Mushroom Pho With Rice Noodles

A vegetable pho has one obvious problem: no bones, no time, no depth. Two things solve it — aromatics charred until genuinely black, and dried mushrooms.

Between them they carry a broth that tastes as though it simmered far longer than an hour.

Charring the onion and ginger is not a garnish step. It is where the broth gets the smoky depth that otherwise takes bones and a day.

Everything after it is assembly.