Easy Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) & Diz's Spring Rolls

Pho is the THE dish you think of...
When you want authentic Vietnamese cuisine. It comes most often as Pho Bo (the beef version) but the chicken version seems to be a little more gingery in taste--definitely lighter. Believing this, I wanted to test my cooking skills and transform a traditional Vietnamese soup dish originally made with tons of chicken bones and meat into a vegan version of tastiness--of course with a convenient twist because I have a limited amount of time to prepare dinner on the weekdays. I have made a vegan version of Pho Bo before, but never a chicken one. My mum would be so proud of me right now!
For the spring rolls, I replaced the typical iceberg lettuce with baby lettuce mix. I feel that there is more flavor this way, and aside from that, I LOATHE iceberg. I think of it as the most insignificant tasting lettuce there is and my rabbit can't even eat it! Also, instead of the traditional addition of shrimp or a vegan restaurant's version that adds sliced tofu, I added some soy fish for extra flavor. Spring rolls are my mother-in-law's (Holly's) favorite!

Easy Pho Ga:

Soup:
2 pho spice cubes (the ones at the asian grocers with no beef or chicken, just spices)
as much water as you'd like
1 small onion, charred on stovetop or in toaster oven, sliced into big chunks
1 t. vegan chicken base
1/2 t. ginger paste
dash each of:
clove powder
allspice
cinnamon
black pepper

For topping soup:
a few vegan chicken strips sliced thin diagonally
fresh mint leaves
thin sliced onion (bulb and green)
hoisin sauce
Sriracha chili sauce

as many rice noodles as you want pre-soaked in warm water until softened, then drained

In a large pot, add all soup ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Set aside until ready to use. In another pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Using a small rounded sieve, place as many noodles as you want into it, then lower into boiling water. Cook noodles until softened (watch out because they overcook easily!). Dump into a large bowl, ladle soup onto the noodles, top with desired toppings (bean sprouts are traditional, but I don't like them), and enjoy!

Diz's Spring Rolls:
(no exact measurements)

Spring roll wrappers (banh trang)
boiled rice vermicelli (important! ask if you're unsure if it's the right type for spring rolls)
baby lettuce mix
fresh mint leaves
lightly dry pan-fried soy fish cut into strips

For dipping:
hoisin sauce
sriracha
chopped peanuts

Dip wrappers into warm water briefly, until slightly softened. Lay on a flat surface and place vermicelli, lettuce, mint, and soy fish slightly off-center towards you, leaving about an 1 or 2 to fold away from you. Fold in the sides, and roll tightly. Repeat until all rolls are finished.

Vietnamese Crepes

Inspiration from a Crusty Lip...
Ah...waking at 10AM for a change felt wonderful as opposed to my 4-something-AM stumble to get dressed weekdays. Dane was still working on his animation, pressing himself to meet a noon deadline...I scratched at the itchy dry skin on my upper lip: all I could think of was how much I missed my mum. So, raiding my freezer and pantry, I came up with all the ingredients for one of my mum's best dishes: Vietnamese Crepes (Banh Cuon). Of course, turning this dish vegan was a bit of a challenge the first time I attempted to make it, but in the end, it turned out almost as tasty as the original. I like my crepes a bit thicker than my mum likes hers, but we would both agree that the fried red onion topping is a must! You can find the flour mix at your local asian supermarket. It will say on the package one of the following: bot banh cuon, steamed rice roll flour, or vietnamese crepe flour. My vegan take on the filling (no set measurements):

Vegan Vietnamese Crepe Filling:

Morningstar Veggie Crumbles
Dried Wood Ear Mushrooms (may be labeled as "Black Fungus" on the package), soaked and chopped fine
red onion, chopped (I usually prefer sweet onions, but mum likes plain old yellow onions)
a dash of salt and a nice big dash of pepper

Prepare the flour mix as directed on the package in a bowl. Sautee the above filling ingredients together until just heated through (veggie crumbles are thawed). Using a lightly coated non-stick skillet, on medium to medium high heat, us a ladle-worth's amount of crepe batter for each crepe. Swish the liquid around in the skillet until it becomes a nice even crepe, cover with a lid for about a minute. Remove the lid and plop onto a oil-sprayed plate. Add about a tablespoon of the filling and roll the crepe up first like an envelope, then roll shut. When all crepes are completed, sprinkle with fried red onions and dapple with soy sauce.