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30-Minute Vegetarian Pho Soup

30-minute meal, anyone? Vegetarian Pho Soup with hoisin sautéed shiitake mushrooms is quick, easy, and Vietnamese.

30- Minute Vegetarian Pho Soup

So…this is awkward. Did you know you’re supposed to remove the stems from shiitake mushrooms prior to cooking the mushroom caps? Because shiitake mushroom stems are fibrous pieces of leather and they’re like eating a stetson?

Yeah, I was absent on shiitake day too.

The first time I made this pho, I pho-ed and photoed including the shiitake stems. Whilst eating the pho, did I stop to think, “wow, these stems are fibrous pieces of leather, and they’re like eating a stetson!”? No. Because I eat at such a rate and volume that chewing isn’t really something I do.

Nevertheless, I got a tap on the shoulder from Kiersten after all pho was faced and photoed, giving me the stem-ly reminder. What.would.I.do.without.her? I’d continually eat fibrous pieces of stetson-like leather, that’s what.

30- Minute Vegetarian Pho Soup

You don’t need to twist my arm to convince me to eat massive quantities of Vietnamese food, so after the stem-ly reminder, I happily pho-ed and photoed again. Sans stems. The leathery bits went into the rubbish bin.

Have you pho-ed before?  If the answer is no, I’m going to hop on my high horse and corral you into the pho corner until you pho.

Are you sick of the word, “pho” yet? Have you been pronouncing it, “phoh” this entire time in your head? Me too. But it should be “fuh,” so you may want to go back and re-read this whole post using the correct pronunciation in order to be culturally mindful. Just pho for thought.

30-Minute Vegetarian Pho Soup will wriggle its way into your heart and home. You can make it after work in a split second. And if you’ve never sautéed stem-less shiitakes in hoisin sauce, you had better do so, or else: corral.

Get your pho while the gettin’s good! Take a cruise over to Oh My Veggies to get my recipe for 30-Minute Vegetarian Pho Soup!

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Friday 18th of December 2015

This site was... how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I've found something which helped me. Many thanks!

Manessa

Monday 3rd of November 2014

Is there anything I could use in place of hoisin sauce? My daughter is allergic to soy. The recipe sounds yummy and I would love to give it a try!

Julia

Monday 3rd of November 2014

Hmmm...I've never checked for a soy-free replacement for hoisin. Maybe mix up some coconut liquid aminos with a little bit of sugar and some spices? So long as you give those shiitakes some flavor, I'd say you'd be good to go. You could even use just butter or olive oil and garlic. Hope that helps, and hope you enjoy!

Heather

Tuesday 6th of May 2014

Ha! I actually had no clue that you were supposed to destem those mushrooms :) I would be all eating leather without your guidance! Looking forward to trying my own pho.

Kelsey M

Sunday 4th of May 2014

I've never tried making my own pho before but this looks great! I actually hold onto the shiitake stems and use them to make mushroom/veggie broths etc. They also work well in slow cooked stews because they take so long too cook but when you get them tender they are a flavor powerhouse!

Joanne

Sunday 4th of May 2014

I had no idea about shiitake stems! This may or may not explain why I've previously believed I didn't like them. Hmm. Thankfully I have you and Kiersten in my life!

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