Viet Tofu

Ha! It turns out I'm not crazy.

I knew there was a place in South Philly that made their own tofu and sold it at very reasonable prices, but when I tweeted for help in remembering the name of the place, people chimed in, "Check any Asian grocery or Whole Foods for Nature's Soy."

Nature's Soy is made in Philly, and their plastic tubs of reasonably priced tofu are abundant in the city's grocery stores, but I was just sure I had heard of some other place making and selling tofu cheaper, and doing it specifically in South Philly.

That place is Viet Tofu!
In the large Vietnamese shopping center at the intersection of 11th St. and Washington Ave., you'll find Viet Tofu (right across from Nam Phuong on the 11th St. side), a Vietnamese store selling housemade banh mis, bubble teas, sweets, snacks, and quick lunches. Viet Tofu's specialty is their housemade tofu and soy milk, though. Right when you walk in the door, there is a tub filled with blocks of fresh, firm tofu. The tofu blocks (which are larger than the blocks you get in the white plastic containers) are $1 each, or 6 for $5. This is the tofu I was looking for!

And, the fresh tofu is individually wrapped in plastic, in case you're one of those that are skeeved out by sticking your hand (where did those tongs go?) into water to pluck tofu out of bulk tofu bins.Over on the hot bar you'll find assorted fried tofu creations. Tofu Viet takes their housemade tofu and blends it with ingredients like lemongrass for lemongrass tofu, or cilantro for vegetable tofu. Not all of the tofu creations are vegetarian; for instance, there is a shrimp and tofu blend, as well as some other meat and tofu blends, so be sure to read the labels before you start loading up.

Viet Tofu is pretty good about labeling their food with English so non-Vietnamese speakers don't have to guess at what that package of ambiguous food is, but, for some reason, English labeling doesn't quite make it to the food in the refrigerator section.
Prices vary on the fried tofu, but these lemongrass and vegetable fried tofu pieces were 5 for $1.
Don't miss the housemade soy milk over in the coolers. There are gallon, half-gallon, and single-serving sizes of sweetened and unsweetened soy milk (a red string on the handle denotes that it's unsweetened), as well as green soy milk (made from edamame). I picked up a single-serving bottle of green soy milk for $1 — thick, fresh, and very bean-y tasting, but in a good way.

Locally-made tofu and soy milk bargains! Vietnamese yumminess! Go, go, go!

Viet Tofu
1110 Washington Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19147

Nam Phuong

My introduction to Nam Phuong, one of many Vietnamese restaurants along Washington Avenue, comes thanks to a comment from one of my blog readers, Beth, who suggested I check out Nam Phuong if I wanted a bowl of vegetarian soup. Beth also mentioned that Nam Phuong has an entire vegetarian section on the menu, which is sort of rare amongst the Washington Avenue Vietnamese restaurants.It's true, Nam Phuong does have a vegetarian section on the menu, which includes 17 dishes ranging from spring rolls, summer rolls, rice vermicelli bowls, soup, tofu in curry, and eggplant in garlic sauce. Prices are reasonable ($5.95 to $7.95 for entrees), and the amount of food is substantial (I haven't been able to finish any entree, yet).I was so happy to see vegetarian sweet and sour soup on the menu, since I love it so and have not had it in a restaurant in some time, so I skipped Beth's recommendation to order an off-the-menu vegetarian noodle soup, but will be back to do so soon.

Nam Phuong's steaming hot bowl of sweet and sour broth is chock full of goodies — mung bean sprouts, celery, okra, tofu, tomatoes, pineapple, and these curious half moon slices of malanga stem (I had to ask what the vegetable was because I enjoyed it's porous and spongy texture so much, I wanted to buy some — and I did right after dinner at the neighboring grocery). Garnished with scallions, herbs, and fried garlic, I found the broth perfect, so did not adulterate with the many condiments on the table. The rice vermicelli bowl topped with chopped spring rolls, lettuce, cucumbers and carrots is another behemoth to behold. Pour on the vegetarian nuoc cham, and any of the other condiments on the table (I like to add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and Sriracha), give it a stir, and start carb loading. The crunchy, fried spring rolls were filled with a tasteless and almost mushy, finely chopped cabbage, so I don't think I'd order this dish again.Instead, I'd order the rice vermicelli bowl with stir fried lemongrass tofu and sprouts topped with crushed peanuts and scallions, which added lots of flavor and depth to the rice noodles, so much so, that I didn't even doctor up my bowl with condiments other than the nuoc cham.

