Name: Tofu and mushroom pho with lily buds
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 100 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 80 gm dried shiitake mushrooms (see note); 50 gm dried wood ear mushrooms (see note); 50 gm dried lily buds (see note); 130 ml soy sauce, plus extra for seasoning; 30 gm rock sugar, crushed, plus extra for seasoning (see note); 1 unpeeled onion, halved; 100 gm ginger, thickly sliced; 400 gm banh pho noodles (see note); 50 gm enoki mushrooms; 350 gm silken tofu, sliced, to serve; 250 gm bean sprouts, to serve; ½ white onion, thinly sliced, to serve; To serve: coriander, Vietnamese mint, mint, lemon wedges and small red chillies

“Pho (pronounced ‘fir’) is the quintessential Vietnamese dish, and there are as many variations as there are chefs who prepare it,” says Lindsay. “Our version is a treat for vegetarians, and includes the authentic banh pho noodles as well as all the hallmark flavours.”

Ingredients

80 gm dried shiitake mushrooms (see note)

50 gm dried wood ear mushrooms (see note)

50 gm dried lily buds (see note)

130 ml soy sauce, plus extra for seasoning

30 gm rock sugar, crushed, plus extra for seasoning (see note)

1 unpeeled onion, halved

100 gm ginger, thickly sliced

400 gm banh pho noodles (see note)

50 gm enoki mushrooms

350 gm silken tofu, sliced, to serve

250 gm bean sprouts, to serve

½ white onion, thinly sliced, to serve

To serve: coriander, Vietnamese mint, mint, lemon wedges and small red chillies

Method

Main

1.Soak dried mushrooms in a large bowl of warm water until rehydrated, topping up with extra water if necessary so mushrooms remain completely covered (2 hours).

2.Meanwhile, soak dried lily buds in a bowl of warm water until rehydrated (1 hour), drain and cut into 5cm lengths.

3.Strain mushroom liquid (reserve mushrooms) into a saucepan (you need 2 litres; top up with water if necessary), add soy sauce and rock sugar and set aside.

4.Heat a char-grill pan over high heat, add onion, cut-side down, and ginger and char-grill, turning occasionally, until charred (10-15 minutes). Add onion and ginger to mushroom liquid, bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to 1.2 litres (1-1½ hours). Strain into a clean saucepan (discard onion and ginger), season with extra soy and rock sugar to taste and keep hot.

5.Meanwhile, trim stalks from shiitake mushrooms (discard stalks), then thinly slice and set aside. Coarsely chop wood ear mushrooms and set aside.

6.Cook noodles in a saucepan of boiling water over high heat until tender (30 seconds-1 minute), then add shiitake, wood ear and enoki mushrooms and heat through (1-2 minutes). Strain, divide noodles and mushrooms among serving bowls, top with tofu and half the bean sprouts, then pour hot mushroom stock over and scatter with white onion and lily bud. Serve hot with coriander, Vietnamese mint, mint, lemon wedges, red chillies and remaining bean sprouts to the side.

Dried shiitake mushrooms, dried wood ear mushrooms, dried lily buds (lily buds, also called golden needles, the dried, unopened flowers of yellow and orange day lilies), rock sugar and banh pho noodles are available from Asian grocers.
This recipe is from the September 2011 issue of
.
Drink Suggestion: 2010 Kooyong Beurrot Pinot Gris. Drink suggestion by Grant Van Every
Notes

Geoff Lindsay

Recipe / styling by Lisa Featherby

Ingredients

Method

Main

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