Thanks to Choosing Raw’s wonderful Weekend Reading Series each week, I find new inspiration for eating and thought that I otherwise wouldn’t come across. This strategy in a bowl I’ve come up with creates an almost raw version of this beautiful Raw Pho on Rawmazing. Instead of one way to approach this version, I’m going to give you options to choose from, all stemming from the inspiration I got from the Rawmazing recipe. But first I have to show you a shot of my home-sprouted mung beans in progress:
The first thing I put them in besides my mouth was my latest version of one of these bowls. They are smaller than the ones you buy in the store, but they were oh so sweet and delicious. Of course you don’t need to do this yourself to make one of these bowls, but if you have the will to experiment and the patience to rinse and drain twice a day, it’s a kick to grow your own.
Almost Raw Vegan Pho Bowl
broth options:
The Rawmazing recipe calls for equal portions of water and dried shitake mushrooms. The water is not boiled, and the mushrooms are left to sit in it for at least 6 hours.
The first time I did this I used about 4 cups of dried shitake mushrooms to 4 cups of water. I boiled the water in the tea kettle first and poured it over the mushrooms. I added a piece of star anise, listed as an option in the Rawmazing recipe, and I highly recommend it. I also added a slice of fresh ginger. I recommend that too.
The caveats to this version: Dried shitake mushrooms, or shitake mushrooms in general, are pricey, unless you are lucky enough to have a log in your yard with some growing out of it, like a dear friend of mine might still have. I was lucky enough to have been given a HUGE container of them by my son, from when I was in Portland last May, and we went on an adventure to the big Asian Grocery store there called Fubon.
The bright side: the broth was delicious. Absolutely. But I should have made more. I only had enough for one bowl, with a little tiny bit left over. I should have followed the recipe and used 6 cups. But I was being a cheapskate.
A dried mushroom caveat: The Rawmazing recipe directs us to slice up the soaked mushrooms and eat in the Pho that way. They were delicious, I admit, but, shall we say, produced more “wind” afterwards than I would have preferred. So next time I tried this:
I soaked 2 cups of dried shitakes in 4 cups of water boiled in the tea kettle, along with the star anise, the ginger slice and a small piece of kombu seaweed. Instead of using the dired shitakes in the bowl, I sauted some button mushrooms and added those. The broth was not quite as dark and knock down drag out delicious, but it was still flavorful.
Another fast option: find a vegan mushroom broth that’s not too high in sodium. heat it up a little with ginger and star anise if you like.
Or another not so fast option: Make a version of Everything But the Kitchen Sink Broth, using dried mushrooms as a prominent ingredient. I just did this with dried mushrooms I gathered last year, star anise, ginger and a little garlic. This might be my favorite version. I left all the veggies raw except for the sweet potato, and just ladled the warm broth and mushrooms out of it over everything, then added some toppings.
Or: See how Ellen does it on her blog, Vegan Day to Day, in this excellent low fat Vegan Pho recipe.
To fill the bowl:
raw veggies:
sugar snap peas
mung bean sprouts
fresh basil
lightly cooked veggies (and even fruit):
asparagus spears, cut into pieces (can leave raw if you want)
mushrooms
carrots (can leave raw if you want)
cooked sweet potato (in cubes)
garnishes (use any or all):
Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce
grated garlic or garlic granules
grated fresh ginger
coconut aminos
lime juice/lime zest
sesame seeds
paste made with 1 tsp of miso, 1/4 tsp of tamarind paste and 1tbs of broth. mix together and drizzle on top of the full bowl
How I Assemble:
Put mung bean sprouts, sugar snap peas and torn fresh basil in a large soup bowl.
Saute mushrooms either dry or in a little bit of coconut aminos and some kind of sweetener mixed together (I used my homemade date paste a la Chef AJ–both are optional but nice.)
After mushrooms have been cooking a few minutes and have exuded their juices, add some asparagus spears sliced on the diagonal and saute a couple more minutes or less, just until they turn bright green. If you’re using carrots, you can add them in at the same time as the asparagus. (You actually can leave both the asparagus and the carrots raw, along with the bean sprouts, pea pods and basil, if you want.) Add some cubed cooked sweet potato and stir for another minute.
Put the lightly cooked veggies on top of the raw bean sprouts and sugar snap peas in the soup bowl. Ladle some warm broth over them. Garnish with a swirl of Red Thai Chili Sauce and any or all of the following: fresh grated ginger, grated garlic or garlic granules, green onions, lime juice and/or lime zest, the miso-tamarind past mentioned above, and extra coconut aminos, if desired.
Or: if using a mushroom version of Everything But the Kitchen Sink Broth, you leave all the veggies but the sweet potato raw. Put them in your bowl along with warm cubed sweet potato and ladle the broth with simmered mushrooms in it over everything, then top with desired garnishes.
If you don’t want to fool with broth, this Pho-style strategy can also be turned into a quick stir fry, with any vegetables you’d like to use. To keep the mung bean sprouts crispy but warm, add them at the last minute, cover the skillet and then turn the heat off (or take off the burner if your stove is electric) and let it sit covered for maybe another minute at the most.
