Another treat for my vegetarian fans that I promise will satisfy my meat eaters as well! I was determined to develop a great recipe of our famous tom yum soup for my vegetarian fans, and after trying out several things, I am proud to announce that this version was so good even I was surprised! Mixed mushrooms are the trustworthy meat substitute Thai people turn to when making a vegetarian dish, and there are so many types to choose from so take your pick! (But don't pick the button mushroom!) Light but bursting with flavour, and the citrusy tartness is balanced by subtle natural sweetness. This easy soup will please even the most carnivorous among us 🙂
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Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.
Vegetable Stock:
- Water
- Onion, large dice
- Daikon radish, large chunks
- Cloves garlic, smashed
- Cilantro roots, smashed
- White peppercorns, cracked
Mushroom Tom Yum:
- Shallots, quatered
- Dried chili powder or flakes, to taste
- Vegetable oil
- Vegetable stock
- Lemongrass, bottom half only, smashed and cut into chunks
- Galangal
- Kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn
- Asian mushroom mix of your choice, bite-sized pieces (see note)
- Soy sauce
- Lime juice
- Salt
- Sugar
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Note: Good Asian mushroom choices: straw (this one is a classic in Thailand but hard to find here), oyster, enoki, shimeji, shiitake. You can also use non-Asian mushrooms, of course, EXCEPT button or crimini mushrooms.
How to Make Mushroom Tom Yum (vegetarian) ต้มยำเห็ด\
Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.
For veg stock:
- Add 6 cups of water into a stock pot and add all ingredients into the pot. Simmer for 1 hour, then remove all the vegetables with a mesh skimmer, then measure out 3 cups of stock.
- If you have less than 3 cups, add more water to makeup the shortfall. If you have too much, let it reduce a bit longer till you have close to 3 cups.
For the soup:
- Peel and cut shallots into quarters, place on a baking sheet, cut side up, and broil on high for a few minutes until the edges are charred. Set aside.
- In a medium pot, add oil and chilies flakes and saute over medium heat until the oil has taken on a red colour and you can start to smell smokiness from the chilies. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
- Add the shallots, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Note: the lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves are for infusion purposes only; they are not meant to be eaten. You can either remove them after this step, or inform your guests not to eat them. If you plan to remove them you may want to put them in a cheesecloth bag for easy removal.
- Add the mushrooms, soy sauce, and sugar, and bring the soup back to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute or until the mushrooms are cooked through.
- Stir in tomatoes and turn off the heat, letting the tomatoes cook slightly just with the residual heat of the soup. Add lime juice, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve on its own or with rice as part of a bigger Thai meal. Enjoy!
Recipe Card
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Mushroom Tom Yum (vegetarian) ต้มยำเห็ด
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
Vegetable Stock:
- 6 cups water
- ½ Onion, large dice
- 4-inch section daikon radish, large chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 cilantro roots, smashed
- ¼ teaspoon white peppercorns, cracked
Mushroom Tom Yum:
- 2 heads shallots, quatered
- Dried chili powder or flakes, to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom half only, smashed and cut into chunks
- 8 rounds galangal
- 6 Kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn
- 4 cups (about 200 g) Asian mushroom mix of your choice, bite-sized pieces (see note)
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3Tbsp lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Note: Good Asian mushroom choices: straw (this one is a classic in Thailand but hard to find here), oyster, enoki, shimeji, shiitake. You can also use non-Asian mushrooms, of course, EXCEPT button or crimini mushrooms.
Want to save this recipe?
We can email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
For veg stock: Add 6 cups of water into a stock pot and add all ingredients into the pot. Simmer for 1 hour, then remove all the vegetables with a mesh skimmer, then measure out 3 cups of stock. If you have less than 3 cups, add more water to makeup the shortfall. If you have too much, let it reduce a bit longer till you have close to 3 cups.
For the soup:
Peel and cut shallots into quarters, place on a baking sheet, cut side up, and broil on high for a few minutes until the edges are charred. Set aside.
In a medium pot, add oil and chilies flakes and saute over medium heat until the oil has taken on a red colour and you can start to smell smokiness from the chilies. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the shallots, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Note: the lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves are for infusion purposes only; they are not meant to be eaten. You can either remove them after this step, or inform your guests not to eat them. If you plan to remove them you may want to put them in a cheesecloth bag for easy removal.
Add the mushrooms, soy sauce, and sugar, and bring the soup back to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute or until the mushrooms are cooked through.
Stir in tomatoes and turn off the heat, letting the tomatoes cook slightly just with the residual heat of the soup. Add lime juice, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve on its own or with rice as part of a bigger Thai meal. Enjoy!
Amy says
What can I substitute the galangal with? None of the stores around me carry it.
Dave says
T & T at MetroTown has Galangal
Jenny says
Great, and realy easy to make. Too salty with that much soy sauce.
Enjoyed it as a main with noodles and airfryer burmese tofu.
Michelle says
I so love your recipes and channel. Since I have been cooking for more than 50 years, I seldom follow exact recipes but instead use them to inspire. Yours are great, And I love your personality.
Charissa Tynan says
Would it be weird to add Tofu to this?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Not at all!
Tracy says
This was so delicious and very easy. Super tangy and flavorful as a tom yum should be, and yet it’s vegan. My dream recipe. So glad I tried it!
Jason says
I just made this and it was delicious. I turned it into a main meal so added pho noodles and extra veggies. Very tasty, thank you. We love south east asia as a region and as a place with amazing food. Your videos and recipes are excellent Pai!
(UK couple in Kuwait)
Linz says
Hi Pailin,
Can I use the store bought vegetarian stock to make it easier?
Prathima says
How many tomatoes? There is no mention in the ingredients. Thank you
Jason says
A handful will do it, chopped in half. If you're still unsure check Pai's recipe for this on youtube so you can visualise it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03qf1xzgey4&t=440s
Tracy says
I added two Roma tomatoes chopped. Also added cilantro as a garnish. And threw some of the daikon back in too as I love that stuff.
jason says
Hi, you can use store bought veg stock but be aware that it will have a different flavour infusion than the recipe given the specific ingredients of this stock - onion, garlic, white peppercorns, cilantro/coriander roots, diakon raddish and smashed garlic.
You can switch the diakon raddish for red raddish if you cannot find Daikon (but peel the red skin).