Vegan Tom Kha Soup: Warm up the Dome!

Good New Year my Mothers and Other Friends!

It's time to warm up with this tasty spicy little Thai inspired soup that I came up with, through the help of other bloggers, and some changes I made to the recipe.

Okay so not ONLY is this soup tasty, it's full of super good things. Lemongrass for starts, who knew? This super ingredient can help your skin, acne, get rid of colds, fevers, helps lower high blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, detoxifies the body, kidney, liver, bladder, improves blood circulation, helps with type 2 diabetes, relaxation, sleep problems, anxiety and colitis... WOW! http://planetwell.com/lemongrass-health-benefits-and-healing-properties/

The benefits of Coconut Milk, are also pretty great: Helps in building strong bones, maintain blood sugar, keeps skin flexible and elastic, can help prevent anemia, relaxes nerves and muscles,  helps lower high blood sugar, controlling weight, promotes health in the prostate gland, and maintains a healthy immune system. Learn more: http://www.be-healthy-with-coconuts.com/benefits-of-coconut-milk.html

Galangal root, is also fantastic with a host of anti-oxidants, and is also helpful for nausea and contain anti-inflammatory properties...

Don't even get me started on the benefits of the sweet potato, baby bella mushrooms, and the shallot...

This recipe is fairly simple, and is just as good as any I have had at any traditional Thai restaurant. The major difference is, most Tom Kah soup is make with chicken and chicken broth. I simply substitute with organic Vegetable broth, and cubed and fried Tofu.

Everything you will need:
A nice size Pot with a top
15 oz of coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 cups of organic vegetable broth
2 sticks of lemon grass (usually you can get that in the herb section of any regular grocery store, they are precut, only use the whites) Chopped into thin circles
6-8 kaffir lime leaves (I get these frozen at a local Asian market) Use these whole
6 1/2" inch thick slices of galangal (this is a type of root, similar to ginger, but a totally diff taste, DO NOT USE GINGER in other words, lol... I also get this frozen at the local Asian Market)
1 Shallot (finely diced)
1 Garlic segment/clove (finely diced)
1/2 of a sweet potato large dices
1 cup of fried tofu squares (to be prepared in advance) Use the extra Firm Nasoya brand if possible
Stemmed and sliced up baby bella mushrooms, as many as you like, a usually use almost a whole pack
1/2 tsp Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (less if you are sensitive to spicy foods)
1/2 tsp Ground Fresh Chilli Paste ( I use Sambal Oelek)
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1/8 tsp coriander

Golden Fried Tofu in Coconut oil

First Step: Prepare the Tofu

Chunk into small cubes, place in a non sick pan with coconut oil, adding oil as needed and simmering and sauteing frequently, making sure it doesn't burn, and that each side is evenly fried to a golden color.
Once it's nice even and golden, remove to a plate and separate one cup for the soup. I usually use the extra fried tofu for something else later on in the week, or save it for another batch of soup.

Galangal, Lemon Grass, Garlic and Leaves for Broth

Second step: The Broth
In the large pot combine the coconut milk, veggie broth, lime leaves, lemon grass, garlic, and galangal
Turn heat to a high medium, and bring liquid and ingredients to a small bubble, once you see the little bubbles emerge stir everything a few times, scraping the bottom of the pot, and reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Keep the top on the    pot the whole time.

After the 30 minutes, take a perforated spoon, or strain the broth to remove the galangal, lemon grass, and leaves, make sure to remove everything. Then return ONLY the leaves to the broth.

Final Step: Add mushrooms, fried tofu, sliced and diced sweet potato, diced shallots, coriander, soy sauce, chilli paste, Sriracha hot chili sauce, and simmer on low until the sweet potato and mushrooms are cooked and reduced. And remove the lime leaves.

Serve with bread of choice for dipping, and enjoy!