February 8, 2019
Thai Noodle Soup with Sesame Crusted Tofu [Vegan + Gluten Free]
Can you guys believe there are actually people out there who don’t like soup? LiKe WhaT?! I once read an article (I’ll link it here if you’re looking for a good laugh today) that states, and I quote, “Soup is for invalids”.
Seriously…cAn yOu bELievE tHaT?! I fucking love soup and not to my surprise, lots of other people do, too (if you read the comments at the end of said article, you know what I mean 😉 )!
Anyway, enough silly talk. Let’s get to the good stuff…
This Thai Noodle Soup with Sesame Crusted Tofu.
I don’t know about you guys, but it’s COLD AND RAINY AF here in the Central Valley (not that I’m complaining), so soup has been an easy go-to meal in our household this winter. Aside from being totally comforting, this Thai noodle soup is an easy and healthy way to incorporate tons of veggies and LOTS of flavor!
I really wanted the natural flavors to shine in this dish, so I opted for a low sodium vegetable broth. The dried chilis, dried shiitake mushrooms, onion, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass are SO flavorful, I didn’t want to mask them with a super concentrated broth.
Our Thai Noodle soup can be ready in an hour, but the longer you let it simmer, the more flavorful it will be! This is the perfect dish for these cold, winter nights and with so much garlic and ginger, it’s also perfect if you’re feeling a little under the weather! Honestly, it’s just perfect.
I hope you guys love our Thai Noodle soup as much as we do! If you give it a try, make sure to snap a photo and tag us on Instgram at eat_figs_not_pigs! We love seeing your recreations of our recipes! Til next week, guys!
XOXO
- 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed of excess liquid and cut into bite size pieces (1 LB or 454g)
- 2 TBS Tamari or Liquid Aminos
- 1 TBS each - toasted black sesame seeds, toasted white sesame seeds
- Gluten free rice noodles
- 1 TBS avocado oil
- 1 white onion, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dried Thai chilis
- 1 jalapeno, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 TBS fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 oz dehydrated/dried shiitake mushrooms
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth, seperated
- 2 - 13.5 oz cans full fat coconut milk
- 1 TBS lemongrass paste (if you can find fresh, that is preferred)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
- 8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1½ cups frozen corn
- 1 cup snap peas, sliced
- Juice of 1 large lime, about 2 TBS
- 3 TBS Tamari
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Fresh Thai basil, for garnish
- Fresh Thai Chili, for garnish
- Fresh lime wedge, for garnish
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- To a large bowl, add tofu cubes, tamari, and sesame seeds. Using your hands or a spatula, gently toss the tofu, making sure each cube is coated in tamari and sesame seeds. Transfer cubes to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, about 40-45 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside in a container, covered.
- In a stock pot on medium heat, add avocado oil. Once the oil is hot, add onions and saute until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add dried Thai chilis, jalapeno, garlic, ginger, and dried shiitake mushrooms. Saute, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Add ½ cup of broth and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add remaining 5½ cups broth and coconut milk. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour. Strain broth into another pot. Discard the onions, dried chilis, jalapeno, garlic, and ginger that is in the strainer.
- Return the strained broth to the stove on medium heat. Add lemongrass, carrots, fresh mushrooms, corn, and snap peas. Increase heat to high. Once at a boil, cover and simmer an additional 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat off. Add fresh lime juice and tamari, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or pepper if you desire.
- Serve soup hot with sesame crusted tofu and a handful of rice noodles. Garnish with fresh cilantro, Thai basil, fresh Thai chilis, and a squeeze of a lime wedge.
- ENJOY!!!
Please do not put “gluten free” in your recipe titles, as this implies that gluten is some sort of poison. By doing this you contribute to a sort of hysteria which we must try to abate. in fact as you know very well, an extremely small number of people are truly allergic to gluten, and they are used to asking or checking for its presence in foods.
…or some people, like myself and others who try to follow a mostly WHOLE FOODS AND PLANT BASED DIET just try to avoid gluten? As this is MY blog and MY recipe, I can call it whatever I want. Thanks, Gina!
Hi Gina – on behalf of the “extremely small number of people” I’d just like to say for a small number of people, gluten is really painful, and causes extreme bloating. So the labeling is not only helpful to understand what I’m eating,, but my knowledge and growth in cooking (Giving me new ideas). I encourage you to open your mind a bit; Vegans are still considered a “small number of people” but look at us growing ♥️ In the words of Ashley, Thank you for coming to my TED talk! ???? xoxo