Thai Coconut Cauliflower Soup (Tom Kha)

This easy Thai coconut cauliflower soup, inspired by the traditional tom kha, has a lime, lemongrass, and coconut infused broth and served with cauliflower, vermicelli, cilantro and carrots. The perfect light and quick meal.

How lovely is this soup? All those gorgeous veggies give this thai coconut cauliflower soup so much curb appeal. What you really can’t see, and is the most important part, is how deeply fragrant and creamy the broth is. It really makes the entire soup. Infused with fresh ginger, lemongrass, and lime it is, honestly, the easiest meal you could throw together for dinner that is still banging with flavor. My currently obsession? Add some sautéed shrimp!

Tom Kha vs Thai Coconut Cauliflower Soup

This soup is inspired by one of my favorite thai dishes, tom kha soup. It is a less glamorous version of this soup but usually with chicken (tom kha gai), oyster mushrooms, and no noodles or veggies. Still loaded with thai basil and cilantro, it is all about that coconut-ginger-lemongrass broth. I love it so much. But usually it’s not enough for a meal.

So I amped it up, subbed cauliflower for the chicken, and added lots of rice vermicelli and/or carrot noodles for a fulfilling yet still light meal. I used purple cauliflower, to be honest, because they were out of the white variety and the grocery store. And also my daughter was very persuasive that purple was better than green. So if you use regular old cauliflower, expect your broth to be less, well- magenta.

Easy Peasy Lime in the Coconut Squeezy

I kind of hate when I come up with cheesy headings like this. But let’s be real, I’m just kind of a cheesy person. So I don’t know if you’ve heard (if not, maybe subscribing to my mailing list would keep you in the loop- wink, wink!) but we are expecting our second child in September! And this is 100% affecting my inspiration for the blog. Rather than thinking hard on what’s in season and going from there I have been planning recipes that just sounds good right now.

And that is what happened with this thai coconut cauliflower soup. I was craving tom kha and it just had to happen. But other than the fact this hits the “anything Asian food” checkmark on my cravings list, like I said, it is a really simple soup. Let me break it down:

First-

simmer vegetable broth with lime, ginger and lemongrass for 10 minutes (meanwhile, chop your cauliflower and spiralize or shred your carrots)

Second-

add cauliflower and simmer an additional 5 minutes

Third-

add mushrooms and simmer 3 minutes more

Fourth-

add coconut milk, tamari, and sugar and soak your noodles in hot water for 6 minutes

Done.

Good job winning at dinner tonight!

In Other News

Other than thai coconut cauliflower soup, I have been a busy pregnant woman lately. When I started this blog I really thought that it would be the cooking portion of the work that would energize me. Come to find out, while I absolutely adore cooking, it is the photography I am most excited about. I have been brushing up on my photography and styling knowledge and have officially launched my own food photography business. Of course under the name POP KITCHEN. I am really excited to already have clients and to start this creative, entrepreneurial journey.

So if you need a food photographer!!! You know that lady to ask. If you know anyone looking for someone to photograph their food ( a restaurant, food brand, packaging company, big blogger) send them my way. Inquiries can be sent to stacy@popkitchenblog.com and you will see my professional portfolio up here soon.

OTHER POP KITCHEN SOUP RECIPES!

Egyptian Lentil Soup with Dukkah

Creamy Gazpacho (hurry up summer!)

Turmeric Split Pea Seafood Chowder

SHARE THE #POPKITCHEN LOVE!

When you make this thai coconut cauliflower soup, let me know! I absolutely love seeing your photos of POP KITCHEN recipes up on Instagram . Like POP KITCHEN on Facebook and follow along with all of my recipe inspiration on Pinterest ! Oh, and can you tell your friends about me? K, thanks, luh ew, bye!

Recipe

Thai Coconut Cauliflower Soup (Tom Kha)

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 inch piece of ginger, cut into large chunks
• zest and juice of 2 limes
• 1 large stalk lemongrass
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite size florets
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms such as cremini, oyster, and/or shitake
• 1 14 oz can full fan coconut milk (a thai brand is best)
• 3 Tbsp tamari, soy sauce, or coconut aminos (use tamari or coconut aminos for gluten free)
• 2 tsp organic cane sugar or maple syrup
• 4 oz rice vermicelli or other thin noodles
• 1 large carrot, shredded or spiralized
• 1 bunch of fresh basil (thai basil is best if you can find it)
• ½ cup cilantro
• cooked shrimp or chicken (boil in the broth for 10-12 minutes)

Instructions

1. Pound your lemongrass with the back of a chef’s knife on both sides to bruise it and release the flavor. Split in half and cut into 3 inch pieces. Add the lemongrass, ginger bits, lime zest, and juice to a large sauce pan along with the broth. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes (meanwhile, cut your cauliflower and shred your carrots).
2. Add your cauliflower florets and bring the broth back up to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add your sliced mushrooms and continue to cook another 3 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a kettle of water up to a boil.
4. Stir in the can of coconut milk, tamari, and sugar and allow to simmer while you let your vermicelli noodles soak in a large bowl of boiling water for 6 minutes (or as long as the package recommends). Taste the broth and see if it needs more saltiness (tamari), sweetness (sugar), or tanginess (lime). Remove the chunks of ginger and lemongrass stalks.
5. Place a generous amount of broth into bowls and top with the soaked rice noodles, shredded carrot, torn basil leaves, and cilantro. For a more filling meal add cooked chicken or shrimp.

Notes

Notes For leftovers, store the broth separate from the noodles. Otherwise your noodles will oversaturate and become too soft. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.