Thai red curry noodle soup with tofu
15 min · 18 g protein · 382 cals / serving
A fragrant red curry and coconut broth with ginger and garlic, full of tofu, mushrooms, bok choy, carrot, red pepper and bean sprouts, ladled over rice noodles and finished with lime, cilantro and basil. A takeaway-style bowl in 15 minutes, vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 4 oz dried thin rice vermicelli rice noodles
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 4 green onions, sliced, whites and greens apart
- 1 tbsp ginger, finely grated
- 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 3 tbsp thai curry paste, red, vegan (many contain shrimp paste; check the label)
- 2 cups vegetable broth, gluten-free (some stock contains wheat)
- 2 cups water
- 1 can (13.5 oz) light coconut milk
- 1 block (14 oz) prepared extra firm tofu, in 2 cm (3/4-inch) cubes
- 7 oz pre-sliced mushrooms crimini mushroom
- 1 cup bought matchstick carrots carrot
- 1 medium red bell pepper, in thin strips
- 2 heads baby bok choy bok choy, quartered lengthwise (or 3 cups baby spinach)
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 tbsp tamari, labelled gluten-free
- 1 tsp brown sugar, beet or organic cane sugar if you need it strictly vegan
- 2 tbsp lime juice
To serve
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- a handful of leaves fresh basil, Thai basil if you can find it
Steps
- Boil the kettle. Put the vermicelli in a heatproof bowl, cover it with boiling water and leave it 3–5 minutes (or as the pack says) until tender, then drain and rinse briefly.
- Meanwhile heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and fry the white parts of the green onion, the ginger and garlic for 30 seconds. Add the curry paste and stir for 1 minute until it smells toasty.
- Pour in the broth, water and coconut milk, cover and bring to the boil over high heat, which takes 5–6 minutes; cut the tofu, pepper and bok choy while it heats.
- Add the tofu, mushrooms, carrot and red pepper and simmer 3 minutes.
- Add the bok choy and simmer 1 minute, then add the bean sprouts and simmer 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and stir in the tamari, brown sugar and lime juice; taste and add more lime or tamari if you like.
- Divide the noodles among four deep bowls, ladle the soup over and top with cilantro, basil and the green onion tops. For lunches, store the soup and the noodles in separate containers: the soup keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat the soup until steaming and pour it over the noodles.
Good to know
How hot is it?
Three tablespoons of red curry paste in a pot this size is warm but gentle. For children, start with 2 tablespoons and put sliced red chili and chili sauce on the table for everyone else.
Can I make it creamier?
Use full-fat coconut milk instead of light, at about 64 instead of 79; it is richer and rounder, and heavier.
Per
- Calories
- 50
- Protein
- (18%)
- 2 g
- Fat
- (40%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (42%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 165 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1527 kcal goes into the pot and 3106 g of ingredients comes out as about 3026 g of food: 50 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.