Directions

1

Heat a very large pot over med-high heat. Do not add any kind of oil.

2

Add the quartered onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, peppercorn, coriander seeds, fennel, and cardamom pods.

3

Keep an eye on these as you dry roast them until they char.

4

Once charred, add stock and soy sauce and bring to a boil.

5

Cover and turn heat to med-low to simmer for as long as you have. Seriously, the longer the better. At least 30 minutes but up to 3 hours.

6

Once you've simmered to your heart's content, strain the solids from your broth and discard. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning if necessary.

7

At this point, you can stop if you want to keep this broth for later. Freeze or refrigerate and continue with the next steps only before serving.

8

Warm the broth over low-medium heat.

9

Meanwhile, prepare the noodles (soaking per package instructions) and seitan/tofu. Wash and chop the vegetables and herbs. You don't need to include all the vegetables/herbs that I've listed and you can certainly choose to add others. I'd highly recommend keeping the basil and cilantro.

10

Add the noodles and protein to the heated broth.

11

Now you have a decision to make. You can add all the vegetables and herbs to the Pho before serving, or you can serve them on the side for your eager eaters to stir in however they'd like. Me? I typically add the vegetables prior to serving and serve the herbs and lime on the side so the herbs don't get soggy...and, more importantly, so my husband is forced to eat the veggies. Bwahahaha! I'm an evil mastermind.