Kosher Chicken Phō (in a Vegetarian Broth)

When I was still vegan, I was introduced to chicken phō and thus began my brief obsession with this nutrition-dense soup. It’s as comforting and cozy as homemade chicken soup, but with a twist including fresh aromatics like cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves and ginger. This makes it very warming, anti-inflammatory and great for digestion.

It’s often easier to find a great vegan/vegetarian phō than it is a kosher chicken soup, which is why if I am taking food out while sick it generally ends up being my go-to. However, it’s nearly impossible to find a kosher chicken phō which is why I began making it.

This recipe is vegan/vegetarian apart from the final addition of sautéed chicken and, if preferred, you can add in beef, fish or tofu instead.

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Kosher Chicken Phō (in a Vegan Broth)

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: Kosher, Vegan, Vietnamese

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the Broth

• 1 white onion (sliced)
• 1-2 fresh ginger root
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 2-3 star anise
• 1 garlic clove (chopped)
• low-sodium soy sauce
• salt, pepper
• 3-5 c water
• 6-8 c mushroom broth (packaged, or homemade)

In the Soup

• 1 package thin rice noodles
• kosher chicken (sautéed)
• 2 c shiitake mushroom caps (sliced, or left whole)
• 1 c carrots (chopped or julienned, up to preference)
• sweetener (like brown sugar) (optional)

On the Side (Optional)

• basil
• cilantro
• sriracha or chili oil for a kick
• lime wedges
• scallion (chopped)

Method

 

1. In a large pot with about a teaspoon of olive oil, lightly toast the aromatics (cinnamon stick, anise, cardamom pods and cloves) so they begin to release a fragrance in your kitchen. However, make sure you don't cook them to the point of burning.
2. Add in some water, mushroom broth, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 35 minutes.
3. Throughout the cooking time, make sure to taste and add soy sauce as needed. You can also add in the basil and cilantro while simmering. If you'd like, you can add in any type of sweetener like brown sugar or coconut sugar if needed. Once fully cooked, strain the spices from the broth.
4. Place the broth back on the stove on low and add in the mushrooms and carrots until soft.
5. In a separate pot, boil water and cook the rice noodles following the directions on the package. Usually, the noodles cook in under 3 minutes. Make sure to put the noodles into cold water once cooked so they don't become soggy.
6. Sauté your chicken and place to the side.
7. Once the broth is ready, ladle some into a bowl with rice noodles, chicken (or not), fresh basil, cilantro or any other garnishes you'd like.

Notes

If you prefer to make the mushroom broth from scratch, I simply recommend adding in the mushrooms much earlier on and using water. It will yield a fairly similar flavor in the end (with a lot less sodium and potentially unnecessary processed ingredients).