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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

224 calories; 7 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 1084 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Soak the vermicelli in room temperature water for 10 minutes, until they have softened. (Disregard package instructions.) Drain and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, sambal oelek and garlic. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the lemongrass, ginger, makrut lime leaves and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the mushrooms, and cook for 5 minutes. Discard the lemongrass stalks. Add the tomatoes and tofu, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the tofu is warm and the tomatoes have softened.

  4. Step 4

    Add the sambal oelek mixture, salt and drained vermicelli to the soup, stirring gently to break the tofu into bite-size pieces. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the noodles are transparent. Turn off the heat, and stir in the evaporated milk, if using.

  5. Step 5

    Divide the soup into four bowls, top with scallions and cilantro leaves, and serve immediately.

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4 out of 5
1,251 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Matt

I’d suggest substituting the zest from 1 lime instead.

Sue

This web page has good substitutions for hard-to-find Thai ingredients. https://www.rosasthaicafe.com/thai-ingredients/thai-ingredient-test

jenbrez

This recipe is delicious. Do not be deterred because makrut lime leaves are not available. A few substitutions I made: Soy sauce = Coconut aminos to make GF Sambal Oelek = Vietnamese chili paste we had in the fridge Makrut lime leaves = zest of one lime There are a couple of deviations we made that may help you: 3oz of noodles is not enough for four people. I added 2x, but next time I will do 10 oz. I also used the entire can of coconut milk (DF) and used shredded chicken. YUMMY

Paula J.

Would coconut milk be a reasonable substitute to keep this non-dairy? Thanks.

Tom

I see many comments (here and for other recipes) talking about ingredients that, for the writer, seem unobtainable. This is puzzling to me. If you have an internet connection, you don't need a bunch of specialty grocery stores, or for that matter even a car to drive to them. Within a few minutes on Amazon, I can order Mung Been Vermicelli, Nam Prik Pao, Sambal Oelek, lemongrass (dried, paste or even fresh), Makrut leaves (also dried or fresh), and probably every other ingredient here.

Molly

The text at the beginning of the article specifically says that coconut milk can be substituted for the evaporated milk.

rkgnyc

There is barely an ingredient you cannot order from Amazon, even though I detest Amazon and curse myself every time I order something. I'll agree that fresh lime leaves and lemongrass are often hard to find--you might have to travel to find them. Or do as I have done: stop into a local Thai or Vietnamese restaurant and offer to buy them. More often than not, they'll give them to you for free.

Megan L.

Make sure you taste your broth for salt before adding more! Mine didn’t need any extra. Also, this recipe could have used more liquid (because the resulting broth is delicious). I used a pho cube for stock, sriracha for the sambal oelek, galangal and coconut milk, with everything else as indicated. It tasted like I was at a restaurant! Felt like I’d done a magic trick.

cruzer5

I don't have access to makrut lime leaves but do have a lime tree in a container on my deck. Can those leaves be substituted?

joanne mascola

Shoprite carries lemongrass and ginger. Kafir lime leaves and galangal is obtainable from any Asian market.

stephanie

i agree. i'd also encourage people to look while they're in the grocery store too. here in MA, market basket (a new england chain grocery store, nothing fancy) carries a variety of rice noodles, as well as sambal oelek, lemongrass, and many other "unobtainable" ingredients from all over the world. i've also found makrut lime leaves can be had on ebay - i've ordered them from sellers that can just grab some from their yard and pop them in the mail. i wrap and freeze what i don't use.

Valerie

This is a delicious soup! And very forgiving. I subbed Trader Joe’s Thai style green chili sauce which lists lemongrass and makrut lime leaves in the ingredients, for the sambal oelek. Lime zest and lemon zest instead of the leaves and lemongrass (what I had) , and wheat capellini for the rice vermicelli. I added an extra 1 1/2 cup homemade instant-pot broth I had in the fridge. Bok choy on the side. I’ll make it again for sure!

