Yummy Tom Yum in My Tummy

This past weekend I went to a Pan Asian restaurant in Santa Monica called Buddha's Belly (refer to previous post) for a friend's birthday. If you remember, I got the anti-climatic tofu steak, but I failed to mention that what really caught my eyes that night was my friend's dish. My friend was sitting across from me, and she ordered the Spicy Tom Yom Koon Thai Ramen Noodle Soup. It looked and smelled soooooo good... Basically, it is a hot and sour soup (I absolutely heart Chinese hot and sour soup, by the way). After salivating from looking at her contently devour that bowl of noodle soup, I was determined to make a vegan version when I get home.

There are various types of Tom Yum. The one she had was with shrimp, which is (I think) is the most common version. Traditionally, Tom Yum is just a soup with seafood and mushroom, but I loved the idea of turning it into a bowl of noodle soup, especially because I am a noodle connoisseur. Below is my rendition of a Tom Yum Tofu Ramen. Since it was my first time making this ethnic dish, I have posted what I would do the next time I cook it again. Of course, feel free to tweak the spices according to your own preferences.



Tom Yum Tofu Ramen
Serves 4

5 cups vegetable broth
1 stalk lemon grass
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 Thai green chilies, sliced (remove some seed for less spiciness)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ramen noodles
6 oz. (1/2 package) firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 canned mushroom
1 cup broccoli
1/2 lime
2 tablespoons vegetarian fish sauce (or substitute with lite soy sauce)
1 tablespoon vegetarian Thai chili paste (nam prik pao)
cilantro for garnish

Pour stock into a big pot and cook over high heat. Cut the lemon grass stalk into 1-inch pieces, and use the back of the knife to pound the flavor out. Drop the lemon grass into the broth.

Add garlic, chilies and lime leaves (stems removed) to the broth. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until broth is fragrant.

Meanwhile, boil a pot of water and cook the ramen noodles for just a few minutes. Raw ramen cooks pretty fast, so you don't want to overcook it. It will get too soft and soggy if you do, especially if it is going to be served in broth. Drain and set aside when cooked.

Going back to the soup, add tofu, mushrooms and broccoli. Cook for another 5 minutes and turn off heat.

Put a handful of cooked ramen into a serving soup bowl and pour the soup over the noodles. Since it may not be common sense that the lemon grass is inedible, you can take out the lemon grass and the lime leaves for a more "friendly" noodle soup.

Add some vegetarian fish (or soy) sauce, as desired. For a spicier and more savory taste, add the Thai chili paste. Since I didn't have a vegetarian version handy and was too lazy to make my own nam prik pao, I just used a Thai garlic chili paste. I added about 2 tablespoons to the whole recipe to get the desired spiciness (I love spicy food).

Before serving, squeeze a bit of lime juice as desired and place some sprigs of cilantro on top for garnish.


Both Max and my roommate really enjoyed the noodle soup. Of course I did too. It's perfect for clearing your sinus. I love the tangy, spicy taste of the stock. I'm going to play around with the spices and the ingredients the next time I cook it. I may even use soy shrimp... yum...