Northern-style vegan Thai coconut soup

Name: Northern-style vegan Thai coconut soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil (or vegetable oil); 1 onion, roughly chopped; 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 1-inch cube of ginger; 1-2 tbsp of Thai red curry paste (*see note); 2 tsp curry powder; 1/2 tsp turmeric powder; 1 Litre low-sodium vegetable broth; 1 cup coconut milk (full-fat from a can); 2-3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp coconut sugar (maple syrup or agave work too); juice of 1/2 lime; 7oz rice noodles (about 1/2 a pack); cilantro to top

February 26, 2018 by Jess 97 Comments

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This Northern-style vegan Thai coconut soup is a take on one of my favorite Thai soups: Khao Soi. This version is made vegan and gluten-free by using vegetable broth and replacing the traditional egg noodles with rice noodles.

And…I’m back with another Thai recipe!

Have you missed them?

It’s been a little while since I’ve made a Thai inspired recipe on the blog. In fact, the last one I shared was this vegan pad Thai from all the way back in November. Well, don’t fret my friends! Because Thai cuisine (my all time favourite) is back. And this time, with a take on one of my FAV SOUPS EVER!

As you can tell I’m getting pretty excited over here. Pretty much because I’ve been wanting to make my own take on a Khao Soi (northern Thai soup) for a while now.

I had my very first Khao Soi experience years ago on my first trip to Thailand. It was in the North in an area called Chiang Mai, which is a huge foodie area! Chiang Mai is the cultural hub of Thailand, and if you’re planning a trip there do not skip out on this area!

I’ve returned to Chiang Mai (and Thailand) 3 times now, (I know…I just love it there) and it keeps getting better and better. On my most recent trip there two years ago, the city was loaded with a ton more vegetarian and vegan restaurants. You can get anything from Pad thai, or stir-fried noodles, to soups, to curry bowls with tofu and brown rice.

Chiang Mai is also known for their coffee, so you can find a ton of great little cafes in the area. I can’t exactly remember the name of the one I went too, but I had the most incredible almond milk latte at one of the little cafes while I was there.

Make sure to also not miss out on brunch and shopping for ceramics at Cafe Woo. That is where I bought the soup spoon you can see in the images on this post!

Traditionally a Khao soi is made with egg noodles, both in the soup and fried ones on top, a chicken leg, and some Indian curry powder in addition to the Thai curry paste. You can also find some vegetarian/ vegan-friendly versions of this recipe in Thailand of course, especially up in Nothern Thailand where it’s like a vegan mecca!

My version of a Khao soi skips out on the chicken, (duh.) and uses rice noodles instead of egg noodles. But hey, if you like egg noodles in your soup I say GO FOR IT! If you opt to use egg noodles in this recipe and want to go super traditional, you can cook up half the egg noodles in boiling water, and then save a few to fry up quickly in some oil to top the soup with. That’s how I learned to make this soup in cooking class back in Thailand.

This soup is also a saviour if you feel any sort of sickness or cold coming on. It’s proven to beat any lingering winter cold you might have! (Okay, it’s only proven by me…but I swear it works.) I love to make a big batch of this soup when I have a cold to help clear it up. The combination of all the spices and ginger really works wonders!

This Northern-style vegan Thai coconut soup:

Can be enjoyed as an appetizer or a main dish
Loaded with bold and vibrant Thai flavour
Is versatile and can use any types of noodles or veggies in it

Some more of my favourite Thai recipes on the blog: