Vegan Tom Kha Soup
I had the opportunity to take a cooking class in Chiang Mai, Thailand several years ago that drove my love for this creamy coconut milk based soup home!
Tom Kha Soup from my cooking school in Chaing Mai circa 2017
Recently I had the opportunity to teach a version of this recipe to the kitchen staff at Costa Dulce. They were looking for some new recipes to add to the menu, and the tropical region of Nicaragua being similar to that of Thailand, meant that many of the local produce lends itself perfectly for Thai cooking. Nicaraguans eat way less spicy foods though, so I noticed that some of the staff were unaccustomed to such a ginger and lemongrass heavy dish.
Training day with the wonderful kitchen ladies at Costa Dulce in Nicaragua
You can make this soup as spicy “hot” as you desire by increasing or decreasing the amount of chilies you add. Though you might not think that soup seems like a summer/warm weather dish, this soup is served in the ever tropical Thailand where the spiciness actually works in your favor. By eating spicy foods you sweat more, which cools your body temperature down. What a “cool” summer heat alleviating trick!!
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
4 cups vegetable broth
24 oz (or 2 12oz cans) coconut milk
1 lb firm tofu cubed (1 inch cubes)
1 large carrot chopped
1 large onion diced
2 medium tomatoes chopped
2 C vegetables of choice (Thai eggplant, mushrooms, potatoes, chayote) chopped
2.5 Tbsp grated or minced galangal (ginger will substitute if necessary)
3 lemongrass stalks finely minced
3 oz soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
1-3 Thai chilies (jalapenos can sub) minced
Juice of half a lime
Salt to taste
Top with:
Green onion
Cilantro
Preparation:
Heat the vegetable broth to a slow boil.
Add coconut milk, carrot, onion, tofu, galangal and lemon grass. Cook about 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, sugar and soy sauce. Let simmer on medium heat 10-15 more minutes or until veggies are tender.
Add hot chilis, salt, and lime juice. Cook another 5-7 minutes.
Plate and garnish with green onion and cilantro to serve.
Thai Farm Cooking School with our instructor MB!
Notes:
This recipe has both traditional and non-traditional elements.
Traditionally Tom Kha Soup is made with galangal (Thai ginger) and keffir lime leaves that you can find in international food stores. You can substitute regular ginger and leave out the lime leaves if you can’t easily find them. Lemongrass is typically easier to find and much cheaper in those international stores as well, though you can find it in most of your chain grocery stores.
Also traditionally this soup is made with fish sauce. To make it vegan I have left that out and subbed in soy sauce, but you can change that up too if you’re excited to try the traditional version.
If you have a mortar and pestle, you can grind up the lemongrass, galangal, and hot chilies, though this will make your dish spicier as you’ll be adding the chilies earlier in the cooking order, and the longer the chilies heat, the spicier they make the dish.
I like to play with using different vegetables in this soup. Potatoes are not commonly used in Thailand and mushrooms are. I suppose my Irish heritage in me loves potatoes, so I lean into using them more than mushrooms. Also mushrooms were hard to come by in Nicaragua. But feel at liberty to experiment with your vegetables!
My travel buddy, Meredith and I at the Thai Cooking School. We made 6 courses that day and had to practically roll home. So DELISH!
Finally…
If you have any questions shoot me a message! I’m happy to share cooking and food with others. I believe it’s a love language that’s been left out of the traditional 5, and I’m definitely ascribed to it!
