Vegetarian Noodle Soup (Bun Hué Chay)

This recipe comes from Hue, located in the central part of Vietnam, and this recipe uses similar ingredients to one that I posted in this blog before. As I often mention in my blog, the fastest way to prepare any kind of soup is by using a good broth. Homemade broth is the way to cut time for making a good soup in half the time. I made a few changes with the ingredients for this soup. This recipe is a good combination of protein and healthy choices of vegetables and is excellent when served on a cold day at a time that we need a comfort food for our soul.

 Ingredients:
10 cups vegetable broth
16 oz tofu
1 cup bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks
2 large tomatoes
1 cup sliced daikon
16 oz combination of fresh mushrooms, such as oyster, king oyster, baby portabella
1 cup chopped white onions
1 cup pineapple
3 tbs fresh minced lemongrass
1 leek, the white part only, washed, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp annato seed
Oil for frying tofu
Salt, black pepper, soy sauce, sugar
Other
Cooked rice noodles as per directions on the packet
Vietnamese vegetable plate
Chopped green onions and cilantro

Directions:
Combine 1 tbs of lemongrass and half of the leek, salt, and pepper into a paste. Drain tofu and cut into bite size pieces. Add the lemongrass-leek paste to the tofu and mix well.
In a sauce pan, heat oil and deep-fry tofu and set aside. Pour off the oil and add 1/4 cup of new oil to the pan. When oil is hot, add remaining lemongrass and leek. Cook on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add chili powder and annatto seed. When the oil turns orange-red, turn the heat off. Drain the oil and discard the lemongrass and leek.
In a soup pot, add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add pineapple, tomatoes, daikon, and bamboo shoots. Bring the broth back to boil and then turn the heat down and let the soup simmer for 15 or 20 minutes. Season the broth with salt.
Heat 3 tbs lemongrass-leek oil in a sauté pan. Add white onions and cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add garlic, deep-fried tofu, and mushrooms. Season with salt, sugar, and soy sauce. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
To serve:
Place noodles in the soup bowl. Top with tofu and mushrooms. Pour hot broth over with a few tomatoes, bamboo shoots, pineapple, and daikon. Garnish with green onions, cilantro and accompany the soup with the Vietnamese vegetable plate.