Chantal

I often buy fresh curry leaves on Etsy from small growers. They arrive quickly and fresh and I freeze them. I think the same should be possible for lime leaves.

CBB

Yum! Adhered to recipe with a few subs with supplies on hand:tamari p/o soy,fermented chilibean saucep/o sambal olek, 8 oz white mushrooms p/o shiitake, 18 oz. firm tofu p/o silken,4oz. rice vermicelli and omitted salt and milk. Wonderful mix of sweet,sour salty and spicy. Delightful light meal in a bowl. Came together at stove quite easily after prep. Make sure to remove lemon grass prior to eating as recipe states.

Susan

Thanks for posting this!

Cam in AMS

I sautéed the aromatics along with 1/2 the mushrooms for 4 mins before adding to the broth which helped to deepen the flavors. Diced extra firm tofu works great if you can’t find silken, and coconut milk is essential. Substitutions listed here (ginger, lime zest) are great and gojuchang and harissa instead of sambal was delicious. Fish sauce along with the soy and doubled lemongrass, lime, and garlic amp things up. Easy to tuck in sliced chicken for meat eaters - delicious and quick!

Cam in AMS

Would/could add spinach, that would be really good here

David

Super easy and very, very good. I added shrimp to the recipe. Cooked them for two plus minutes why the broth was cooking and then removed them. Added them back a minute before serving.

roxinsox

Outstandingly good. I didn’t have lime leaves so I added more lemongrass, and I didn’t have Sambal Oelek so added chili paste I had in the fridge. Also added some cooked chicken. Such a delicious broth considering how quick it is to make

chilarie

Yum! Just used frozen mixed seafood and frozen peas, and added a last splash of toasted sesame oil/squeeze of lime before serving….

Kate

Needed more broth. I could tell half way through that it needed far more than 4 cups. I used ramen bone broth and ramen noodles. Great flavour. I used shredded chicken.

Kate

This has great flavour, however it needs more broth. I added ramen bone broth to elevate and could see half way through cooking it needed far more than 4 cups. I used shredded chicken and ramen noodles. Will make again. It was a hit!

HSK

This was very yummy (so to speak). However, the rice noodles ended up just dissolving and congealing. Would use sturdier noodles next time. Definitely more tomatoes. Definitely whole can of coconut milk. Would try with poached shredded chicken also. Used frozen lemon grass, which worked well.

PEB

Used ramen (brown rice and millet) instead of rice noodles

PEB

Use a richer broth. Full strength broth.

Greg

Added some leftover rotisserie chicken, a can of water chestnuts and substituted coconut milk for the evaporated milk. Delicious!

Jon P in MA

Strikingly good! Lemongrass and (kefir) lime leaves make the dish. I was worried the ginger discs would to too strong when encountered while eating, but they'd mellowed quite a bit. Next time I'll punch up the sambal oelek a bit more and maybe add a tsp of fish sauce.

Jennifer

This was a lot of fun to make; I enjoyed how the recipe is written out in such a step by step format. I will say: be sure you serve it right away!! I didn’t, and my noodles soaked up all the soup and it turned into a noodle dish, which people had multiple servings of, but I wanted soup. Also, I didn’t have makrut lime leaves and it was missing something, flavor wise, so don’t skip that.

Jeri

I strained out the aromatics (lemongrass, lime leaves and galangal) before adding the mushrooms as they're all too tough to eat. Used reduced sodium soy sauce and broth base but still didn't feel the need for additional salt. Did add more lime juice--probably at least another tablespoon. Used four bundles of vermicelli which was more than 3 oz. I will make this again and may also make a meat version with chicken breast. I like the idea of making the stock ahead of time.

Watery - Grave

Funny…had a lovely conversation with the proprietor of a Thai restaurant in Half Moon Bay who told me that tom kha is traditionally vegetarian. I assume a Thai woman would know her culture’s food.

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