Pho is a Vietnamese rice noodle soup, traditionally served with beef or chicken, with extra-firm tofu being a perfect vegan substitute. I’d never tasted it before making it, although my boyfriend had. I can’t link (or post) a recipe because I used information from a variety of sources to make this.

I couldn’t believe how incredibly easy pho is to make, especially if you do like I did and use pho broth cubes (I know – it’s lazy, but we already had the cubes and I didn’t have the money to go out and buy cinnamon sticks and star anise). You just dissolve the cubes in boiling water, soak rice noodles until they’re soft, and chop some veggies. Then you throw it all together.

Here’s a quick ingredient list for the pho I made: vegan pho broth cubes, rice noodles, baby bok choy, lime, cilantro, basil, extra-firm tofu, bean sprouts, and topped with slices of fresh shiitake mushrooms.