Last night I made homemade vegetarian pho for the first time, and it turned out excellent! I thought it tasted even better than the pho I've had at restaurants.

What I Used for My Broth

• 1 tablespoon cooking (extra virgin olive) oil
• 1 onion, halved
• 3-inch piece fresh ginger, halved
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2–3 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

What Else I Added

• Rice noodles
• Firm tofu, cubed and pan-fried
• Shiitake mushrooms

Toppings I Used

• Bean sprouts
• Fresh cilantro
• Green onions
• Lime wedges
• Jalapeño slices
• Hoisin sauce

How I Made My Pho

I started by charring the onion and ginger in a dry skillet until they were lightly blackened. Then I added them to a large pot with the vegetable broth, star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, soy sauce, and brown sugar.

I let the broth simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes before straining out the onion, ginger, and spices.

While the broth was simmering, I cooked the rice noodles and pan-fried the tofu until it was golden. I also sautéed the shiitake mushrooms.

To serve, I placed the noodles in a bowl, added the tofu and mushrooms, poured the hot broth over everything, and finished it with bean sprouts, cilantro, green onions, a squeeze of fresh lime, jalapeños, and a drizzle of hoisin sauce.

It was absolutely delicious, and I'll definitely be making it again.