with Chef Lê Kiên 

Chef Lê Kiên

Serves: 4 

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

- Fresh vermicelli: 1kg (you can use dried vermicelli as a substitute)

- Tofu: 5 pieces

- Green shallots, purple basil: 50g each, finely chopped

- Mung bean sprouts: 200gr

Stock:

- Peeled and finely sliced shallots: 50gr

- Tomatoes: 200gr (about 3-4)

- Peeled pineapple chopped into 0.5cm pieces

- Rice wine vinegar: 100ml

- Ground pepper: 2gr

- Salt: 12gr 

- Sugar: 15gr

- Cooking oil: 15ml

- Vegetable seasoning: 15gr

- Brown shell mushrooms: 200gr

- Seafood mushrooms: 200gr

- Water: 1.5l 

Tofu topping:

- Peeled sliced shallot: 50gr 

- Tomatoes: 100gr

- Annatto oil: 20ml

- Tofu: 1 piece

- Salt: 3gr

- Vegetable fish sauce: 3ml 

- Ground pepper: 1gr

METHOD

Tofu topping:

- In a heated pan add annatto oil until hot, then stir in the chopped shallots until brown, then add tomatoes, salt and vegetable fish sauce, and simmer until the tomatoes are tenderly cooked.  

- Add one piece of tofu, finely crush it, mix well and simmer until the water runs out and add ground pepper.

Broth:

- In a heated pan, add cooking oil, heat well, then add the sliced dried shallots, stir well until brown, add the chopped tomatoes and pineapple, and stir for two minutes before adding salt, pepper, sugar and vegetable seasoning. 

- Add all the mushrooms (washed and cut into bite sized chunks) and simmer for two minutes.

- Add water, bring to the boil, then add the rice wine vinegar and boil again.

Vegetable vermicelli and mushrooms

 Serving: 

- Cut the tofu into 2x2cm cubes, deep fry until crispy.

- Put a bun of vermicelli into a large noodle bowl, add mushrooms, deep-fried tofu, the tofu topping and sprinkle with finely chopped green onions, purple basil and fresh bean sprouts.

- Bring the stock to a strong boil, ladle into the bowl and serve really hot with a variety mixed herbs, banana trunk slices, and finely chopped lettuce.

Bon appetit!