Sometimes you need lots of vegetables, and what better way to consume them in January than floating in tasty lemongrass and ginger broth? I can’t decide if the broth or the vegetables are the best part of this soup. The broth is really lovely; stock flavoured with lemongrass, ginger, galangal, and soy sauce, and then accented with a drizzle of hoisin sauce and some chili garlic sauce. Yum.

Though many soup garnishes are optional, in this case, they are not. I am not responsible for how thoroughly ‘meh’ this soup will be if you leave out the hoisin and chili garlic sauces! My good friend Sarah thought to add them, and she definitely saved the meal.

The vegetables are great. I used water chestnuts, baby corn, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and bean sprouts. You could really use any kind of vegetable you think would suit (I won’t stop you!). I intended to add spring peas, but I forgot to buy them. Oh well. I added some dried, flavoured tofu for protein, and that was that. You could easily use shrimp, chicken, or any other variety of meat if you like.

Pho-ish Soup

1L vegetable stock
3 stalks lemongrass, bruised and chopped into 1″ lengths
1 thumb ginger root, roughly chopped
1 thumb galangal root, roughly chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce

1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 can chopped baby corn
1 can shiitake mushrooms
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 package extra-firm marinated or flavoured tofu, diced
3 cups bean sprouts

Hoisin sauce, for garnish
Chili-Garlic sauce, for garnish

Simmer the stock with the lemongrass, ginger, galangal, and soy sauce for about twenty minutes.

Strain the solids out of the broth and discard. Add the water chestnuts, baby corn, mushrooms, green onions, and tofu. Simmer for another ten minutes. Add the bean sprouts and cook for another minute or two. Taste for salt.

Serve with hoisin and chili-garlic sauce to taste. Enjoy!