Vegan pho

Crush and coarsely chop three to four pieces of garlic and a medium piece of ginger. Thinly slice some onion and set it aside, roughly chop the rest. Roughly chop one carrot, one celery, one potato and a handful of mushrooms.

Hot pan with olive oil, add the veggies with half a tablespoon salt, half a tablespoon peppercorn, one tablespoon cloves and a couple of star anise, and saute five to eight minutes.

Add the mushrooms and saute three to five more minutes.

Add an optional splash of sake and two litres of water.

Cover the pot leaving a little space and bring to a boil.

Turn the heat to just under medium and simmer one hour, then taste and adjust; it needs a little more salt.

Boil a small pot of water, spread half a package of rice noodles in a large pan, pour the hot water over and let them sit three to five minutes, moving them around so they do not stick.

Thinly slice the king oyster mushroom.

Pour the stock through a sieve to catch the solids, pressing the juices through with a ladle in a few batches.

Return the stock to the pot, heat on medium, add the mushrooms and cook three to five minutes.

Transfer the noodles to a serving bowl and fill generously with the stock.