Tom Kha Jay
Vegan Coconut Galanga SoupMaking Thai soups plantbased is easy. A lot of people look down on instant vegetable bases andconcentrates, but they are packed with umami and flavor. They all vary slightlyin salt level so you might need to dial in your amounts either to back down thesaltiness or to ramp up the amount of the base to get more savory andsaltiness.
Ingredients
MAKES: 4 SERVINGS, ABOUT 2 CUPS (480 ML) EACH
- 8 cups 1.9 L cold water
- 3 oz 85 g vegetable base paste like Knorr or Minor’s
- 3 –5 thin slices galanga
- 1 stalk lemongrass tough outer leaves discarded, sliced thinly on the bias
- 2 kaffir lime leaves folded in half and twisted
- 1 –3 fresh Thai chilies split
- 6 oz 170 g medium firmness tofu in water, drained and cut into 1-inch (3-cm) cubes
- 1 15-oz [425-g] can straw mushrooms, drained
- 1 cup 90 g chopped cabbage
- 1 cup 240 ml full-fat coconut milk
- 1½ tbsp 22 ml white vinegar
- 1 tbsp 15 ml fresh lime juice
- 1½ tsp 7 g kosher salt
- 1½ tbsp 23 g white sugar
- Cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Pour the water into a 4-quart (3.
- 8-L) pot over high heat.
- Bring the water to a boil and whisk in the vegetable base until it is completely dissolved.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and place the pieces of galanga, lemongrass, lime leaves and chilies into the pot.
- Simmer for 30 minutes to make the stock.
- To finish the soup, stir in the tofu, mushrooms and cabbage and cook until the cabbage softens, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk, vinegar, lime juice, salt and sugar.
- Continue stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
- Taste and adjust any of the flavors if you’d like, then garnish with the cilantro leaves and serve.