Tofu Tom Kha Gai

A flavorful Thai coconut soup, packed with tofu and veggies like sweet potatoes, green beans and mushrooms. 

For a little more than a year, I've been participating in Recipe Redux with a group of healthy food bloggers. Each month, we're given a new kitchen challenge, like recreating a favorite food memory, or creating lunchbox friendly snack bars for back to school. It always fun to see everyone's interpretations of the theme. This time, we're playing a little game in honor of Recipe Redux's 42nd month - turn to page 42 in your nearest cookbook and give it a healthy recipe makeover.

My nearest cookbook wasn't exactly a cookbook per say, but my "pinterest" binder before pinterest was actually a thing. For years I collected recipes from blogs and magazines in binders and notebooks. Thank goodness for the bright minds who finally figured out a way to save some trees and keep it all online! 

Since I was still feeling a little under the weather last week, I was excited to see a soup on page 42, and a spicy one at that. Tom Kha Gai is a Thai coconut soup, and one of my all-time favorites. It's basically what I use to judge a Thai restaurant's authenticity.

Now, this version isn't exactly authentic. It's missing the kaffir lime leaves and galangal typically used and I used cremini mushrooms instead of straw mushrooms. But, it's much more approachable for the home chef and still tastes delicious!

To give this soup a makeover, I decided to make an almost vegan version, substituting tofu and vegetable broth for chicken. I love the way the tofu soaks up all the delicious flavor of the broth! The only non-vegan part is the fish sauce, which you could make a vegan version of at home. I also added green beans and sweet potatoes to sneak in an extra serving of vegetables and it make it a bit more filling. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Tofu Tom Kha Gai Soup

Serves 6
Adapted from Authentic Suburban Gourmet

4 cups vegetable broth
4 stalks lemongrass
1 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
2 Serrano chilies, stemmed and cut in half
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 13-ounce can full fat coconut milk
1/4th of a large onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1 1/2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch cubes
1 lb tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Cilantro, for garnish
Scallions, for garnish

In a large pot, bring the broth, to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Add lemongrass, ginger, chilies and ginger. Cover and simmer 10 minutes to let the flavors infuse.

Uncover and stir in the coconut milk, onion, mushrooms, green beans, sweet potato and tofu. Cover and simmer 15 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide between bowls and serve garnished with cilantro and scallions.

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