I’m sitting here with a blank screen trying to figure out if I can even accurately describe to you how good this Thai Red Curry Vegetable Soup is. Maybe I should tell you that I wanted to skip the bowl and just eat it straight out of the pot with the huge ladle as my spoon? Maybe I should admit that I almost wanted to tell my boyfriend that I didn’t cook anything today so I could hide the soup and eat it all myself (no, not really, that’s mean).
The point is, this Thai Curry Vegetable Soup is good. So, so, so good. That paired with its simplicity and ease of preparation means there’s a good chance I’ll want to make this about once per week. I probably shouldn’t be eating that much coconut milk, but I’m sure I’ll find some way to rationalize it.
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What Is Thai Red Curry Paste?
Thai red curry paste is a mix of red peppers, chiles, ginger, garlic, and other spices. Not to be confused with Indian curry powder, which is a mix of different spices and is usually sold as a powder, rather than a paste. Thai red curry paste can be used in soups, stir fries, sauces, and more.
Is Thai Red Curry Hot?
The spiciness of Thai red curry soup depends on the brand of Thai red curry paste used. I used Thai Kitchen brand, which is common in U.S. grocery stores, and it is not very spicy. Green Thai curry paste, on the other hand, is quite a bit spicier.
Customize the Vegetables
I happened to go to an Asian market yesterday where I picked up the ingredients for this soup (at really amazing prices, I might add), but if you can’t get the same vegetables as me, you can still make this Thai Curry Vegetable Soup! The beauty of this Thai Curry Vegetable Soup is that you can use just about any vegetable you like, although I try to at least have some sort of leafy green. Other vegetables that would be great choices include: spinach, kale, collard greens, cabbage, mushrooms, bean sprouts, snow peas, carrots, or red bell peppers.
Make it Vegetarian
I made a vegetarian version (minus the fish sauce, anyway) today, but you could easily add meat to this soup. Toss in some shredded rotisserie chicken, or brown some chicken pieces in the beginning with the Thai curry paste. If you prefer shrimp, I suggest adding it at the end and simmering just a few minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.
Noodle Options
And what about the noodles? That’s customizable, too! You can skip the noodles all together if you want, or use a brick of cheap-o ramen if that’s what you have. It’s still going to taste amazing.
Easy, flavorful, and customizable–This Thai Curry Vegetable Soup is EXACTLY Budget Bytes style.
Thai Red Curry Vegetable Soup
Servings 4 (about 2 cups each)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil* ($0.04)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.05)
- 2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste ($0.62)
- 1 small sweet potato (about 1 lb.) ($1.61)
- 1 bunch baby bok choy ($0.55)
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth ($0.52)
- 1 13oz. can coconut milk ($1.29)
- 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce ($0.07)
- 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 3.5 oz. rice vermicelli noodles ($0.39)
GARNISHES (optional)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.29)
- 1 lime ($0.17)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro ($0.17)
- Sriracha to taste ($0.15)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables for the soup and garnishes first, so they’re ready to go when needed. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger using a small-holed cheese grater. Peel and dice the sweet potato into one-inch cubes. Wash the bok choy well, then chop into one-inch strips, separating the fibrous stalks from the delicate green ends. Thinly slice the red onion and roughly chop the cilantro.
- Add the cooking oil to a large soup pot along with the minced garlic, grated ginger, and Thai red curry paste. Sauté the garlic, ginger, and curry paste over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the diced sweet potato and chopped bok choy stalks to the pot (save the leafy green ends for later) along with the chicken or vegetable broth. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- While the soup is simmering, bring a small pot of water to a boil for the vermicelli. Once boiling, add the vermicelli and boil for 2-3 minutes, or just until tender. Drain the rice noodles in a colander and set aside.
- Once the sweet potatoes are tender, add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar to the soup. Stir, taste, and adjust the fish sauce or brown sugar if needed. Finally, add the bok choy greens and let them wilt in the hot soup.
- To serve, divide the rice vermicelli among four bowls. Ladle the soup and vegetables over the noodles, then top with red onion, cilantro, a wedge or two of lime, and a drizzle of sriracha.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
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How gorgeous are those colors??
How to Make Thai Curry Soup – Step by Step Photos
Start by preparing your vegetables, so they’re ready to use when you need them. I just happened to go to an Asian market the day before, so I picked up this Japanese yam, baby bok choy, limes, cilantro, and a red onion. Read through the intro if you need ideas for alternate vegetables.
Peel and dice the yam (or sweet potato, either will work), thinly slice the red onion, cut the limes into wedges, and cut the bok choy into strips. Try to keep the stalk end and the leafy green ends separate, as you’ll add them to the Thai Curry Vegetable Soup at different times.
You’ll also want to mince two cloves of garlic and grate about 1 Tbsp fresh ginger. It’s important to note that Thai red curry paste is VERY different from the curry powder that is used in Indian cuisine. This one is basically a mix of red chiles, garlic, galangal (similar to ginger), lemongrass, and a few other spices. If you want to make this soup EXTRA easy, skip the garlic and ginger, and just add more of the Thai red curry paste. ;)
Add a couple of tablespoons of any neutral cooking oil (like canola, vegetable, peanut, sunflower, grapeseed), the minced garlic, grated ginger, and 2 Tbsp of the Thai red curry paste to a large pot. Sauté the garlic, ginger, and curry paste over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Next add the hard vegetables, in this case, the yam (or sweet potato) and stalks of the bok choy, so they can simmer in the soup and soften.
Add four cups of vegetable or chicken broth, place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until the sweet potato is soft.
While the soup is simmering, I cooked the rice vermicelli separately (this package is 3.5oz). The reason I cooked the noodles separately is that they cook super fast and I didn’t want them to overcook in the soup. I might, at some point in the future, add them to the soup at the end and let them soften that way, but today I wanted to be extra sure, so I just cooked them separately. They only take about 2-3 minutes to soften in boiling water, then drain the noodles in a colander and set aside.
Back to the soup pot. Once the sweet potato cubes are soft, add a 13oz. can of coconut milk, which transforms the soup into this creamy goodness.
Also, add 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce and 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar. Now, if you’ve never used fish sauce let me just tell you that it is very potent and doesn’t smell good, but because it’s used in such small quantities, that doesn’t really transfer to the dish you’re adding it to. It just adds a subtle umami flavor and a bit of saltiness. If you can’t get fish sauce or want this dish to be vegetarian, you can leave it out. It still tastes good, but IMHO will be missing that je ne sais quoi or authentic flavor that fish sauce gives. Also, if you skip the fish sauce, you can probably also skip the brown sugar.
After adding the fish sauce and brown sugar, give the broth a taste and adjust the flavors if needed. Finally, add the leafy green ends of the bok choy and let them wilt in the hot soup (the pot should still be over low heat).
To serve the Thai Curry Vegetable Soup, place some of the rice vermicelli in the bottom of a bowl…
Ladle the soup and vegetables over the noodles…
Then add your garnishes: thinly sliced red onion, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and a drizzle of sriracha.
And then dig in.
And try not to die of happiness from the tastiest Thai Vegetable Soup ever.
Hey beautiful. ;) ;) ;)
Another winner going into the rotation! I used green curry paste because the grocery store was out of red. I skipped the onion, and throw all the ingredients except the coconut milk into the crock pot on high for around 4 hours. After 4 hours, I turned off the crock pot and added a thing of Ramen noodles and the can of coconut milk, and the lime juice. Yum!!
Such a delicious and simple base recipe! I adored it! I made quite a few subs to use up things i had laying around but even they did nothing to diminish the sheer flavor of this soup. Perfect for a cozy weekday dinner. I had mashed yam so subbed that for raw and just added it at the end, plus added drained garbanzo beans for a bit more protein and a little bit of all the veggies i had at home and it is perfection! Thanks, as always, Beth, for another winner!
I’ve made this soup many many times and I figured I should rate it! This recipe is great to also just use as a base and add the ingredients you have on hand. We love to add broccoli, carrots, spinach, or anything else we have on hand!
This is a great weeknight soup and it amazing the next day for lunch!
So delicious! I did make a couple substitutions. My store didn’t have bok choy, so I used half a head of cabbage. I also subbed tamari for soy sauce to make it vegan. The only thing I’ll say is that I might add some red pepper next time because, as the recipe states, red curry paste is not very spicy. Delicious!!!
Added chicken potstickers for my meat eating son. Very good. Will make again.
Delicious! My fiancé likes the flavor of it but instead of two tsp of Thai red curry l, I added 3.5 and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and ginger. I believe is what gave the soup that extra kick instead of adding jalapeños for heat. I didn’t have vermicelli on hand so I substitute for thin spaghetti, used squash and adult bok choy. First time making it and fiancé liked it a lot. Thumbs up esp. for someone as picky as him with vegetables.
Just cooked this recipe, but I think the proportions of some ingredients are off/confusing.
1 serving makes sense with 3.5oz vermicelli noodles, and so does 1 bunch of baby bok choi. But 1 full can of coconut milk, 4 cups chicken broth , etc. with that?
I think the recipe should be updated to include a note that you’ll need: 4x 3.5oz vermicelli noodles (1 per serving) and 1 bunch of baby bok choi per serving too (I’m reading a “bunch” as one bulb)–something along those lines.
Recipe is quite tasty though. Other than the above, it makes sense.
I have been making this soup for years. This is a tried and true recipe in my home, and one I find myself turning back to constantly, especially in the colder months.
I have sometimes made a few additions or modifications—such as adding white yams, a shallot, Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp, or using green curry paste instead of red—but the bones of this recipe are as solid as they come. It is delicious, filling, and tasty every single time I make it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us. <3
So good!
this is so amazing i just tried it after making a big batch for meal prep
This has been one of my primary go-to healthy and ultra tasty recipes for years. I’ll add different things I have on hand like mushrooms and kale, and I use zucchini noodles instead of vermicelli to make it low carb. I love how adaptable it is. Also, I like a strong curry flavor, so I double the amount of curry paste. I always keep Red Thai Curry Paste on hand so I can make this anytime. This recipe is perfection!!
I make this recipe all the time. One of my go-tos for meal prepping lunch or dinner. It’s easy, delicious, and nutritious. My must-haves are mushrooms, sweet potato, tofu, and spinach. I sauté the mushrooms right before I add the sweet potatoes, and then add in the tofu and spinach at the very end. I usually add much more Thai curry paste too :)
I have been making this recipe since at least 2017. Thank you for a wonderful, flavorful, and affordable byte! :)
One of my all-time favorite Budget Byte recipes! We like using spaghetti squash noodles instead of rice noodles, and either salmon or chicken (for more protein). Thanks for sharing such a delicious and versatile dish!
This sounds amazing. I just made a large pot of veggie soup. I have some leafy greens frozen. I also have a jar of THAI KITCHEN Red Curry. So…I plan to use all the above tomorrow night to make a new recipe for our supper! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It sounds so interesting!!! Wandy
This is absolutely amazing!!! Would it be possibly to freeze any leftovers?
This one would probably freeze well minus the noodles. :)
I had this pinned forever. It intimidated be as a novice cook. But when I made it, it was so easy and sooo delicious. I used shortcuts. Pre minced garlic, ginger, and frozen sweet potatoes. We make this at least monthly now. Thank you for sharing.
Fantastic recipe. So easy and quick too. It’s now my go to if I have leftover coconut milk. I sometimes add chicken too, and whatever greens I have on hand. It’s flexible and delicious.
This recipe is so good that my girlfriend begged me to make it two weeks in a row lol. I’ve tried sooo many Western Thai-style recipes, including several soups, and this one is by far my fav! The recipe is perfect on its own, but I like to up the curry paste to about half a 4oz jar. I also add kaffir lime leaves along with the vegetable broth, instead of the lime garnish. If you can find it, you can also substitute vegan “fish” sauce if you want it to be veggie without sacrificing flavor. I use Ocean’s Halo brand. :) Overall, another banger from Budget Bytes. Thank you for sharing!!
Whoops, got excited and forgot the rating
Wow! I never leave comments on recipes…but this soup is AMAZING so I wanted to be sure to let you know how much I enjoyed it!! I will totally be making this again. Thank you for the recipe!
THIS IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER COOKED! Seriously my new favorite recipe from budget bytes. Thank you Beth! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Fantastic recipe. This is my first time making one of your recipes and I love the way you lay out cost and instructions. Will certainly be back ;)
I skipped fish sauce and added juice of 2 limes and it was SO perfect. Thank you!
