Meaty mushroom pho
Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Toby Scott
Meaty mushroom pho
Recipe by Sarah Cook
Proper pho is made with a time-intensive rich stock, but you can cheat the depth of flavour with dried mushrooms. The other beauty of this dish is that it tastes great with any leftover roast meat
Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
468Kcal
Fat
10gr
Saturates
2gr
Carbs
58gr
Sugars
6gr
Fibre
4gr
Protein
33gr
Salt
4.3gr
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Ingredients
- 10g dried mixed mushrooms (or just porcini)
- 2 star anise
- 1 vegetable stock cube*, crumbled
- 4 spring onions, 2 thinly sliced
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 00g speciality mushroom mix (or other mushrooms)
- 100g beansprouts, rinsed (save the rest for a stir-fry)
- 125g dried rice noodles* (or 200g fresh udon noodles)
- about 125g leftover roasted meat, shredded
- a handful of soft herbs, such as coriander, mint and Thai basil
- sliced green chilli (optional)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1-2 tbsp light soy sauce* or tamari, to taste
Step by step
Kitchen tip
Mixed packs of fresh herbs are economical if you only need a small amount. The Middle Eastern Inspired mix has the perfect amount of mint and coriander for this pho, with oregano and parsley left for other recipes (these can be frozen once finely chopped).
- Put the dried mushrooms, star anise and stock cube in a saucepan with 1 litre of boiling water, then bash up the 2 whole spring onions a bit and add these in, too. Cover and simmer fiercely for 10 minutes; if you have time, set aside to infuse for extra flavour, then reheat to serve.
- Soak the dried rice noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes until soft, then drain and rinse in cold water (if using fresh noodles, follow pack instructions).
- Heat the oil in a frying pan. Halve or slice up any larger mushrooms from the pack; tip them all into the pan then stir-fry over a high heat for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms are golden and any liquid has evaporated. Tip in the beansprouts and stir-fry for 20 seconds more.
-
Divide the noodles, mushrooms, beansprouts and shredded roast meat between two bowls. Strain the broth into a jug, taste for seasoning and then pour between the bowls (extra broth can be added as you eat, if you like). Scatterthe sliced spring onions, soft herbs and chilli, if using, over the top. Drizzle over the sesame oil and add soy sauce to taste, then serve.
*Use rice noodles, and tamari instead of soy, if required for gluten-free, and check your stock cube is suitable.
