Ever since we went to Thailand five years ago, I’ve been making this soup. I wasn’t yet vegetarian when we were there so I used to make it with chicken, but amended it to be vegan (using tofu) more recently.
I don’t know what it is about this soup, but when we were in Thailand I had it every day – I couldn’t get enough. It’s so flavoursome and warming but also refreshing.
At home I have a weekly meal-plan that works on a five week rotation. Yes, it might sound banal, but when you’re serious about health, you have to be organised. I found it’s the only way to keep things stress-free and help with all the prep. Anyway, this meal appears twice in our five weeks because we all love it so much!
We try to eat broccoli at least 3-4 times a week for vitamins C, K and for folate, so I whack a load of that in there. Tofu is the protein substitute and I coat it in cornflour first to give it a slightly more crunchy texture. Kaffir lime leaves give this an awesome zesty flavour and offer detoxification and contribute to gut health. Lastly, the shiitake mushrooms are a must for any Thai dish, and I just love them for how high in Vitamin D they are.
As a side note, Thai people use fish sauce in this recipe to give it that salty flavour. If you are not vegan and eat fish, you can use this, if not, use tamari.
You can serve this with rice or quinoa, whatever your preference. It may seem like a lot of ingredients but as long as you get them all out before you start, it’s really easy!
Ingredients
1 pack of firm tofu, cut into cubes
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp coconut oil
3-4 cups vegetable stock
2 stalks lemongrass
1 tbsp lemongrass paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried chilli
5 kaffir lime leaves
1 tbsp tamari or fish sauce (for info read above)
2 packs shiitake mushrooms
2 cans full-fat coconut milk
Juice of half a lime
I whole head of broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 tsp coconut palm sugar
Handful roughly chopped coriander
Method
Pour the stock into a large cooking pot and bring to the boil.
Add the lemongrass and boil for 1-2 minutes, then add the minced garlic, lemongrass paste, chilli flakes, lime leaves and mushrooms and simmer for a few minutes.
While it’s cooking, coat the tofu cubes in the cornflour and heat some coconut oil in a small pan. Add the tofu cubes to the pan and cook until slightly golden on all sides. Set aside.
Go back to the large cooking pot and add the coconut milk and give it a good mix.
Now add the lime juice, tamari or fish sauce, coconut palm sugar and then the tofu.
Let it simmer for 10 minutes then garnish with coriander and serve with rice or quinoa.
Love & health,
Lauren
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