I never leave comments on recipes but this is my favorite Budget Bytes recipe. I almost cried happy tears the first time I made it. #NOODLES
Made this tonight and it was so wonderful! I subbed green curry paste, added mushrooms and left out the bok choy. I also made both noodles and rice as a base, and preferred it with the rice! Just delicious!
Costing is not accurate, I don’t know where are you can find a can of coconut milk without metabisulfites for less than $1.50 in New York city, and a bunch of baby bok choy is at least a dollar if not more. Also, rice noodles are more expensive than that. Otherwise, your recipe inspires me because I have the ingredients but don’t feel like sautéing the whole pan of veg to make a regular curry. and I love my curry over noodles!
Hi Natalie, here’s a link to my blog post about how and why we calculate recipe costs the way we do, and how that information can be useful even though you’re not likely to have the exact same prices as me. Prices for ingredients vary widely from region to region, store to store, and even day to day within the same store. Some people will end up paying less, while some will pay more. It’s more about looking at how individual ingredients can affect the overall cost. Also keep in mind that we have 12 years of content on this website and inflation over that period of time is also a factor. This recipe was written in 2016. I hope that helps!
LOOOOOVE this soup. I have a terrible time cooking with Asian flavors but this soup turned out perfect. My 3 yr old loves it and requested it for 3 nights in a row yelling happily for “noodle soup”! The lime definitely is not optional, I also added bamboo shoots and sugar snap peas, turned out delicious. Thank you!!
Ive made this a handful of times and I think its my husband favorite dish. He loves the broth! The lime is not optional for us, it really brightens up the broth and I tend to add some soy sauce for some more saltiness. Today I didnt plan to make this but we had had a whole weekend of carby food like pizza and just wanted something fresh. So I looked around the pantry and saw that I could use our collards from the garden, canned yam, canned peas, and canned mushrooms. I also had a red onion on hand so I added that. I like to add it in the middle of cooking so its not raw but still a little cooked with a bite to it. It really adds good texture to the dish. We dont typically repeat meals unless its good but this is one we keep making and we have yet to get tired of it! I love that we can make this with a fully stocked pantry and feel like we are eating fresh food.
I just made this, using rice in the bottom of the bowl instead of noodles, and some shredded chicken breast added. It’s SO GOOD. I took a gamble and made enough for lunches all week, and I’m so happy I did!
This recipe is incredible! It quickly became a staple in our home. LOVE IT!!!
This is definitely a keeper. Made as is, except I cooked the rice noodles in the broth just to soak up more flavour. Great lunch!
Do you think I could use green curry paste instead? I’ve made the 100 times and LOVE it but I just happen to have leftover green paste and I’m not sure what to use it for lol.
Yes, you can make a similar soup using green curry paste. :)
Recently made after a bad day, and glad I did.
I discovered in the 11th hour (after I prepped the veggies) that I was out of curry paste. So, I made a substitute with gochujang and curry powder. Definitely suitable, though it needs more than a 1:1 ratio I found out.
I added squash and mushrooms as well as green onions as I had them lurking as leftovers in my fridge. Could not get bok choy through my grocery delivery service, so I used spinach instead. Very yummy and healing as a whole.
My friend showed me this soup a couple years ago and I loved it so much I bought the ingredients to make it myself as soon as I left her house. I’ve linked this recipe to family members and even on a high school acquaintance’s facebook when she asked for soup recommendations. Love the flavor, love the healthy ingredients, and love how flexible it is. I’ve started subbing the rice noodles for udon noodles because I love the fat noddle with the flavor of this soup, but that’s the only thing I can bring myself to change. *Thank you* for a delicious soup to make for company that also happens to be the prettiest. It’s one of the few occasions where the garnishes aren’t just for looks– they really seal the deal! Cheers!
It’s my family’s favorite meal! So happy we stumbled across this recipe.
When do you add the coconut milk? Im adding mushrooms can’t wait to finish!
In step 5 of the recipe, after the sweet potatoes have simmered, you add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar. :)
Hi! Excited to try this soup. I couldn’t find baby bok choy, so I’m using…adult bok choy…would you recommend using just half the bunch instead? Thanks!
I can’t say for sure since I can’t see the size of your bunch, but this soup is very flexible. You can just add as much as you’d like. :)
I always read the comments to see if my question is answered…and it was, thank you for asking it! It also makes me happy that you called it ‘adult bok choy’ lol
I made this with mushrooms, light coconut milk and topped with fried egg. 100% Recommend!
This soup is amazing!! I added about a cup of mushrooms to it as well to add more vegetables and then just followed the recipe exactly and wow, it’s good. I Think topping it with a Lime wedge at the end is a must. Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s definitely a new favourite.
Would it be possible to sub lite coconut milk? If so, should I make any other changes? Trying to avoid a trip to the grocery store.
Yes, you can do lite coconut milk, but the resulting soup will not be as thick, rich, or creamy.
Beyond delicious! I ate way too much of this, and would have probably drunk all the broth from the pot if there weren’t witnesses.
This is so simple to make, with the base ingredients being things I keep on hand,band it’s so accommodating to substitutions and additions.
I cleaned out my fridge making this, adding leftover chicken kasturi kebab meat, mushrooms, onions, peppers and more. I added so much that I needed to increase the broth and curry paste. I ended up not bothering with the noodles this time, and dear god was this so good.
Easy. Impressive. Delicious. Not at all wasteful. This one is a winner!!!
One of our favorite recipes, thank you!
Just made it today. Didn’t have book Chou so used spinach instead and added bell peppers, ramen noodles, and huge chunks of mushrooms. I only made a half recipe but now I wish I’d made it all so we’d have leftovers.
Can you freeze it? Even if I add shrimp?
I haven’t tried freezing this one, so I’m not sure how that will turn out, but if you do, I would suggest freezing it without the fresh toppings as they will wilt during the freeze/thaw process.
I’m vegetarian and make this recipe without the fish sauce, so to make up the umami flavour, I add some tamari or soy sauce and don’t bother with the brown sugar. It’s also really good with fresh green beans added in with the veggies!
Can I leave out the ginger or is there a substitute
There isn’t a substitute, unfortunately. While you could leave it out, you’d be missing some flavor. :)
This recipe is one of my favorites! Thank you so much. It’s so perfectly balanced between the spice, acidity, and vegetables.
I have made this soup many times. I’ve added my own home grown lemon grass, I’ve used mushrooms, I’ve added bell pepper, used various noodles and toppings. It is one of my favorite meals. So, you can imagine my dismay when I went to make it and discovered that both my tofu and my mushrooms had gone bad and that we were out of bok choy and bell peppers.
I can safely attest that this meal is equally delicious with celery and kale in place of bok choy and soft boiled eggs in place of the tofu. We had some leftover marinated eggs from when we made a shortcut ramen a few days earlier and my fiance tells me they were delicious with the broth.
I have made your recipe for the past 3 years and my family and I LOVE it. I made it again today but I added oyster mushrooms, leaks and sliced red peppers (in addition to the other veggies in the recipe). Delicious as ever! Sometimes I don’t use the fish sauce and I use mushroom powder for my stock (because one of my daughters is Vegan) and it still comes out yummy.
I have made your recipe for the past 3 years and my family and I LOVE it. I made it again today but I added oyster mushrooms, leaks and sliced red peppers (in addition to the other veggies in the recipe). Delicious as ever! Sometimes I don’t use the fish sauce and I use mushroom powder for my stock (because one of my daughters is Vegan) and it still comes out yummy.
Such a great recipe! I make this time and again. Tonight I added enoki mushrooms, shrimp, extra fish sauce and green onions. Great flavors, can easily be vegetarian or vegan, it’s so versatile! I use Maesri brand curry paste; it’s a little spicier than Thai Kitchen, and super delicious.
This is so absolutely delicious. It’s every bit as yummy if not more so than what I would get at a Thai restaurant. I followed the recipe exactly. I love it.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it’s as good as it looks! Just thought I would share that I made it in the crock pot today and it came out great. I also added chicken and mushrooms. I added in the coconut milk and leafy bok choy in the last hour and cooked the noodles per package.
Do you have any substitutions for coconut milk? My husband can’t have coconut. We usually have oat milk on hand, but didn’t know if it needed to be sweeter. Thanks!
Unfortunately this one is highly dependent on the coconut milk. I don’t think there is an adequate replacement for it. :(
Hi there. You can use evaporated milk. That’s what’s traditionally used in Thailand in the Thai soup Tom kah goong. Or you could decide to leave it out entirely for a more Tom yum (hot and sour) style soup. Hope my Thai knowledge helps.
This is the first recipe of yours I tried and it was perfect! My hubby n kids loved it!!! Will be trying more of your recipes!
Very tasty! Didn’t have fish sauce, so I subbed it for 1/2 soy sauce + 1/2 rice vinegar. Replaced vermicelli with brown rice noodles.
Overall, a little awkward to eat. Had to use both a fork and a spoon. Maybe chopsticks would work best?
Hello Beth,
since I had a bunch of bok choy left sitting in my fridge I decided to make this, as I also had all the other ingredients at hand. What shall I say! Absolutely awesome, this recipe made it to my top favourites first time cooking. Will make this again soon. Thanks.
Subbed pad Thai noodles instead of vermicelli and cooked them directly with the soup. Also added more curry and fish sauce as well as a little bit of broccoli. Turned out AMAZING. Wish I had some MSG to add to it as well
The soup is so simple to make and the flavors work really well and it gets ready in a jiffy! I have made it twice already once with tofu and once with soba noddles. Making it again today………..yum!
Fantastic soup/noodle bowl! Added a few extra garnishes along with the other suggestions (fresh diced tomato, bean sprouts), some chili paste to turn up the spice and a few substitutes to make this vegan. Only thing I would change would be the noodle type (would use thicker rice noodles instead but this is just my preference). Husband and kids loved it 😍
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it was even better the second time! I added another bunch of bok choy, kale, and omitted the fish sauce to make it vegan. I hadn’t cooked with Thai curry until making this and was not disappointed. My boyfriend and I thought it was delicious!!
This was a winner in our house! Really easy and quick. I think the flavors really came together after the soup cooled down a bit. My 2nd bowl was tastier than my first. The lime is a must to add some acidity. Will definitely make this again.
Delicious!! My kids ( ages 19-23) and I all made this together. Everyone chopping🙂 So fun! We used all sorts of veggies like purple cabbage, colorful peppers, red onion, cilantro, bak choy greens, and radishes for toppings. We arranged them in mounds on a platter. Gorgeous!
The soup was so good! Very flavorful. Everyone LOVED it…bowl after bowl!! We also added cubed sauteed chicken for the meat eaters as a topping.
We most definitely will make again. I think it would be a fun party meal as well.
This is a solid foundation for a Thai soup! I can’t have fish sauce due to the shellfish it contains. I found on google that you can get a similar flavor mixing Worcester sauce with soy sauce. You can add salt to flavor once the soup is done. I added a little cabbage for a little extra and have tofu to add for the remainder. 👍🏼
How did you cook your tofu?
This is exactly what I want when I think of a soupy Thai noodle. I used an extra bunch of baby bok choy (the ones at my grocery store looked small compared to the ones shown above) and fried up some tofu as an extra topping which was amazing in this soup. I also replaced the fish sauce with some soy sauce and it was still a really awesome dish.
I really enjoyed this soup. I added tofu and it was perfect. Do you know how many calories are in there original recipe? I see something referencing nutritional information but no data. Thanks
We only recently brought on a Registered Dietician to our team. She’s working hard behind the scenes to update the entire recipe database, over 1500+ recipes, with nutritional information. She’s working her way from the newest recipes back and it takes some time to update them all. Stay tuned!
This recipe is INCREDIBLE! I substituted fish sauce for soy sauce and didn’t have brown sugar so I skipped that, and it was still so good. Thinking about adding mushrooms or another veggie next time, because mine was a little stock heavy. So easy and delicious. Perfect for a day where you’re feeling a little under the weather.
Made this during the warm winter months and it was delicious! Highly recommend!
Happy to hear it Simone!
Hi Kelly, do you know how to meal prep this recipe? I do all my cooking on Sunday if I can. Could I make the broth ahead of time and just make noodles throughout week as needed?
Thanks!
Yes you could make the noodles separately to help them last longer. I think that would be best. The noodles tend to suck up the moisture pretty quickly and get mushy.
Hi, Kelly! I’m a new blogger, and I’m currently writing up a blog post of all of my go-to recipes and this is a recipe I’ve been making regularly for a while now and absolutely LOVE. Would you be okay with me featuring this link in my blog? 🙂
Sure thing Carlee!
