A simple soup with bold flavours, made with pantry staples like Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, rice noodles, and veggies. Vegan and gluten free.

There is a knee-deep blanket of snow outside as I am writing this, so we are very much in soup season still. But snow or not, the truth is I cook and eat soup every season. Soups are an easy way to pack in lots of vegetables, they are comforting and cozy, and a lighter yet satisfying meal. When the fridge is nearly empty, I can still dig up some veg bits to turn into soup. Briefly put, it is my dinner/lunch safety net. 

I claim no authenticity when it comes to this soup – only that it’s deeply aromatic, simple to make, and accessible in 30 minutes flat on a weeknight. That’s a pretty valid claim to fame in my book.

About Thai red curry paste

The flavour base of this soup is Thai red curry paste. It is a condiment that typically contains: chilis, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, shallot, cilantro root, salt, and kaffir lime zest. Sometimes the paste contains shellfish, so read the ingredient list carefully if you have a shellfish allergy or just want to keep things plant based. I buy this one which does not contain any fish or shellfish ingredients. 

The paste is easily available in most large grocery stores these days. You can also find it at specialty stores that carry Asian ingredients, though the spiciness level will be different. Typically, Asian-made brands of Thai curry paste are, in my experience, spicier. If you are looking for extra heat, they are your best bet. 

I used to turn my nose up at ready-made sauces, because the foodie in me wants to make everything from scratch. Granted, blending up a red curry sauce isn’t particularly difficult, but also, it’s not a project I’d sign up for on a weeknight. The grocery store option offers a flavourful base that’s incredibly convenient to use, and I am further doctoring it up with flavour heavy-hitters like garlic, ginger, and tamari/soy sauce, to give the soup more depth.

About the recipe

We start by creating a flavourful broth that carries Asian inspired flavours. Garlic and ginger are sauteed in coconut oil, then we add the Thai red curry paste. It’s important to cook the aromatics and the curry paste for about 1 minute, to help the flavours develop in the heat. Then we add rich coconut milk, and water to lighten the broth. 

The body of the soup is rice vermicelli noodles for the “slurp factor,” and steamed and fresh vegetables. The veggies I’ve listed are just suggestions. Experiment to find the ones you love best, whether that’s squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, or broccolini (or tenderstem broccoli for my UK friends). Finally, the soup is garnished with any combination of: thinly sliced green onions, cilantro leaves, black sesame seeds.

How to adapt this recipe for your taste

Here are some ways you can customize this soup, if you prefer:

• if it’s too spicy for you or your children, add more full-fat coconut milk and add a bit more salt, if necessary
• do you want more spice? Then increase the curry paste to 3 tablespoons, and/or add 1-2 chopped red chilis in step one, when sauteeing the garlic and ginger in coconut oil
• if you want to add protein, for a complete meal, add cubed tofu. But remember that the soup will be better on day 2, after the tofu has had time to soak up the flavours of the broth. You can use silken tofu, but this will crumble up as you stir the soup.
• if you don’t have rice noodles, use plain cooked rice. You’ll lose the “slurp factor” but will save a trip to the store
• you can use any of these toppings to serve with the soup: steamed broccoli florets, steamed broccolini, chopped fresh snap pea pods, fresh button mushrooms, fresh enoki or shimeji mushrooms, fresh bean sprouts. Garnish with Thai basil instead of the cilantro for a twist.

Thai inspired red curry soup

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Cuisine Asian inspired, Gluten free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp garlic paste (about 3 cloves, finely grated on the microplane)
• 1 tbsp ginger paste (about a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated on the microplane)
• 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 398 ml (13.5 oz) can unsweetened, full fat coconut milk
• 1 ¾ cup (400 ml) filtered water
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• ¼ tsp salt if needed
• 2.3 ounces (65 g) thin rice vermicelli noodles, or another rice noodle of your preference
• 4-5 baby bok choi or 2 cups broccoli florets steamed

Garnish:

• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Fresh snap pea pods chopped thinly on a bias, for crunch
• Thinly chopped green onions
• Lime juice

Instructions

 

• Heat the coconut oil in a medium size soup pot. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 30 seconds, then add the red curry paste. Continue cooking for about 1 minute, stirring continuously (some of the aromatics will stick to the bottom) and not letting the aromatics burn.
• Pour in the coconut milk, then fill the coconut milk can with water (this is the 1 ¾ cups water mentioned in the ingredients), and add that to the pot as well. Stir well to dislodge from the bottom any stuck bits. Bring to a boil, and add the soy sauce, then taste and add the additional salt only if needed. Simmer gently while you prepare the noodles and veg.
• While the soup cooks, soak or cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions. Drain well. If using bok choi, wash and cut in two lengthwise, then steam until tender. If using broccoli florets, you can either add them straight into the soup, or steam them separately until deep green, and they still retain a bite.
• When the noodles and veggies are ready, add them all to the broth. Simmer for a couple minutes more, then remove from the heat. Serve immediately in bowls, and garnish it with cilantro leaves, thin slices of green onions, fresh sugar snap peas, black sesame.

Keyword red curry soup, Thai, vegan red curry soup, vegan soup

If you’re looking for more soup recipes, perhaps you might enjoy the green minestrone soup recipe I posted a while back. Enjoy!