An easy version of Vietnamese pho soup that’s made healthier with daikon noodles and packed-full of veggies. Perfect for slurping on a cooler day and easy to customize with your favorite protein.
If not, it’s a wonderfully delicate Vietnamese soup, made with rice noodles steeped in an insanely flavorful broth. It’s often made with beef or chicken and topped with lots of fresh aromatic veggies. It’s the ultimate comforting dish to enjoy on a cold, rainy or snowy day.
It was one of the foods I would crave for everyday when I was pregnant and it was especially satisfying after a few runs down the ski hills when the hubs and I used to go skiing.
The best part about is that you can customize any and all the condiments you desire to make it your own.
(Be sure to scroll down for the giveaway for your own copy)
Instead of using rice noodles, Ali’s recipe calls for a lighter and healthier version using spiralized daikon noodles. With a spiralizer or a vegetable peeler, you’re able to turn almost any vegetable into noodles!
Although it doesn’t have all the complex flavors you get from simmering all day like the traditional bowl of pho, it’s perfect if you’re short on time and need to get that pho noodle slurping fix.
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- juice from 2 limes about 3-1/2 tablespoons
- zest from 1 lime
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 lemongrass stalk tender inner part only, cut into 2-inch slices
- 2 red chiles sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 12 small shrimp peeled and deveined (omit and use tofu for a meatless version)
- 1 large daikon radish peeled
- 1/4 cup packed whole cilantro leaves chopped
- 2 to 3 green onions sliced
- 1 white onion sliced thinly
- 1/2 block tofu cut into cubes
- 1 head of baby bok choy chopped
- 1/2 cup kale chopped
- 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
- 2-3 Thai basil leaves
- Sriracha
- hoisin sauce
- Use a spiralizer, julienne peeler or mandolin to turn the daikon radish into noodles.
- Bring the water, vegetable broth, fish sauce, lime juice, zest, and coriander to a boil over high heat. Lower to medium and season with salt and pepper. Add the lemongrass, ginger, and chiles. Cover, and simmer for 10 minutes to let the spices infuse the broth.
- Toss in the shrimp and cook for about 8 minutes until they turn pink.
- Taste for salt and spices; you should have an equal balance of spicy, salty, and sour.
- Stir in the daikon noodles and cilantro, and cook for about 2 minutes more, until the daikon noodles are softened. Remove and discard lemongrass and gi5ger slices.
- Add bok choy, kale or other veggies to your liking.
- Serve the pho hot, garnishing with green onions, cilantro, Thai basil, onion slices, mung beans and Sriracha or hoisin sauce if desired.
Adapted from Inspiralized
Cookbook Review and Giveaway
They’re great when you want a lower carb replacement for pasta or noodles in your dishes or when following a gluten free diet. My favorite reason is to add more veggies into my family’s life (something we all need to do).
Ali Maffuci, a well-known food blogger, released the cookbook, Inspiralized back in February and it goes beyond zucchini to transform over 20 different types of vegetables into delicious meals.
This book is so informative and full of helpful tips on where to start and shared her inspiring story on why she started spiralizing. Ali even breaks down the various noodles in different sizes and even instructs on how to convert the noodles to “rice” and specifics on what vegetables work and don’t work when spiralizing and what to embrace and not try with different vegetables as well.
I love the diversity of the recipes like Mexican and Thai flavors as well as Italian and southern dishes, etc. This is not a vegan or vegetarian book so meat is also included in many dishes.
I’ve tried a few recipes on here already including this Daikon Pho and next on my list to try are Spicy Butternut Squash Nachos, Noodle Chicken Soup and Collard Hummus Wraps with Golden Beets and Sprouts.
And it’s not just a cookbook of pasta dishes. There are recipes for Breakfast, Soups Stews and Salads and even Rice Dishes and Casseroles and yes, there is even a dessert section.
This book is quickly becoming well-loved and well-used at our house.
I couldn’t possibly keep all this spiralized love to myself, so I’m also giving a copy of the Inspiralized
cookbook to one lucky reader!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER:
Good luck!
You might also like:
Asian Zucchini Cucumber Noodle Salad
Vietnamese Pho – Beef Rice Noodle Soup
Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book from Crown Publishing for this review. All opinions are 100% my own.
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Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks -
This is such a clever idea to use Daikon to make noodles for pho-gettaboutit! 🙂 I’ve mostly seen zoodles and such in pasta type dishes and never in soup. I’d slurp all day long on this creation!
cheri -
Hi Kelly, there is nothing like a nice bowl of Pho, love that you added daikon.
Savita @ ChefDeHome -
You know, being Indian, I use Daikon everyday in my food. But, I have never made noodles! I’m sure trying this when get fresh produce next! pinning to try later.
Monica -
I made an easy pho at home once and it was fun to replicate. Not quite the same but so good in its own way. I’m sure yours are out of this world. How great to be able to make pho at home, right! I love how you used daikon noodles! I love diakon for shabu shabu and need to use it more often. Very nice idea and so warming for the cold weather coming soon…all too soon!
Kelly -
So fun, I bet your pho was absolutely delicious 🙂 Thanks so much Monica! Happy Happy Friday!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary -
I hear you girlfriend, I LOVE Pho! But I don’t want to pho-get-about-it… I’d rather de-vo-ur-it. lol. I’m a dork. I know. Anyways (lame comments aside), this Pho looks sensational! I am totally head over heals LOVING the spiralized daikon noodles!! So So So genius!!!! Both versions you posted look great… I will have to make both, at the same time, and take a slurp from one, then a slurp from the other! #Winning. Pinned! Cheers to a beautiful day!