This was pretty good! It was a little tooo creamy for my taste so I’ll cut down on the coconut milk next time. I also felt it was missing something flavor wise, like it needed some sort of vinegar-y element. I added a hefty amount of Chili Garlic sauce which helped a bit but might add rice wine vinegar or something like that next time? I’m not too sure but it is a good recipe I just have to tweak to my personal taste!
Good to know Alison! Thanks for letting us know.
I like the idea of chili garlic! I’ve made this a couple times because it’s *almost* the taste I’m looking for (and it’s always better the second day), but even after adding more curry paste than the recipe calls for (and finishing it with a swirl of sriracha), I think I am looking for more heat. Am going to try this idea!
Can you make the day before and it still be good??
Yes you definitely can!
I’m not a big fan of sweet potatoes but with all the great reviews I thought I would give it a try. I’m so glad I did! This is delicious, I didn’t have the curry paste so I used curry powder and instead of fish sauce I used soy sauce. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Happy to hear you gave it a shot Dawn!
Couldn’t find fish sauce at my small town grocery but they had oyster sauce
Will that work?
No, unfortunately the two sauces are quite different. I would suggest just skipping the fish sauce and maybe adding a splash of soy sauce to make up for the saltiness.
I made this recipe exactly as described and it was perfect! I cooked some chicken separately in the instant pot and added afterward. Thank you for this great recipe!
Sounds great Lucy!
Can this be frozen?
We haven’t tried freezing it ourselves. We have never tried to freeze anything with coconut milk before. But you could certainly try a small amount and see!
Marie – did yo have any luck freezing this? I’d like to freeze it (minus the noodles) as there is only one of me and I don’t love days of leftovers.
I added basil and replaced the sweet potato with diced yucca and it was beyond amazing. Wow!! This is by far the best recipe I’ve tried. On the plus side…..it’s super easy. My mother had her bowl with chicken and I had mine with shrimp. I feel the need to make and keep the stock ready to go at a moments notice. Which might end up being once a week.
Hooray! Thank you Iris!
I omitted the sugar and sweet potato to keep the carbs down, and added chopped basa fillet towards the end of cooking along with some bean sprouts. Light coconut milk works well here. I also had some kaffir lime leaves at home and they added an extra layer to the depth of flavour. THIS IS SO TASTY, QUICK AND EASY! Will definitely be part of my regular weeknight meals.
Thanks Meg!
iS THIS SPICEY?
You can easily adjust the spice to your taste but it does not start spicy as the curry paste is not hot.
Delicious! Sometimes I add shrimp for a little protein!
Yes great addition!
Can Silk unsweetened coconut beverage be used to substitute the can of coconut milk?
No the coconut beverage is much thinner and lighter and won’t give the thick creaminess of the canned milk. Sorry!
This is one of my fave soups and SO easy! I lighten it up by using reduced fat coconut milk and no brown sugar. Its not as rich as full fat coconut milk but super good and healthy. And being diabetic, i don’t miss the brown sugar at all. I also use ramen noodles (sans flavor packet) to make it even more budget friendly. As is, or lighted up, this is as easy and yummy as it gets!!
Good to know Susan! Thanks for sharing.
O.M.G……this tasted exactly like I imagined it would and I was so satisfied. The broth has an incredible umami flavor. Budget Bytes does it again!
Hooray!
Before I even finished cooking, my roommate was standing next to the stove with puppy dog eyes asking to try it…and then try it again…and again…and again. I wish that I could swim in a bowl of this soup. I literally said “goodnight mg baby” as I put my Tupperware of it into my fridge to save for tomorrow. Probably one of the best soups I have ever eaten!! I added some mushrooms and umami powder to mine and it was amazing!
This is too good :’)
I haven’t read through all of the many comments, so someone has probably already said this, but I used green curry paste instead of red and it was amazing. And again, thank you for your recipes!
Good to know Anne!
Very good! I used curly kale because we didn’t have bok choy available. And I omitted the noodles because I’m not in love with noodle soups in general, and then added shrimp for protein. Quick and easy and very tasty! Thanks!
Do you think if you try to sauté without the oil, it could work?
Oil helps everything sauté evenly and prevents things from drying, burning, and sticking.
If I could give this 10 stars I would!
I used collard greens (way cheaper down south than bok choy) which I added when Beth said to add the bok choy stems. I used white sweet potatoes I found at the farmers market. I added some thinly sliced onion when I added the sweet potato and collards. Otherwise followed directions exactly and this was delicious!
This recipe had been in our dinner rotation for about six months now, and I love it so much I make it almost every week. My husband doesn’t like sweet potatoes (crazy, I know) so I swap in russet potato instead, and it’s just as good. I use vegetable broth and soy sauce to make it vegetarian, and it’s just perfect, especially with the added lime juice and sriracha. Such a good recipe!
I love how versatile this recipe is- it’s a great way to throw together leftover veg and protein. Best of all, it is so much deliciousness for not a lot of work. **note: I didn’t have fish sauce the first time I made this, so I used a mix of one part sherry, one part soy sauce. Still a great, rich flavor.
It was great I actually of course changed it a little I had no fish sauce; so I used aminos; – like a soy sauce. And I used regular cabbage and no noodles; I used green beans because that’s what I had. I added regular sugar – i had no brown; and a little salt. It came great.
I already had most of these ingredients in my pantry and had some bok choy from farmers market box I didn’t know what to do with. This receipt was perfect! My only changes were using vegan Worcestershire sauce in place of fish sauce because I am vegan. I added a splash of coconut aminos when serving for a little more salt (my vegetable broth was low sodium). So, so good. This will go on rotation.
This is sooo tasty, I added a little more water and sugarsnaps and will definitely be making this more often!! Love, love, love it!
I substituted the bok choy for baby spinach, and oh my goodness! This was absolutely delicious! This will now be one of my staple recipes!
I nixed the sweet potato and bok choy since I have a pickier eater in the house and replaced with baby bell peppers, carrot, portobello mushroom, and some shredded chicken. I also used Ramen noodles since we had those on hand. Otherwise stuck to the recipe, and, wow, was this delicious! I’m such a big fan of Thai food and I think this is my favorite curry dish yet! Thanks for sharing, I love your site!
So delish! I added chicken after frying the paste & before sweet potato & liquids….mmm mmm taste so good. I also tripled the coconut.
What could I use instead of coconut milk, my father is allergic to all nuts?
Unfortunately this one is highly dependent on the coconut milk. I don’t think there is an adequate replacement for it. :(
I LOVE THIS RECIPE and when refreshing my memory to prepare it tonight, figured I owe a positive review for all the others out there who are doing their due diligence. I have shared the recipe many times.
This recipe is wonderful. I crave this at least a couple times a month and find it super easy to pull together on a week night. I find it a little bland as written, so I up the curry paste, sriracha, lime juice, etc. and add a red bell pepper. I also add a splash of two of soy sauce. So good!
Hi. I am wondering where you get your groceries at such a great price. I live in a suburb of Atlanta and I can’t get those prices even if I go to Aldi. Where do you shop? I would love to get those prices.
This recipe is quite old, so that’s part of it. The second thing that helped me get those prices so low was to shop at the Asian grocery store. They have AMAZING produce for super cheap, way less than traditional grocery stores. I’m sure there are some in Atlanta so you should go check them out. You’ll be pleasantly surprised! :)
Also in Atlanta, and I’m with you on the prices…. But agree with Beth on the Asian supermarkets idea, try Super H Mart in Doraville/Duluth or the Dekalb Farmers Market. The Trader Joe’s near me has good deals on the Japanese Sweet potato when it’s in season.
This soup is such a versatile for me. I have varied all the veg depending on cost and season. One substitute I really enjoy is adding thinly sliced lettuce and reducing the rice noodles. Also Swiss chard is good sliced into ribbons. The broth is amazing too! I make it now with dried shiitake mushrooms. It’s such a great of flavor.
Okay I make this recipe A LOT. I have to say it’s a favorite in my family. And it’s the best of the best in terms of bold Thai flavors. It’s exactly what you want to taste in a Thai curry soup. I even add siracha to it for extra heat. I also add shrimp at the very end and cook it in the hot soup for 3-4 minutes. I also add the zucchini in at same time as the sweet potato. If you can’t find bok choy, you can substitute Malén or Swiss chard. This woman is a genius!
So this recipe has been a staple for years now. It hits the spot. It’s a great recipe since it’s pretty customizable and easy to tailor to anyone’s tastes. I personally like to add some lemongrass (I keep a tube in the fridge). Favorite toppings include: enoki mushrooms (highly recommend, they are super cheap where I am), sliced red bell pepper, and mung beans.
Omg this soup is amazing!!! I didn’t even add the coconut milk and I couldn’t stop eating it! If you love thai food you’ll love this soup!!!
Absolutely delicious! I am not a sweet potato fan so subbed sliced mushrooms. Next time, I will include snap peas too. I added the onion when I added the mushrooms so they could cook. I pressed the tofu using my awesome tofu press, cut it into cubes, added it and the cooked vermicelli at the end and let it simmer for a few minutes. Served with Samal Oolek, ground fresh chili paste…so yummy!
Hated to see a few comments saying this was bland! Mine was anything but!! Granted, I did use almost a whole jar of the red curry paste and also added a hefty tablespoon of some authentic ‘spicy hot fried chili paste’ because my boyfriend and I love Thai flavors and heat! We also like fish sauce so I used about 2 tablespoons. Had some lemongrass paste that I squeezed in for good measure and also used more ginger and garlic than the recipe called for—end result was amazing depth of flavor! Havent had sweet potatoes in this type of soup but was pleasantly surprised! Fresh toppings on a dish like this are a must for me. Will definitely make this again! Thanks for a great recipe.
This soup is fantastic so versatile! I’m a vegetarian so I substituted the fish sauce for 1/2 tbsp of tamari sauce (soy sauce) the bok choy at this time of year is so very sad its limp and not very appetizing looking so I swapped it out for organic Swiss chard it came out beautiful and tender. I roasted some shrimp in the oven with minced garlic for hubby so he had some protein in his soup and placed it on top with diced red onion and chopped celery leaves (I am not a fan of cilantro this is a good substitute for cilantro} I put some lime wedges on the side and “boom” wow it looked restaurant quality and beautiful! We had sliced sour dough bread to sop up the soup on the bottom of our bowl because we wanted to get every drop lol.
My hubs was happy and I was happy both of us very satisfied! lol
Thanks for the awesome recipe its a keeper!!
I make this soup in a similar way with the following differences:
I add tofu for a good source of protein
I often add green beans and/or peas and zucchini & spinach
I use yellow Thai curry paste
I can’t always find lemongrass so I use one drop of lemongrass oil to the whole pot. You might be able to find lemongrass paste.
It is an easy soup to get creative with the vegetables. Enjoy!
You can save the lemongrass in the freezer and then it’s good for a month’s! :)
This was so good! I’m working on my abilities in Thai-inspired cooking and this was a great step! I added more curry paste than was called for (about 2/3 of the jar), added chickpeas, and garnished with plenty of lime. Super easy to make and delicious.
Absolutely fantastic! This is a dish that I make time and again. I like it a little spicier, so I add extra curry paste, and am very generous with the sriracha. I also add additional fish sauce, but if you’re a fish sauce newbie, I think Beth’s suggestion is a great jumping off point. I worked in Thailand for a while and this is a great trip down memory lane.
My grocery store doesnt carry baby bok choy and is hit or miss in regular bok choy. Any suggestions to substitute the bok choy?
I do this with regular cabbage and it’s great.
Fresh spinach would be nice if stirred in at the end just so it wilts, or if you want something more sturdy, perhaps some nappa cabbage. :)
Great recipe! I changed it up a little and left out the brown sugar. I used puréed sweet potatoes instead of diced, and added shrimp. I will be making this again.
Hi can i sub in green curry paste? Since that’s what I have in my fridge right now? Thanks!
Yes, this works equally well with green (it has a different flavor, but is still amazing with all the ingredients here).
Hi can I freeze this
I haven’t tried freezing this one, unfortunately, so I’m not sure how well it would hold up.
This looks delicious – I’m excited to make it soon! Do you know if this recipe freezes well?
This dish is very bland. Since it’s a little bit salty, and a little bit sweet, I didn’t know what to add to make the flavors stronger and still keep the salty sweet balance.
