anise. 


It's sort of smells like licorice and adds a really unique accent to the pho. You don't need much of it, but the flavor is quite impressive. 


To make the broth:


1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. 


2. Add the onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves and dry-roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to char. 

3. Add the stock and soy sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. 


4. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes. 

5. Strain into a clean pot and discard the solids for compost. 

6. Taste the broth and add salt if necessary. 


7. Keep warm over low heat.




Now, for the soup ingredients you will need:

4 scallions, thinly sliced (both green and white parts) 

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 ounces or more prepared seitan, chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 ounces or more of baked tofu, sliced into bite-sized strips
14-16 ounces of rice noodles

First add carrots and scallions to broth and let simmer for a few minutes alone before adding in your seitan and tofu. Continue to let simmer. 


While the broth is simmering, prepare the rice noodles according to the package. Some will need to be boiled, some will need boiling water poured over them while dry. It will depend on which type you buy. We like this brand.

When your noodles are ready do not add them to the broth. Let them sit to the side. You want these two items to come together only when they are about to be eaten or else the noodles will get too soft. Also, don't drain them too soon or they will stick together.

When the carrots in your broth seem semi-soft you're ready to assemble the soup. Divide broth and rice noodles evenly among 4 to 6 large bowls.

One of the nice things about pho soup is sharing it with friends and giving them the freedom to season their soup as they wish.

For the sides:

about 2 cups bean sprouts
a good amount of basil
1 lime, cut into wedges
sriracha chili paste

Some people like it spicy with the sriracha chili paste and others just like the balance that the lime and basil offer. We both like to throw a lot of bean sprouts in ours for a nice fresh crunch.


You could also serve this dish with hoison sauce or fresh cilantro depending on your taste preference. 

We guarantee you will love this soup and it will instantly become your new favorite go-to comfort food.

Have a non-veg friend who's feeling a little sick or down? Bring them a bowl of this delicious homemade stuff instead of chicken noodle soup! Just an idea!

And don't forget your chopsticks! 

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies

Teriyaki Glazed and Grilled Tofu

Last weekend we went home to visit family. Now, home... home is an odd clasification. Because home to us is the house the two of us share with our animal friends in central Florida. The place lovingly referred to by many as the 'crazy hippy vegan farm'. But home is also in south Florida where we grew up. The place where we met, the beach where we shared our first kiss... It's where our parents live and where no matter how old we get we will probably always think of as "home".

The thing about going home is that there is always an endless amount of things that your parents will try to get you to take with you when you come to visit. It's always great when you're nearing 30 years old and your mother asks if you would like to take a plastic film tube full of all your baby teeth back to Orlando with you. (lol Love you Mom!)

This weekend we were offered a George Foreman Grill. Our first reaction was... no... I mean what the heck are we going to do with that if it's meant to cook oil off of meat? But upon further inspection we thought well... maybe it may be worth a try. It's just an electric grill... we could probably cook anything on it.



And boy were we right! We've been experimenting on it since we brought it in the house and not to sound too overly 90s infomercial but man this thing can do it all!

So far we have made grilled zucchini, garlic, bean burgers, and a few other things. But by far the best creation was the teriyaki glazed tofu. This was so easy we were almost not going to write out a recipe, but it honestly tasted too good not to share.

This recipe will serve two.

What you'll need:

1 block of Tofu
Teryaki sauce
Soy Sauce
Spray Oil
Iron Chef General Tso or Orange Glaze
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Sesame Seeds

First, take a block of tofu and cut it length-wise in half. You want to make two thick "steaks".

Next, fill a shallow dish with a mix of teriyaki and soy sauce (you'll want to do about 3 parts teriyaki and 1 part soy sauce) and let your tofu steaks sit in the mix for a few minutes, flipping occasionally to make sure the sauce is getting evenly absorbed.

Then, sprinkle some light salt, pepper, and garlic powder on your coated tofu. Heat up the George Forman Grill to medium/medium-high heat, spray with non-stick cooking spray, and set on grill horizontally. (If they're rectangular -if they're square this really doesn't make a difference.)

While the tofu is cooking take your teriyaki/soy mix and add a couple tablespoons of the General Tso's or Orange sauce. Mix well and then drizzle or brush on to tofu periodically as it cooks.

The tofu will probably need to cook for at least 10-15 minutes. We suggest flipping it once half-way thorough and coating the bottom side with your sauce mix. The top grill side also seems to make those 'char' lines a little faster. So if you want them to be even on both sides it will definitely need to be flipped.

Most of this sauce is probably going to end up in the drip pan. Not a problem! When your tofu is nice and grilled pop it on a plate and drizzle it with the left over and dripped off sauce then garnish with sesame seeds.

We put our glazed tofu on a bed of sauteed kale and chickpeas. The only special thing we do for that stuff is sauté it in soy-free Earth Balance and add salt, pepper, and garlic powder.... and then the special ingredient... shallots!

