This refreshing Thai lemongrass soup is made with a light gingery broth, pan-fried tofu, cherry tomatoes and fresh cilantro.
Alissa's note: I originally published this one back in December of 2014, and just updated the photos and recipe. That should explain why the paragraph below doesn't quite make sense given the time of year. It also explains why the soup is actually perfect for August, which is why I decided to keep it. :)
After I made this the other day I realized I wasn't sure of it's appropriateness for this time of year. This might sound like a weird thing to say about soup, but it's rather summery. Yeah, I know lots of people aren't big on a hot bowl of spicy broth in the warmer months, but in this case I think the tomatoes, lime and cilantro make this a soup of the more refreshing variety.
Because I have a hard time hanging onto post material for more than a month without unleashing it on the world, I decided to let this one out anyway. Also, it does seem like something light and refreshing might be desirable in the near future.
Okay, I'm still pounding the bag of Christmas cookies my mom sent me home with last week, but those will soon be gone (I'm hoping they go off to work with my husband, and not into my belly, but time will tell). I'm betting by Friday we'll all be ready for some healthiness.
This lemongrass soup is refreshing and healthy, but what's great is that it's also hot and comforting, and if you choose, spicy as well.
I will probably make this again in the summer just to test out my theory (<-- I did and it worked!!). Okay, I'll probably make this again next week. It was really enjoyable, even on a rainy December evening, and it only took 25 minutes to throw together. So, I kind of have to make it again, you know, when I'm over Christmas cookies and all. I love it when my New Year's resolutions pretty much take care of themselves like that.
FAQ & Tips for Making Amazing Thai Lemongrass Soup
- Where can I find fresh lemongrass? Sometimes I get lucky and find it at the regular supermarket, usually near the fresh herbs. Otherwise, try a produce market or Asian market.
- For tips on how to brown your tofu perfectly, see this post.
- Not into tofu? Leave it out and substitute extra mushrooms, tomatoes, or another veggie of your choosing.
- Can this recipe be made gluten-free? Yes! Just use gluten-free tamari.
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Thai Lemongrass Soup
Ingredients
- 2 (4 to 6 inch) lemongrass stalks
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek, or to taste
- 2 cups stemmed and sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 7 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and pressed for at least 15 minutes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilanto
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Soy sauce or tamari, to taste
Instructions
-
Bruise the lemongrass stalks by pressing on them with a large knife, until they flatten a bit. Cut each stalk into 4 sections. Set aside.
-
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth, lemongrass, chili paste, shiitakes and cherry tomatoes. Bring everything to a low simmer and allow to cook about 12-15 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.
-
While broth simmers, cut the tofu into ½ inch cubes. Coat a medium skillet with remaining 1 teaspoon of oil and place it over medium-high heat. Arrange the tofu cubes in a single layer. Cook about 5 minutes, until lightly browned on bottoms, turn and cook another 5 minutes.
-
Add the tofu to broth mixture, along with cilantro and lime juice, then give everything a stir. Season with soy sauce to taste. Remove the lemongrass pieces and discard. Ladle the into bowls and serve.
Recipe Notes
For additional guidance on the tofu cooking step, check out my post on how to cook tofu.
This looks perfect for my after-christmas detox!! Definitely gotta give it a go! xx Bianca
I grew lemongrass this summer, but waited until after it got killed(?) by freezing temps to harvest it. Since I've never used it before, I just took the parts that seemed like they MIGHT have some flavor left in them and threw them in a freezer bag. Any suggestions on how to make this awesome sounding soup using the frozen pieces?
Thanks,
Cath :)
I've frozen lemon grass before, so you should be okay to use it! The stalks you buy at the store are about 4 inches long and maybe a half inch in diameter, so just make sure you have about 8 inches of stalks total, unless they seem exceptionally thick or think. If you end up with a bunch of little pieces it's no big deal - you just might not be able to fish them all out of the soup at the end - but no biggie, they just tend to be a little chewy. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks... I'll be making it this week!