You can add more of the Thai curry paste to increase the spices without altering the sweet-salty balance. :)
I finally got around to trying this and was really impressed with how easy it was to follow the directions & how quickly it came together! Next time, I’ll probably add a bit more of the Thai curry paste, as it is on the milder flavour side for my palate, though still delectable. :) Thanks for all of the great food ideas!
SO SO SO GOOD! I halved the recipe and made it for myself so I could have two days worth and omg it was amazing! This is now one of my new favourite meals to cook at home, I’m obsessed with it. Next time I probably won’t bother buying red onion for garnish as I didn’t have a use for the rest of the red onion so it went to waste but DO NOT skip out on the lime and sriracha, it really compliments this dish so well, make sure you squeeze that lime into the soup once you’ve finished taking your instaworthy photo!! I also used light soy sauce instead of fish sauce to make it vegan :-) I will definitely be making this on a regular basis!
This recipe just tastes like the Thai curry I usually make. Yummy!
Oh wow I had great expectations. I didn’t have any of the garnish but thought the soup would stand on its own. I love thai food and this was sadly lacking in flavor. And it is now an expensive soup because I spent money on ingredients that I will use so sparingly that they will expire and need to be tossed. Despite adding extra everything to the broth it was bland bland bland. I’ll stick to the expert thai restaurant version thank you! I am sorry that I even thought I could replicate it.
Sooo yummy, and perfect for winter! I used shiitake mushrooms, carrots, spinach, and leftover rotisserie chicken – I love that you can throw whatever you have on hand and customize it however you like! Please do not skip that fish sauce, y’all- it gives it a nice salty kick and really gives body to the soup. I also added extra red curry and sriracha, cuz I’m a fiend for that heat!
Every recipe I’ve tried on Budget Bytes has always been a home run! Thank you for such a great recipe!!
I did not like this at all!! I thought from others reviews it was going to be amazing. It’s actually the worst I’ve tasted. I’ve travelled to authentic Asian restaurants and have Asian friends and family so I am well versed in the dishes of Asia. I also cook Asian dishes frequently. I followed the recipe to the T, tasted it …blah, so I added more ginger, garlic, and fish sauce. Still not appetizing. I purchased a well known Thai Curry paste. Who knows why but Iwill not make again.
I made this last night. It was delicious!
I added some shrimp at the end but what a great recipe.
Thank you for sharing!!!!
This is my hubby’s favorite soup! He asks me to make it all the time :)
I loved this soup. It was easy to make and tasted great. Next time, I would add less Red Curry Paste as it was quite spicy!
11/10, will absolutely make again!
I used a splash of vegan Worcestershire sauce in place of fish sauce, but I image it’s just fine without it.
I love that Japanese Yams add just a hint of sweetness. I did add about 1/3 of a block of pressed, cubed firm tofu for protein.
Seriously looking forward to my leftovers for lunch this week.
Any nutritional information available for this recipe?
If you are looking for nutritional information, you can copy the recipe and put it into MyFitnessPal and it will calculate it per serving
This recipe is really fantastic by the way. So easy and so flavorful!
I rely on information like that also, and just import her recipes to myfitnesspal myself and it calculates them that way :) Doesn’t take but a couple minutes
Soooooo good!!!
Our daughter told us she had made a really good Thai curry soup and told me where to find it on your site. I tried it, hoping it would be good. I had been disappointed with some other recipes I had found other places online.
It was wonderful! I put small chunks of chicken in it and loved it. I made it just like the recipe said. My husband liked it also. When we were eating it for leftovers, I was so excited about having it again I forgot to get out the noodles but it was still great. I didn’t realize I had forgotten them till we were finished reading and we’re cleaning up.
Fantastic recipe! Like some of the other commenters, I increased the ginger and curry paste to my tastes. I also added extra firm tofu for protein. Press, cube, and throw in when you add the greens.
This was SO yummy!! Because of time restraint I left out the book choy and it still came out sooooo delicious. A keeper!!!
Holy Cow! We LOVED this dish! It’s so flavorful, filling and just beautiful to look at. I’m making it again tonight because we can’t get enough. Just in case you need to know – it’s pick up the bowl and drink it good!
An excellent soup and it comes together quickly. I prefer adding more curry paste, more fish sauce, more lime juice, but that’s me. I added small florets of broccoli I had in the crisper. I’d definitely make this again.
This recipe was amazing! Thank you for sharing it with us!
I doubled the recipe for my big family, they all loved it. I left out the fish flavor and brown sugar. I doubled the ginger, garlic and thai curry paste. Added salt, red pepper flakes, potatoes, white onion, corn, bell pepper and zucchini over white rice.
Thanks for teaching us how to make this great dish!
Literally the best vegan recipe I’ve ever made!! Super yummy
Isn’t it not vegan because of the fish sauce?
Just leave out the fish sauce & it’s totally vegan!!!
My husband and I added some extra curry paste, the juice of a large lime, and a tablespoon of sriracha to the pot. SUCH a yummy recipe. Next time we will try adding some chicken!
My brother and sister in law made this on their night to cook at a big family reunion. It was amazing! I can’t stop making it for my family. And I have taken it to two friends who just had babies for their freezer. I am obsessed! So much flavor I just love it!
Can you use a crockpot? Probably a dumb question
It’s not a dumb question. :) Unfortunately I don’t have an answer for you, though. I think it’s hard to predict how this one would turn out using a slow cooker without trying it.
Can you freeze it ?
I actually haven’t tried freezing this one, so I’m not sure how it would hold up.
This was a great vegetarian soup. I added kaffir lime leaves and canned bamboo to make it more Laotian style. Also added spinach and kale and made it veggies galore! Very filling and satisfying. Be sure to boil the bamboo for at least 20 mins before adding to soup.
This is one of my families favorite. My 10 year old request it on a normal basis. I add chicken because my husband feels he needs some kind of meat at dinner time. Delish!!
Do you add raw chicken and cook it in or add pre-cooked chicken?
As someone on an imposed super-low sodium diet, I loved that this recipe was different and accommodating to that dietary restriction! Thank you for such a beautiful and vibrant recipe for a delicious Thai Soup! My hubby and I say this is a KEEPER!!
I doubled the garlic, ginger and curry and added salt! Salt is the huge ingredient missing that might have contributed to people getting bland results.
It was delicious! Loved it! Thanks again!
I wanted to make a huge batch of soup this weekend so I used this recipe as a guide, and it turned out GREAT!!!
I used Cock brand red curry paste, chilli garlic paste instead of plain garlic (Lee Kum Kee brand, a personal favourite), coconut sugar in place of brown sugar, added shrimp, and used less coconut milk. I also used baby bok choy junior and left it in bigger pieces based on personal preference.
My soup was extremely flavourful and quite spicy. For those who say it’s bland, I suggest increasing the amounts of ingredients to suit your tastes – red curry, ginger, hot sauce, and lots of lime.
I used a really good curry paste. I highly recommend the brand Maesry.
I found the recipe kind of plain. I would add the half of the chicken broth to make it more rich. I also add zucchini and carrots.
It was not good! I paid a lot of money to make this soup and it was souper bland😉
I made this and it was phenomenal!!!! It will definitely go in the rotation.
I made this tonight super easy inexpensive and delicious however I like my dishes with a little spice I found this very mild I added garlic siracha at the end to heat it up.
Excellent, very Good and easy to make.
Impressed! Creamy, heat, thought it was very flavorful :) will make again! Thanks
I made this soup, vegan style, so no fish sauce or brown sugar. I added frozen, thawed and pressed tofu, and garnished with green onion since I did not have red onion. It is so good that I don’t even want to share! This recipe will be a repeat for me. I never got a photo because I was too hungry to wait! Maybe next time.
I had read in the comments that the soup was a little bland, so I kept the chicken broth and veggies the same but did 2x the spices/flavorful stuff. Unfortunately it was still super bland. I love so many recipes from this site so Ill definitely keep trying others, but for me this one wasn’t great.
Hi! What can we use instead of fish sauce. Thanks
Unfortunately there is nothing quite like fish sauce. At the very least, I’d add a little bit of soy sauce to make up for the salt that fish sauce contains.
For those saying their soup tasted bland, I recommend using maesri red curry paste instead of the thai kitchen brand. You can find it at any asian grocery store, and I have also started seeing it at my regular grocery store which has a large ethnic section. It definitely packs more of a flavor punch than the thai kitchen brand.
I made this !! Very yummy ! I added fish to it :))))
This was a great recipe!! I used bamboo shoots instead of the noodles for a low carb option and did half sweet potato half carrot!
I love this soup so much! I have been debating making it for this week but the weather is going to be so hot here! I wonder if you’d ever feel inspired to make some kind of cold salad with a similar flavor profile and summery veggies? Either with noodles or a grain? But, then it would lose the slurpy soup deliciousness of course…
Hmmm, interesting idea!! I could definitely make a cold sauce with coconut and curry paste.
I admit I was skeptical when I saw someone dubbing this as “comfort food” in a comment… but dang, it was so good. I like my soups a little thicker so I added a can of pumpkin and I also had an avocado to use up, so i sliced it and put it on the toppings plate. Highly recommend !!
My boyfriend who isn’t big on soups, took out a box of club crackers and was standing next to the soup pot dunking them in, after he had finished his portion xD Can’t wait for leftovers!
What did I do wrong? D: this is so incredibly bland. I used fish sauce. I used garlic and a big knob of ginger grated with a microplane. I used thai kitchen red curry paste. And it’s so bland. :(((((((
Mine was pretty bland too! The flavors were there but they definitely weren’t strong enough (after I added extra fish sauce). The next time I make this I’m going to double the curry, ginger and garlic. I’m also going to add a bit of the cilantro and lime at the end of cooking to enhance the flavor.
If you are trying to keep it vegetarian, curry paste typically contains fish-typically shrimp paste. Be sure to check the ingredients!
Mine turned out really plain :(
Mine as well 😕
Same here
i doubled the curry paste (but also added a lil more of all ingredients). I saw a comment that said to make sure you sautee the paste for long enough… I sautee’d mine for way longer than 1-2 minutes. I’ve cooked with curry paste before and always thought the flavor of the final product was bland, so this is the first time I sautee’d the paste for so long… and the result was delicious. so maybe try that? i also use homemade chicken stock so that could contribute to the deliciousness as well. but if you don’t make your own, definitely go with buillon cubes rather than boxed broth from a store. That stuff is pretty much equivelent to salty water
This looks delicious! Do you think it could be made in an Instant Pot?
How long would you say this could last in the fridge before you’d throw it out? Is it a good meal prep recipe?
I pretty much eat all my recipes as “meal prep” and eat the leftovers until they’re gone. :D This one was good for me for about 4 days, but as with any recipe, it’s a slow degredation of quality, so it’s often more of a personal call for how long it “lasts.”
LOVED IT!!! Really easy to follow and yummy results! I did end up adding more fish sauce and brown sugar. But wow! Great recipe. I put some rice in mine as well and it soaked up the flavor. That was pretty good
Oh yeah this was SO GOOD! I did add the dry noodles about 5 minutes before serving with the leafy parts of the bok choy and it worked really well. No need to mess up an additional pot.
Yum!!! One of my favorite soups of all time!!!
This is HEAVEN in a bowl! what would I do without your awesome blog, Beth?! I cook your recipes at least twice every week. So happy I found you!
I made this with savoy cabbage because my husband and I do not like bok choy and did not have fish sauce and it was absolutely delicious…wish coconut milk wasn’t so fattening otherwise I would have this everyday
OMG! Excellent soup! Loved it. So delicious and easy to make.
This is one of my favorite Budget Bytes recipes and I make it all the time, so I want to give some tips I’ve learned from my successes (and not so successes).
1) You definitely want to sautee the red curry paste at the beginning. I have two different pots I’ve tried to make this in (about the same size) and my “non-stick” one does not sautee the curry paste nearly as well as my metal-bottom one. This absolutely makes a difference in the end flavor of the soup, and even the consistency. If your red curry paste doesn’t look like the first broth picture (kind of films the surface, but sticks to the sides when you stir), you probably didn’t sautee enough, and the flavor will be a little less impressive (just not as pronounced. In my opinion, you can still save it with the fish sauce and lime at the end.) 2) The type of broth you use will matter. If you’re new to Budget Bytes, you may not know that Better Than Bullion is the go-to for soup/stock base. It is. Not only is it easier to carry home from the grocery store and keep on hand than any other pre-made stock, but I honestly believe it has far better flavor. (My husband once complained when I used boxed broth instead in a recipe, because I had it in the pantry and needed to use it. He had no clue what had changed, just that it wasn’t as good, and he doesn’t complain about my cooking!) 3) It’s been said many times, but you really, really want full-fat coconut milk for this recipe for the body it gives. 4) Fish sauce to taste (I use 3/4-1 Tbsp), and a healthy squeeze of lime at the end really kick this up to another level. If you don’t have a lime on hand, the sqeeze-bottle lime will work. Cilantro is the cherry on top, but it’s really all about the fish sauce and lime.