If you have never cooked with a shallot before, do so as soon as possble. They are these amazing little onions that add so much flavor to anything they are cooked with, specifically kale and other greens.

The chickpeas could probably use a dash of soy sauce while cooking but be careful not to turn this meal into too big of a sodium-fest! You could also try balsamic vinegar or just plain old salt, pepper, and garlic. Those staples always work. Fresh garlic would be nice here too depending on what you're in the mood for.

Someone mentioned that this dish reminded them of asian style ribs but we think of it more like a faux glazed salmon.

We've really been able to make some versatile dishes in this thing so far. We have a whole list of items like seitan and tempeh we are going to try soon. The best part about this 90s-era contraption is how evenly it cooks the items. So if you have one of these grills lying around from your omnivore days, bring it down from the shelf and dust it off! See what kind of magic you can make happen! It's time to reclaim this grill in the name of the vegan world and make some tofu!

With peace, love, and compassion-
The Two Vegan Ladies

Asian Style Panko Crusted Seitan

Time to cook: 45 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult

Serves: 2 (large portions) 

You will need:

Seitan! 

They do make a few different kinds of pre-made seitan which can be purchased at Whole Foods or your local vegan market, but we typically go for the Arrowhead Mills brand of Vital Wheat Gluten and make our own. It gives you a bit more freedom as far as taste. Just prepare it according to the instructions and don't be afraid to add some extra spices like garlic and dried basil. It takes some time to prepare but the taste in sensational in the final product when you go homemade. Also make sure to simmer in veggie stock and not water- big difference!

When you're finished with your seitan it should look something like this. You want your pieces to be bite sized for the most part. Some variation is to be expected.

You will also need:

Ener-g Egg Replacer

Panko Crumbs

Non-dairy milk (we like Almond Milk)

Garlic powder

Salt and Pepper

Oil

Fruit/veggies (we went with fresh pineapple and green bell peppers)

Sauce of your choosing 

So first get your ingredients together for the breading station- Ener-g, panko, and non-dairy milk. Add a few tablespoons of Ener-g to a bowl with 1/3 cup of non-dairy milk. You want your mixture to be thick enough to coat your seitan but not pudding thick. Fill a plate with layer of panko crumbs and also mix in a small amount of garlic, salt, and pepper if the mood strikes you. Mix well.

Heat a skillet with a 1/4 inch of oil on medium-high heat. Then begin the breading process. Take a piece of seitan and dip it in your Ener-g and non-dairy milk mixture then immediately toss into panko crumbs. Coat both sides.

When the seitan is entirely coated set it in the oil. Each piece will need to cook around 10 minutes on each side depending on your heat. It may need less, it may need more. Just turn them over when it feels right! You want that lovely golden brown color.










Once all of your seitan pieces are breaded and fried set them on a few paper towels to let the excess oil drain off.











Let your breaded seitan sit while you chop your fruits and veggies. If you're going with a sweeter sauce we suggest pineapples and green peppers, but this part is totally up to you. You're going to just want to pair it with your sauce.

Note: If you're using a spicier sauce like General Tso's, fresh pineapple is a great way to balance out all that heat!

Chop your fruits/veggies just slightly smaller than your largest seitan pieces. You want them to complement each other.

Throw your fruits/veggies into a heated skillet with a little oil and toss around to coat.

After a minute or so add in some of your sauce and continue to toss and coat. Add in a little garlic, salt, and pepper as well if desired.

The goal here is to just slightly cook your fruits/veggies. Just enough to heat and make soft.  You want to make them easy to chew but never soggy.

Your next step is to add in your seitan and the remainder of your sauce. So let's talk about sauce options for a minute.




The sauce we used to coat our breaded setian was a special plum sauce Brandy's mother brought down from Conneticut. For some reason they don't sell it outside of Chinese restaurants in the Northeast and although we have found a recipe for it online, the process takes two weeks. This sauce is intense to say the least! If you live up near Connecticut/Rhode Island or are visiting the area- they call this stuff "duck sauce" but it's really just a dark brown deliciously sweet plum sauce. We highly suggest purchasing it by the gallon and using it with all your asian inspired meals.

So, if you aren't in the Northeast and want a delicous sauce and don't have time to make your own, what should you do? We suggest the Iron Chef's line of glazes and sauces. With these you can really go any direction with flavor. General Tso, Sesame, Teriyaki, Orange, Sweet Pepper. As far we know all the sauces are vegan aside from the Mexican Beer and Chipotle (that one isn't quite an asian style sauce anyway) and obviously the Honey Garlic contains honey.

You're going to want to use about 1/2 a cup of this sauce all together and with the last few tablespoons add a splash of warm water and throw it into the pan to really spread the sauce around and coat the fruit/veggies/seitan. Let that heat for a few minutes while the sauce and water gets absorbed and then remove from heat. Do not over cook during this step or your seitan breading will get mushy.

Serve with brown rice and broccoli or any sides of your choosing.

Don't forget, everything tastes better when you eat it with chopsticks!

With love, peace, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies