Hello winter, the perfect time of year to add soulful warming soups to your cooking regime and boost your immune system with vitality and grounding herbs and spices. This recipe is my go-to favourite, an easy take on the traditional Vietnamese Pho soup, but with no noodles, and loaded with extra green veggies, five spice shrimp and garlic Mirin shiitake mushrooms. This is also a quick version so you can whip this up in under 55 mins. We use store bought organic chicken broth - this will save a few hours from the traditional way of making the pho broth - it’s a lighter, greener, healthier and quicker option, but still full of nourishing and immune boosting flavours.
Broth:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 thumbs fresh ginger, chopped
4 whole spring onions
1 stem lemongrass (optional)
1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 3 star anise, black pepper
8 cups organic chicken broth/ or bone broth
1 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos or tamari
1 tsp organic maple syrup or coconut aminos
2 fresh limes juice
Five Spice Shrimp:
1 pound large wild caught shrimp - peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 clove garlic finely chopped OR
1 tbsp majestic garlic dip
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
S+P
2 tsp toasted black sesame seeds
Shiitake with Garlic + Mirin:
1 pound shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp majestic garlic paste or 3 cloves minced
1 tbsp organic Mirin rice vinegar
1 tbsp organic salted butter (or olive oil)
1 tsp liquid aminos or tamari
S+P to taste
Optional Toppings:
1 cup sugar snap peas
2 bok choy - cut lengthways in quarters
2 sliced green onions
Handful cilantro
Handful mint leaves
Handful basil leaves
Thin pieces of fresh ginger + chilli slices
Lime wedges, organic sriracha + liquid aminos
1. Start with the broth - In a medium size pot add a dash of sesame oil, onion slices + all pho spices. Lightly fry releasing fragrance, then add garlic, ginger, spring onions and pour over the chicken broth. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, reduce and let broth simmer for around 25 minutes. This can be made ahead and left simmering for longer for extra flavour.
2. Next marinate shrimp. In a glass bowl add your clean + dry shrimp, add olive oil and garlic paste, and mix well. Next add five spice, S+P, mix well and then set aside to marinate.
3. Next slice shiitake into thin slices. Using a cast iron or non stick fry pan on medium to high heat, add 1 tbsp organic butter to the pan and let it melt, add the mushrooms and toss well in the butter. Next add Mirin and continue to stir fry until they start to brown. Next add garlic, S+P and continue to stir until they start to look crispy and cooked. Lower heat to low and leave on the stove.
4. Prep your toppings - cut bok choy into long strips, remove string from snap peas, thinly slice spring onions, pull off cilantro, mint + basil leaves and cut limes into wedges and set aside.
5. Once broth is well simmered around 30 mins. You will need a strainer and a new pot to drain the broth into. Place new pot in the sink with strainer on-top, carefully strain the hot broth, as it may splash. Discard the drained items.
6. Place your new pot of strained broth back on the stove on low heat and test the flavours. Here I usually add in braggs liquid aminos, coconut aminos or dash of maple syrup and fresh lime - you want a balance of sweet, savoury, salty and sour.
7. Next cook your shrimp, using a cast iron or non stick fry pan on medium to high heat. Add a dash of sesame oil to the pan and quickly add your shrimp so the oil doesn't burn. Fry shrimp for 5 mins each side, until crispy, caramelised and cooked thorough, about 10 mins. Turn off from the heat.
8. Get 2 large soup bowls ready next to the stove. Heat pho broth again, add in your bok choy and snap peas to blanch for 2 mins, remove using a ladle and distribute in the base of the bowls and pour over the hot pho broth. Next add the shrimp and mushroom on top of the greens, they should be able to pile up floating on the greens. Arrange them artistically in each corner of the bowl.
9. Lastly, add a desired amount of the fresh herbs, cilantro, mint, spring onions, and serve with a side of sriracha, ginger, chilli, sesame seeds and fresh lime juice on top.
Serve immediately. Sip slowly + Enjoy!
