This easy Spicy Thai Red Curry Soup is incredibly versatile - use any vegetables you like, tofu or other proteins, and even rice noodles! And it's 100% vegetarian and vegan friendly too.
Soup Week
It's Soup Week on Oh My Veggies!
Now, before you get all impressed, you should know that the reason this week is Soup Week is because I've spent the past two weeks sick and I haven't wanted to eat much other than soup.
So this is less about me being an amazing, creative food blogger and more about me having a raging cold. But anyway, Soup Week! Yay!
Why Thai Curry Soup?
My favorite local Thai restaurant serves the most delicious Thai Red Curry Soup with their lunch specials.
Like most lunch special soups, there's not much to it - broth and usually 4-5 cubes of tofu, about the same number of sliced mushrooms, and a scant teaspoon of thinly sliced scallions.
But that's okay, because the best part is the broth anyway. It's a little bit spicy, a tiny bit sweet, and incredibly fragrant from the combination of coconut milk and red curry paste.
Mmmmm... so good. This has quickly become one of my favorite vegetarian Thai recipes.
I've made a soup similar to this with summer veggies and green curry paste in the past, and I thought I could switch out the green curry with red and I'd get something pretty close to the Thai restaurant Red Curry Soup.
It was really close, but the missing piece of the puzzle was a little bit of brown sugar. Then it was perfect.
If you choose not to use the brown sugar, this recipe is still good, don't get me wrong! But the sugar adds just a touch of sweetness that mimics the red curry broth in restaurant soups.
After going through all the work of making this, I realized that, other than the red curry, this is pretty similar to the Coconut Lime Tofu Soup I posted last year. (And I even mentioned the Thai restaurant in that post too.)
I blame this on the fact that after staying up three nights in a row , I was operating in a sleep-deprived state.
But let's not dwell on that. Let's dwell instead on the awesomeness that is this Thai Red Curry Soup.
Helpful Tips
The question I get most often is about the red curry paste. You are looking for the kind that comes in a jar and is typically in the international food aisle at the grocery store. I specifically use this one.
Make sure you use firm or extra firm tofu - anything else will be too soft and fall apart in your soup.
Be sure to use coconut milk here - not coconut cream. They are indeed two different ingredients. I used the lite coconut milk for a little less fat.
I used simple white mushrooms here, but you can swap them for something more exotic like shiitake or oyster mushrooms if you prefer.
As for the vegetable broth, I prefer to use homemade vegetable stock. But you can use your own favorite brand for a quicker preparation.
More Recipes
And if you love this Thai Red Curry Soup, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes:
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1- inch ginger, peeled and cut into slices
- 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
- 14 oz firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 14 oz lite coconut milk, canned
- 3 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar, optional
For Serving (optional)
- green onions, sliced
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- fresh basil, chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Bring broth and ginger to a boil over high heat.
- Once broth has come to a boil, use a slotted spoon to remove ginger.
- Add mushrooms and tofu and reduce heat to medium-low; cook about 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened.
- Stir in coconut milk, curry paste, and brown sugar.
- Remove from heat and ladle into bowls; serve with green onions, cilantro, basil, and lime wedges.
Sofia says
Looks nice! I like thai curries, I just wish sometimes that they were thicker in consistency.
Kiersten says
Well, this is a soup so it's supposed to be thin. 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
This is a bowl of warmth and comfort! I would love some too.
margaret says
Have you heard of Tom Kha Gai? It's pretty similar to this soup -- and wicked tasty! I totally recommend it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_kha_kai
😀 Yum! I can't wait to try your soup, tho!
Kiersten says
Yes! I love Tom Kha Gai! It's been ages since I had it...
margaret says
(obviously, substituting chicken/chicken broth with veggie broth and some good firm tofu!)
Caitlin says
what a delicious thai soup! i love red curry, it's so comforting and warming. i hope you feel better soon. yay for soup week!
