Vegan Tom Yum
Ingredients
To make the base broth:
5 cups mushroom broth
2 stalks lemongrass, crushed
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 block firm tofu
12 shiitake mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup shredded bok choy
1 Thai chili pepper, crushed
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
Step 1. In a 5.5-qt Dutch oven or a soup pot, combine the mushroom broth, lemongrass, and ginger. Bring the Dutch oven to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. Fish out the lemongrass stalks.
Step 2. Add the firm tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and salt. Bring the Dutch oven to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 3. Add the canned coconut milk, cherry tomatoes, carrots, bok choy, and Thai chili pepper. Bring the Dutch oven to a boil again. Stir in the freshly squeezed lime juice and shallots. Turn off the heat.
Step 4. Garnish with the fresh cilantro to serve.
Notes
Tom Yum is a traditional Thai soup that uses lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves. You should be able to find all three in your local Asian grocery stores, but we find lemongrass is often available from our traditional neighborhood grocers.
STORY
In our home in Birmingham AL (zone 7b), we grow lemongrass very easily. We use it in tea besides soups. We have a tiny pot of kaffir lime that is right now indoor to overwinter. Its leaves are too precious for soup right now.