I went to three grocery stores and could only find green Thai curry paste, so that’s what I ended up using. It still came out wonderfully. I was skeptical about the fish sauce, but I ended up adding just a splash more after the initial tasting. Instead of the veggies listed, I used chicken breasts, mushrooms, and red bell peppers (because I already had these in hand).
All in all, I really, really, really dug this recipe. And I think the beauty of this recipe (as with all of your other ones!) is that you can follow it a t or use it as a creative guide.
So easy and so delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
So delicious!!!! Comfort food!!
I made this the other night after seeing it on your Instagram feed – it was a great way to use a bunch of stuff i already had! Tasted great. I ended up using butternut squash instead of sweet potato due to a mix up with the grocery list but it tasted good and didn’t take much extra time. i love the creamy sweetness from the coconut milk and it was pretty easy to pull together. Yum!
One of our new favorite meals. I made it with chicken thighs and added other veggies. So good! Thanks so much!
I can’t wait to make this for dinner tonight! Do you think it would work to substitute miso paste for the fish sauce?? I already have that on hand and know it also gives an umami flavor. But I don’t wanna majorly screw it up haha!
Hmm, honestly I can’t imagine what miso would taste like in this. Although it does give umami, miso has a different sort of sweetness that fish sauce does not have. I would make it without first, and then perhaps try adding a small amount to just one serving to see how the flavors blend.
Did you try the miso?
I’m allergic to fish so looking for a flavorful replacement…
I doubled the red paste, fish sauce and the brown sugar to develop the flavor. If I make it next time, I’m cutting the broth in half or doubling the coconut milk. I understand you season to taste but the recipe as is was a tad disappointing =\
Any suggestions if I felt like adding some meat to the recipe? I plan on making it either way, but am thinking about adding some chicken or something. Any feedback is appreciated 😊
Yes, you can definitely brown some chicken in the pot first, and let it simmer in the soup. That would be great!
I always do a shredded chicken breast in this soup. It’s one of my absolute favorites.
I didn’t add fish sauce so it is a little bland. I added more garlic and soy sauce and it’s pretty good. Definitely use full fat coconut milk. Mine was too lite with the lite version.
Is there a mild substitute for red curry paste that I could use?
Thai yellow curry paste is much milder than red or green, but just as delicious and I think that would probably work well for this recipe too!
Could someone tell me if I need to peel the ginger before grating it? I made this soup a couple weeks ago and did not peel it first before grating it and the soup was soooo delicious. But I am making it again and wondering what most people do in general about peeling ginger first??
As long as it’s clean, you don’t need to. :)
Hello! Does the recipe call for 1 sweet potatoe or 1lb of sweet potatoes!
One sweet potato, which coincidentally weighed about one pound. It’s forgiving, so if your sweet potato is a bit more or less than one pound, that is okay.
Hello – Do you have any idea of the calorie count per service?
No, I’m sorry, I don’t have the nutritional info.
I am battling cancer currently. Food is a constant battle. I can not tell you how much this soup has brought me joy!! I make it in bulk all of the time. It freezes great without the noodles. I make small alterations like adding left over roast chicken or dialing up the spice if I think I can handle it. I look forward all the time to new recipes on your site. This one is for sure a top item in my house. I love your content and wanted you to know how nice it is to have a source to go to for great tasting and affordable recipes.
Thank you, Erin!!
I really love how this turned out! I used sweet potato and cabbages, but I plan on returning to this recipe to use other types of veggies! If you can’t find any rice noodles like me, I think that using cooked quinoa or rice is also a nice pairing!
Thanks so much for this simple and cheap recipe! I can’t thank you enough!!!
I made this tonight and it is soooooo good!!! I accidentally bought regular bok choy (I’ve never used it before not much of a cook) but it worked just fine. I love the leafy greens in it. Instead of veg broth I used better-than-boullion and water – I don’t like buying canned broth because I can’t control the flavor/amount. I used three cups of water only because I had *just* enough curry paste and couldn’t add more if it was too watery. No fish sauce/sugar because I’m vegan. Next time I’ll either use water instead of oil or cut back on the oil. Just my preference. And I might bump up the veggies depending what I have in the fridge. It’s a great recipe for using them up.
If you follow exactly what is indicated, your soup will taste nothing…. and the only thing you will have with this recipe is wasting all things!!!!
If you follow exactly what is indicated and your soup tastes like nothing, you can “waste” all things, or learn a very simple concept: “season to taste.” OMG! It totally works! If you don’t know what “season to taste” means: add some extra fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, salt, pepper, hot sauce – what ever you need! It’s way easier than writing a one-star review. And WAY better than throwing it all away.
What a mean comment. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it!
Is the paste hot? I’m a wuss but this looks amazing and I’d love to try it.
It’s not super spicy. :) And the coconut milk goes a long way to dull it down.
I’m pretty sensitive to spicy things and I rather liked the amount!
Loved this soup – used extra garlic and red onion and lime for garnish. Couldn’t find fish stock so will do it again soon with the sauce. Curry is so yummy!
Is it possible to freeze the soup , without the garnishes of course?
I haven’t tried freezing this one (or any coconut milk based soups, actually), so unfortunately I’m not sure how it will hold up.
I’ve yet to make this particular recipe, but I’ve frozen a similar recipe before and it holds up well. I’ve never had a problem freezing coconut milk based curry.
I thought this soup was AMAZING! I ended up not having any chili paste on hand so i made sort-of a variation of this: http://thewanderlustkitchen.com/easy-homemade-red-curry-paste/ (sure, i didn’t have chili paste but i had dried chilis??). Turned out really great. Even added a little curry powder. Extra sriracha and all the toppings really made this soup. Loved it so much – will definitely add this to our rotation.
Thought it was ok and found it sort of bland unfortunately. Lacked the depth and complexity that makes Thai food so addictive for me. Probably wouldn’t make it again.
If you add lime juice it makes a big difference. Also use a lot of cilantro and sirriacha sauce
Totally delicious recipe. I used coconut oil instead of a neutral cooking oil (those oils are refined and not healthy). I also added green beans. I used rice noodles but I would also like to try zucchini noodles when it’s warmer for a lighter soup.
Do you know how much unsaturated fat is in coconut oil? 14g in ONE TBSP. It isn’t healthy either. Nothing is healthy if you eat too much of it but refined doesn’t mean unhealthy……..
Made a double batch and it was gone the first time around! Fantastic recipe!
this soup really hit the spot next time will add some shrimp
Has anyone tried to substitute sugar for something else?
Made this soup this morning. I only used 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce and it turned out to be too fishy tasting. I wish I had used less. Next time!
Excellent soup… I always add lots of vegetables to it.
Sooo good! I didn’t use the fish sauce to make it Vegan and used light coconut milk. It was so good! I have more than enough , I will try it with tofu next . Thanks for this tasty meal!
This recipe is fantastic!! For a less spicy soup you can use yellow curry instead of red. I could eat this all day!!! There are so many bold flavours. Yummmmmm
I love this! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2018 (to encourage people to try meatless monday- everyone has to start somewhere) and would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?
Sure, thank you for asking. :)
I’m using the Shanghai Bok Choy instead of baby… will this be okay! I’ve only ever made it with baby and it is delicious!
My husband and I frequent a Thai restaurant here in Columbus, OH for their big bowl noodle soups. We love it. I fixed this recipe this evening and fell in love with it! I may cut back on the red curry paste a little bit next time, just as a personal preference for a milder curry. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. . We will be fixing this regularly from here on!
My husband and I made this last night, and it was so delicious!! We used soy sauce instead of fish sauce (I’m a vegetarian) and added red onion, red bell peppers, purple cabbage, and shredded carrots while the broth was simmering for extra veggies (and then increased the broth, coconut milk, curry paste to compensate for the added ingredients.) My husband added ground chicken to his bowl, and I added baked tofu to mine! It’s in the single digits where we live, and this soup totally hit the spot! Thanks for a great recipe!
Perfect!
Sounds lovely and I plan to give it a try in cold weather. I find the “budget estimates” for the food ingredients to be quite low and not realistic.
I noticed this as well. However she did say she went to an asian market. But at any other grocer it would be more. Baby bok choy alone is 2.99/bunch. I used regular bok choy instead and it worked perfectly!
Also curious about nutrition facts?
Where I am, we can buy Baby Bok Choy singly. Maybe that is how she kept her cost down. And if she only used part of a bunch, she would submit that as the cost, not the whole bunch, I imagine. I loved this soup just as it was, but will probably add chicken to it next time. 😉
Yum! This is the perfect winter recipe. Reminds me of my trip to Thailand! Thanks for sharing, I’m definitely pinning for later :)
If you get the red curry from an oriental market the soup won’t be bland. The red curry in the cans is more potent than the brands in the grocery store. This soup is delicious!
The soup was very bland so I added a half tablespoon or so of vindaloo curry powder which made it nice and spicy!
Loved it. Will be making this again!
Did cut down on the coconutmilk and the broth a little after reading the comments of it being bland.
Great recipe, loved it!
We found this exceedingly bland….doubled the curry paste, substituted tamari for fish sauce (allergy) and doubled it, put juice of entire lime in, and a good spoon of chili garlic paste….and then did the add-ins on top of that! Perhaps using half the broth and following the rest of the recipe would do it.
Loved this recipe. I used baby spinach and kale instead of bok choy. Turned out great.
I made this with some substitutions and it was amazing. I added some minced jalapeño pepper, red pepper, mushrooms. No bok choy at the store. I also omitted the brown sugar. Instead of vermicelli noodles, I added brown rice. Finally added some shredded grilled chicken thighs. The was absolutely delicious, and something I will make again and again.
Soup was excellent! I added 4 chopped boneless skinless chicken thighs with the sweet potatoes and bok choy and let it simmer. Added an extra tablespoon of fish sauce and a tablespoon of soya sauce. Threw in sliced mushrooms and red peppers at the end. This is a keeper, thank you for sharing!
Looks delicious! I saw this on Pinterest and can’t wait to make it.
How does this recipe hold for left overs? Could a make a batch Sunday and take it for lunches through the week? It looks soo yummy!
Personally I LOVED the leftovers. :) Just keep the fresh toppings separate and add them to your bowl after reheating.
I sautéed some shrimp in butter and added it the end! The soup is relatively ordinary at first, but the garnishes really elevate the flavor! The sriracha to taste adds kick and the spice from the curry paste builds. Served with a Thai cucumber salad. Will make again!
This was great! I loved it! The only change I made was adding the bok choy stocks a little after the sweet potato so they’d still be a little crunchy. It was a tad bit too spicy (must have been the red curry paste brand we used). Next time I’ll use one tbls and maybe try with light coconut milk. We also omitted the fish sauce. Such a great soup!! Thank you :)
This made a bland pot of soup in general, but the garnishments really help to make it better. I think that’s important–everyones spice level and lime preference varies (at least in my opinion), but when I took my own bowl and added sriracha, cayenne pepper, and lime juice, it was amazing.
I had to sub in Green Thai Curry paste and it was delicious. One of our new favorites~ We added a few shrimp. That was great too!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you :)
I made the soup last night and my husband and I both enjoyed it! However, it was extremely expensive, I spent close to $20 to make it. All nine pantry items cost much more here in north Florida. I do agree that it was bland at first but once I added little extras in, it ended up pretty tasty. Once the soup was made, I ended up adding the remainder of the bottle of red curry paste (brand shown in photos), lots of lime juice and sriracha sauce.
Should say: all non pantry items!
Would this hold up in the freezer? I’m guessing the noodles would have to be made day of- but would just the soup survive freezing+microwave reheating (thinking about work meal prep).
Hmm, I’m not sure because I haven’t tried freezing a coconut based soup before. I feel like it would work, but like you said, add the noodles after reheating, as well as the red onion, cilantro, and lime.
I’ve frozen soups with coconut milk and I find they hold up fine and taste just as good re-heated!
Awesome! Good to know! Thank you. :)
Absolutely wonderful as written. Don’t mess with perfection, people. Beth, you are an all star in my books!!!!! Never disappointed with your recipes. Thank you for that.