Nam Phuong is a large restaurant, and is often packed during prime eating hours, but if you go on an off time, you can find yourself sitting almost alone in a vast sea of chairs and tables. Nam Phuong also has a bar with reasonable prices. Service is pretty speedy, with multiple servers tending to your table, but if you are ready for the check, be sure to make eye contact with a server or you will be sitting there for a while.

Thank you, Beth, for the solid recommendation.

Nam Phuong
1100-1120 Washington Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-468-0410
Open 7 days a week, 10 am-10 pm

Pho Cali

Did it not take forever for Pho Cali in Kirkwood Plaza (no relation to Pho Cali in Philly) on Kirkwood Highway to open up? I pretty much gave up on the place, and when it did open up about four months ago, they neglected to make a website (inexcusable nowadays), and neglected to answer the phone (because Google lists the number incorrectly...and that's why you should have a website) the few times I tried to call and ask the very most important question a Pho-seeking vegetarian has: Do you serve a Pho made with vegetable broth?

So, yeah, I wrote them off. That is until Spark, Wilmington's free weekly, reported back that the vegetable and tofu Pho at Pho Cali uses vegetable broth. Sign me back up!

Soup is the hardest thing for vegetarians to eat when dining out, because they're invariably made with meat stock, and only the most conscious kitchens offer up a vegetable-based soup. So, always a soup skeptic, I asked if Pho Cali's vegetable and tofu Pho was made with vegetable stock, and, sadly, it is not. It's made with chicken stock. Or, at least that's what my server told me, and what a person on the phone told me when I called back later to double check. Meat-stock-Pho is the norm at most Pho shops, but it sure would be nice if everyone offered a veggie option.Aw, well! I was already sitting at one of the bright green booths in the stark, white walled, beige tiled, strip mall restaurant with plasma TV's at either end of the room, so decided to order the one vegetarian Bun dish: a bowl or rice vermicelli topped with fried tofu and onions sauteed with lemongrass and chilis. Tucked on the side of the bowl are shredded carrots, shredded iceberg lettuce, cucumber sticks, mung beans sprouts, and chopped peanuts to be stirred about with the side dish of nuoc cham brought to the table, and any of the various condiments already sitting on the table, such as garlic chili paste, sriracha sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, and chilis in oil.

For $5.95, the huge bowl of veggie Bun is a good deal, and the sweet and spicy fried tofu is the tasty centerpiece of the dish, but only hints at the strong lemongrass flavors the menu alluded to. And, I would have loved to have seen some strongly flavored herbs like cilantro, basil, mint, or scallions either already in the bowl or brought out in a dish for me to add to the Bun.
The tops of the condiment bottles are a little crusty, and one hole on the soy sauce bottle at my table was clogged, so it'd be nice to see Pho Cali clean these up daily.

With no veggie Pho, or veggie egg rolls or spring rolls (I really wanted the spring roll-topped Bun), and only a fried rice dish and a couple noodle dishes for vegetarians, I can't see myself going out of my way to visit Pho Cali on Kirkwood, but if I were closer I certainly would stop in occasionally.

It's just nice to see Wilmington finally get a Pho restaurant! And Pho Cali offers dim sum on Saturday and Sunday.

Want to know what's on Pho Cali's menu? No problem! Just click the pic to enlarge.
Pho Cali
4373 Kirkwood Hwy Wilmington, DE 19808
302-999-8107
Open daily, 11am-10pm

Ba Le

It's funny how you get in the habit of stopping into a place to pick up one thing and never sample any other items from the menu. For me, such is the case with South Philly's Ba Le, a chain bakery and restaurant that sells a wide range of Vietnamese baked goods, desserts, meats, ready to eat meals, Banh Mi, bubble tea, and many other treats I don't know how to pronounce. Ba Le has always been my Washington Ave. stop for avocado bubble tea, and that's about it...until I decided to try their vegetarian Banh Mi, one of twelve varieties of Banh Mis they offer.Sweet and mildly spiced fried tofu strips, pickled daikon and carrot strands, a cucumber spear, jalapeno slices, and a couple cilantro springs are nestled in a freshly baked baguette slathered liberally with sweet mayonnaise. The soft-on-the-inside and crispy-on-the-outside baguette (so crispy the sandwich was loud!), and the addictive sweet fried tofu really make Ba Le's Banh Mi a standout amongst other Banh Mis I've recently tried.Ba Le bakes their baguettes on site, and sells them in packages of four for only a few bucks, so next time you're jonesin' for a Banh Mi (so simple to make at home), drop by and pick up few baguettes. Rice flour is used in Vietnamese baguettes, so the rolls are a little different than a traditional French baguette, and a whole lot different than a hoagie roll, so getting the real deal really makes a difference when building a Banh Mi. Our bag of four baguettes were not as ultra crispy as the baguette the sandwich Ba Le made me, but still very good. And look at me! I went back to Ba Le and tried something other than the bubble tea. Plucked a container of Mi Xao Chay, stir fried vegetarian egg noodles with tofu, veggies, and vinaigrette, from the deli case and dined happily at home. Making progress at eating Ba Le!

