Vietnamese Soup

This is a take on the Traditional Vietnamese noodle and broth dish. It is usually made with beef and pork and in a meat broth, but I've done this one in a seafood vain with spicy shitake mushrooms. It is also usually done with egg or rice noodles, but I found a line of Japanese Udon noodles at Safeway that are much lower in points. The are made from wheat flour and about 3 Points per serving rather than the 5-7 from rice noodles. And they are vary tasty as well!

I prepare the soup with noodles, broth, Bok Choi and Spicy Noodles. We ate it with a nice piece of seared white fish on top, but you can do it vegetarian. Another option is to cook off a couple ounces of lean beef. Slice the beef and add to the soup while it's simmering at the end.

For the Broth and Soup:

Start with 2 Quarts of a simple Veg Stock,
Add in one pound of white button mushroom, cut in half
Put in the rind of one small lime.
Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until the broth picks up a nice, subtle mushroom flavour.
Strain through a fine mesh or chinoise.

NOTE: An option for giving it a nice seafood flavor is to add the shells of a pound of shrimp or poach some shrimp in the broth for use later. Perhaps for a salad of to add to the Pho later.

Cook Udon Noodles in a water until al dente. Strain and reserve.

Place a large pot over med heat and add:

Two heads of Bok Choi, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 TBS finely sliced scallions
1 Cup of the Pho Broth
Cook until Bok Choi is wilted with a little crunch left in the middle.
Add in the Udon Noodles and the remaining Pho Broth, cooked Shrimp (if needed) and a small dash of low sodium Soy Sauce.

Simmer for 2 minutes and distribute into bowls. Garnish with the Spicy Mushrooms.

For the Spicy Mushrooms:

Slice 1 lb.

Shitake mushrooms

Combine one Fresno Chili, 2 Oz Fresh Ginger, One small shallot and two cloves of garlic in a food processor. This makes a nice asian food flavor base for Thai and Vietnamese food. This will hold in the fridge for a couple weeks and can be used for a meat marinade or for stir fry spice.

Place 2 TBS cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in one spoonful of the ginger-pepper blend and sweat for 1 minute, until it becomes fragrant.
Add in the mushrooms, coating them with the spices and oil. Cook until tender and turn up the heat slighty to brown and crisp the outsides of the shitakes.