Hot & Sour Meets Pho

What can I say about the most beautiful soup ever? This is a treat for all the senses. I have been dreaming of making this soup since I first saw a slightly different version on My New Roots blog. She has a beautiful "Pho-Inspired Noodle Bowl" that looks amazing. I have to give her some credit for my recipe. My broth is quite different than traditional Pho broth. There are not many things I do not like, but I am not a fan of the black licorice flavor that anise has. I didn't want to end up with a pot full of something I won't eat! So, I actually set out to make a simple ginger broth. But the creative juices were flowing and, as things go, I had a sweet vision.. for a sweet, hot & sour type of broth. Anyhow, sampling as I went, I altered my direction! And it came out delicious!


Broth:
1/8 cup sesame oil (2 tbsp reserved for sauteing)
2 small onions sliced
4-5 garlic cloves minced
4-5 carrots sliced
2 tbsp white miso
1 chunk of ginger pureed or minced (golf ball size)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup or other sweetener
1 32oz carton of organic vegetable broth
8 cups water
5-6 dried red Japanese chili peppers (japones)
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper to taste
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
salt to taste or gluten free tamari

Veggies:
purple cabbage
broccoli
beech mushrooms
fresh basil
fresh cilantro
whatever you like!

Noodles:
zucchini (or soba noodles, rice noodles or whatever noodle you'd like!)

Directions:
Sautee your onion and garlic in 2 tbsp of sesame oil. After they soften add the rest of the oil and the rest of the broth ingredients. I leave the Japones whole and just let the flavor infuse into the broth. They are very hot so if you eat them do so with caution! Bring to a boil then let simmer slowly for about an hour. Cut your veggies into nice bite size pieces and spiralize your zucchini if you are having zucchini noodles. And I highly recommend trying them if you haven't already! Since I got my spiralizer I have only had regular (quinoa) pasta once! I really love the texture and flavor. They soften up when warmed lightly just like regular noodles but still have a slight crispiness. This soup is mildly spicy other than the Japones, I can't make things too spicy around here due to the other people that eat my food, I prefer slightly more heat myself. But I mix  some sriracha sauce in my bowl for some extra heat! And I really recommend the fresh herbs for this, the huge basil leaves are my favorite, they are so delicious in this soup. As far as the veggies go, it's up to your imagination and taste! Putting raw veggies into the steaming hot broth softens them a bit, it's really delicious! You can easily adjust the sour, sweet and hot spices to your taste. Start out with less and add more to suit you. Now, if you're not a fan of sweet and sour you can easily omit the vinegar, sweetener and hot spices! You will be left with a yummy ginger broth that everyone here loves!