Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu and Mushrooms
by SusanV on
February 7, 2006
Last night I realized
that I had an open can of coconut milk that I needed to use soon–never a bad
situation since coconut milk is one of my favorite foods. I decided to try to
recreate the coconut milk and tofu soup I’ve had in Thai restaurants, while
reducing the amount of coconut milk just enough to lighten up the recipe a
little. (If you prefer to avoid the coconut milk completely, see the *note at
the end of the recipe.)
Thai Coconut Soup
with Tofu and Mushrooms
I needed to work with
the ingredients that I had in my kitchen, so I made some adjustments to replace
some traditional ingredients I just didn’t have. One was lemongrass. I didn’t
have frozen lemongrass, but I did happen to have a jar of dried lemongrass, so
I used a couple of teaspoons of it in this recipe. If you have fresh or frozen
lemongrass, by all means, use it. But if you don’t have even the dried version,
use a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice instead.
Another traditional
ingredient that I don’t have access to is Kaffir lime leaves, so I’ve used 2
teaspoons of grated lime zest as a substitute. If you’re lucky enough to have
the original ingredient, use two teaspoons of the leaves sliced thin.
Thai Coconut Soup
with Tofu and Mushrooms
1 1/2 cups
unsweetened coconut milk*
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. grated lime
zest
2 tsp. dried
lemongrass
1 red bell pepper,
sliced into matchstick-sized strips (reserve some for garnish)
3 cups mild vegetable
stock**
1/2 to 2 teaspoons
Thai red curry paste, depending on desired hotness
1 package (12-14
ounces) extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes (not silken tofu)
15 ounces canned
straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed
2 tsp. vegan sugar or
other sweetener
2 tablespoons light
soy sauce
Salt to taste
Fresh lime juice to
taste
Grated lime peel, for
garnish
Combine lime zest,
lemongrass, ginger, and coconut milk with stock in a large saucepan and bring
to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add the curry paste a
half-teaspoon at a time, stirring well to combine and tasting as you go to make
sure you don’t make it too spicy. Stir in the tofu, mushrooms, sugar, soy
sauce, and salt, to taste. Simmer for about 10 more minutes. Add lime juice (I
used the juice of half a lime) and serve over rice, garnished with red pepper
strips and grated lime peel, with extra lime on the side.
*A note about the
coconut milk: I’ve had a lot of success substituting rice milk or soymilk for
coconut milk; to replace the coconut taste, I add coconut extract, tasting it
as I add it until it seems just coconutty enough
without tasting fake. Bryanna Clark Grogan recently posted a coconut milk substitute on her blog; it uses silken tofu, almond milk, and coconut powder.
**A note about the
stock: Choose a very mild vegetable stock or broth, one without an overwhelming
flavor of its own. A good option is Imagine Foods No-Chicken broth.
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This
came out delicious–redolent of coconut, ginger, and red curry. Adding a squeeze of lime juice just before
serving really makes the flavors pop. I tried to be conservative with the curry
paste, but I still managed to get it too spicy for my daughter. She wound up
eating just the tofu and mushrooms on a bed of rice. Oh well–more coconut broth
for the grown-ups!