A Flash In a Pan: mushroom pho recipe
SERVES 1
Ingredients
*1 nest (about 40g) wholewheat noodles
For the broth
*820g dried porcini mushrooms
*500ml boiling water
*1 beef stock pot
*30g fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
*1 garlic clove, finely sliced
*1 star anise
*2 cardamom pods, bruised
*½ red chilli, sliced
*2 tsp light soy sauce
*1 tsp fish sauce
*1 spring onion, roughly chopped
*Small handful of baby spinach, roughly chopped
*Small handful of coriander, roughly chopped
*1 tsp black sesame seeds
Method
1. First soak the porcini mushrooms. Put them into a mixing bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave to soak while you prepare the noodles.
2. Fill a small saucepan with water, bring to a boil and cook the noodles according to the packet instructions – usually about 5 minutes. Drain when cooked, and keep the noodles in the dry pan, off the heat.
3. Drain the mushrooms, catching the soaking water in a medium saucepan and setting the mushrooms on the chopping board out of the way. Add the stock pot, ginger, garlic, star anise, cardamom pods, chilli, soy sauce, fish sauce and spring onion to the pan.
4. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Put the noodles into a serving bowl, add a little chopped spinach and coriander and the mushrooms, then pour over the stock (with or without the aromatics – I’m happy to navigate my way around them, but some may be a little fussier).
6. Finish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Slurp and sip in solitary serenity.
More from A Flash In a Pan:
A Flash in the Pan by John Whaite is published by Kyle Books. Photography: Nassima Rothacker.