This Tom Yum Zoodles soup is delightfully fragrant and easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. The recipe is low in carb, quick to make, and gluten-free that is perfect for any season of the year.
What is Tom Yum Zoodles soup
Tom Yum soup is one of the most well-known soup in Thai cuisines. I have always loved this soup since I was a kid. My mouth starts to salivate just thinking about it. The soup is spicy, sour, and packed with the fragrant aroma from the lime leaves, lemongrass, and galangal. In today’s recipe, I’ll be sharing a homemade version using the Easy Vegan Sambal and homemade Vegan ‘Fish’ Sauce.
Zoodle is zucchini or courgette spiralized into noodles form and is one of my favorite ways to add more plants to my diet. Zucchini has a mild flavor with very little moisture which makes it a great complement ingredient in baked goods such as bread, brownie, or smoothie. Check out the recipe below to see how I incorporate zoodles in the Tom Yum soup.
Key Ingredients
There are many variations of Tom Yum soup and each one is based on personal preference. Below are some of my favorite key ingredients and check the ‘Tom Yum Zoodles Soup Variations’ section for some other subs.
- Chili paste – Instead of using Thai chili paste, I used my homemade sambal in this recipe. And, if you have a favorite brand of chili paste at home, feel free to use that instead.
- Lime leaves – Lime leaves have the most decadent citrusy flavor when added to soup. However, it’s not easy to find this fragrant herb around me, especially the fresh ones. So, sometimes, I used a blend of lime juice and lime zest to replicate the flavor. While the flavor may not be as fragrant as lime leaves, but this is the closest sub for that zesty taste in the soup. Another great alternative for the sour taste is tamarind juice. I highly recommended making tamarind juice from wet tamarind for a fresher taste.
- Lemongrass (Serai) – is one of my favorite herbs to use in cooking especially in curries, stir-fries, and Tom Yum soup. It adds a lemony touch to dishes and can be found fresh, dried, or frozen.
- Galangal – has a smoother and paler skin with a harder and lighter color flesh compare to ginger. Galangal has an earthy and citrusy flavor which is one of the main ingredients for Tom Yum soup.
- ‘Fish’ Sauce – I used this Vegan ‘Fish’ Sauce to add an umami flavor to the soup
How to make an easy version of Tom Yum soup
This version is the simplest way to make the soup with your favorite Tom Yum paste and it takes less than 15 minutes.
Step 1: Start by bringing a pot of vegetable broth to a rolling boil, then add in the Tom Yum paste.
Step 2: While the soup is simmering, add mushrooms, tomatoes, or any other ingredients of choice, then season accordingly to your preference.
Step 3: Stir in the coconut milk (optional) and add the zoodles or noodles of choice.
Step 4: Garnish with your favorite toppings and serve warm. It’s that EASY!
Tom Yum Zoodles soup variations
- Tom Yum Paste – there are a few great brands on the market that are vegan-friendly and gluten-free. Add a tablespoon or two into each cup of vegetable stock to create a delicious Tom Yum soup. I normally add more lemongrass or lime leaves or tamarind juice to the mix.
- Galangal – while ginger is one of the closest sub but it cannot be replaced with the same amount where a recipe calls for it. So, if you can’t find galangal, sub with a tiny amount of ginger along with lime juice or zest.
- Other types of noodles – such as squash, rice noodles, or your favorite noodles work great in this recipe.
- Coconut milk – I love canned coconut milk but if you are not a big fan of it, other creamy unsweetened plant-based milk can be used as well to get a creamy texture.
In conclusion, this Tom Yum Zoodles soup is:
- Flavorful
- Low-carb
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Simple, Easy
- and… TASTY!
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!
Tom Yum Zoodles Soup
Equipment
- Spiralizer
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized zucchini spiralized
- ¼ cup mushrooms quartered, used Bella
- ¼ cup tomatoes used grape tomatoes
- 4 oz [100g] firm tofu pressed
- 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only pounded
- 3 slices galangal
- 5 lime leaves
- 3 teaspoons red chili paste/sambal
- 2 tablespoons Vegan 'fish' sauce
- 1 Thai chili chopped
- 2 cups [475ml] vegetable broth or homemade stock
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- juice from 2 limes
- ½ cup [125ml] coconut milk or more for a creamier version
- oil for cooking
- salt to taste
Garnishes
- chili oil
- sliced red onions or shallots
- fried shallots
- chopped cilantro
- lime wedges
Instructions
- To prepare the tofu, cut it into your desired shape. In a heated non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil, pan-fry tofu until golden brown on both sides. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside.
- Using the back of a knife, pound lemongrass a few times to release its flavor, then slice it thinly.
- In a heated non-stick pan with 3 teaspoons of oil, sauté lemongrass, lime leaves, and galangal until fragrant.
- Then, stir in sambal, vegan 'fish' sauce, chili, and vegetable broth. Let the mixture simmer over low-medium heat for 5 minutes, covered.
- Meanwhile, spiralized the zucchini into noodles and set aside.
- Remove *lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves at this point, if needed. Once the soup has reduced slightly, add the mushrooms, tomatoes, tofu, then season with lime juice and coconut sugar. Season accordingly.
- Add in the coconut milk, and slowly place in the zucchini noodles, then turn off the heat. Alternatively, ladle hot soup over spiralized zucchini to retain the crunchy texture.
- Garnish with a swirl of chili oil, sliced red onions, fried shallots and lime wedges before serving.
Notes
- 1 zucchini, spiralized
- 1/4 cup Bella mushrooms, sliced or quartered
-
1/4 cup heirloom tomatoes, halved
- 4oz pan-fried firm tofu
- 1 stalk lemongrass (white part), pounded (optional)
- 3 slices galangal (optional
- 2 lime leaves (optional)
- 1/2 – 1 tablespoon Tom Yum paste
-
2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar (adjust accordingly)
-
2 Thai chilis, chopped
-
2 cups vegetable broth
- juice from 2 limes
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.
This looks wonderful! Can I use normal sugar instead of coconut?
Hi Jessica, Yes you can! If you are using store-bought Tom Yum Paste, you might not need any sugar especially if you like spicy. Enjoy and Happy cooking!
You need to publish a cookbook if you haven’t already.
Aww, thank you for the suggestion, Lisa!:-)