Richard Makin's pho now or pho later. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Isobel Clarke. View image in fullscreen Richard Makin's pho now or pho later. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Isobel Clarke. Food Vegan pho and Thai fishless cakes: Richard Makin’s southeast Asian-style tofu recipes Fragrant, punchy vegan dishes that can be kept in the kept in the fridge or freezer for an easy midweek dinner
Prefer the Guardian on Google W hether you love it or loathe it, tofu is one of the most versatile ingredients in any kitchen. For me, it’s the saviour of stressful dinner times, because it cooks in minutes, absorbs flavour like no other and packs a real nutritional punch. Here, it plays two very different roles: crisped until golden in a fragrant, spice-infused Vietnamese-style pho, and mashed to give body and bite to bold, punchy Thai-ish fishless cakes.
The best bit about pho, IMO, is the broth; unfortunately, it’s also the most time-consuming part. But don’t fret, I’ve streamlined the process for you. Once made, the broth can sit in the fridge for up to a week, ready to be reheated and poured over noodles and vegetables at a moment’s notice. And, because it’s full of spices and aromatics, it’ll taste even better with time.
1 tsp vegetable oil 200g extra-firm tofu , drained and cubed 2 shallots , peeled and roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves , peeled and roughly crushed with the flat of a knife 2 ½cm piece fresh ginger , roughly sliced 2 star anise 4 cloves 2 tsp coriander seeds 2 green cardamom pods 1 cinnamon stick ½ tsp chilli flakes ½ tsp fennel seeds 1½ litres vegetable stock 150g long-stem broccoli , ends trimmed 170g flat rice noodles 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp fine sea salt 2 tbsp white rice vinegar
To serve 1 shallot , peeled and finely chopped 1 red chilli , stalk, pith and seeds removed, flesh finely chopped 1 small carrot , peeled and julienned or grated Fresh coriander, mint and basil 2 lime wedges
Put the vegetable oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat, then fry the tofu for five minutes, turning often, until browned all over. Lift it out of the pan, stir the shallots, garlic, ginger and spices into the hot oil left in the pan and cook, stirring, for two minutes, until fragrant. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil over a medium heat, then leave to bubble for 10 minutes.
Put the broccoli in a steamer basket (or sieve) and place it over the top of the simmering pot. Turn down the heat to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and steam the broccoli for five minutes, until tender. Take out the broccoli and set aside.
Strain the stock to remove the spices and aromatics, then return the clear broth to the pan and put it on a medium heat. Add the rice noodles and cook for five minutes, or until tender.
Divide the noodles between two deep bowls, and top them both with half the steamed broccoli and fried tofu. Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, sea salt and rice vinegar into the hot broth, then take it off the heat.
If serving straight away, pour the seasoned broth over the noodles, broccoli and tofu in each bowl; if serving later, leave the broth to cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container. Cover the noodle bowls (or transfer to a heat-proof jar) and keep in the fridge for up to a week.
When ready to serve, bring the broth back…