Northern-Style Thai Coconut Soup

This easy Northern-Style Thai Coconut Soup is a take on Tom Kha and a Khao Soi. This recipe comes together in under 30-minutes and is vegetarian/vegan-friendly and also gluten-free!

Vegetarian and Vegan Tom Kha

Say hello to my all-time and reader’s all-time favourite soup recipe!

If you love Thai recipes then you’ll love Northern-Style Vegan Thai Coconut Soup. This soup is a take on a Tom Kha and a Khao Soi, which are two of my favourite Thai soups. This soup is similar to my Vegetarian Laksa, but with different flavour notes and variations of ingredients.

Tom Kha is a traditional Thai Coconut soup made with coconut milk, that chillies, lemongrass and other herbs. It’s a classic Thai soup that usually also contains chicken in it and is in a white broth.

Khao Soi is a dish found in Nothern Thailand, and also in parts of Laos. It’s a soup dish made with red curry paste, coconut and usually contains fried egg noodles on top. I had my very first Khao Soi experience years ago on my first trip to Thailand. It was in the North in an area called Chiang Mai, which is a huge foodie area! Chiang Mai is the cultural hub of Thailand, and if you’re planning a trip there do not skip out on this area!

I consider this soup a fusion of these two dishes. It’s filled with Thai red curry paste, spices, coconut milk and rice noodles.

Ingredients to make this Vegan Coconut Soup

• Vegetable stock: you can use any type of stock you like here. If you are not vegetarian or vegan you can also use a chicken stock. A good quality stock (I usually like organic vegetable stock) will have the best taste.
• Coconut milk: make sure to used canned full-fat coconut milk. Coconut milk from a carton (for drinking) is not the same as canned coconut milk. Light coconut milk is also more diluted with water than full-fat coconut milk, so it won’t give the same taste and richness to the broth.
• Onion: any regular onion will do.
• Garlic/ginger: fresh garlic and ginger will add a ton of flavour to this soup. In a traditional Tom Kha you’ll often see galangal ginger, but for this recipe we’re keeping it simple with regular ginger.
• Red curry paste: to keep this recipe vegetarian, make sure to check the label of the curry paste you buy to make sure it doesn’t contain shrimp paste.
• Curry powder/turmeric: this is a *secret* ingredient that is used in Khao Soi that gives it a really bold and birght flavour. The turmeric helps to give the soup that vibrant colour.
• Soy sauce: make sure to use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari if needed. Otherwise any soy sauce will do.
• Coconut sugar: traditionally in Thailand palm sugar is used to sweeten dishes. Coconut sugar has a similar taste and is often easier to find at grocery stores.
• Lime: this helps balance out the coconut sugar and the flavours in the soup.
• Rice Noodes: I use pad Thai noodles, but vermicelli noodles or egg noodles will also work well.

How to make Thai Coconut Soup

Step 1

Start by browning the onions, garlic and ginger in a pot with some vegetable oil in it, then add the curry paste and spices and mix it all together, letting curry paste toast slightly.

Step 2

Next, add the vegetable stock and coconut milk and mix everything until combined. Then season with soy sauce, coconut sugar and lime and mix together.

Step 3

Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Cook up some rice noodles according to package directions and add them to the soup. Top with some fresh herbs if you like!

Recipe add-ins and substitutions

There are so many different ways you can switch up this Vegan Thai Coconut Soup and ways you can vary it. This soup recipe can act as your “base” to play around with however you like!

Add-ins

• Bok choy
• Edamae
• Broccoli
• Thai eggplant
• Red peppers
• Mushrooms
• Soft tofu
• Herbs

Substitions

• Curry paste: substitite red curry paste for any curry paste you love (green or yellow would both work well)
• Rice noodles: change them for any noodles you love, or even konjac noodles for a grain-free option.
• Coconut sugar: if you can’t find this you can use maple syrup, agave or honey (for a non-vegan option)

The secret to a tasty Thai soup

Thai cusine is all about balancing sweet, salty, spicy and sour notes. You may notice that many Thai dishes have these elements in them that just create a huge burst of flavour when you eat them.

We achieve this combination of flavour in this soup by adding in coconut sugar, soy sauce and lime juice. You can also add in chillies, but keep in mind that most red curry pastes already have chillie in them which will give a spicy element to th dish.

Depenidng on your personal taste, you may find that you enjoy a bit more of some of these elements, so feel free to play around and add more or less of each of these ingredients to suite your personal taste.

How to store this vegetarian Thai soup

Fridge: store any leftover soup broth and noodles separately in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s important to store these separately, otherwise, the noodles will absorb all the broth if stored together and you won’t be left with much soup. (Also, this will make the noodles soggy.)

Freezer: store soup broth in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let defrost on the countertop or in the microwave. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Do not freeze the noodles with the soup! These will become soggy after being defrosted. It’s best to just make a batch of fresh noodles for servings.

FAQ

Some more Thai recipes to try:

• Thai Carrot And Ginger Soup
• Favourite Vegan Pad Thai 
• One pot Thai red curry noodles
• Vegan Pad See Ew
• Thai Coconut Curry Tofu
• Spicy Thai Butternut Squash Soup

If you tried this Northern-Style Thai Coconut Soup or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!

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