by Lisa Le 23 Comments
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This vegan spicy lemongrass noodle soup hits all the right spots when it comes to a flavourful soup. The broth has a hit of citrus from lots of lime juice, sweet and tanginess from tomatoes, a bit of crunch and savoury sweetness from celery, spice from Thai red curry paste, and a hit of earthy and bright lemongrass. I feel like it’s reminiscent of veganized bun bo soups I’ve tried, mostly because of the lemongrass and the spice, but it’s not really the same dish at all.
I’ve made this soup at least half a dozen times, generally eye-balling and throwing in whatever veggies I have in the fridge. Sometimes it’s kale instead of spinach, or bok choy instead of celery, but either way, the stars of the show here are lemongrass, lime, and curry paste. This is not Eddie’s favourite, mostly because the last couple times I’ve made it I went really heavy handed with the tomatoes, but he eats it happily nonetheless.
Sometimes I poke fun at Eddie for being resistant to certain veggies. He’s not a fan of green beans or broccoli, but he doesn’t seem to mind veggies I thought he’d hate like spinach or asparagus. He even seems to enjoy bok choy and kale every now and then, which is a pleasant surprise. As much as he is hesitant to certain foods or dishes, he’s usually a pretty good sport about eating whatever it is I make.
This past weekend, we went to our first wedding together, and it was actually so nice. The wedding was beautiful and I didn’t really know anybody other than the bridal party, so I was really happy to have Eddie with me to talk to. We both got a vegan mealbut it was last minute so I’m not sure if the caterers were prepared for it. However,I never am optimistic about vegan wedding food—I don’t blame the organizers/bride/groom—it’s just caterers who have no idea how to make a vegan main that isn’t just grilled vegetables or a slab of bland tofu. Don’t get me wrong, grilled veggies are delicious, but not satisfying. And fruit for dessert at a wedding—while delicious and something I’d eat normally—is not a good representation of wedding dessert food.
On the ride home, Eddie and I discussed what we would do at our wedding one day. On one hand, the stress and pressure of planning a wedding is enough to make me just want to elope with a handful of friends and family. But on the other hand, I kind of want to have a vegan wedding to show our friends and family that vegan food can absolutely be stunning, delicious, and gourmet. People still seem to not understand that vegan food can be full of protein and flavour.C’mon people! Have you never seen my instagram feed?!I’m so grateful that Eddie is open to the idea of a vegan wedding, because the idea of any being dying and plated to celebrate two people committingto each other is really heartbreaking for me.
But that’s a bridge I won’t be crossing just yet.
Anyway, in this week’s quick video, I show you guys how to pull together this quick vegan spicy lemongrass noodle soup(that is if you’ve marinated the tofu ahead of time) for a tasty dinner that uses tons of veggies and packs a ton of flavour!
Enjoy!
Print Recipe
Vegan Spicy Lemongrass Soup
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Servings: 2
Calories: 101kcal
Author: Lisa Le
Ingredients
For the Marinated Tofu
- 1 block tofu pressed and cut into 1/2 inch thick slabs
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar or maple syrup
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 cloves garlic smashed or finely minced
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp oil
For the soup:
- 1 tbsp oil I used grapeseed
- 2 green onions white parts chopped diagonally into 1-inch pieces, greens finely chopped
- 1.5 tbsp or 4 tsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 tbsp finely minced lemongrass I used frozen, but fresh works too
- 1 L vegetable broth I used 1 L water + ~1 tbsp mushroom broth powder
- 3 stalks celery sliced thin on a diagonal
- 3 bunches mung bean noodles glass noodles, soaked in hot water until softened
- 1/2 cup snap peas roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 3 cups baby spinach or greens of your choice, like bok choy, yu choy or mustard greens
- 1 lime juiced
Instructions
For the marinated tofu:
Combine tamari, apple cider vinegar, coconut sugar or maple syrup, water, garlic, and onion powder.
Submerged cut tofu in marinade and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.
To cook, fry up tofu in oil until golden on each side. Use some of the marinade while cooking to add extra flavour.
To make the soup:
Soften glass noodles in hot water until softened, then drain.
Preheat a pot over medium heat. Add oil and fry onions until translucent.
