Use the Broken Noodles at the Bottom of the Bag: the Simplest Pho Recipe you’ll Ever Need

Long title? A bit much? Yes. But it will get my point across. Which is that throwing away noodles simply because they are broken/smaller is…gross. It reminds me of that cute story of the boy in the tiny village who insists on paying for the puppy with a limp when the owner keeps saying ‘just take it’ in an Italian accent. I diverge, as always. I feel great joy when making soups of all kinds with about 7 types of bottom-of-their-bag noodles and, even if they are not the most photogenic of the bunch, these soups will *make your day* regardless. Or at least take you from a I-hate-working to a somewhat more positive at-least-they-pay-me vibe. At-least-they-pay-me is typically where I find myself on a Wednesday at 2 pm. But I am currently on maternity leave with the most adorable little joyful baby ever. So ask me next year. HA. Okay now here’s the recipe.

You will need:

Any noodles laying around in your house

Vegetable (or chicken) broth- the entire box

Freshly minced ginger (2 tbsp)

Chili oil (optional, but yas)

Kale, finely chopped (as many leaves as desired, they shrink tons)

Spinach (handful)

Bok Choy (1 bunch, separate the leaves)

Sesame oil (4-5 tbsp)

Scallions (4, thinly sliced- keep green stems for garnish)

Hoi Sin (1 tbsp)

Minced garlic (galore)

Shallot (1, thinly sliced)

Sesame seeds (for garnish, in everything you do)

A few steps,

1. Bring the broth to a boil with the hoi sin, garlic, shallot, ginger and bottom white parts of the scallions (sometimes I sautée the garlic, shallots and scallions beforehand with a little bit of soy sauce and sesame oil to add a smokier taste).

2. Bring the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for about 5-7 minutes (there is no time limit, the longer they simmer together the tastier your broth will become).

3. Add the Bok Choy leaves (I cook the stems as well) and let simmer for about 3 minutes.

4. Repeat with the kale and spinach. You will add the noodles last.

5. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions (I did not this time, but it's tastier to do so!)

These ugly, uneven noodles say thank you for giving them a purpose.