Could I substitute anything for the fish sauce? I am looking for a vegan option.
You may be able to find a vegetarian “fish sauce” at a specialty store, but otherwise I’d just leave it out. You may want to add a small splash of soy sauce to compensate for the salt in the fish sauce, but I don’t know of anything that really adds the same sort of umami flavor as fish sauce. The soup is still really delicious without it, though.
I love Curry Noodles! Growing up my mom would make it for potlucks, family dinners, etc., since its such an easy dish. We never put in the potatoes and bok choy as it gets mushy over time. We were taught to not add any vegetables but bay leaf, garlic and ginger.
When roasting the curry paste, we’d add the vegetables (bay leaf, ginger, and garlic) then if you’d like coconut, you’d add in however much coconut and it’d get thick. Then add water.
And use rice noodles if you want a thicker noodle or omit the noodles and put it over white rice!
And to garnish, add some more fish sauce and cabbage or even lettuce with a sprinkle of lime.
Everyone who said they followed the recipe to a “T” and it turned out bland and horrible…newsflash YOU most likely cannot cook or follow directions! Lol! This is seriously my go to soup! I make it SO much and my whole family loves it! Thank you for sharing! I have sent this recipe to many friends to try.
I made this soup last night and slightly strayed from the ingredients. I axed the sweet potatoes and bok choy and added peppers, onion, carrots, broccoli, spincach, and tomato. I still followed the recipe and got a pretty good soup. I did find myself adding basil and more ginger to bring more of a flavor from the broth. (Though I used powered ginger and not fresh ginger #lazy). I was hesitant to try this recipe at first from some comments saying it is bland, however for being a curry soup and not just curry I would say it is very tasty.
Followed the recipe to a T and it is PERFECTION. Don’t skip on the optional garnishes, they really make the soup! My VERY picky boyfriend cannot stop raving about it. Great recipe, thank you for sharing!!
Could you sub a white potato for the sweet?
Personally I don’t think that flavor would work quite right here. The subtle sweetness of the sweet potato is very nice against the spiciness of the curry paste.
Can you use Green Thai curry paste instead of red?
Yes, green curry paste also makes a really good soup. Different flavor, of course, but still quite delicious.
Wow that is delicious! I was making it to take somewhere. I liked it so well I made a second batch right then and there to eat at home.
I squeezed a lime into the pot, a hand full of cilantro and 2 Tblsp of oyster sauce. In the second pot I added a half tsp salt and pepper to the oil and curry sauce.
Thanks for a new favorite!
Deborah
I followed the recipe exactly and got an awful, bland soup that I had to throw out because I couldn’t stomach it. Could not salvage it. Don’t waste your time.
This recipe just did not work at all for me. I followed the recipe exactly, and the result was bland with a hint of fishy. The sweet potatoes were an odd addition as they continue to cook in the broth until they are mushy.
Do you think Marmite would work as a vegetarian alternative to fish sauce? I know it’s not at all with keeping with the Asian ingredients but it’s definitely got the umami salty thing going on!
Hmm, interesting idea!! It might!
This was amazing! So easy and delicious! Can light coconut milk be substituted to make the soup less caloric?
Yes, although the soup will be less rich and a bit more watery.
I loved that recipe! I put some broccoli instead of the bok choy and to make it vegetarian I made my own “fish” sauce boiling dry mushrooms, seaweed, liquid Bragg and water. That was divine!
Instead of potatoes I used broccoli, mushrooms and cauliflower and it was the most delicious soup I ever made! I also kept it vegetarian by skipping out on the fish sauce & sugar and added some soy sauce instead. Thank you so much for posting your recipe, I can wait to eat the left overs tonight, my mouth is already watering!!
Wow this was excellent! Since I am not a fan of noodles I made a curry soup following your recipe. I added diced gold potatoes, carrots, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, baby spinach leaves, chicken and some frozen cooked shrimp. I also used 1 TBSP yellow curry paste since that is what I had. I took half the cooked potatoes and a little warm broth and used an emersion blender on them – then added it back in the soup for a thickener.
Thank you soo much for a wonderful recipe. Absolutely delicious.
It’s taking my sweet potato a lot longer to become tender, any advise?
Roast in pieces drizzled with the sugar and oil….
Microwave or Roast pieces drizzled with the sugar and oil….
Fast, easy and delicious!
This soup is delicious! I have made it several times now. I have yet to use fish sauce (just never have it on hand), but adding extra red curry paste has made it very flavorful. I also have added shredded chicken in it too, which makes it more filling. Yum! Making this again tonight!
I make this allllll the time! Can’t get enough! I started using a new red curry paste I got at the Asian market and noticed it’s almost too spicy. I don’t want to screw up the flavor, can I add something else to off set the spicy? Or just go to 1 tablespoon of red curry paste? Thank you!
I would try just reducing the curry paste a bit.
Very Good! It was chock full of flavor. Although I’m on a vegan diet, for health reasons, I did use fish sauce.
This is an amazing soup! It’s delicious, and we are adding it to frequently made dinners. Thank you!
I love this recipe! It’s now a staple for my meal preps. I bulk it up with bamboo shoots and green bell peppers. It’s so delicious!!!
This looks soo good!! I’m making it tonight! Could I add lemon grass and if so when should I add it? Does this save well in the fridge? Should I store the noodles and soup in different containers? Thank you so much for sharing this delicious soup!
I haven’t done much cooking with lemongrass, so I’m not sure, but I would guess you’d add it in the beginning with the ginger and garlic. I ended up just storing the noodles in the soup since they were already in there for the photos, but I’m sure most people would prefer to store them separately to keep them from getting soggy.
A little spicier than I expected but so tasty nonetheless. I forgot the sweet potatoe but sill tatstes great!!!
I’m allergic to coconut. Any good alternatives that work well with this recipe?
No, unfortunately coconut is one of the main flavors of this dish so to change it would change the recipe completely. :(
You can make Tom la gai, which is this soup minus the coconut milk. Its just not as rich as before, but still very tasty.
I just started a plant based diet and this soup was an amazing find! I just skipped the fish sauce and it fit into my diet needs. Thanks for this recipe!
mmm. very nice and very healthy, though it took longer (a good hour or so, but I am not so handy in the kitchen). I used basil instead of cilantro and rice noodles instead of vermicelli – but turned out to be yummy. Thank you for posting it. I am now a fan and will be back often to check out all the good stuff on your blog!
Another great meal that will warm you to the bones, but not too spicy. Can’t wait to add it to my fall meal plans! Thanks Beth.
This is by far the best soup I’ve ever made. I added some kale. Next time I will add snow peas (didn’t want to stray far from the original ingredients the first time). I’m hoping it freezes well so I can have several days for lunch at work. It will definitely be my go to meal this winter.
I made this for mum and dad last night and we all loved it! I changed a few things; I used tom yum paste instead of red curry paste, and I also added tofu and red capsicum/peppers into the mix! Absolutely delicious and will definitely be cooking it again! Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe!
Do you think the recipe could work with green curry instead of red?
Yep, slightly different flavor but I’m sure it would be great! :)
I made this tonight and it is so tasty! Thnx for charing this!
Hello,
I made this tonight and it was good. I made it vegan style.
I look forward to making it again in the future.
Thank you
I just made this and it was SOOOOO good! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I made this.. and omg it is SO GOOD!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Is there anything I can substitute for fish sauce? My girlfriend is highly allergic to seafood of any kind.
Hi Beth — I tried this soup out in May and loved it, and realized I could make it for my vegan, gluten-free mother (subbed Tamari for the fish sauce). She doesn’t get meals made for her very often because of her restricted diet, so when I made it for her on Mother’s Day not only was it special just for me to cook a meal for her, but she ADORED the soup and has been making it about once a week since. Just wanted to say thank you for a lovely recipe, which surprisingly turned out to mean a lot to me and my family, and thanks for the awesome blog in general :)
Great idea with the tamari! I’m so glad she loved the soup. :)
I just made this tonight ….it has so much flavor. I really enjoyed it. It was so easy to make so this recipe is definitely a keeper!
DElicious!!!! Would make again in a heartbeat! This is my third and final helping in the last week! As per some reviewers I added some chopped red pepper, mushrooms and some shrimp. I used the wider, flat rice noodles because that is what I had on hand. Fabulous recipe!
This is the best thing I have ever made EVER.
Perfect summer soup!
I changed nothing!
I will make it many many times to come :)
Looks fab, I am going to prepare the Thai curry soup today
So good! I left out the red onions out and added some fried tofu! It was delicious! After serving it once I put in the fridge and served the rest later in the evening and it got even better after sitting in the fridge for a couple hours and being warmed up! It was a little more spicy. Very yummy! Will make again.
This soup was amazing! I made it with half a head of red cabbage, red peppers and kale and it was so good!
This was amazing! And so simple to . The lime really kicked it off for me and it’s wasn’t to spicy.
Loved it.
Could you use regular potatoes instead of the sweet potatoes? Would you just add them in the same way?
Technically you could, but I don’t feel like the flavor would be right with this.
I made this soup a couple weeks ago. I loved the flavor. Very easy to make and I will be making it again. I give it 5 stars for sure. :)
Very tasty! Both me and the boyfriend loved it. I made a few small alterations:
– I added some lime leaves while boiling to give it that nice lime flavour, rather than garnishing it with lime wedges;
– I added bean sprouts and bell pepper (bell pepper with the potato and bok choy stems, bean sprouts with the bok choy leaves);
– I used udon noodles – not very thai but I love their texture in soup;
– I added shredded chicken in step 5.
Also, I’d like to put some people at ease when it comes to using fish sauce: It’s hard to find a bigger fish hater than me (I hate everything that comes from the sea and will gag even at ‘cross contaminated’ food that has just touched fish/seaweed/shellfish) but even I use and tolerate fish sauce, as long as it’s used sparingly.
Was craving Thai flavors last night so I decided to finally make this recipe. I added a bell pepper and carrots and it worked great. Never cooked with fish sauce before this recipe and I have to say, it really did add that special something! Love this dish, and your blog in general, Beth!
This looks amazing! Does making 4 servings (original recipe) fill up the entire large stock pot? I’m assuming with the pictures that it does, but I want to make sure – I have a group of at least 8 coming tonight (but have only one large pot) and want to make sure everyone can eat.
It was just over half full. The recipe makes about 8 cups and most stock pots are around 16 cups or more. The pot I used in the photos is kind of weird and a bit more shallow than most stock pots. :P
Thanks so much for this recipe. Made the soup today and me and my fiancé absolutely loved it! I’ll be surely making it again. Sending best wishes.
Is this supposed to be really spicy?! I’ve used red curry paste before and I don’t remember if being very spicy… Maybe it’s just because of the brand I used this time? Or did I just forget how spicy it is? It is delicious though!
I mean the soup is delicious!
I just made this and it was REALLY good, but I noticed it was a little bland and soupy rather then flavorful and creamy..and I can’t pinpoint why. I used all the right amount of measurements, so I’m backtracking and trying to figure out what it could have been. Any thoughts? Xoxo
It might be the brand or type of coconut milk that you used. Some tend to be a bit more watery than others and make sure you’re using the canned coconut milk, not the type sold as a dairy milk substitute. If you find it bland, I would just suggest using more of the Thai curry paste.
For next time I’m buying the fish sauce…
I made this today because I forgot to take some meat out of the freezer last night and I had some leafy greens I wasn’t sure what to do with so… But it’s very good! Even without the sauce, though yeah, that would add a punch. I used carrots instead of sweet potato, chard instead if bok choi and it was still amazing. I also definitely used too much red curry paste (that was sitting in my fridge and needs using up), since usually I don’t eat THIS spicy. Still, it came together beautifully and I’ll definitely make this again!
Oh and I used ramen noodles because I have those in the house and today is a holiday with everything closed. ;)
I made this dish for my housemates last night and it turned out amazing! I added chopped carrots to the stalks and sweet potato and half of the onion plus a yellow and half red pepper right before the coconut milk step for extra cooked veggie and cause we don’t love raw onion. Garnished with a little raw onion and bean sprouts for crunch. So great!! Thank you for an amazing recipe!!!
I am absolutely loving this recipe! So good! I added some meat to mine and it came out really great. This website has me hooked.
Just discovered your website today and this was the first recipe I tried – it’s really delicious and super simple! Thank you.
I didn’t have fish sauce so I used a mixture of soy sauce and worcester sauce as a substitute
Just made this with chicken and mushrooms added, it was a hit! Thanks for the recipe!!