This Almost Raw Pho Bowl strategy has fed me off and on through the last few weeks of big decisions and paperwork and preparations for all the meetings I had this week (an important one every day). The last one was a meeting of the Moscow Historic Preservation Commission, where I am pleased to say I learned the commission would be happy to write a letter of support to the Planning and Zoning Commission on the historic value of my house, as its intact lot and structure is a perfect example of the first subdivision in Moscow. They were especially charmed by the horse hitch ring I photographed, which is still in the curb out in front of my house:
I, too, have always been charmed by the presence of this hitch. When I look at it, time collapses and the span of the turn of two centuries my house has stood fills me with awe and gratitude. This little hitch is the thing that inspired me to paint Plein Air Moscow last year. I realized I only had to fall out of my front door to paint an historic subject, and so early one September morning when the light was on it, I took my paints and brushes out to the front curb and painted this version:
It looks like this magical old ring is now the portal into a bright future, both for my 117 year old blue house, and me in my “new” house northeast of it, when that day comes in June. I’m happy to have such a hitch in my “get-along,” helping me create the best for all of us. I believe places have souls, just like we do. Perhaps it is simply the sum of all our memories and all the seasons that have passed through them, as the world spins on its axis year after year. No matter the exact matter of the soul of a place, it’s always best to leave one better than I found it, even in some small way. I feel very happy for my part in being able to do that for my little blue house on Asbury Street, and the horse hitch in front of it. Both remind me of slower times and give me hope for what is yet to arrive.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Your blog is so inspiring, I thank you for sharing your vegan lifestyle with us.
Now am off to visit the blog you recommended!
🙂
Welcome, Knitnana, and thank you!! (I love your “handle”!) I always enjoy my visits to Choosing Raw and Rawmazing and I hope you will too. 🙂
Maria, your mung bean sprouts are gorgeous, and I love the idea of putting them in a pho type bowl. I’ll have to try that.
Glad things are going well with the house, and it was fun to see the hitch, both in real life and in your painting!
Thanks Pam! I got inspired to try mung beans at home when I saw the great picture of the ones you and Darren sprouted while on your travels. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed seeing both versions of the hitch too. 🙂
Hi Maria,
Thanks for sharing that horse hitching ring!! I love having older houses/structures to inspect and learn from. The best of luck in your quest. That is an important goal, preserving what we have and making what exists better.
Just yesterday my husband and I visited 3 historical structures in the San Fernando Valley, where we’re temporarily staying to assist my mother-in-law post-surgery. The first was a gothic style church built in 1917, with beautiful stained glass windows that were swaths of color, very modern looking. The second was a house planned by Frank Lloyd Wright to deal with the hot summers and damp winters of San Fernando Valley, and built by the family that’s still living in it – built in 1939! So gorgeous. The third is a mansion hidden away by a berm, right at the intersection of two busy streets. I had no idea it was there. It was bought new by Barbara Stanwyck back in the day. That one is closed to the public and we followed a dump truck in, ‘trespassed’ through the open gates just enough to peer through the trees at the house.
So many treasures to be found even in the most heavily urban areas. Someday people just like you (and me) will be staring at that old hitching ring and being thankful that it was preserved, as well as your lovely blue house you’re passing on to a new owner.
Hi Danielle! Thanks for this great comment. I really enjoyed reading about the historic structures you’ve discovered in the San Fernando Valley. Really glad you enjoyed seeing that old hitching ring. It was so neat when I went to the Moscow Historic Preservation Commission. They ended up thanking ME for caring, so I’m sure they’ll write a great letter of support to the Zoning and Planning Commission. I couldn’t be happier about it.
Lovely and delicious! I really need to start sprouting, too… It looks so nutritious and versatile. I love how your pho bowl can change with whatever you have; I love these “methods” of cooking. 🙂
Great news on the house! And the horse hitch is awesome – I love little things like that which give houses and neighborhoods some old charm and character. I love and agree with your sentiment that places have souls; I’ve always thought that, too. I’ll continue to keep sending you happy thoughts as you transition to your new home!
Oh thanks so much, Veronica–I always enjoy your comments. Yes, the sprouting is nutritious and versatile. And it’s just helping me to have something growing on the kitchen counter nearly all the time, since I am moving right smack dab at planting time, and will leave the earlier stuff behind here, and hope the stuff I wait to plant at the new place will make it. I look forward to reading about your own experiments with this if/when you attempt them! So glad you enjoyed reading about the house and the horse hitch–those little things are really not so little are they? Thanks for your happy thoughts and solidarity about places having souls. 🙂
There are a lot of great ideas in this post for a Vegan Pho. I find the dried mushrooms I buy to be tough (as well as hard to digest), even after simmering, so I would probably take your advise and strain them out, add button mushrooms, and proceed with a selection of sprouts and other veggies as well. Thanks for the great recipe ideas!
Welcome, Sally K.! Glad you found the ideas for a Vegan Pho in this post useful. I hope that approach to the mushrooms works for you. Enjoy!
Hi Maria, I love pho bowls! I’m excited to try your recipe, although I have yet to have great success at sprouting my own mung beans. Yours look juicy and fabulous, though; any tips?
Hi Lee–thanks for the enthusiasm about the pho bowl. My method for sprouting the mung beans is strongly influenced by a video on the Sprout People site I mentioned in my post “Last Minute Chopped Salad with Sprouted Quinoa” about how to sprout beans (the link to it is in the post). I don’t have fancy sprouting equipment, just wide mouth mason jars and sprouting lids, but following those directions about thorough rinsing and draining has been most helpful in my sprouting adventures. That and tilting the jars at an angle inbetween the morning and night rinse and drain cycles. I towel or oven pad helps keep the jar in place at a 45 degree angle and so any extra liquid can drain out. Other than that, I forget about them! The video is well worth watching–and kind of fun. Good luck if you give it a try again!