Faux Pho

Since I'm no food photographer, the quality of this picture of my lunch doesn't do justice to its deliciousness.  Or it could be the fact that this is a phone picture--my husband was working in the room with my good camera, and I couldn't go in to get it.  

At any rate, my sister texted me a dinner recipe which sounded so scrumptious I knew we had to add it to our Lenten rotation.  It was so comforting and homey for dinner, and I was so excited that we had leftovers, that I woke up already looking forward to having it for lunch.  Here's the recipe, adapted from what my sister sent (I didn't have the tamari or watercress that she used) and a pho recipe (I didn't use fish sauce and I didn't have cardamom pods).

Faux Pho (feeds 8)

Broth:

• 1 large white onion, peeled and halved
• 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
• 5 star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 4 quarts water + 1/4 cup Vegetable Better-Than-Boullion or equivalent amount of vegetable broth
• dash of Trader Joe's Chicken-less Seasoning Salt

1.  Turn the oven broiler to high, and place the baking rack about 8 inches away from the heating elements.  Place the onion and ginger cut-side-up on a baking sheet.  Broil for about 7-10 minutes, until the tops of the onion and ginger are slightly charred.  Remove and set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the broth/water, anise, cinnamon, and coriander in a large stockpot.  Add in the charred onion, ginger, stock, and stir to combine.  Continue cooking until the broth reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and continue to simmer for at least 30 minutes.  Strain out (and discard) the onions, ginger and spices.  Add a dash of soy sauce to taste.

Rice Noodles:

While broth is simmering, prepare 2 packages of rice noodles according to package instructions.  I used these because they're what I found at the store.

Shrimp Dumplings:

2 lbs extra large raw shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and de-tailed

1.5 bunches of green onions (~ 8), chopped into 1" pieces

1 T soy sauce

1.  Process shrimp, onions and soy sauce in food processor in batches until the pieces are chunky, but not too small or pasty.

2.  Drop by tablespoon into simmering broth.  Continue to simmer for additional 3 minutes after the shrimp has been added, or until shrimp is cooked through.

Additional Vegetables and Garnish:

2 bunches baby bok choy, chopped

basil

cilantro

green onions

lime wedges

Off heat, add the bok choy until wilted.  Serve broth with dumplings over noodles.  Garnish with basil, cilantro, lime, and green onions.  Add Sriracha and hoison sauce to taste.

Enjoy!