Ba Le Bakery and Restaurant
606 Washington Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-389-4350

Fu-Wah's Tofu Hoagie

Every vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike will tell you that Fu-Wah makes the best tofu hoagie in town. I know this because anytime I mention or write about a banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich that is clearly the inspiration for Fu-Wah's hoagie, someone will chime in with, "Aw, man, you gotta try the tofu hoagie at Fu-Wah!"

After sitting in my to-do list for over two years, I finally made it over to Fu-Wah, a West Philly neighborhood grocer, to try the infamous tofu hoagie. I've got good news, bad news, and good news.Good news - Fu-Wah's 6-inch tofu hoagie for $3.75 is a tasty little sandwich loaded with fried tofu pulled straight from a warm vat of soy saucy sweet juices; a nice big pile of thin, pickled strips of daikon and carrots; a couple sprigs of cilantro; shake of black pepper; and a healthy squirt of sriracha sauce. I've heard talk of jalapenos, but there were no jalapenos on mine, even though I asked for everything.

Bad news - The bread is all wrong. The soft, 6-inch hoagie roll is not a thin, long, crispy crusted baguette that is usually used for a banh mi, and perhaps that's why Fu-Wah doesn't dare call this sandwich a banh mi, but instead calls it a tofu hoagie. In the ten minutes it took to get the sandwich to my dining destination, the juices from the tofu made a soggy mess of the soft roll. If you're really jonesin' for a traditional banh mi on a baguette, Fu-Wah's not going to do it for you.
Good news - OMG, this is the best little neighborhood grocer I've ever seen! Besides serving up sandwiches and hot eats, Fu-Wah has a mix of Asian foods, vegan and vegetarian foods, European foods, American grocery store standards, and fresh produce. You can pick up toilet paper, mochi, trail mix, Kinder Chocolate, Newman's Own cookies, bean sprouts, spaghetti sauce, and inari all at one place! And, get this, you can even pick up a package of active dry yeast! Swoon.

OK, now I know the Fu-Wah tofu hoagie is a beloved institution in Philly, so before you lambaste me with nasty comments, let's be sure you're picking up what I'm putting down. The sandwich is tasty and cheap, and I would gladly gobble one up any time you want to put one in front of me, but a person walking in there looking for a banh mi is not going to be happy with the bread. Fu-Wah's tofu hoagie is a hybrid of a banh mi and a hoagie. Philly is a hoagie town, so I guess it's only fitting.

Fu-Wah Mini Market
810 S. 47th St., Philadelphia, PA 19143
215-729-2993
open 7 days a week, 9am-9pm

Q.T. Vietnamese Sandwich

After David Snyder's glowing review of Q.T. Vietnamese Sandwich in City Paper informed that there was a new banh mi purveyor in town, I knew I had to check it out, since I love all things Asian-flavored, pickled, cilantro-fied, and mayo-ed on a roll. The first visit to Q.T. around 10 pm was a fail, since they're just not open that late!

Then a friend admitted to trekking almost daily to Q.T. for banh mi, because they are just that good! (And, would you look at that! fries with that shake just visited Q.T., too.) So, I tried Q.T. again at a more reasonable hour — noon — and found the small Vietnamese sandwich shop open. Hurray!

Inside you'll find a a short, narrow ledge against one wall with three stools for those who wish to eat in, and a high counter separating you from the very smiley and friendly women who run Q.T. Not being a particularly smiley person myself, I don't fault people who take orders with a straight, stern face, but it is so refreshing and uncommon to have a person who seems genuinely happy to take your order nowadays. And that's exactly how the women of Q.T take your order — with huge smiles on their faces.

