Place the cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, white peppercorns, star anise, cloves, and fennel seeds in a dutch oven or stock pot. Toast over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking occasionally, until fragrant.

Add the daikon radish, onion, garlic, carrot, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, apple. Dry sauté the vegetables and spices for a few minutes.  A small amount of char on the veggies creates a slightly smokey complexity in the broth.

Add the water to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot, pressing the solids gently to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids and keep the broth warm over low heat. Season with the sugar and salt to taste.

While the broth is cooking bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the rice vermicelli and stir the noodles to prevent them from sticking. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the noodles to sit in the water until tender (exact time depends on the thickness of your noodles). Drain and rinse under cold running water and set aside.

For the soup, bring the broth and carrots to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.

After 7-8 minutes when the carrots are slightly tender, add the broccoli florets. 2-3 minutes later when the broccoli is tender (but ideally still has some life left in it) add the bok choy and fried tofu and remove from the heat.

Divide the noodles among serving bowls and ladle the hot broth and vegetables over them.

Serve each bowl of Phở Chay with bean sprouts, jalapeño slices, Thai basil, and cilantro leaves on the side. Offer hoisin sauce and sriracha for individual spice.