If I was to describe this Thai Curry Vegetable Soup, in 3 words, they would be: Easy, Flavorful, and Customizable. And if I am permitted to use a 4th one: Healthy (but of course! Otherwise, it wouldn’t be blogged here!).
Easy Thai Curry:
The bright and vibrant colors of this soup which hint at the layers of complex flavors, would make you think that it takes hours to prep and cook it. But this is far from the truth. One bite and you’ll be truly amazed that this entire dish can be on the table in about 35-40 minutes.
Flavorful Thai Curry:
How do I describe the flavor? Rich, creamy, crunchy, spicy and tangy – all rolled into one big splash of happiness that takes over your taste buds. If you love coconuts, then you will be nuts over this dish. If you love vegetables, then this will pack in a ton of nutrition into one serving. Have a big bowl of this at lunch and no more mid-day snacking on junk food. And don’t worry about the fat content – these are good fats from coconuts – a produce that has been widely consumed in the entire South Asian and Polynesian regions for centuries.
Customizable Thai Curry:
The beauty of this Thai Curry Vegetable Soup is that you can use just about any vegetable you like and/or have on hand – bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, eggplant, bok choy, ganagal, bean sprouts, snow peas, zucchini, squash, sweet potato etc. I try to always add some sort of leafy greens like spinach, kale, collard greens, and of course, the inevitable Thai Basil leaves, which takes this dish to the next level of sublimity.
And what about adding noodles? That can be customized too! You can skip the noodles all together if you want, or use Kelp Noodles. It’s still going to taste amazing.
Thai Curry Ingredients
Coconut milk cans abound in the grocery aisles. Most of them – cans and cartons – have additives and preservatives like Sunflower Lecithin, Locust Bean Gum, Gellan Gum, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Metabisulfite and Carrageenan. Most cans are lined with BPA lining too. Read the labels and look for BPA free cans with minimal ingredients: preferably just coconut and water. I use an organic, BPA free variety called Natural Value and you can read about it and buy it here. I prefer to use full fat coconut milk, but you can use the lite version too.
The co-star of this dish is the Thai Curry Paste. You can use either the Red Curry or the Green Curry. Both are yummy; the red curry paste may be a tad spicier than the green curry paste, so if you decide to use the red curry, don’t be too generous with it. You can buy it in your local grocery store, or online here.
This vegetarian version is minus the fish sauce, but you could easily add it to this soup, if you are so inclined. Honestly, this soup is so, so good that you really won’t miss the fish sauce.
Soup Recipes
- Roasted Butternut Squash & Black-Eyed Peas Soup
- Vegan Creamy Mushroom Soup
- Tempered Yellow Lentil Soup
- Creamy (Sans Cream!) Broccoli Asparagus Soup
- Raw Red Bell Pepper Soup
- Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup
- Tomato Soup With Seasoning
- Yellow Mung Soup
- Spicy Buttermilk Soup
- Uma’s Veggie-Medley Soup
- White Wine Infused Carrot-Ginger Soup
- Easy Rasam Recipe
- Pepper Rasam
- Hearty Sarson Panchratna Dal
- Veggie Black-Eyed Pea Soup
- Creamy Vegan Chayote Squash Soup
The huge serving size of vegetables in this creamy soup is not only delectable but is loaded with vitamins and fiber. Coconuts are highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous.
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Thai Curry Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil - Cold Pressed
- 1 Can Coconut Milk - 13.5 Oz. (400 mL) BPA Free cans with no additives. Buy here
- 1 Tablespoon Thai Curry Paste - Or to taste. Buy here
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ginger - Grated
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic - Minced
- 2 Red Chili Pepper - Chopped. Or to taste
- 1/4 Cup Onion - Sweet, Finely chopped
- 1/4 Cup Eggplant - 1" Cubes
- 1/4 Cup Red Bell Peppers - 1" Cubes
- 1/4 Cup Green Bell Peppers - 1" Cubes
- 1/4 Cup Orange Bell Peppers - 1" Cubes
- 1/4 Cup Yellow Bell Peppers - 1" Cubes
- 1/4 Cup Zucchini - 1" Cubes
- 1/4 Cup Spinach - Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Thai Basil - Chopped. Don't skip this!
- 1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or to taste
Instructions
- Prep your veggies. You can use colored bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, bok choy and any greens you may have on hand.
- Heat sesame oil in a thick bottom pan. Sauté grated ginger, minced garlic, red chili peppers, and onions for 2 minutes on medium flame.
- Add coconut milk, Thai curry paste, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Add eggplant (if you are using them) and cook for 2 minutes
- Add the remaining vegetables - bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots etc. Add a little water if the mixture looks too thick. Cook for 4 minutes or until the veggies are crisply cooked.
- Turn off the heat, and add chopped Thai basil leaves, and any other greens you plan to use and close the lid for a few minutes. The leaves will wilt in the heat.
- Serve hot as a soup, or over a small bed of rice.
Hi Malathy, the information on the coconut milk can was an eye opener. I use coconut milk pretty extensively in my cooking and I pick up any can that I find in the local grocery store. Thanks to you , I’ll be more mindful now
ALWAYS read labels Nithya. Companies sneak in all kinds of additives to extend the shelf life of the product, or to enhance the taste. Another non-organic brand that I use in a bind is Aroy-d in tetra packs (I think the cans are not BPA free). They are 100% coconut. https://www.amazon.com/100-Coconut-Milk-6-pack-Aroy-D/dp/B00DUMDNTU/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1503596653&sr=1-2&keywords=Aroy-d
Also the dish looks delicious..will definitely give it a try…Most Thai curry pastes contain fish sauce.the brand you’ve recommended doesn’t have it?
Hi Nithya, this particular brand of Thai Red Curry paste contains the following ingredients: Red Chili, Garlic, Lemongrass, Galangal (Thai Ginger), Salt, Onion, Kaffir Lime, Coriander, Pepper.
Malathy, I got this brand of Thai curry paste too. NO fish sauce in it! Mouth watering recipie. Info on coconut milk is very informative. I use freshly grated coconut from Subji Mandi to make coconut milk for my South Indian style beans and spinach ( any green leafy veggie)
Visa, so glad you checked this recipe out and took the time to comment. Yes, this brand is my favorite readymade coconut milk. Best, of course, is to make it from scratch at home.
Hi, I made this for dinner tonight. Prepared coconut milk from scratch too. So easy and tasty. I sauteed the veggies a bit to enhance the flavor. Thanks Malathy. Look forward to trying more of your recipes
Glad to hear this feedback, Janaki.
Excellent meal! And easy to prepare. Thank you again for the tip on the coconut milk
Easy and healthy too! Thanks for the wonderful feedback, Amy.