INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium-sized zucchini spiralized
- ¼ cup mushrooms quartered, used Bella
- ¼ cup tomatoes used grape tomatoes
- 4 oz [100g] firm tofu pressed
- 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only pounded
- 3 slices galangal
- 5 lime leaves
- 3 teaspoons red chili paste/sambal
- 2 tablespoons Vegan ‘fish’ sauce
- 1 Thai chili chopped
- 2 cups [475ml] vegetable broth or homemade stock
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- juice from 2 limes
- ½ cup [125ml] coconut milk or more for a creamier version
- oil for cooking
- salt to taste
Garnishes
- chili oil
- sliced red onions or shallots
- fried shallots
- chopped cilantro
- lime wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
- To prepare the tofu, cut it into your desired shape. In a heated non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil, pan-fry tofu until golden brown on both sides. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside.
- Using the back of a knife, pound lemongrass a few times to release its flavor, then slice it thinly.
- In a heated non-stick pan with 3 teaspoons of oil, sauté lemongrass, lime leaves, and galangal until fragrant.
- Then, stir in sambal, vegan ‘fish’ sauce, chili, and vegetable broth. Let the mixture simmer over low-medium heat for 5 minutes, covered.
- Meanwhile, spiralized the zucchini into noodles and set aside.
- Remove *lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves at this point, if needed. Once the soup has reduced slightly, add the mushrooms, tomatoes, tofu, then season with lime juice and coconut sugar. Season accordingly.
- Add in the coconut milk, and slowly place in the zucchini noodles, then turn off the heat. Alternatively, ladle hot soup over spiralized zucchini to retain the crunchy texture.
- Garnish with a swirl of chili oil, sliced red onions, fried shallots and lime wedges before serving.