This vegan Thai lemongrass noodle soup is just what I need these cold days. As I'm sure you've heard of the #BeastFromTheEast as the Brits are calling it, these past few days have been exceptional cold March days. I'm not too worried about it. I'm tired of Easter being full of wet snow patches, mud – not good conditions for the Easter I'm all about; cross country skiing, chocolate, oranges and puzzles. Alright, one might do puzzles and eat chocolate in bad weather, but it's not the same. I want to be tired from a day out in the sun skiing and get back to the cabin, take a shower and relax with a puzzle.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. 3 more weeks of winter, and I'm embracing it with this spicy vegan Thai lemongrass noodle soup. As some might know, whenever I see a dish including lemongrass on a menu, rest assured I'll be ordering it. I was in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia last Summer, and I ate – so much – lemongrass, I was in heaven. Lemongrass is one of my all time favorite ingredients, it makes any Thai or Vietnamese dish taste more authentic, along with the delicious kaffir lime leaves. YES.
Story about this photoshoot: I was super stressed out during this photoshoot, I didn't have much time but I still decided to try using my tripod. (I really recommend this tripod if you have heavy camera equipment such as my Canon EOS 7D with my Canon EF 50mm lens ). Back and forth and a few curse words later, I had to jump in the car to help my dad with something. When I was sitting in the car, I realized something – I had forgotten the noodles! I couldn't do it over again, but the soup was so delicious I had to share. So yeah, no noodles in the pictures, but noodles in my belly. And yours soon, hopefully.
As it's been so cold lately, I've been craving soup. However, hungry men don't always agree that soup is dinner, so it had been put on hold for many days. I couldn't take it any longer, I thought about soup all day, so this weekend I made soup for lunch. It was a success. Spicy from the green curry paste (Here's a vegan version , and if you want to make your own, here's one from Minimalist Baker) and chilis, creamy from the coconut milk, hearty and filling from the noodles and a few crunchy elements such as sugar snap peas and toasted coconut. This recipe is adapted from Well Fed Soul.
Begin with chopping up the ingredients. Smash the lemongrass stem with the pestle (from your mortar and pestle), and cut it into tiny pieces. Chop the other ingredients finely, apart from the sugar snap peas. I cut them in half, I wanted the crunch, but not overpowering.
Heat canola oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 6-7 minutes. Once translucent and a few brown pieces, add in the garlic, vegan green curry paste , lemongrass and ginger. Stir one more minute.
In another bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, soy sauce, oyster sauce (only if not vegetarian/vegan), palm sugar , lime juice and smoked paprika. Pour it slowly into the soup pot. Add in vegetable broth and increase the temperature to high.
Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce it to simmer for around 20 minutes, uncovered. This will get the flavors a chance to really pop and harmonize with each other. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions. If you want it vegan, go for rice noodles or vermicelli noodles, if not I really like to use egg noodles in this dish.
Add in the sugar snap peas 1-2 minutes before serving. Taste the soup and season with salt. Enjoy this lemongrass noodle soup with noodles, chopped cilantro, spring onions, sesame seeds and toasted coconut flakes. I toast coconut in a dry pan for a few minutes, until you see small brown patches.
Have a wonderful soup day!
Spicy from the green curry paste and chilis, creamy from the coconut milk, hearty and filling from the noodles and a few crunchy elements such as sugar snap peas and toasted coconut.
1 tsp oyster sauce optional, only if not vegan!
Begin with chopping up the ingredients. Smash the lemongrass stem with the pestle (from your mortar and pestle), and cut it into tiny pieces. Chop the other ingredients finely, apart from the snow peas. I cut them in half, I wanted the crunch, but not overpowering.
Heat canola oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 6-7 minutes. Once translucent and a few brown pieces, add in the garlic, curry paste*, lemongrass and ginger. Stir one more minute.
In another bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, soy sauce, oyster sauce (only for non-vegans), palm sugar, lime juice and smoked paprika. Pour it slowly into the soup pot. Add in vegetable broth and increase the temperature to high.
Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce it to simmer for around 20 minutes, uncovered. This will get the flavors a chance to really pop and harmonize with each other. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions**.
** If you want it vegan, go for rice noodles or vermicelli noodles, if not I really like to use egg noodles in this dish.
Did you make it? I'd love to see, tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram!
This sounds so cozy and flavorful — we love spicy soups at my house!
Thank you, Caitlin. Spicy soups are my definite favorite!
The soup looked lovely but the green curry paste has shrimp. do you know of one without the shrimp or any fish in the paste?
Oh, thank you so much for noticing! I have updated the recipe with links for vegan green curry paste, and also a recipe if you want to make your own. Thank you for your interest.