Quick Faux Pho

My friend Gayle is an industrious blogger who astonishes me with her ability to produce thoughtful, well-written posts – often with amazing photos – on a regular basis. Check out her blog and you won’t be disappointed.

While Gayle’s blog looks plump and well-nourished, this blog, in comparison, is starving. Sometimes, my inability to nourish it amazes me. I was feeding it well last year while self-employed but now that I’ve gone back to work full time, gastronomicalmeesh.blogspot.com is suffering pitifully from neglect. I feel so guilty. It’s a bit like having an electronic goat tied up out back that requires constant grazing. I'm just waiting for the e-police to fine me for cruelty to a web-based communications tool, and foster my blog out to some kind, food-loving computer geeks!

If brought before a blog judge, I’ll have no excuses. Just sheer laziness. And lately, I’ve been guilty of that in the kitchen, too. Last weekend, I was craving a big bowl of steaming noodle soup to chase away the chill of a late winter’s day but was too lazy to really put the necessary effort into digging out all my exotic Asian ingredients. Instead, I decided to whip up a quick dish of what I like to call Quick Faux Pho. It’s the sluggish cook’s take on a classic Vietnamese soup. There’s nothing quite like a big, hearty bowl of Pho to warm you from the inside out. This recipe, adapted from Chatelaine magazine, takes almost no time to make. It’s a great way to use up leftovers and odds and ends in the fridge, and sounds a lot like quid pro quo when you say it fast. I don’t know why this makes me giggle – but it does. I’m hoping my energy to blog returns soon. Until then, I’ll share this recipe with other neglectful cooks and bloggers.

Quick Faux Pho for One

1 ½ cups of chicken or vegetable broth
½ cinnamon stick
½ tsp grated ginger
1 small star anise
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp hot chili sauce
1 clove minced garlic
½ cup chopped cooked chicken or ½ cup cubed firm tofu
1 cup sliced mushrooms (shiitake are best but cremini work, too) sliced.
Thin rice vermicelli noodles (in a pinch, spaghetti will work, too)
1 green onion, sliced on the diagonal
Handful of fresh mint or basil, roughly chopped
Juice from ½ a lime
Bean sprouts (optional)

In a large saucepan, bring broth, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, sugar, chili sauce and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 5-7 minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon and anise.

While broth is simmering, add some vegetable oil to a frying pan. Add mushrooms (and tofu if using) and cook, stirring often, until tofu is golden at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add broth, and chicken if using. Bring to a boil. Stir in noodles and boil gently until noodles are tender. Stir in onions and mint. Serve immediately topped with bean sprouts. Squeeze lime over top.