I’m not sure how I forgot about how amazing Thai food is for so long, but after being away on holiday and getting to eat in some fantastic Thai restaurants, my love for Thai food is alive and well again! This week’s recipe is a creamy red curry soup with a bonus recipe for vegan fish sauce. Overall, we can say that it is Thai basil soup with vegan fish sauce.
The flavor is robust and well-balanced as any good Thai curry should be with notes of ginger, chili, and lemongrass. But unlike traditional Thai soup, this is 100% vegan! If you have your ‘fish sauce’ already prepared, this is a super quick and easy meal to make for a busy weekday evening supper.
Benefits Of Thai Basil Soup For Gut Health
Regular readers of our blogs will be aware that soups are a great way to consume medicinal plants’ therapeutic properties, especially their oils. They release their oils, nutrients, and phytochemicals while they simmer in broth, releasing their delicious scents and tastes that are so alluring to the nose and tongue.
The fragrant oils of traditional Thai herbs are added to the majority of Thai soups to give them their unique Thai tastes and fragrances.
Three of the most popular ones are lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves. The Thai people also place a great value on them because of their various health advantages, which include treating common stomach problems.
Many of these advantages are not just hypothetical either. Lemongrass has powerful antibacterial, antifungal, and anticandidal actions, according to research that demonstrates its effectiveness in treating stomach infections, including H. pylori.
Additionally, several clinical scientific investigations support the anti-microbial and antifungal properties of galangal and kaffir lime leaves (source, source, source).
Thai soups are excellent for gut health for a number of other reasons, in addition to flavorful herbs. Many are naturally dairy- and gluten-free, and many are broth-based.
I won’t go into depth on the advantages of bone broths since I have written extensively on the subject; however, I will note that Thai bone broths vary somewhat from the bone broths we generally prepare in the West. And if you don’t like cooking broths on your stove top for hours on end, this may be a significant advantage.
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How To Make Thai Basil Soup With Vegan Fish Sauce?
In a large soup pot, saute onions until translucent, then add ginger and garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes. Add broccoli and carrots and stir fry for 2 minutes or until the broccoli becomes bright green. Meanwhile, mix the coconut milk and curry paste together in a separate bowl, then add to the pot with the remaining ingredients.
Bring to just boiling and serve immediately. (This will leave your vegetables still nice and crunchy, but feel free to simmer for another 5-8 minutes if you like your veggies a little softer). Garnish with chopped Thai basil and a squeeze of lime. This is how you can make Thai basil soup with vegan fish sauce.
Key Points For Thai Basil Soup With Vegan Fish Sauce
PREP TIME
5 mins
COOK TIME
15 mins
TOTAL TIME
20 mins
A vegan take on my favorite Thai dish!!
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients You Need To Make Thai Basil Soup With Vegan Fish Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- moreover, 2-3 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 large bunch of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
- also, 1-2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk (this is my favorite – best flavor and no BPA)
- 1 tbsp Thai Kitchen red curry paste (this one is relatively mild compared to more ‘authentic’ red curry paste, so adjust accordingly if you use a different brand)
- 2 c vegetable broth (look for ones without yeast extract -AKA MSG – like this brand)
- ½ c, or to taste, vegan fish sauce (see below for instructions)
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (look for BPA-free like these)
- ½ tsp chili powder (or to taste)
- 1 heaping tsp curry powder
- 1-2 tbsp Lakanto or another non-GMO erythritol
- also, 1 tsp salt and pepper (or more, to taste)
- Garnishes:
- Thai basil (regular will work too), chopped,
- 1-2 limes
Also read: Green Smoothie Recipes For Weight Loss
Instructions You Must Follow Step By Step
- In a large stock pot, saute onion in oil on medium heat until translucent.
- Add garlic and ginger, and saute an additional 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add broccoli and carrots and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes or until broccoli becomes bright green.
- Meanwhile, stir red chili paste into coconut milk in a separate bowl until well mixed, then add to pot with remaining ingredients (except basil and lime).
- Bring to a boil and serve immediately. Or, if you like your vegetables softer, then simmer for an additional 5-8 minutes.
- Add chopped basil and a squeeze of lime juice, to taste, just before serving. This is how you can make Thai basil soup with vegan fish sauce.
NOTES
Soy-Free Vegan Fish Sauce recipe (makes about 2 cups, takes about 30-45 minutes)
Ingredients
- 50 g bag shredded seaweed like arame
- 6 c filtered water
- 6 large cloves of garlic, these should be peeled and crushed
- Moreover, 1 tsp peppercorns (the seaweed is really delicious to eat afterward, but not so good when you have to pick peppercorns out of it! If you think you might want to eat this afterward – you should! – then put your peppercorns in an unbleached tea bag to keep them separate)
- 1 c coconut aminos, or any other coconut-based ‘soy’ sauce
- Also, 1 heaping tsp chickpea miso (regular miso ok if you aren’t avoiding soy)
- Also, add 1/3 c dried mushrooms of choice
Directions:
Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by at least half, or have a nice, concentrated, salty flavor. Strain liquid out and store in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Hope you enjoy this recipe for Thai basil soup with vegan fish sauce.