Add red curry paste and lemongrass and fry until fragrant. You may need to add a little water/broth to help the paste dissolve. Add the rest of the broth (or water + mushroom powder) and bring water a boil.
Add celery and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until just tender with a tiny bit of crunch.
Add drained and softened noodles to the pot and cook for another 3-4 minutes under tender.
Add snap peas and chopped tomatoes and stir, cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
Stir in baby spinach until just wilted.
Remove from heat and serve with half of a juiced lime in each bowl. Top with fried marinated tofu, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g
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About Lisa Le
Lisa is the thirty-something, nerdy, procrastinating, feminist blogger and photographer behind The Viet Vegan. She loves spicy foods, noodles, and food in bowls.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Frida says
Hi! I have been sick for days with no appetite what so ever and then i found your youtube channel. yaay! This is exactly the food i love to eat and you do such a lovely job with presentation and pictures. Also, feminist and nerdy? we are gonna be such good friends! ^^ Tons av hugs from Sweden
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Oh yum, Lisa. I have used lemongrass a few times but never too confident I am using the right part. This soup makes me want to find some pronto, though. Love the video – you are too cute!
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Nancy says
Wow! This looks incredible! I’m so excited that I found you in Pinterest…your recipes are perfect for my gluten free vegan diet! Thank you ☺
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Great recipe! Question: You talk about “Marinated tofu”… but you did not show us how to make the marinate. How / where do we do that? Thank you!!! You’re awesome!!
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Ana says
What kind of mushroom broth powder do you use? I’ve been looking for this and cannot find it. ?
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Lisa Le says
The one I typically use I show in this video :)
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See AlsoCrock Pot Chicken Pho
oh… nevermind… found it on your website. Thx!!
– EdieReply
Gary says
Visually beautiful and tastes wonderful. I doubled lemongrass and chili paste for a little extra zing.
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Laura says
Thank you!! This recipe is delicious!!
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Lisa Le says
You’re a champ for trying my recipes and coming back to let me know you like them <3
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Greg Williams says
I made this the other night along with the ‘marinated tofu fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce’. Delicious! Tons of flavor, and so good on a cold night. :-)
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Maggie MacInnis says
Really really delish!!
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Arden says
I really can’t wait to try this recipe looks so good!
But I have a question:
What do you mean by
L vegetable broth (I used 1 L water
What does the L stand for?Reply
Lisa Le says
Hi! Sorry I’m Canadian haha, it’s 1 litre (4 US cups)
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Verena says
Just discovered your blog and I was soo excited to see veganized versions of my fav Asian dishes. This is probably a dumb question, but what did you do with the green part of the green onions? I finished making the soup and realized I still had them lol! It was still delicious, though!!
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Lisa Le says
Oh you add it in at the end! I must have forgotten to add that end the end of the recipe haha
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Jon Paul says
G’day Lisa,
This recipe was brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing. Cheers!Reply
Rachael says
Second time I’m making this- it’s so good and a perfect light dinner for the summer.
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Samara says
I was feeling so lazy but wanted noodle soup! Had everything w/ a few subs for the veggies Thanks for this and so many other delicious recipes
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Nora says
I love this recipe so much that I’ve made it several times already :) It’s a comforting dish and it’s so full of flavour. Also I love the way you prepare the tofu, the marinade is just incredible. Thank you for sharing!
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Denise M. says
This soup looks amazing, and I look forward to trying it! Is it okay to omit the mushroom powder? I noticed it is in the video but not the written list of ingredients/directions. Also, when I was in undergrad there was a Vietnamese restaurant near the university that made the most amazing “spicy, tangy vegetarian soup” (kind of reddish in color) with tofu, lemon grass, vermicelli noodles, and all sorts of tasty goodness. I have no idea what it was called or how to make it. Any ideas what it may have been and do you have something similar posted? Many thanks!
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Lisa Le says
Hi Denise! I use it instead of vegetable broth (it’s listed there as an alternative!) This is similar to that soup at that restaurant, it’s typically called “canh chua” (sour soup) and is made with a tamarind base but the tom yum paste is just a lazy hack for my household/family haha. I have a version of this soup from scratch!
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Elena says
This is so delicious. Thank you for this recipe! I used baby bok choy for the greens and it was fantastic!
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