I made this last night for dinner with some friends and it was a hit! I thought it could use some more veggies so I added a red bell pepper, a carrot, a yellow onion, and a few mushrooms (you can never have too many veggies). Also added extra red curry paste for more flavor and spice. We also served it over jasmine rice instead of noodles. It was excellent! Definitely will make again!
Oh forgot, I’m using kale and spinach instead of the bok choi. Had that on hand and I’m sure it will still be delicious.
Got this from granddaughter on Pinterest. Can’t wait to eat it tonight. Just ran the sweet potatoes and broth through blender. I think you forgot that step.
Oh my god this is the best recipe I’ve had in awhile! I’ve made it twice so far. I definitely recommend finding an Asian market. Everything is so much cheaper there and that Japanese yam is to die for. I used baby book Choy the first time I made it and then omitted it the last time I made it because it has a pretty pungent smell that lingered through my kitchen for days. I’m wondering if it had gone bad or if this is normal for bok choy? Anyway, thank you for this recipe!!! Craving it now!
Interesting! I’ve never experienced a pungent odor from baby bok choy, so I don’t know what that could have been. :P
My small town grocery doesn’t carry curry paste and maybe not even fish sauce…60 mile round trip to find those items. Can something be done to the Madras Curry powder that I have to use it as a paste? Also, can a mild white fish be used along with some shrimp?
This was beautiful! I wonder if you could use yellow curry powder in place of half or all of the red curry paste to cut down on heat — my five year old son said, “I like the taste really a lot, but it kinda hurt my neck,” which meant, it was a touch spicy for him. Lol. Any ideas? We love Thai (and Indian) food, but it is sometimes hard to find a recipe that is mild enough for a Kingergarten palate, as adventurous as he is. Thanks!
I would maybe try combining green curry paste in with the red instead of using yellow curry powder. I think the curry powder flavor is too different from the Thai flavors for it to work well.
I almost started crying while making this. I was STARVING. My bok choy and red onion were bad even though I just bought them the day before. I must have lost the ginger somewhere on the way home and I doubled the recipe because we have a big family but only had 1 can of coconut milk. I told my husband to try it but it looks like we will end up ordering pizza. Well despite no onion, barely any bok choy, half the amount of coconut milk and using powdered ginger it was still AMAZING!!! I can’t wait to try this properly and I’ll add some tofu next time. I added sriracha in mine and it took it from really good to amazing. Love love loved it!
This soup is soooo addicting. I doubled the fish sauce and tripled the brown sugar in mine, added a thai chili pepper, and topped it with fresh thai basil and limes. It’s spicy, and creamy, and salty, and sweet, and sour. So much flavor in every bite. I love it!
Made it today and it turned out to be brilliant. Added chicken and gai lan instead of bak choy..
Hello! I have a coconut allergy do you have a substitute? For the coconut milk?
Nope, unfortunately the coconut milk is a crucial ingredient in this one, so it won’t be the same recipe without it.
This was totally delicious! Doubled the amount of noodles because we really like them :) I will be making this frequently.
Soup was literally amazing!
Bowl full of happiness. Added peanuts as an extra garnish. Amazing.
I saw this on Pinterest and decided to give it a go. It was so quick and easy to make and turned out absolutely delicious, even though I forgot to get ginger and cilantro from the grocery store. I got 5 servings out of it at about $2.50 a serving! This recipe is definitely going into my main repertoire. Sincerely, a college student
This was SOOO tasty!! I added a touch more fish sauce (I love the stuff), added chicken, zucchini and a little carrot since I wasn’t going to use rice noodles to keep it a little lower carb, but otherwise followed this recipe to the t! This was so good, thank you!
I made this last night as my fourth of Beth’s Asian recipes in four days, and this soup is even better than I thought it would be!
It’s creamy and spicy and just indescribably yummy. It also tastes just as “authentic” as the stuff I get from the Thai restaurant. I don’t like sweet potatoes so next time the husband will get all of them in his bowl… I don’t want to leave them out entirely because I’m sure they add some sort of magic flavor depth.
Thanks for all your amazing recipes, Beth!
I made your quickie faux pho and am making this soup tonight and adding in chicken. I LOVE your blog! I love to cook. I also love not going broke between pay checks. Thanks to you, I am experimenting with the Asian dishes I enjoy ordering from restaurants. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes!
Amy,
Every weekend I go to the internet to look for a great recipe for my weekly lunches and inevitably I end up Choosing one of your recipes!!! They are all amazing and simple! My coworkers think an a master chef thanks to you 😜
THIS IS MY FAVORITE SOUP!! With a few modifications, it’s been such a life saver during two whole30 rounds I completed. Do you think I could benefit any by cooking this in a pressure cooker/instapot?
I think a pressure cooker or slow cooker might over cook the vegetables. This one is so quick and easy on the stove top that I think it might be more work to do it the other way. :)
I made this several times before deciding that I just really don’t like the broth. It’s too sweet for my liking.
My changes:
3 tbsp red curry paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
no brown sugar
I added a little extra water to counter the saltiness of the fish sauce. I also added a spoonful of sambal oelek for some extra heat. It’s a salty/savory flavor that I like a lot better and it goes well with the sweet potato and bok choy.
This soup looks SO BEAUTIFUL. Alas, I’m allergic to coconut :( Is there a replacement you would suggest? Thank you!
Hmm, I can’t really think of anything. Coconut is one of the main flavors in this one so changing that out would change the soup entirely. :(
No worries! I’ll just have to pick a different wonderful recipe from your blog for tonight :) Thank you for the wonderful selection! We’ve been using your recipes for a few years now, and have loved every single one. You’re the best!
I am surprised nobody here has mentioned nut milk (almond milk etc) as an option – while it doesn’t provide the same yummy creaminess that I crave from coconut milk, it does allow me to savor these delicious recipes with a coconut hating boyfriend (how is it possible to hate coconut??) :-) Thus, if you can have nuts, try that as a substitute for the coconut milk and I am sure you will be thrilled! (A seed milk should also work if nuts are a no-go – think sunflower seeds etc.). Hope this helps!
The broth was delicious! My children slurped it up:-)
I had some mushrooms that needed to be used, and they added great flavor.
Great budget soup I will keep in rotation.
Delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe!
For those, like myself, who need a substitute for fish sauce:
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-vegan-fish-sauce-130535
Holy cow! This was fantastic! I love the addition of fish sauce. I made this exactly as written. Thank you!
Holy Banana Balls- this was incredible. I’ve never had Thai food before and was worried that my family and I wouldn’t be into this, but it really exceeded my expectations. I skipped the fish sauce and added chicken. I also threw in some carrots I matchsticked and used somen noodles as I don’t like the texture of rice noodles. All the toppers are mandatory as they made that soup. The textures and flavors. I am blown away. Thanks so much for sharing!
This soup is awesome! Second time making it today in the last 10 days. I’m adding chicken this time and having friends over tonight to enjoy it with us. Thanks so much for the recipe!!!
Delicious! I added shrimp at the end, and it was soooo good! It was also really filling – one bowl was lots for the hungry man.
I just made this recipe for a family that isn’t very open to new things and I’m pleased to say it was a hit. I added fresh thai peppers as a garnish. (For myself, mostly.) I have to say: this tasted very similar to paneng I’ve had in Thailand.
Just made this for dinner to warm up a chilly Colorado night, and it was incredible! We used sweet potatoes, mini eggplant, red bell pepper, and kale for the veggies, and it was deliciously colorful. Will definitely be making again.
This soup is AMAZING! I substituted soy sauce for the fish sauce (to make it vegetarian), and added some cubed tofu for protein. It is seriously delicious! Given how quick it is to put together, it’s definitely going into my regular repertoire of weeknight cooking! Thank you!
Not as good as I had hoped it would be. Maybe I’ve done something wrong? It didn’t have that distinct sweet Thai curry coconut taste even though I put the whole can of coconut in it. Help!
Maybe it’s the type of coconut milk you used? I’m starting to notice a big difference in flavor and texture between brands.
what brand of coconut milk do you recommend? Thank you, Beth!
So far I like Thai Kitchen the best.
Can green curry paste be used instead of red curry?
It will have a different flavor, but it will work the same.
Have you tried freezing leftovers?
I haven’t tried that with this one.
I’ve used this recipe before and it’s amazing. I’m using it tonight to get rid of my thanksgiving leftovers. I’m using turkey, collards, and sweet potatoes, and adding some sautéed onion and bell peppers, plus a spoonful of peanut butter, because it adds a certain depth.
Hi Beth! Do you think I can substitute green curry paste here?
Yep! It will be a different flavor, for sure, but I bet it will still be delicious.
Thank you! This soup is Wonderful. My Husband and I just had it for lunch. He was wolfing it! Lol
I followed it exactly except for the brown sugar I didn’t add that.
This was the best soup I’ve ever had. And that’s saying a lot, because I love soup. I made it for lunches for the next… however long it lasts. The only thing i will do differently next time is chop up the noodles so they’ll fit in my spoon. I don’t have a cool soup spoon like you do in the pictures! :) seriously, delicious!!
I use your website religiously but I’ve never actually reviewed any of the recipes… I came here just to say OMG. Could not be happier with this one. Please keep doing everything that you do!
Hi, Do you have any vegetarian substitutions for the fish sauce?
I don’t know any off hand. You can leave it out and the soup will still be quite good, or try Google to see if anyone out there in the www has come up with a good solution. That’s a tricky one because fish sauce is so unique!
If you have an Asian grocery store in your area, you may be able to find a mushroom sauce there. It adds the same sort of savory, umami flavor. On that note, you could also just toss a handful of mushrooms in the soup.
Hi, for people who have stored this overnight in the fridge (not the freezer) for leftovers, is it better to store the noodles separately, or with the soup? Also, I’m subbing baby spinach for the bok choy; if I’m making leftovers, should I wait to add the spinach until I reheat the next day? Thanks for any advice :)
Keep noodles separate
Just made this for dinner and oh my goodness, Beth, you weren’t kidding. This was delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe! I cooked a chicken breast before I started sautéing the aromatics and added kale, red bell pepper, and snow peas. Then shredded the chicken and added it at the end. So good!!
Very good recipe. I found that 0.5Tbsp fish sauce isn’t enough so I added a couple more splashes. I also thought it wasn’t acidic enough so I squeezed some lemon juice into it as well.
Made this tonight for my family, everyone loved it! I used pretty much the whole jar of curry paste and I also added mushrooms and some shredded chicken. Very delicious and comforting recipe, thank you.
I could honestly just drink this, it is so good. I was lazy and threw the noodles in during the latter half of the simmering and they were totally fine. I love onion, even raw, but the onion slices were a bit overpowering so I may try again with cooking them with the sweet potato?
I am seriously having to restrain myself from going for a third bowl…
I’ve made this twice now with green curry paste (because that’s what I have on hand) and it is delicious! I made some vegetable substitutions too–this time I used bok choy, carrots, and green beans. I love how flexible this recipe is.
Ive made this recipe about 4 times now. It is SO good and my boyfriend absolutely loves it. I love that it includes sweet potatoes and a dark leafy green which makes it super healthy, and the vegetables can also be customized to what you have on hand. It also refrigerated very well – I make and store the noodles separately and reheat it all together. I find it tastes even better the day after! I know I’ll be making this soup at least weekly!
Delicious!!!
This recipe was crazy awesome girl!! Thank you… I understand exactly what you mean about wanting to ett right out of the pot n not wanting to share it either .
I changed it depending on the ingredients i had though n it still worked. No sweet potato. N instead of thai red curry paste, i used simple hot sriracha chilli sauce. N added a 150 ml Coconut milk. Very very Happpppyyyy with the results.
I am a vegetarian. Can you tell me if it’s possible to replace the fish sauce? If so, what could I use instead?
Thanks!!
You can add a splash of soy sauce to make up for the saltiness of the fish sauce, but the overall flavor will be slightly different.
I think I would take some hints from Japanese cuisine and add some vegan dashi as well, maybe even some wakame algae into the soup (sparingly though, they have quite a fishy taste after all)
That way you get some umami from the soy sauce and dashi and some of the fishy taste from the wakame. Could work out, could end in disaster, but experimenting is fun, isn’t it?
I’ve made this with just soy and lime juice to sub for fish sauce, but I’m making it tonight and may add a small amount of wakame as well. I bought a ton of dried wakame and am still working through it, but it is quite strong, so I’ll reconstitute a bit and chop it into smaller pieces. I’m subbing the sweet potato with tofu, because I’m making Beth’s sweet potato cakes to go with it (again!).
