Coconut Green Curry Soup (vegan, gluten-free)
Jun 04, 2019 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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Today I’m sharing a classic I grew up eating–Coconut Green Curry Soup. Coconut Green Curry Soup is something I used to eat often in Thailand and I would eat it both hot (yes, they serve it hot year round despite the high temps!) and also chilled the day after. Sort of like next day pizza, you know what I mean?
I’ve partnered with Silk to bring you this recipe today, to inspire you to find ways to veganize your favourite dishes so you don’t have to sacrifice flavour or your comfort foods if you’re looking to eat more vegan or plant-based. Making small changes to dishes you already know and love is a great place to start and can actually be a really fun way to experiment with new recipes too! Traditionally, full fat coconut milk or canned coconut milk are used to make Thai curries, however I’m using Silk’s lighter, Unsweet Coconutmilk, a plant-based alternative that makes it easy to turn this curry into a slurpable soup. I find that the lighter texture of this coconutmilk also lends itself to becoming a chilled, next day meal a little better.
What’s great about this recipe is that it’s actually really easy to make at home. It’s packed with flavour, but light in texture. You get your greens in, and you can choose to serve it with rice, noodles or zoodles for even more veg. It’s easily made vegan because the base is traditionally already coconut milk, so I love this recipe for group dinners or gatherings with friends who may not be used to eating vegan food. It’s a wonderful dish to serve to people no matter what the diet, because in order to veganize it, all you really need to do is remove the meat, and instead add more veg or a plant protein like tofu or tempeh!
The star ingredients in this Coconut Green Curry Soup are the Unsweet Coconutmilk and the green curry paste. The green curry paste is what provides all the spice and flavour and you don’t have to worry about grinding up your own curry paste (unless, of course, you want to!). When it comes to looking for a green curry paste, you want to look out for ingredients like dried shrimp, and soy sauce if you want to keep it vegan and gluten-free. I used this vegan and gluten-free pre-made curry paste for convenience. Now for the coconutmilk, please be sure you use the unsweetened variety, and one that contains no vanilla. I promise you, despite the powerful flavour in the curry paste, you will still end up with a very funky result. Speaking from experience here…
To be totally honest, you could really have a complete curry without adding too much once you have the key ingredients I listed above, but I like to use the curry paste as a base, and add to it with additional fresh spices and herbs at home. Think of it like sprucing up a pre-made pasta sauce. By adding in your own fresh ingredients at home, you can elevate it and liven up the dish so much more!
I almost forgot, but the best part of this recipe is that you can absolutely swap out the veg and protein with whatever you have on hand. Other veggies that work wonderfully include carrots, Asian eggplant, broccoli, snap peas, potatoes and even protein like chickpeas. There are so many great plant-based ingredients that work in curries, and as a side note, if you’re just getting started with plant-based and vegan cooking, I’d recommend cooking dishes like these in larger quantities to save and eat throughout the week. When you find a dish you love, make it in bulk!
Now without further ado, let’s get into the recipe!
Coconut Green Curry Soup (vegan, gluten-free, oil free)
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons green curry paste
- 1 small shallot minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes optional
- 1-2 cups light coconut milk I used Silk Unsweet Coconutmilk
- ⅓ cup veggie broth as needed
- 1 cup okra chopped
- 1 cup mixed mushrooms of choice
- 1-2 servings grilled tempeh or tofu
- 1-2 servings of rice noodles zoodles, or rice
- limes to serve
Instructions
- In a large saucepan on medium high heat, add a splash of veggie broth and “fry” minced shallot and ginger until fragrant. Add curry paste and chili flakes and let the spices cook until fragrant, adding splashes of veggie broth as needed to avoid burning/sticking. Alternatively, you can saute with oil.
- Gradually add coconut milk by the half cup, making sure to dissolve curry paste with a spatula or whisk as you add. Bring to a boil and let simmer.
- Add mushrooms and okra and cook for a few minutes. I like to cook my tempeh or tofu beforehand and add at the last minute, to keep a nice texture in tact.
- Serve over noodles, zoodles or rice as desired with a squeeze of lime.
- If serving the next day, you can store leftover zoodles in the broth, and re-heat by adding additional coconut milk, or enjoying chilled. The flavours tend to really marinate overnight if you have leftovers.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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