Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu and Mushrooms
Last night I realized that I had an open can of coconut milk that I needed to use soon--never a bad situation since coconut milk is one of my favorite foods. I decided to try to recreate the coconut milk and tofu soup I've had in Thai restaurants, while reducing the amount of coconut milk just enough to lighten up the recipe a little. (If you prefer to avoid the coconut milk completely, see the *note at the end of the recipe.)

I needed to work with the ingredients that I had in my kitchen, so I made some adjustments to replace some traditional ingredients I just didn't have. One was lemongrass. I didn't have frozen lemongrass, but I did happen to have a jar of dried lemongrass, so I used a couple of teaspoons of it in this recipe. If you have fresh or frozen lemongrass, by all means, use it. But if you don't have even the dried version, use a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice instead.
Another traditional ingredient that I don't have access to is Kaffir lime leaves, so I've used 2 teaspoons of grated lime zest as a substitute. If you're lucky enough to have the original ingredient, use two teaspoons of the leaves sliced thin.
Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu and Mushrooms
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk*
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. grated lime zest
2 tsp. dried lemongrass
1 red bell pepper, sliced into matchstick-sized strips (reserve some for garnish)
3 cups mild vegetable stock**
1/2 to 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, depending on desired hotness
1 package (12-14 ounces) extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes (not silken tofu)
15 ounces canned straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed
2 tsp. vegan sugar or other sweetener
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
Salt to taste
Fresh lime juice to taste
Grated lime peel, for garnish
Combine lime zest, lemongrass, ginger, and coconut milk with stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add the curry paste a half-teaspoon at a time, stirring well to combine and tasting as you go to make sure you don't make it too spicy. Stir in the tofu, mushrooms, sugar, soy sauce, and salt, to taste. Simmer for about 10 more minutes. Add lime juice (I used the juice of half a lime) and serve over rice, garnished with red pepper strips and grated lime peel, with extra lime on the side.
*A note about the coconut milk: I've had a lot of success substituting rice milk or soymilk for coconut milk; to replace the coconut taste, I add coconut extract, tasting it as I add it until it seems just coconutty enough without tasting fake. Bryanna Clark Grogan recently posted a coconut milk substitute on her blog; it uses silken tofu, almond milk, and coconut powder.
**A note about the stock: Choose a very mild vegetable stock or broth, one without an overwhelming flavor of its own. A good option is Imagine Foods No-Chicken broth.

This came out delicious--redolent of coconut, ginger, and red curry. Adding a squeeze of lime juice just before serving really makes the flavors pop. I tried to be conservative with the curry paste, but I still managed to get it too spicy for my daughter. She wound up eating just the tofu and mushrooms on a bed of rice. Oh well--more coconut broth for the grown-ups!
Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free
Labels: gluten-free, higher-fat, soy














12 Comments:
Susan, thank you so much for gifting us with this delicious recipe. We made it tonight and loved it! We've posted a link to it on our front page today. We'll keep reading.
i used lite coconut milk, and water instead of vegetable broth, and skipped the ginger, and it still came out delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
I'm so glad you all liked the recipe. Thanks for posting!
Hi! I hope you read comments to posts that are sort-of old. Anyway....how are you supposed to cut up fresh lemongrass? in strips, or like scallions? I didn't know so I guessed....but this resipe was really good.
Hi Randi! Fortunately I get emailed whenever I have a new comment, so I can find them even on old posts. About the lemongrass, I have to admit that I've never used it fresh. I have dried and frozen, but I haven't been able to get fresh. But I did some research and came up with these instructions for lemongrass:
"Lemon grass is a very fibrous grass and comes in long, slender stalks about a foot long, normally with its coarse, flat, grassy blades already cut off. Choose thick, light green stalks that feel firm all along its length and that are not dried out and wilted. They usually require further trimming before they can be used. Cut off the woody root tip of each stalk until the purplish-tinted rings begin to show. Remove the loose, dry outer layer(s) and use only the faintly colored, dense inner stalk that holds together when cut into shorter segments or into concentric rings. Usually, the top third of the stalk is dry and fibrous and, if so, should be trimmed off.
"For soups and simmered dishes, cut the trimmed stalk at a very sharp angle into inch-long pieces, exposing its fragrant interior. Smash with the flat blade of a cleaver or heavy knife to bruise and release the aromatic oils before adding to these dishes. For salads, cut with a sharp knife into very thin rounds, breaking up the fibers that run the length of the stalk. When slicing, if the outer layer seems fibrous, peel it off before proceeding. Such thinly sliced rounds of the inner stalk can be easily chewed with other salad ingredients for a refreshing burst of lemony herb flavor.
"For curries, cut the stalk into thin rounds before pounding in a stone mortar to reduce to paste. Although lemon grass appears dry when you are slicing it, when crushed, you will see that it really is quite moist. Crushing breaks the juice sacs in the fibers and releases the aromatic oils that make lemon grass so special."
I'm so glad that the recipe came out well for you!
This recipe was very good. I just made it for dinner. However, I used lite coconut milk instead of regular and used fresh mushrooms instead of canned. Also, I lightly baked the tofu first at 350 for about ten minutes before adding it to the soup. I wanted the tofu to be slightly cooked, but didn't want to bake it too long or make it too crunchy because then it wouldn't soak up the flavor of the soup. Anyhow, it turned out great! Thanks for posting the recipe.
I just found this via google... made the soup... DELICIOUS! I added some mock egg noodles for fun. Thanks for sharing!
I had some soup similar to this at a restaurant in Madison, WI last week and fell in love. Thank you for the recipe! I did notice that the soup I had earlier used an asian ginger (galanga) and added chunks of tomatoes, but because I'm not near an asian grocery I haven't been able to find the galanga. So so good.
I've been looking for a recipe like this for awhile. The Thai restaurant here serves this with their lunch entree's. I love it. I made this soup for dinner tonight, but since it was the dinner, I added thinly sliced carrot and shelled edamame. I wanted it to be a little more substantial. I also threw few cilantro leaves on top of each serving. YUM! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
McMinnville, OR
Susan - I wasn't able to locate Kaffir lime leaves in my area either but I found them on amazon.com. If I remember correctly, they were under $5, organic, and I received an entire quart-size bag full. Several of the reviewers said they had successfully frozen the extra leaves for later use.
I've been able to find a number of ingredients I have a difficult time locating in my area on amazon or other online retailers. Hope this helps for everyone who's having a hard time tracking down less common ingredients.
Just what I was looking for. I had the Amy's canned version but like most canned soup it is loaded with salt, which I am trying to cut back on. Now I can make it myself and control how much salt goes in. Thanks so much.
Great recipe! I took your suggestion of adding lemon juice since lemon grass was unavailable. Additionally, I added 1 extra can of coconut milk and vegetarian broth. Also mixed organic brown and white rice to place at the bottom of the bowl prior to serving. Perfect recipe - just what I was looking for.
Thank you.
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