Thai Red Lentil Soup

I was surprised to come across this completely vegan soup recipe in a Western Living Magazine.  It's an easy little soup to prepare and yields a surprising punch of flavour.

Makes about 4 servings.


ingredients:

• 4 oz sugar snap peas
• 3 Tbsp oil (recipe calls for sunflower, I use coconut)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and gently bashed with a rolling pin
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

method:

Cook the sugar snap peas in a small saucepan of boiling water for 90 seconds. Drain, refresh under cold water, then spread out on a clean towel to dry. Cut the sugar snaps diagonally into very thin slices and set aside. 

In a large pot, heat oil over low heat. Add onion. Cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until onion is completely soft and sweet (10 to 15 minutes). Stir in curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute

Add water, lentils, lemongrass, lime leaves, coconut milk lime juice, soy sauce and salt.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until lentils are completely soft (about 15 minutes). Add snap peas if serving right away.  If preparing ahead of time, reheat gently and, once soup is almost boiling, add the sugar snap peas.

Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Add a scattering of cilantro for garnish.

Vegan Thai Coconut Soup

This photo shows how we like to have the "soup", as a broth over rice noodles with various additions

There are two restaurants here in town that make absolutely amazing vegan Thai coconut soup (Chau Veggie and East is East), and my husband and I have become completely addicted to them.  The one restaurant has additions such as enoki mushrooms and other slim bits of veggies, while the other restaurant uses the soup as a broth served over your choice of rice or noodles (we always opt for the noodles). This version also has additions such as a few large chunks of pan fried tofu, yams, taro and a few kale leaves.  The downside to these two restaurants is that they are a good half hour drive away from us, in a direction of town that we don't often go, so not great for combining with other outings.

When I was visiting my sister-in-law back in the fall she made a coconut squash soup that had a very similar flavour and she told me the secret is in the kaffir lime leaves.  I started searching all over town and couldn't find them anywhere, then last week my husband came home from work with a massive bag of frozen leaves from Price Club right across the street from his work (the Grandview location). (Apparently T&T have kaffir lime leaves as well)  He also brought me a bag of pre-mashed lemongrass - how handy!.

I set to work scouring the internet for a vegan recipe that looked similar to the soups from the two restaurants.  I narrowed it down to three potential recipes and upon close examination decided that the Thai Coconut Soup by Beth from Tasty Yummies was by far the closest.  It's a very easy recipe to make, and once I'd had it sit and cool slightly a bit I gave it a taste (I'm not a taste-as-you-go person, I made final adjustments at the end).  WOW - I was so blown away I called my husband at work right away and enthused about how I now had the power to make what we always thought was some exotic, unattainable culinary feat.  I also contacted Beth from Tasty Yummies to let her know how amazing her recipe is, and to ask permission to post it here.

I did make some slight changes to suit my personal taste, and for my own reference I've made note of a few other additions I'd like to try.  The first time I made this my husband and I ladled the soup over rice noodles (the soup was enough for 4 portions), but I'll definitely be making it again as just a stand-alone soup. Perhaps  knock the taste buds off some friends some time!

**I highly recommend you check out the original recipe here before going ahead and making it as Beth goes into greater detail than I and you may like to use some of the ingredients I have omitted.

ingredients:

• 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable broth (I used 'Pacific' brand - but this is just for my reference, use whatever brand you usually like to use)
• 1 398ml can full-fat organic coconut milk 
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tsp pre-mashed lemon grass (I have access to a frozen bulk version of lemongrass)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 6 kaffir lime leaves
• 6 thin slices of ginger, peeled, about 1/2" diameter round
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups tofu, diced (I used medium firm as I can't digest the firm variety properly. The original recipe calls for firm)
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes

other possible additions:

• mung bean sprouts
• enoki mushroom
• chunks of carrot / yam / sweet potato / taro
• rice noodles - made separately, individual portions placed in large bowls with the soup ladled over top

method:

In a large saucepan bring the vegetable broth to a boil.  Add in all the remaining ingredients and let simmer 15 minutes. Pretty hard, huh?

Adapted from the original Tom Kha Gai recipe on Tasty Yummies