Q.T. serves rice and noodle platters, a soup of the day, a few appetizers, and other odds and ends, but I was there for their mainstay — the banh mi. In the vegetarian department there are two banh mis to choose from: tofu sauteed with onions and mushrooms; and lemongrass tofu. I went with the lemongrass tofu banh mi.The ultra-crispy, long, narrow baguette holds thinly sliced, fried tofu with a pleasant hint of lemongrass (it's very easy to go overboard with lemongrass, and I think Q.T. did best by erring on the side of caution); a generous mound of lightly seasoned shredded carrots; a single thick strip of fresh cucumber per sandwich half (would have liked another slice); a single thin strip of jalapeno per sandwich half (would have liked another slice); a single sprig of cilantro per sandwich half (would have liked a whole bunch more), and a generous slathering of mayo.

All in all, Q.T. makes a very tasty lemongrass tofu bahn mi, although some of the ingredients are a little skimpy. I don't think I'd have a problem getting the ladies behind the counter at Q.T. putting a couple more springs of cilantro on my sandwich, though, since I witnessed them happily handing over extra sliced chilies to a couple dining in while I was waiting for my sandwich to be prepared.

And here's their menu...Click to enlarge.

Q.T. Vietnamese Sandwich
48 N. 10th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107
267-639-4520

Where Is Veggie Pho?

I just stated in my last post that I broke a record by making a bookmarked recipe in under one month. Here I go and break my own personal record, again. One week! Bookmarked and made a recipe in under one week! Give me a medal, already.

I was so giddy when the fabulous Philly expat living in Vietnam (I'm a bit confused about where she is now), Cathy from gas.tron.o.my, posted her momma's vegetarian pho recipe, I hopped on that pronto. It was mighty delicious. Thanks, Cathy.

Here's the thing, though. I have nothing to compare it to. I've never had pho before this week. Not that I haven't tried. I've poked my head in the door of many restaurants along the Vietnamese restaurant saturated Washington Avenue in Philly in search of vegetarian pho, but came up short. I sort of gave up on veggie pho a few years ago. Now, I certainly didn't check out every restaurant in town, so maybe there's a chance that veggie pho lives in Philly, or perhaps nearby.

Do you know of a restaurant that serves vegetarian pho? By vegetarian I mean a soup made with vegetable broth, and, of course, no pieces of meat floating in it. The vegetable broth is the key part, since meat and toppings are customizable. Help me out if you can. Thanks.

Tofu Banh Mi

It’s pretty much a guarantee that five days a week I’m eating a homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a veggie turkey sandwich for lunch. If I’m feeling particularly lazy, a sandwich is on the menu for dinner, too.

Sandwiches for dinner sounds a little pathetic, but not if you’re making Banh Mi, the Vietnamese hoagie brimming with Asian flavors thanks to carrot and daikon slaw and cilantro.

This usually meat-filled sandwich gets a vegetarian makeover with fried tofu. A little prep is involved in making this sandwich – time is needed to marinate the tofu – so plan ahead. If you want to cut prep time, buy already marinated tofu. And the slaw will be ready before you are.

This ingredient list looks long for a sandwich, but it’s just a list of all the yummy fillers…and their marinades.

Tofu Banh Mi

1 baguette
1 block firm tofu, drained
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup, plus 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 stalk lemongrass, diced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ lb daikon, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
½ red onion, sliced thinly
1 bunch cilantro
lettuce
mayonnaise (can substitute vegan mayo)

• Combine soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, garlic, and lemongrass in a container with a lid. Slice drained tofu into ¼-inch slices and place in soy sauce marinade, turning container upside down to coat the tofu. Marinade tofu in refrigerator for at least one hour, or overnight. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, fry marinated tofu in oil until browned on each side, about four minutes each side. (Save any leftover marinade to brush on inside of baguette)
• In a small bowl, stir together ½ cup vinegar, salt, and sugar, and toss with shredded carrot and daikon. Let marinade for 15 minutes, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat split baguette in oven, about 5 minutes.
• Assemble the sandwich: Brush inside of baguette with soy sauce marinade. Top bottom layer of bread with jalapeño, onion, cilantro, tofu, slaw, and lettuce. Spread mayonnaise on the top layer of bread.
• Slice the sandwich crosswise into fourths, and serve.

Café Nhu Y

Sorely missing the seitan Vietnamese hoagies enjoyed while living in Minneapolis, my partner thought finding this seitan sandwich would be as simple as walking into one of the many Vietnamese restaurants around Washington Street in South Philly. Not so. We kept poking our heads in Vietnamese hoagie shops that didn’t serve vegetarian sandwiches.

