Easy Vegan Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Kai)

A veggie-packed, easy to make, vegan Thai coconut soup with kale, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and more. No lemongrass? No problem! This soup recipe has a few hacks that make it simple yet authentic tasting.
A Jerry James Stone Recipe

Categories

Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 cup cubed sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup broccoli rice
  • 8 oz brown mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 qt veggie broth
  • 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
  • 1 small lemon, peeled
  • 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
  • ¼ cup mushroom sauce
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • 2 (13-ounce) can coconut milk
  • 12 oz firm tofu, cubed
  • 4 oz baby kale, chopped
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
Jump to instructions
Yields 8
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Instructions

  • Warm 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over a medium heat in a medium-sized soup pot.
  • Add the 2 cups of sweet potatoes and cook until tender. About 10 minutes. Add in the 1 cup broccoli rice, 8 ounces mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.
  • Storage Tip: Never store fresh sweet potatoes in the refrigerator. The sweet spot, pun intended, is to store them at a few degrees below room temperature.
  • Add in the 2 cloves of garlic and cook for a minute.
  • Cooking Tip: You can easily peel garlic by putting cloves or even a whole bulb in a mason jar, shake it hard for about thirty seconds and you have freshly peeled garlic.
  • Add in 1 quart of veggie broth. I like to add in a little to get it heated up faster and then add in the remainder. This method seems to cook the soup faster.
  • Add the 3-inch piece of ginger cut into slices, the peels from 1 lemon, the 1 tablespoon of red curry paste, the ¼ cup of mushroom sauce (vegan oyster sauce), and ½ cup of lime juice.
  • Add 2 cans of coconut milk and bring to a boil.
  • Storage Tip: Canned coconut milk is good about 6 months past the Best By date but only lasts about 5 days once opened. You can freeze it but it may get grainy. Simply blend it or strain it. It will keep about 3 months in the freezer.
  • Mix in 12 ounces of cubed tofu, 4 ounces baby kale, and remove from heat. Add 1 teaspoon brown sugar and ¼ teaspoon sea salt to taste.