This simple recipe offers restaurant-quality Thai noodle soup in just a few steps. It's a great natural remedy if you're fighting a cold or flu bug, and will boost your mood too. It's the lemongrass that does it - this added to a variety of healthy greens and a mound of thin gluten-free rice noodles. Combined with vegetable broth and coconut milk, this delicious soup is a complete meal and a bowl of warm comfort on a cool day. ENJOY!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- SERVES 2 as a main entree
- 8-10 oz. dried Thai rice noodes, linguini-width
- 1-2 stalks lemongrass (see complete instructions below), OR 4 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass
- 4-6 cups vegetable (or faux "chicken") stock (or regular chicken broth if non-veg.)
- 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick-like pieces
- 1/2 package medium or soft tofu (packed in water) - drain off the water and slice tofu into cubes
- 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets including stems
- 1-2 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces (bok choy, baby bok choy or su choy)
- 1-2 carrots, sliced
- 4 Tbsp. soy sauce OR wheat-free soy sauce (or use 3 Tbsp. fish sauce + 1 Tbsp. soy sauce if non-veg.)
- 1/2 can good-quality coconut milk
- 3-4 kaffir lime leaves (available in frozen packets at Asian/Chinese food stores)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large (or substitute fresh coriander/cilantro)
- Optional for serving: Nam Prik Pao Chili Sauce (see link below)
Preparation:
- For complete instructions on how to buy and cook with lemongrass, see: All About Lemongrass: Your Guide to Buying, Preparing, and Cooking with Lemongrass.
- First, dunk noodles in a pot of boiling water. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Allow the noodles to soften in the hot water while you prepare the soup.
- Place stock in a soup pot together with lemongrass (include left-over stalk pieces if using fresh), plus galangal (or ginger), whole lime leaves, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer while you chop up and add the remaining vegetables (about 5 minutes).
- Add the remaining vegetables. Stir and allow to simmer 2 more minutes.
- Reduce heat to minimum and add the coconut milk, stirring until dissolved. Finally, add the tofu, gently stirring so it doesn't fall apart.
- Add the soy sauce. If you prefer your soup spicy, add 1-2 tsp. chili sauce (OR simply serve it on the side for those who like it).
- Do a taste test, adding more soy sauce if not salty enough. If you find the soup too salty (this depends on how salty your broth was to start with), add 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice. If too sour for your taste, add 1 tsp. sugar.
- Check rice noodles to make sure they have softened enough to eat (they should be 'al dente'). Drain the noodles and portion them out into bowls. Tip: If you have extra noodles left over, leave them in the colander and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.
- Pour several ladles of soup over each bowl of noodles. Sprinkle fresh basil over each bowl. Serve with a topping of fresh basil, plus some chili sauce on the side, if desired - either store-bought or my own homemade Nam Prik Pao Chili Sauce Recipe for an extra kick of flavor and spice. ENJOY!
