Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics & Broth
- 1200 ml vegetable broth, low-sodium preferred
- 2 lemongrass, bruised and cut into 5cm pieces
- 20 g galangal, sliced into thick coins
- 4 makrut lime leaves, torn, stems removed
- 3 garlic, smashed
- 30 g sambal oelek
Vegetables & Protein
- 200 g straw mushrooms, halved
- 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 300 g silken tofu, carefully cubed
- 150 g rice vermicelli noodles, dry
Seasoning & Garnish
- 60 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 45 ml tamari
- 15 g coconut sugar
- 15 g cilantro, roughly chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbohydrates
- 47 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 1817 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 385 mg
- Calcium
- 102 mg
- Iron
- 3.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 32 mg
- Phosphorus
- 149 mg
- Zinc
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 57 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 286 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 13 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.12 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.13 mg
- Niacin
- 1.3 mg
- Folate
- 36 mcg
- Water
- 450 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the rice vermicelli noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over them until completely submerged. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a strainer, rinse briefly with cold water to stop the cooking, and set aside.
In a large pot, bring the vegetable broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the bruised lemongrass, sliced galangal, torn makrut lime leaves, smashed garlic, and sambal oelek. Reduce the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth.
Add the halved straw mushrooms and cherry tomatoes to the infused broth. Continue to simmer for 3 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and the tomatoes just begin to soften.
Stir in the tamari, fresh lime juice, and coconut sugar. Taste the broth. It should be a balanced interplay of sour, salty, and spicy. Adjust with more lime juice for sourness or tamari for saltiness if needed.
Carefully slide the cubed silken tofu into the broth. Allow it to heat through gently for 2 minutes. Do not stir vigorously, or the delicate tofu will break apart.
Divide the cooked vermicelli noodles evenly among four wide soup bowls. Ladle the hot broth, vegetables, and tofu over the noodles. Garnish generously with freshly chopped cilantro and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Tearing the makrut lime leaves instead of slicing them helps to rupture their cellular walls, releasing more of their fragrant oils into the soup.
- True Thai flavor relies on the balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. The measurements provided are a baseline, but always taste and adjust right before serving, as acidity in limes and saltiness in broths vary.
- If you cannot find fresh galangal, it is better to skip it than to substitute powdered galangal, which has a muddy, woody flavor. Ginger can be used in a pinch, but it will fundamentally change the flavor profile from authentic Tom Yum to something closer to a Chinese-Thai hybrid.
- To achieve restaurant-quality tofu cubes, drain the silken tofu in its package, carefully invert onto a cutting board, and slice cleanly with a wet, sharp knife.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store noodles and broth separately to prevent the noodles from absorbing all the liquid and becoming mushy.
Reheating: Reheat the broth gently on the stove over medium heat until simmering, then pour over cold noodles to warm them through.
Troubleshooting
Broth tastes flat or lacks depth compared to traditional Tom Yum
Cause: Omission of fish sauce removes a primary source of umami.
Fix: Add a small pinch of MSG or a splash more tamari and coconut sugar to amplify the savory notes.
Prevention: Ensure high-quality tamari or soy sauce is used, and adequately simmer the aromatics.
Silken tofu disintegrated into the broth
Cause: Broth was boiling too vigorously, or the soup was stirred aggressively after adding the tofu.
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but the soup remains perfectly safe and delicious to eat.
Prevention: Maintain a gentle simmer and only gently agitate the pot by swirling instead of stirring once tofu is added.
Noodles absorbed all the broth
Cause: Noodles were boiled directly in the soup or left sitting in the hot broth for too long before serving.
Fix: Add a little extra hot vegetable broth or hot water seasoned with tamari to the bowls.
Prevention: Always prepare noodles separately and pour broth over them just before serving.
Cultural Context
Tom Yum is arguably Thailand's most famous soup, originating from Central Thailand. Traditionally characterized by its distinct hot and sour flavors and fragrant herbs, it typically features shrimp (Tom Yum Goong). This variation utilizes silken tofu and replaces fish sauce with tamari, respecting the core herbal triad of lemongrass, galangal, and makrut lime leaves while making it completely plant-based. The addition of vermicelli turns this light soup into a sustaining main course.
