The wonderful thing about herbs and spices is that they are virtually calorie free - therefore liberal usage is encouraged. I wanted to created a dish like the pho I always order at my local Vietnamese restaurant, so my faux pho was born. I know the basic ingredients but have next to no idea just what makes the broth so delicious, so I experimented and was pretty pleased with the results.
To my delight, my faux pho was a heady, aromatic dream to eat - more feast than fast. I substituted the beef fillet I would usually opt for, for prawns - lower in calories but still meaty and delicious. For obvious reasons the noodles had to be rationed, but once I upped the quantity of bean sprouts this was barely noticeable.
Best of all though, this dish is both quick to prepare and to cook. One thing - this is one of those rare meals that does not get better with age... If left too long, the herbs and spices begin to lose their potency. For that reason it is best to eat this straight away which, given its deliciousness, shouldn't be too difficult.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
150g fresh, raw prawns. 120 calories
150g dried egg noodles. 210 calories
200g beansprouts. 62 calories
100g babycorns, sliced lengthways. 24 calories
80g mangetout. 31 calories.
1 red chili, thinly sliced. 7 calories
3 sping onions, chopped. 24 calories
Inch sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated. 19 calories
1 garlic clove, finely chopped. 6 calories
2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed. 10 calories
Juice of one lime. 10 calories
Small bunch of basil, roughly chopped. 10 calories
500 ml chicken stock. 32 calories
Total calories: 565
Calories per serving: 283
Method
Heat the chicken stock in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the chilli, garlic, lemongrass and grated ginger. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, until the flavours have begun to penetrate the stock - this will form the base of the soup.
Add the noodles and simmer until they have softened. This will take around 5- 10 minutes. Then add the sping onions, beansprouts, babycorns, mangetout and prawns. When the prawns have turned pink, they are cooked through.
Place in a warm bowl and squeeze over the lime juice. Scatter the chopped basil over the top and serve immediately.
One last thing - the delicate but floral flavour of green tea and/or jasmine tea complement this dish really well and have the added bonus of being low in calories, so give them a try... Enjoy!
