| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings (2 quarts) |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, sliced lengthwise, cut into 6-inch lengths, and smashed
- 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 medium Thai bird chile, Serrano, or jalapeno pepper, end trimmed, halved lengthwise, and seeded
- 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 7 ounces firm tofu, small dice
- 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh baby peas
- 6 ounces snow peas
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced Thai basil leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
Instructions
- Heat oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add lemongrass, ginger, and chile and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Carefully add stock, coconut milk, and sugar and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and add tofu, peas, and snow peas and cook until snow peas are cooked through, about 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in basil, lime juice, and fish sauce. Serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 263 |
| Total Fat | 19 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 13 grams |
| Sodium | 755 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 15 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 grams |
| Protein | 11 grams |
| Sugar | 6 grams |
Reviews
Absolutely fantastic! We added mushrooms and chicken instead of the tofu. Yum Yum!!
Super easy, very flavorful but I agree with other reviewers that it’s not spicy enough *(I used one medium Serrano and I could barely taste the spice and I like Thai food mild/medium so I’m going to add some red pepper since that’s all I have at this point! I used light coconut milk and think it works great, it’s not a thick soup but I didn’t expect or want it to be. Thumbs up!
Wow. Healthy, delicious, light, flavorful, this soup has it all. It’s one of those soups that turns out a little differently each time I make it (is the lemongrass and lime super-fresh? It makes a big difference). But it’s great nearly all the time. And I just play with this soup. I’ve put everything in it from mushrooms to chicken to carrot ribbons.
Want something more substantial? Spoon it over rice.
I will keep playing with this recipe for years to come.
I couldn’t wait to make this soup. It was too thin for our taste! Could be because I used Light Coconut Milk. My husband thought it had great flavor, but for me it was not thick enough. Anyone else use Light Milk?
My family enjoyed this soup. I doubled the amount of jalapenos and wished that I had some siracha or chili sauce to add, but overall it was a good experience. I would definitely make it again.
Not only is this soup quick and affordable, it is also healthy, full of flavor, and delicious. Note: if you can’t find Thai basil you can always use some regular basil and mint. It’s a very good soup to make in advance and is great at all temperatures which makes it a great on-the-go lunch. Aida has created another winner!
We saw this last weekend and were anxious to try it. Made it for dinner tonight. Prep time was roughly 15 minutes. Didn’t have fresh lemon grass but used squeeze tube lemon grass blend as a substitute and aded shrimp in addition to the tofu for our somewhat finnicky 17 yr old son. Also had some recently homemade chicken stock which always makes a diference. Used a whole large jalepeno since we didn’t have seranos. It could use a little more kick so I would sugget using a little hotter chile. My wife added hot red pepper flakes that made it a little more colorful and added a little extra kick. We thought it was a wonderful dinner. We served it for our son with a fabulous scallion, pistachio dried cranberry cous cous and tilapia ith an orange red pepper mint salsa. He ate all of it and liked the flavor combinations. We will make this again, probably for company the next time. It’s a real hit. Aida, you done good!
This sounds very good. I’ve made this type of soup with chicken and it’s a hit with my family. I like to add strawmushroom pieces. I try to go meatless at least one night a week so I’m looking forward to trying it with tofu. And Juli – the liquid inside of a fresh coconut is not the same as canned coconut milk. I would imagine that’s why you didn’t get the flavors you were looking for. I like the light coconut milk from Trader Joe’s.
When I saw this being made I didn’t think that it would be all that tasty, what with the inclusion of tofu (which I generally avoid) and the odd combination of chicken broth and coconut milk. The only reason I made it was that I happened to see lemongrass in the store and wanted to try it out. The prep was easy (once you find lemongrass and thai basil, not always readily available) and it cooked up in a hurry. The taste is hard to describe – not really chicken or coconut flavored, but a nice marriage of tastes. I didn’t get any heat from the 1 serrano I used. Will up it to 2 or 3 the next time I make this.
I have been chomping at the bit to make this recipe ever since I watched the episode on which it appeared. This has to be the most delicious and easiest meal I have ever made. Zero prep time and completely satisfying, as either a winter or summer meal. You will not be disappointed!