Awesome! I thought this would be a good one for some post-holiday detoxing. Enjoy! :)
This is just the soup I want right now and the chilli paste in it has me more excited. Lovely
nice post!
That recipe is totally up my alley! I'll definitely gone try it soon! :)
Really beautiful photographs BTW!
I LIKE YOUR SITE AND . TANKS
Thank you!
I modified this recipe some to use what I had on hand but followed your basic recipe. It was delicious! I am looking forward to making it again!
Glad you enjoyed it!!
Hi, love, love your recipes!! Hate, hate the font you use when you send me recipes through my email. I have to go in and change to a different font and non-bold. Bold takes up too much expensive ink in the printer. Please consider changing your recipes to a non-bold font. When I'm really busy I just don't print the recipe and miss out on yummy food. Thank you.
Hi Amanda! Thank you for the feedback! I'm actually planning on updating my newsletter as soon as I can, so I'll take that into consideration when I do!
HI Alissa! I just now discovered this recipe (thanks to your newsletter in my email). My wife tries not to eat soy. How do you think a different type of mushroom than what is call for would work? I'm open to suggestions.
Thanks!
Hi Bob! You could absolutely use a different type of mushroom! If you can get your hands on some oyster mushrooms they'd be awesome in here, but if not, even regular white button mushrooms would work. You can leave out the tofu for your wife too, and if you'd like add some extra mushrooms and tomatoes to make up for it. :)
Hi Alissa - not much of a commenter, but I just made this and it was fan-freaking-tastic. A perfectly bright dinner soup for our bizarre August-in-New England weather, but I can also see it working in winter with an extra bloop of chili paste and some gorgeous warm crusty bread smeared with a cilantro-lime compound butter. Thanks for an awesome blog! xo
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
I just LOVE this soup and make pretty regularly! I added quite a bit more of the ginger and garlic. I added bok choy as well. I often use dried shitake mushrooms and then add the broth along with the veggie broth. And lastly, I put about about 1/2 of a smal container of the Sambal Oelek because my hubby and I are serious chili heads. I’ve brought it to work and everyone loves it!! THANK YOU Alissa!!!!
I'm so glad you're enjoying it!! And all of those customizations sound delicious - I love bok choy so I'll have to give that a try. :)
Hello Alissa!
This looks delicious!! I'm gonna try to make it this week! I was just wondering, Can chicken be substituted for tofu?
Hi Joe! I'm sure that would work just fine. I hope you enjoy it!!
Is lemon grass Thai soup gluten free it tastes great everyone loves it.
Thank you
I'm so glad you like it! And yes, it's gluten-free if you use a gluten-free tamari. :)
is there a way to make the soup less salty?
could you use tempeh in place of tofu?
thanks in advance
Jack
You could use a low sodium variety of broth, or just replace some of the broth with water. I think the recipe would be great with tempeh!
You’ll be glad to know people are STILL finding this recipe and loving it. As someone who can’t look at tofu or mushrooms, I changed this up by doubling the lemongrass and adding okrra, soybeans, and right at the end, cabbage. My husband thinks soup is for babies and seniors but he ASKS me to make this one!
Thank you for sharing!!!
Hello! Love, love your blog – it's helped me go vegan, I've especially cooked your borscht like at least once every 2 weeks :)
For this recipe, what could you substitute instead of cherry tomatoes? And do you think this would go well with added noodles, If so which type would you go for?
Thanks!
Aww...thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes! I think red bell peppers would be a nice sub for the tomatoes, and rice noodles would go great in this soup. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you try!
Lovely soup for dreary days! I've made as-written but also with whatever is on hand so wanted to share that with anyone thinking they may try it. I used the fresh lemongrass paste in a tube, a full-size tomato chopped, broccoli and carrots, added more sambal, and garnished with mint and Italian basil. Thanks Alissa :)