I had never had a Vietnamese hoagie, or Banh Mi, so was anxious to try the sandwich he so raved about. When we caught wind that Café Nhu Y served tofu Vietnamese hoagies, we were there! Café Nhu Y is a tiny store front near the corner of 8^th and Christian with barely enough room to hold the small deli case, drink cooler, one bistro table, prep area, and the owners of the store.

As I sat and watched the owners fill the long, narrow french roll with thinly sliced tofu and vegetarian paté, strips of sweet pepper and cucumber, pickled radish and carrot, cilantro, jalapeño, and sauce, I couldn’t wait to get home to see what I was missing.

The cilantro, and radish and carrot salad gave the hoagie a distinct flavor not to be found in most hoagie shops. You'll love Banh Mi if you love Asian flavors. My partner was a little disappointed, as the hoagie he loved so much in Minneapolis had seitan instead of tofu, and a tangier, sweeter sauce than the light sauce on Café Nhu Y’s hoagies. I wished the sandwich had been stuffed with more innards, but at $2.75, I guess you can’t complain.

Café Nhu Y, 802 Christian St., Philadelphia, PA 19147, phone 215-925-6544

Vietnamese Hot And Sour Soup

I’ve been known to do some crazy things for food – like drive over three hours to eat at a favorite restaurant. Sometimes these trips are shorter. When I lived in SC, I would make the 1 ½ hour trip to Charlotte, NC to eat at Huong Viet, an excellent Vietnamese restaurant tucked away in a dinky strip mall. What dish made me drive so far? The hot and sour soup! This soup had to be good, because there's nothing to do in Charlotte, and I don’t normally order soup at restaurants, much less drive over an hour to eat soup.

This hot and sour soup has a tanginess that is imparted by tamarind (key ingredient), and is chock full of tofu, veggies, and pineapple. This is one of my favorite soups, but, it turns out, it may not be your favorite. I raved about this soup to my partner, and when he tasted it he was unimpressed. He also didn’t like the pineapple, which is my favorite part of the soup. I’ll put the recipe out there, though, in case there’s someone else out there that would enjoy the soup. This is not Huong Viet’s recipe, but one I found that is similar. I have no idea where I got the recipe from; I’ve been using it for about ten years.

Vietnamese Hot And Sour Soup

3 tablespoons tamarind pulp
1 shallot
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ tablespoon chili paste
½ medium onion, cut coarsely
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
5 cups water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup pineapple, cut into chunks
1 can straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed
½ can baby corn, cut lengthwise, drained and rinsed
½ pound tofu, fried
3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
tops of celery with leaves
1-2 cups mung bean sprouts
fresh basil

• Pour ½ cup of boiling water over tamarind pulp and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain and save water from pulp. Discard pulp.
• Heat oil, and fry shallot. Set aside.
• Add chili, onion, garlic, and soy sauce to hot pan and sauté.
• Add water, reserved tamarind juice, sugar, lime juice, and salt to sautéed onion mix, and bring to a boil for a couple of minutes.
  
• Right before serving, add pineapple, mushrooms, baby corn, tofu, tomatoes, celery tops, and bean sprouts. You don’t want to really cook the vegetables, or else the tomatoes will fall apart, and the celery leaves and bean sprouts will lose their crunch.
• Garnish with fried shallots, and fresh basil.

Avocado Shake

An avocado shake may sound gross, even if you like avocados, but it’s not. Trust me. I’m an upstanding and trustworthy individual.

I had never even seen an avocado shake until about two years ago when I was dining at Pho Ba Le, a Vietnamese restaurant on Washington Ave. This section of town, with lines of cars out the cluster of Vietnamese strip malls and the double-parked cars at the Italian Market, is a nightmare to drive in on the weekend. Can you say clusterfuck? Yet, the avocado shake and a stop in the Asian Markets is worth it.

The avocado shake is pale green in color, sweet, nutty, and has just a hint of avocado. The flavor is subtle and addictive. If you were handed the shake and not told what was in it, you would never guess avocado. You'd guess sweet nectar of God.

Pho Ba Le puts tapioca balls in the shake, so as you fiendishly suck up the shake you also get chewy, sweet tapioca pearls. With the addition of tapioca pearls, what I’m drinking is really a Boba, or bubble tea, but skip the tapioca and you have a shake / smoothie / frozen beverage / insert-name-here.

Avocado Shake

2 cups ice
2 peeled and pitted avocado
½ cup condensed sweetened milk

• Blend ingredients in a blender.
• Pour into glass.
• Put mouth to glass edge.
• Tip glass up while holding mouth open.