The first time I had tom kha soup was in Thailand. I had never heard of it before and was walking through the markets with an Austrian guy I met at the hostel I was staying in. He told me that tom kha was one of his mom’s favorite Thai dishes and insisted that I try it.
I was hooked.
Thai food in general is pretty spectacular and tom kha soup (also called tom kha gai) is one of the main attractions.
So, of course, I’ve ventured to recreate the dish at home. This vegan tom kha soup recipe does not include fish sauce or any other non-vegan ingredients. Admittedly, this does make a difference on flavor, but hey, at least this version doesn’t contribute to the depletion of our oceans, right?
What substitutions can I make?
- Cream – This vegan tom kha recipe is made with rich coconut cream for a rich coconut flavor, but you can opt for full fat coconut milk instead.
- Veggie broth – I like to use vegetable broth (or vegetable stock powder) in place of water to add more depth of flavor to this delicious soup.
- Toppings – I love Thai food because most dishes are served with fresh herbs to go with your meal. Think: sliced green onions, Thai chilies, and fresh cilantro, Thai basil, lime wedges. Go wild adding fresh herbs to this Thai coconut soup.
- Carbs – You can pair this with jasmine rice (my favorite!) or rice noodles to bulk it up a bit. Some people like to put tofu in their Thai coconut soup recipes but I don’t feel like it adds much flavor value, so I usually just add more veggies.
If you don’t have
- fresh ginger, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
- lemongrass or kaffir lime leaves, you can use 1-2 tablespoons of lemon zest
- tamari, you can use soy sauce
How to make vegan tom kha soup
Cut the lemongrass, galangal (ginger), garlic and chili peppers. Add to the pot, together with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove everything from the pot. Add mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the coconut cream (or canned coconut milk), soy sauce, lime juice and kaffir lime leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil again, cover and let cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes.
Serve the soup topped with chili pepper, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro and lime wedges.
Vegan tom kha soup recipe
Ingredients
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 1-3 small chili peppers
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ medium onion
- 2.5" galangal (ginger)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- ½ lime
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1.5 cup water
- 1.5 cup coconut cream
- 150 gr medium to large cremini mushrooms sliced
- 6 cherry tomatoes halved
For serving
- chili pepper
- cilantro
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Cut the lemongrass, galangal (ginger), garlic and chili peppers. Add to the pot, together with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove everything from the pot. Add mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the coconut cream, soy sauce, lime juice and kaffir lime leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil again, cover and let cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve the soup topped with chili pepper, coriander and lime wedges.
