Veg Thai Tom Kha Soup Recipe | Vegan Tom Kha Recipe

Vegetarian Thai Tom Kha soup recipe, step by step.

Thai recipes are not supposed to be vegetarian. They like their seafood and their meat, and create magic with it.

Since some of us like to be vegetarian and eat Thai food, we need vegetarians versions of Thai recipes. Someone's got to do it!

While I may not be the first, this is an awesome vegetarian Tom Kha recipe. Tom Kha is my favourite Thai soup and I usually order the one with chicken and mushrooms. However, my homemade vegetarian version has tofu and no mushrooms (because I was serving this to someone who doesn't eat mushrooms either!).

Also check out vegetarian pad thai recipe.

In Singapore, we get something called a Tom Yam set on most supermarkets that has all the essential ingredients to make vegetarian Tom Kha soup, namely, galangal, lemongrass, thai chillies, kaffir lime leaves, lemon, and shallots.

Veg Thai Tom Kha Gai Soup Recipe | Vegan Tom Kha Recipe

Galangal is not optional and ginger is a very poor substitute. Galangal tastes nothing like ginger, although they look very similar.

Tom Kha soup is supposed to be watery, not thick, so water is a reasonably good base for the soup. However, if you have the patience to make your own vegetable stock or have access to good vegetarian stock cubes, please use that for added flavour.

For more Thai recipes, check out pad thai recipe, vegetarian green curry recipe and also how to make Thai green curry paste at home. Oh and by the way, if you haven't tasted a good Thai mango sticky rice dessert, you haven't lived. Just saying.

Vegetarian Thai Tom Kha Soup

Serves 2 generously

Ingredients:

1.5 cups thick coconut milk

1 cup water / vegetable stock

2 stalks of lemongrass

2-3 1" pieces of galangal

5-6 kaffir lime leaves

4 shallots

1 block of soft tofu cut into 1" cubes

12 button mushrooms, quartered (or any other variety you like)

4-5 Thai chilli padi / serrano chillies

1 teaspoon sugar

1 lime

Fresh coriander leaves / cilantro to garnish

Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Discard the bottom 2 inches of the lemongrass. Discard the top woody part and use the middle portion (about 8" of it) for the soup. Cut this part into small circles and set aside.

2. Roughly chop the galangal, chillies, and shallots. Tear the limes leaves into two.

3. Bring water or vegetable stock to a boil and lower fire to a simmer. Add the galangal, lemongrass, shallots, chillies, sugar, and lime leaves. Keep on simmer for 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the coconut milk and the tofu and mushrooms with some salt. Keep on simmer for another 7-10 minutes until the mushrooms are soft.

5. Remove from fire. Squeeze in fresh lime starting with half a lime and then increasing the quantity as you like. Garnish with roughly torn coriander leaves / cilantro. Serve hot.

The flavour of Tom Kha soup should be spicy, sour, and sweet from the coconut milk and added sugar. Adjust the ratios according to personal taste.

Comments

sangeeta

April 28, 2011 at 9:14 am

That soup bowl is making me dizzy too ...WOW !!

Here is delhi too we get that kit with all fresh galalngal, lemon grass n kaffir lime leaves , and those pastes too if we are lucky sometimes 🙂
I am growing my own lemon grass and i use grapefruit leaves to substitute kaffir lime leaves...galangal off course has to be there n i have to buy that..

Ananda Rajashekar

April 25, 2011 at 5:01 pm

finished bowl is very appetizing tom kha gai with chick is my fav...wouldn't say no for veg version also!

Rinku Naveen

April 25, 2011 at 4:32 am

Hi Nags
Yummy looking soup. First time to your space. Loved it. And thanks for all that food photography tips. Never knew we could do so much with Photoshop.
Do stop by my space when time permits.:)
Thanks

PapaCheong's 拿手好菜

April 24, 2011 at 1:28 pm

Very Appetizing!

Papacheong
http://home-cook-dishes-for-family.blogspot.com/

Sarah Naveen

April 22, 2011 at 5:33 pm

Oh wow!! that looks so comforting and delicious!!

Nags

April 23, 2011 at 12:58 am

Samarpita, that's a great tip. Thanks!!

Samarpita

April 22, 2011 at 1:21 pm

Oh, the soup bowl!!! The soup and soup bowl together is making me dizzy with greed. On another note, Fairprice has a bottled Tom Yum paste (Fairprice brand), which is vegetarian. I have read the ingredients many times over. The taste is really good.

Cooking Foodie

April 21, 2011 at 8:49 pm

Thanks for the veggie version... the bowl looks great!

Sreelu

April 21, 2011 at 3:56 pm

looks yum Nag, I love Thai soup.

cumincoriandercardamom

April 21, 2011 at 2:43 pm

Very Interesting

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