Lake trout with potato risotto
After spectacular culinary journeys across the world’s oceans, Lukas Nagl has found his home port...
Vegan pho with tofu
In its native Vietnam, this, perhaps the best of all noodle soups, is usually cooked with beef. We prove that it can also be delicious vegan.
Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients for the soup
| Ingredients (4 servings) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Garlic cloves | |
| 1 | Heaped teaspoon coriander seeds | |
| 4 | Star anise pods | |
| 2 | Cinnamon sticks | |
| 3 | cm | Ginger, cut into thick slices and crushed |
| 2 | Medium-sized yellow onions, halved and cut into thick slices (do not remove the skin) | |
| 2 | Medium-sized celery stalks, roughly chopped | |
| 1 | Large carrot, cut into thick slices | |
| 0.5 | Chinese cabbage, roughly chopped into large pieces | |
| 1 | Apple, firm, sweet, cored and cut into cubes | |
| 2.5 | tablespoon(s) | White miso paste |
| 0.5 | teaspoon(s) | Sea salt |
| 1 | teaspoon(s) | Brown sugar (optional) |
| 1 | bunch | Roughly chopped coriander sprigs (keep the leaves for garnishing) |
| 1.8 | l | Cold water |
| 2 | tablespoon(s) | Low salt soy sauce or tamari |
| Juice of 1 lime | ||
| Vegetable oil | ||
Ingredients for the garnish
| Ingredients (4 servings) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Firm block of tofu (300-400 g), cut into bite-sized sticks | |
| 3 | tablespoon(s) | Vegetable oil |
| 1 | tablespoon(s) | Soy sauce |
| 300 | g | Flat rice noodles |
| 2 | heads | Baby pak choi, halved lengthwise |
| A few sprigs of mint | ||
| Reserved coriander leaves | ||
| 2 | Chilli peppers, fresh, sliced | |
| Bean sprouts (optional) | ||
| 2 | Limes, cut into wedges | |
| 0.5 | White onion, thinly sliced and soaked in water for 10 minutes | |
| 2 | Spring onions, only the green parts, thinly sliced | |
| Salt | ||
- Toast all the spices in a pan over a medium heat until fragrant. Caution: shake frequently, spices can burn easily.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over a high heat . Add the ginger and onions and fry until they start to char. Turn over and fry on the other side. Add the rest of the prepared vegetables and the apple. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are really dark in places and brown spots form at the bottom of the pan , about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the miso, salt, sugar, chopped coriander sprigs and the roasted spices. Pour in 1.8 litres of water and remove the roasting residue from the bottom of the pan. Bring to the boil, simmer for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about an hour until the soup is golden and fragrant. Add the soy sauce or tamari and the lime juice. Season to taste, strain through a sieve, cover and keep warm over a low heat.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the tofu slices until golden and crispy on all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with soy sauce and set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to prevent them from sticking.
- Add the pak choi heads cut in half lengthwise and 3 tablespoons of water to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until the water has evaporated and the pak choi is bright green, about 2 minutes. Salt and keep warm.
- Arrange the mint, coriander, chilli, bean sprouts and lime wedges on a plate to garnish.
- To serve, divide the noodles between bowls and pour the hot stock over it. Add the tofu, pak choi, thinly sliced onions and spring onions. Garnish with the ingredients as desired.
