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)
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.
