Vegan Tom Kha (Vegan Thai Coconut Soup)

Our Tom Kha Soup or Thai Coconut Soup recipe is the vegan version of the common Tom Kha Gai. Made with a homemade chilli paste, our recipe has a unique flavour yet keeps the aroma and taste of the traditional recipe.

Tom Kha is one of the recipes that we learnt how to cook while in Thailand and is together with Khao Soi our favourite choice when it comes to creamy soups. If you have been following us for some time now, you'll probably know that Thai cuisine is one of our favourites.

This is a simple dish that combines the flavours of a homemade Thai chilli paste and aromatic and tasty vegetable broth made with galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass, with the creaminess of the coconut milk, the saltiness of soy sauce and the tanginess of some freshly squeezed lime.

Our Thai Coconut Soup and this Vegan Chop Suey are our favourite options for a rainy day or for those days when you want to eat something light yet comforting. Served with some rice on the side makes for a perfect main meal too.

Our Tom Kha Soup is:

• Vegan
• Thai-inspired
• Can be made gluten-free if using tamari instead of soy sauce
• Spicy
• A starter or main dish
• Creamy

What is Tom Kha?

Tom Kha would translate to galangal soup. Galangal root is a spice from the same family as ginger. Tom Kha soup consists of a spiced broth made with aromatics such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and of course galangal combined with coconut milk.

Traditionally, Tom Kha is made with chicken (Tom Kha Gai) but this is our vegan version which includes plant-based protein such as mushrooms and tofu and no fish sauce.

Tom Kha vs Tom Yum

Both Tom Kha and Tom Yum are hot and sour soups prepared with fragrant spices. The main difference is the coconut milk added to the Tom Kha, which makes it a creamy version of Tom Yum Soup. As well, Tom Yum is normally served with shrimp while Tom Kha is served with chicken (Gai)

How to make Vegan Thai Coconut Soup

Ingredients

• Red Chilli Paste. For our Tom Kha recipe, we prepare a simple paste made with bird's eye chillis, carrot, shallot, garlic and soy sauce. We briefly stir fry the chillis, carrot, shallot or onion, and garlic before blending everything with a splash of soy sauce to make the paste. If you want to speed up the cooking process and have some red curry paste on hand, you can use that instead. If you are using dried chillis, you'll need to rehydrate them in warm water for about 15 minutes before using.
• Galangal. It may be difficult to find depending on where you live but Tom Kha really calls for galangal. You can try to find it in an Asian supermarket fresh, frozen or even dried. Otherwise, you can use ginger instead of galangal.
• Lemongrass. One of the most popular ingredients in Thai food. Lemongrass will give your soup a proper Thai fragrance and flavour.
• Kaffir lime leaves. This is a must ingredient when cooking Thai soups or curries. You may be able to find them frozen or dried. You can substitute this ingredient by using lime juice or kaffir lime zest.
• Plant-based protein. For our Thai coconut soup we love using tofu and a variety of mushrooms.
• Vegetable broth or stock. If you are like us and always have some veggie broth in the freezer, now is the time to take it out. You can use store-bought vegetable stock.
• Coconut milk.
• Sweetener. This recipe calls for a little bit of sweetness too. You can use palm sugar widely used in Thailand or another type of sweetener.
• Soy sauce. Use tamari for a gluten-free option or this vegan fish sauce.
• Lime juice. A splash of freshly squeezed lime juice at the end makes a huge difference.

Don't worry if you don't have many of the ingredients on the list. You can find online Tom Kha packs that contain almost everything you need. We have seen a similar frozen pack in our local Asian supermarket, which is super handy if you don't want to buy a big amount of galangal and lemongrass.

Step by Step Method

Make the chilli paste. Using gloves, cut the red chills, remove the seeds and roughly chop them. Roughly chop the carrot, shallot and garlic. Heat some coconut oil in a pan and add the ingredients. Once they start to brown, transfer to a blender jug, add soy sauce and blend until you have a smooth paste.

1. Briefly stirfry the paste with the galangal and lemongrass.
2. Pour the vegetable stock and add kaffir lime leaves, mushroom, tofu and sugar. Bring to a simmer and leave simmering for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk and soy sauce. Stir for 2 minutes making sure it doesn't get to a boiling point as it could curdle, and remove from the heat.
4. Serve with chopped cilantro and a splash of freshly squeezed lime.

How to serve our Vegan Tom Kha Soup

Tom Kha is normally served as an appetizer or starter. It's a great option for a light lunch or dinner and it can be served as a main dish as well if you want to serve it a portion of rice or rice noodles.

For spicy food lovers, you could serve some chilli oil on the side, chilli flakes or sriracha.

Keep any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheat using a microwave or a pot.

FAQ and Tips

• Before serving, add some chopped cilantro or coriander and a splash of freshly squeezed lime for the perfect taste and presentation.
• If you like your soup spicier, add some chilli oil before serving.
• Is Tom Kha Vegan? Not naturally. The original recipe is Tom Kha Gai which includes chicken and fish sauce. It is normally made with chicken broth instead of vegetable stock. Our recipe is made with tofu and mushrooms instead of chicken and soy sauce instead of fish sauce.
• Is Tom Kha gluten-free? Simple use tamari instead of soy sauce and your recipe will be 100% gluten-free. If you are using a stock cube, make sure is gluten-free.
• What can I use instead of galangal? You can use ginger or dried galangal.
• Which other plant-based protein can I use? Instead of tofu, you could add seitan, soy curls or tempeh.
• Which vegan red chilli paste can I buy already made? Aroy-D red curry paste is vegan and has a great flavour.
• Is Tom Kha healthy? You can reduce the amount of sugar or skip this ingredient to make our recipe even healthier. We use freshly made chilli paste with no additives. Tom Kha is low in carbohydrates.

If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations!

Other Thai-inspired recipes

• Vegan Khao Soi
• Thai Red Curry with Tofu
• Vegan Pad Thai