vegan pho

Equipment:

slow cooker or huge stock pot

good knife skills or mandoline for slicing "pot roast"

big wooden spoon
whisk

small strainer for lifting spent onions and spices

tea ball or cheese cloth for spices

cutting board and french knife

Ingredients...

•  1 1/2 onions, cut into quarters and browned in a little oil•  
2" fresh ginger slices, browned in oil with onions
•  2 TBL brewers yeast (brewers yeast is to "beef" broth as nutritional yeast is to "chicken" broth)•  
3 quarts of water•  
1 cinnamon stick

•  2 tsp coriander seeds

•  2 tsp fennel seeds

•  1 whole star anise

•  1 cardamom pod

•  3 whole cloves salt, to taste
2 TBL kelp powder

1 tsp of peanut butter (whisked into soup broth)

1 TBL of vegan margarine or shortening whisked into broth (to mimic the fat from "beef")

2 TBL soy sauce

2 TBL white or rice vinegar
sweetener to taste (I used maple syrup)
1 lb rice noodles, cooked and strained (set aside)
1/2 lb vegan pot roast, sliced as thin as possible (set aside)

(The picture shows the good grips mandoline, which I love, especially for around $40, as of 2012)

as needed fresh additions: 

cilantro, basil

limes, cut into wedges
chili peppers or chili paste
bean sprouts
sliced onions

Method:

* Brown your onions and ginger in a little sauce pan until dark brown and place in stock pot.  Pour the cold water over the sauce pan drippings and place water into pot.

* Place spices into a tea ball or cheese cloth and add to pot

* Add soy sauce, vinegar to pot

* Turn slow cooker onto high and let sit and simmer for around 2 1/2 hours

* Strain spent onions, ginger and spices out of pot, making sure to press water out of them before discarding

* Add sliced "pot roast" let cook an additional 15-20 minutes

Now, taste for salt and sweetness and add sweetener and salt to your liking (hint...soup that you eat out is usually extremely salty, you might be surprised how much salt you will need to use)

* Also taste for "sea" taste and add kelp to get that sea flavor
* Add cooked, strained rice noodles before plating and serve with fresh additions