Thai Lemongrass-Tofu Noodle Soup (Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-free)

This simple recipe offers restaurant-quality Thai noodle soup in just a few steps. It's a great natural remedy if you're fighting a cold or flu bug, and will boost your mood too. It's the lemongrass that does it - this added to a variety of healthy greens and a mound of thin rice noodles (or the noodles of your choice). Combined with vegetable broth and coconut milk, this delicious soup is a complete meal in itself and a bowl of warm comfort on a chilly day. ENJOY!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: SERVES 2 as a main entree

How to make that: 

Ingredients:

• 8-10 oz. dried Thai rice noodes, linguini-width
• 1-2 stalks minced lemongrass , OR 4 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass
• 4-6 cups vegetable (or faux "chicken") stock (or regular chicken broth if non-veg.)
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick pieces
• 1/2 package medium or soft tofu (packed in water) - drain off the water and slice tofu into cubes
• 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets including stems
• 1-2 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces (bok choy, baby bok choy or su choy)
• 1-2 carrots, sliced
• 4 Tbsp. soy sauce OR wheat-free soy sauce (or use 3 Tbsp. fish sauce + 1 Tbsp. soy sauce if non-veg.)
• 1/2 can good-quality coconut milk
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves (available in frozen packets at Asian/Chinese food stores)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large (or substitute fresh coriander/cilantro)
• Optional: fresh-cut chilies OR chili sauce, to taste

Preparation:

1. Dunk noodles in a pot of boiling water and turn off the heat. Allow the noodles to soften while you prepare the soup.
2. Place stock in a soup pot together with lemongrass (include left-over stalk pieces if using fresh), plus galangal (or ginger), whole lime leaves, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer while you chop up and add the remaining vegetables. Simmer until vegetables have softened but are still bright in color (about 5 minutes).
3. Reduce heat to minimum and add the coconut milk, stirring to dissolve. Finally, add the tofu, gently stirring so it doesn't fall apart.
4. Add the soy sauce. If you prefer your soup spicy, add some fresh-cut chilies OR 1-2 tsp. chili sauce - or simply serve it on the side. Do a taste test, adding more soy sauce if not salty enough. If you find the soup too salty (this depends on how salty your broth was to start with), add 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice. If too sour for your taste, add 1 tsp. sugar.
5. Check rice noodles to make sure they have softened enough to eat (they should be 'al dente'). Drain the noodles and portion out into bowls. Pour several ladles of soup over each bowl of noodles. Sprinkle over fresh basil, and serve with chili sauce on the side, if desired - either store-bought or my own homemade Thai Chili Sauce (Nam Prik Pao) for an extra kick of flavor and spice. ENJOY!