what is the traditional soup in Thailand?

There are many traditional soups in Thai cuisine, but one of the most well-known is Tom Yum soup. Tom Yum noodle soup is a hot and sour soup made with staple Thai food ingredients, including lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and chili peppers. It's often served as a starter or main dish and is loved for its spicy, tangy flavor profile. This Thai noodle soup, while made with alternate Thai flavors, has a similar sweet and spicy flavor profile that you'll quickly become addicted to.

can i make this coconut curry noodle soup with thai green curry paste?

Green curry paste would also be very tasty in this! You could even try making your own Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste to use.

is this soup gluten-free?

When made with tamari and gluten-free, rice-based ramen noodles, this spicy soup is naturally gluten-free.

is red curry paste vegan?

Great question! Thai curry paste is commonly vegan, but it can contain non-vegan ingredients such as shrimp paste or fish sauce. When shopping for a red curry paste in stores, make sure to read the ingredients label.

Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup

Name: Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided; 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed* (see notes); 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; 2 green onions, sliced; 1-inch fresh ginger, grated; 1 to 4 tablespoons red curry paste* (see notes); 4 large bok choy, chopped; 4-ounces baby Bella mushrooms, sliced; 4 cups vegetable broth (we used this one); 1 (14-ounce/400ml) can coconut milk; 1/3 cup unsweetened smooth peanut butter; 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free); 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon agave nectar (or liquid sweetener of choice, see notes); 8.5-ounces uncooked ramen noodles* (see notes); Salt and pepper, to taste; Juice of 1 large lime (about 2 tablespoons), or to taste; 2 medium carrots, julienned; Toasted sesame seeds and/or chopped peanuts; Cilantro, roughly chopped; Green onions, chopped

Description

This Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup is guaranteed to be your new favorite noodle soup recipe! Creamy, spicy, broth loaded with chewy ramen noodles, fresh vegetables, and Thai aromatics for the ultimate umami-packed soup. All you need is a few fresh ingredients and 30 minutes to make this cozy, comforting recipe you won’t be able to stop eating.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed* (see notes)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 green onions, sliced
1-inch fresh ginger, grated
1 to 4 tablespoons red curry paste* (see notes)
4 large bok choy, chopped
4-ounces baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
4 cups vegetable broth (we used this one)
1 (14-ounce/400ml) can coconut milk
1/3 cup unsweetened smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon agave nectar (or liquid sweetener of choice, see notes)
8.5-ounces uncooked ramen noodles* (see notes)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 large lime (about 2 tablespoons), or to taste

Top with

2 medium carrots, julienned
Toasted sesame seeds and/or chopped peanuts
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Green onions, chopped

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Instructions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Once heated, add in the pressed tofu and and cook until golden (or as brown as you would like it). I cooked mine for about 7 minutes. Remove the tofu and set aside in a bowl.
Add in the remaining sesame oil along with the garlic, onions and ginger. Cook until fragrant, or about 1 minute.
Add in the red curry paste and cook for an additional minute or so, until it becomes fragrant and evenly coats the veggies.
Next add in the box choy and mushrooms and mix through and cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until the begin to soften.
Pour in the vegetable broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, and agave, and mix until everything is well combined and as smooth as you can get it. If you have a few chunks of peanut butter, no worries! As it heats, the peanut butter will begin to “melt” into the broth. Taste the broth and add additional curry paste if desired.
Cover the pot and allow the mixture to come to a boil.
Once boiling, remove the lid and add in the ramen noodles. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package, stirring often.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust any other ingredients as needed. If the end result is too spicy for your taste, you can add more liquid sweetener to balance it out. If it is not spicy enough, you can add more.
Serve hot with more lime wedges and cilantro, if using.

Notes

This recipe was adapted from The Omnivore Cookbook.
To speed up the cooking time, we recommend purchasing pre-pressed tofu! If you are not able to, you can check out our easy tutorial here.
Keep in mind that some liquid sweeteners like maple syrup may alter the flavor of the recipe.
The amount of red curry paste may depend on the brand that you use since some are spicer than others. If you want to be safe, you can start with just 1 tablespoon and add more as needed later on when you taste the broth.
Green curry paste would also be very tasty in this! You could even try making one of your own.
Since this is a one-pot recipe, the recipe will thicken over time, especially when stored as leftovers in the refrigerator. Don’t worry though, it turns into creamy noodles instead of soup and it is still so delicious!!
If you don’t have tofu, you could skip it or even opt for another plant based protein like vegan chicken or vegan beef.
You can change up the vegetables based on your preference–just use at least 3 cups total to keep this recipe hearty.
Soy sauce could be replaced with tamari for a gluten-free alternative or even coconut aminos or liquid aminos. These may vary in sodium so you can just add more or less to your taste!
If you don’t have ramen noodles, no worries! You can totally make this recipe with rice noodles, soba noodles or even just plain old spaghetti noodles. We have not personally tested these options in this recipe so we think it would be best to cook them separately according to their packaging directions and then add them in at the end for the best results.
The nutrition facts do not take into consideration salt and pepper to taste as well as the sesame seeds and/or chopped peanuts, cilantro, and green onions.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Entree, Lunch, Soup
Method: Stovetop, One Pot