Easy Vegan Khao Soi Thai Noodle Soup

Easy Vegan Khao Soi Thai Noodle Soup. A delicious savory vegan-form of this traditional curry noodle soup popular in northern Thailand made with plant-based ingredients including shiitake mushrooms.

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Easy Vegan Khao Soi Thai Noodle Soup.

Easy Vegan Khao Soi Thai Noodle Soup. That’s both a mouthful in words and in flavor.

Let me tell you more about this Thai noodle soup. Khao soi is a popular dish from the Chiang Mai region of northern Thailand.

It is a coconut curry Thai noodle soup and oddly not often found in Thai restaurants around the world. A co-worker here in Washington DC served an authentic version at an office party recently, and I thought, hmm..this could be made vegan.

The authentic version is made with egg noodles and chicken, which I replaced with glass bean noodles and shiitake mushrooms.

This ingredient list is longer than I normally like, haha, the lazy thing that I am. But actually, all the chopping and spicy aromas made this recipe an enjoyable experience.

AND, thanks to Kitchen Aid’s new thermal blender, it was also an easy experience. This blender is specially equipped to blend hot soup!

Easy to blend soups? Hello! This blender will get a lot of use this winter, let me tell you!

Tips on How to Make this Thai Noodle Soup

A few tips – be sure to shake up the can of full fat coconut milk (I know, so many recipes in life have you only using the fat separated after a night in the fridge. Well, not this time!). This makes for a very rich broth.

And while the paste is fun to make fresh, you can buy it and that cuts the time in half.

And I’d like to say something about the aminos. In this recipe, I have you marinate the butternut squash (or sweet potato) as well as the mushrooms in this delicious liquid. It only takes 20 minutes or so and brings a delicious savory softness to these veggies, no hot cooking needed usually (unless your butternut squash is particularly hard and under-ripe, then you might have to first steam, bake or microwave it.).

And in colder seasons, you are welcome to toss a bit of olive oil and a bit of chopped onion in a skillet, and pan-heat the marinated butternut squash and mushrooms together before tossing them in the soup. But not necessary, marinating them in liquid aminos should do enough “cooking” for you.

What are Liquid Aminos?

Liquid aminos are a common gluten-free alternative to soy sauce. Also made from soybeans, but in a more natural process that renders it alcohol-free. You can also use coconut aminos, also considered healthier than soy sauce, but which contains alcohol and is a bit low in sodium for some recipes.

I often marinate portebellos, for instance in either coconut aminos or liquid aminos to bring them amazing flavor before using these large mushroom caps as “hamburger buns” for my vegan sandwiches, haha.

But I digress. Let’s go make soup!

Like this vegan version? You might also be interested in this James Beard finalist’s vegetarian version using tofu

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5 from 2 votes

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Easy Vegan Khao Soi Thai Noodle Soup.

A delicious savory vegan-form of this traditional curry noodle soup popular in northern Thailand made with plant-based ingredients including shiitake mushrooms.

Course Main Course

Keyword khao soi thai, thai food, vegan thai food

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 2

Author Dee Dine

Ingredients

the spicy paste

• 1-2 red chilis, or more depending on their size
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ginger, peeled and chopped
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tsps ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp water
• OR BUY this paste ready-made as a short-cut! (Here is good brand)

the broth

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, full fat
• 1/2 cup butternut squash (I used organic canned for the broth)
• 3 tbsp liquid aminos (or tamari sauce or coconut aminos))
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1-2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• pinch salt

Other Components

• 1 broccolini stalk per serving
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms (white button can also be used)
• 1 cup butternut squash (or sweet potatoes) (whole veggie, peeled, chopped)
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds

Instructions

For Paste

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet, just enough to coat it. Slice the chilis in half and throw away the seeds. Stir fry the chilis for a minute or two, then toss them and the rest of the paste ingredients into a food processor (I used a mini one) and blend into a lumpy paste (add more or less water to achieve a paste) and set aside.
   

For the Broth

1. Heat the broth in a pot. When steaming but not boiling, pour in the coconut milk, stirring as it separates. Stir in a few tablespoons of the paste you made, and then the rest of the broth ingredients. Keep stirring until soup becomes thick. I used a thermal blender so I just finished off the thickening by putting my soup in there for a hot spin, but if you don't have a thermal blender, keep simmering for about 1-2 minutes, keeping up with the stirring..

Prep of other components

1. Chop the butternut squash and soak them and the mushrooms in the liquid aminos for about 20 minutes or until both are "squishy". If your butternut squash is hard and under-ripe, you might want to steam it first. (Both the butternut squash and mushrooms should be squishy before adding to the soup; another option is to saute them both, after marinading, in a hot skillet with a bit of olive oil to heat them as well as to soften them.)
   

   Steam the broccolini.

   Prepare the noodles according to package.

   Reconstitute the sundried tomatoes
   

Soup Assembly

1. Pour broth in a bowl, top with cilantro, your favorite plant-based noodles, marinated butternut squash and mushrooms, broccolini and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and a sprinkle of lime juice.
   

   Mix a half-cup chopped sundried tomatoes in the remaining paste, and serve on the side to be used as a garnish.

Thank you Kitchen Aid for sponsoring this post. The recipe, ideas, content and opinions expressed here are all my own. I do recommend you try the appliances of Kitchen Aid, a brand I have long used and respect.

Dee Dine

Dee Dine is the recipe developer and writer behind Green Smoothie Gourmet. She shares her super healthy wholesome recipes on her blog and her Instagram that she feeds her family and friends. She gravitates toward recipes that are fast to create, plant-based, nutritious, easy, and use familiar ingredients. And chocolate is always a good idea! More about Dee.