Kiersten says
Thank you! I think this is the worst cold I've had in years. It just keeps lingering & lingering. I guess I need more soup. 🙂
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
My sister in law (a vegan) was just talking about something like this, so I am going to forward it to her. Curry gives me heartburn something awful, though 🙁
Kiersten says
I never, ever had heartburn and then I had my first bout of it a few months ago. Terrible! I don't blame you for avoiding curry AT ALL. :/
Maryann says
my hubby would be so into this!!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
Well that is just gorgeous! I'm thinking lunch...
Carolyn says
I love red thai paste...and green thai paste too. Yummy soup!
EA-The Spicy RD says
Yum-o! Thai soup is a favorite of mine, especially when I am sick, but I usually order it from the local Thai restaurant. I would love to do more Thai ( and Asian in general) cooking this year, so definitely putting this on my list to make. Your polenta veggie bake is on my meal plan this week too-double yum 🙂
Erin says
Where is the receipe for the polenta veggie bake you mentioned??
Kiersten says
It's here: https://ohmyveggies.com/what-i-ate-this-week-veggie-loaded-polenta-bake/ 🙂
Kiersten says
Yes, I want to do more Asian cooking too! I don't know why it intimidates me so much. But this soup is easy peasy. 🙂 I hope you like the polenta bake!
Kelly @ Inspired Edibles says
What a beautiful blog! So happy to have discovered you.
Kiersten says
Thank you!
Amber @ Slim Pickin's Kitchen says
Yum! There is an authentic Chinese dine-in restaurant in Charleston (on Daniel Island) called Dragon Palace and they have *the best* hot and sour soup that I love eating it when I'm sick!!!!
Kiersten says
Nothing clears out your sinuses like a little spiciness, right?! 🙂
Vespa Woolf says
I have all these ingredients in my fridge. Can't wait to try it! We love Thai cuisine.
Mirjam Leslie-Pringle says
Wowee, that looks amazing! Tomorrow i already promised to make 'thé Ratatouille' but the day after, i sure would love to try you soup!
Kiersten says
I hope you like it! 😀
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
A spicy soup like this is just the kind of thing I reach for when I'm feeling sick too. Hope you are on the mend soon!
mjskit says
Red curry soup is my favorite and I absolutely love your version of it! Looking forward to more soups!
Veggietorials says
Looks fabulous! I need to embrace red curry so I can enjoy soup like this
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
Yay for soup week! This is definitely a must-try in my book since I'm completely obsessed with thai curry!
Rachel says
I love curry anything! And there are those glorious mushrooms again. I am going to make a big batch and eat it for lunch all week.
Kiersten says
I had it for lunch a few days too--it makes big servings!
Genevieve says
I always think of Asian style broths being very complicated and requiring lots of ingredients, but this recipe actually sounds pretty simple! And I'm used to adding brown sugar (or palm sugar) to Thai peanut sauces, so I bet it adds the perfect touch here too!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Yum! I really need to experiment more with red curry paste... This looks like a really good intro recipe for me 🙂
Kiersten says
It is really easy to work with! And soups are especially forgiving. 🙂
BusyWorkingMama says
Hope you're feeling better by now! I'm behind in going through my inbox so just seeing this recipe and YUMMY! I love coconut and curry soups. I make a similar one with snow peas.
Kiersten says
I love snow peas! I keep trying to grow them in my garden, but no luck. 🙁
Emily Stevenson says
YUM! This looks so good, and simple too, I know it will please the meat eaters in my family! Thanks for posting! I also blog about the vegetarian lifestyle, specifically high protein and energy boosting nutritional habits if you are interested: http://theliverlyvegetarian.blogspot.com.
Thanks for all the great ideas and for promoting a healthy lifestyle!
Kiersten says
Thanks for your comment--I'll check out your blog! 🙂
Anne says
I love soup in the winter time.
Kait says
The recipe sounds lovely! May I ask where you got the adorable bowls?!
Kiersten says
I got them from Crate & Barrel last year. They were on clearance at the time, so I suspect that they're probably not available anymore...