I’ve made this twice and it is very good. A definite keeper! Delish, thrifty and healthy. Thank you Beth for another good meal.
This is so tasty! I ditched the noodles and sweet potato and added some fried tofu instead. I used light coconut milk and I bet it would be much creamier and thicker if I had just gone with regular coconut milk. I will do that next time. SO GOOD! :p
So, so delicious. I love how I can throw this together after work. My 16 and 17 year old ask for it to be made, often.
Hi,
I am going to try it. I know I would love it, but My kids are very picky. Does bokchoy have a strong flavor? Do you think I could add spinach or kale to the recipee?
I find bok choy to be pretty mild (especially the baby variety), but you could absolutely use kale or spinach. Kale would need a little time to cook, so do it just like I did the bok choy. Spinach is pretty tender, though, so you can probably just stir it into the finished soup and let it wilt.
This soup turned out super tasty! I added shredded chicken breast towards the end for a protein boost. This is definitely going into my regular rotation. Thanks, Beth!
Beautiful flavors and presentation! We add Sambal Oelek as a garnish for those of us that wanted more spice. We doubled everything except the veggie broth (-2C) but next time I’m going to add that and some drained tofu to up the protein profile.
Our cost to make this was significantly more, but it was still an affordable meal, especially when it presented like something I’d see in a restaurant.
This was good, but I had to add quite a bit more red chili paste. Two tablespoons were not nearly enough. I added at least 4 and I think it still needs more yet. I gave it a few squirts of Siracha, which helped. Other than that, the only changes I made were that I added a few shrimp and some tofu to the soup. And lots of lime, which really brightens the flavor and balances the sweet coconut milk. Good recipe. Great if you add a lot more red chili paste. I eat a lot of Thai food, so I am familiar with what this should taste like.
This soup is fantastic. I used the bok choi, carrots, shitake mushrooms, red peppers, and chicken broth. I added the vegetables in order of how long I wanted them to cook.
I did put the rice noodles in at the end and loved the results. It’s truly more than the sum of its parts. On another level…….
Because I’m allergic to fish I can’t use fish sauce. Do you think adding a little oyster sauce would be a good substitute?
Hmm, no, oyster sauce is quite sweet and doesn’t have nearly the deep fishy flavor that fish sauce has. I think I’d just leave the fish sauce out (the soup was still great before I added the fish sauce). You may want to add a little soy to make up for the saltiness, though.
Made this last night and it was SOOOOO good. Thanks again Beth!
Tried this soup (just left out the fish sauce and added salt) it was delicious! I’m the only one in my family who is vegan but they all ate it too. We added this to our list of stuff to make! Super quick and easy too!
I ended up kit-bashing this recipe with a traditional Tom Kha recipe and indeed, it was really hard to stop eating it.
Thank you for making Thai food less intimidating!
Understanding the proportions of the spices and whatnot, what was essential to the flavor and what could be left out depending on tastes and budget were extremely helpful in me being confident about how this would turn out.
And it turned out wonderfully!
We LOVE to order it in, but that ads up! I’m super thrilled to be able to prep my own when I’ve got a mad craving!
Thanks so much, Beth! You remain my absolute favorite cooking/recipe blog and I recommend you DAILY!
Oh.My.God. Sooooo Goood. The flavour is incredible. I couldn’t find any bok choy so I used spinach but followed the instructions otherwise. Thank you Beth for this incredible recipe.
You might try Napa cabbage next time; I couldn’t find any either, and that was recommended on several sites as the closest substitute.
so good! thanks for sharing. I have regularly used Thai curry paste to make a standard red / green curry, but turning it into a soup is a great twist, and an opportunity to squeeze in even more veggies.
Is there such a thing as “mild” red curry paste? I understand that the main ingredient is red chilies. My youngin’ likes to eat whatever we eat, so I’ve been seasoning our normally spicy food after cooking/serving so he can enjoy it too. I’ll add a nice, generous swirl of Sriracha to this after plating.
I made this with the vegetables I had (spinach and asparagus) and added some diced chicken thighs. It came out pretty good, though I like my curry extra-spicy, so I would probably add more curry paste next time. I threw in some sambal oelek as a garnish and it helped a lot. I also used zoodles instead of rice noodles to make it lower carb — the heat of the broth poured over the noodles was enough to cook them just a little bit and it was perfect. I’d definitely make this again, because it was easy and works well with whatever vegetables you have on hand.
GREAT idea on the zoodles and sambal oelek as a garnish!
I made this to share with my soup club at work, and it was a hit! I will definitely be making this again and again.
I love this recipe! I made it for my birthday and the leftovers kept getting better and better! Thank you Beth!!! I recommend your recipes all the time.
Quick question: I take it this is more of a soupy consistency than the curry you’d get at a Thai restaurant. If I want it to have more of the Thai Curry consistency would I simply omit some of the water? Or would I need to adjust other measurements as well? Any guidance would be appreciated!
My guess is that you would just reduce the broth. :)
I was looking through recipes and came upon this one. I had almost all the ingredients so I tried it. (I didn’t have bok choy but I did have a bag of spinach. I also added shrimp.) Super easy and delicious. Just the right amount of heat.
Finally got around to making this last night. So good! Followed the recipe except I used coconut cream instead of coconut milk (it was all trader joe’s had). Also, I added a handful of some Gulf shrimp towards the end. My husband and 2 year old gobbled it up! My 4 year old refused to eat it but don’t take it personal, she takes issue with ALL soups nowadays (seriously ready for that phase to be over!). :)
Forgot to rate!! So good
Currently cooking this for the second time in about 2 weeks! Amazing! It’s not too spicy at all (even my sister who can’t eat mild butter chicken thought so too) and it tastes soooo good! The first time I just chucked the vermicelli into the pot with the soup and it turned out fine! Added some prawns too and some regular white potatoes.
Right now my family is making me go all out – we’re doubling the recipe, and added in some beef bones just before adding in the potatoes/bok choy. Also using flat rice noodles, chicken breast, and prawns and white potato again.
Seriously sooooooo good!!!
Oh my god this is so fucking good. I’ve made two batches this week. Some of the ingredients can bump up your grocery bill but they are well worth it.
I’m thinking about making this tonight. I have all the ingredients on hand except for the red curry paste…but I do have a packet of green curry paste! Obviously it wouldn’t’ be the same, but would this method be good with green curry too?
Thanks!
I made it with green curry and it was amazing! :)
I think that this soup just changed my life. Perhaps I wasn’t even living before.
This recipe – my goodness. I’ve been trying for many moons to replicate my favourite red curry sauce from a restaurant far, far away from my home. This is restaurant quality, in a way-bigger-than-restaurant portion, for way less money – ideal!
I’m a big fan of spice, so I slightly increased the amounts of ginger, garlic, and red curry paste (I used Taste of Thai, available in Canada), while keeping the broth amount the same. For veggies, red bell pepper, sui choy, and lots of green onion, rough chopped in large pieces.
Very much looking forward to left overs for lunch tomorrow – thanks so much Beth!
Where do you find baby bok choy? I’m in Mandeville so I go to most of the same stores as you, is it at Rouses? Thanks!
I had actually gone to the Hong Kong Market on the west bank the day before. They have an amazing selection of produce for very good prices. But you can use regular bok choy if you can’t find the baby version. :)
This was restaurant quality, and so freaking easy! I switched things up a bit:
Veggies: mushrooms, red pepper, carrots, red onion. I sautéed all of the veggies and then added the garlic, ginger and curry sauce. Then I followed the directions and wilted some kale into the soup at the end. At it garnished with lime juice, siracha, and chopped cashews. Delish!!
I personally could use it a bit spicier – next time I will probably add a bit more curry sauce and perhaps some red pepper flakes. I might also try using light coconut milk (although I would be a bit worried about the wonderful creaminess being affected by this).
Thanks for the great recipe!
We had this soup for dinner today and loved it! I think I might have bought the wrong curry paste – I realised at home that it contained shrimp – but it tasted really good. I used mushrooms instead of the yams/sweet potato, added shrimps and cooked the noodles right in the soup. I just added them with the pak choi leaves at the end and they turned out wonderful!
Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Loved this recipe. I did a vegan version without the fish sauce and it turned out great. Maybe next time I’ll try adding some mushroom soy sauce to get some more umami flavors. I even blogged about it.
This. Was. SO. GOOD. I’m still dreaming about that broth. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!
Would lite coconut milk work ok
I think someone else commented that they used lite and it was still delicious. :)
I commented earlier saying I wanted to try it, and now I’m commenting again because WOW THIS SOUP WAS SO GOOD!
To replace a vegan “fish” sauce I mixed together some miso paste, say sauce, and umeboshi (plum) vinegar which has a very fishy taste. That worked great.
I used kale instead of bok choy, which also worked great! I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to use full fat coconut milk or not, so I used a can of light coconut milk.
I ate it with lots of lime juice, and I couldn’t stop slurping up the delicious broth!
Follow up: I’ve made this soup so many times now that I’ve gone through two jars of the red curry paste. My boyfriend actually prefers it with ramen noodles, which are certainly cheap and easy!
I served it for company and it was thoroughly enjoyed. Everyone thought it was fun to garnish their own bowls with the cilantro, red onion, lime, and siracha.
Beth, you have changed my life. THIS is my favorite dish from Magasin on Magazine Street and it is so damn close. I nixed the vermicelli and the spoon and just used hot crusty french bread to sop it up and it was sooo delicious.
I still haven’t tried that restaurant, but I want to! I’ll have to order theirs for comparison when I do. :)
I love this recipe! Once you buy all of the ingredients you’re set for multiple batches. I add hot sauce at the end to make it more spicy and used pad Thai noodles. Delicious! Can’t get enough of it!
Holy gosh, this was good. This was SO GOOD. My partner doesn’t usually like soup, so I’m glad I had the street cred of saying ‘it’s from the same girl who has the recipe for lemony kale and quinoa salad, and the jalapeno popper mac and cheese!’ because this is definitely going to be a new go-to for us. The flavour is incredible and it’s so customizable: largely because of what is and isn’t available in the part of the UK we’re currently living in, I made it with red bepper, green beans, snap peas, and bamboo shoots rather than yam and bok choy and it was completely scrumptious. (I even topped mine with basil rather than cilantro because I’m not a fan of the latter, and I can testify that it works perfectly as well!)
I highly recommend this dish: it’s easy, delicious, and customizable in the best possible way. My partner gobbled up the whole bowl and was amazed at how much he enjoyed it. This one’s going in the rotation for sure!
I forgot to mention that we added shredded chicken as well, but it would’ve been just as delicious without it. What a treat this was — thanks again, Beth!
This recipe over-promised and under-delivered, which seems to be the theme of food bloggers. We loved the thai flavors, but the sweet potato was a weird addition. The broth flavor also didn’t really adhere to the veggies. I’m not sure if simmering the soup for longer would make it better. I highly recommend adding more vegetables and possibly tofu or chicken to give the soup more substance.
This is soooo good! After seeing the recipe I couldn’t wait to try it. I didn’t have baby bok choy-substituted cabbage and kale. So satisfying without being heavy and great as a leftover too!
I love your blog and this recipe is a new favorite! I made substitutions for the veggies to fit what I had on hand but it still turned out so yummy! Thank you!
Oh my goodness. When I saw this recipe I had to have it. It did not disappoint…. Like…. At all. On of my favorites to date.
I could drive to LA from West Texas and give you a high five right now. I just made a pot of soup that changed my life. I saw your post this morning and knew I had to make it. I was unsure about fish oil at first, so I made half of the soup with and the other half without. You’re right about the added flavor. Love your blog and the inspiration it gives me!
SO GOOD! I was very grateful that my husband said, “No, thanks” when I offered him some. Sucker! I’ve been eating it all week! The modifications I had were sweet potato, frozen spinach, wheat vermicelli (I couldn’t find rice), frozen stir-fry vegetables (peppers, onion), and some pulled pork I had in the freezer. It’s awesome! You’re right, fish sauce smells AWFUL on its own, but it’s great in the dish. I have a nearly insatiable appetite and a serving of this is very filling, probably due to the richness of the coconut milk. I love it and can’t wait to make it again for friends! Another great recipe that is easy to modify with what you have on-hand. <3
I can’t wait to try this! Is there a good substitute for the sweet potato? I am always unsure if I even like sweet potato :-) so unless I am brave and get one, I just wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions for a replacement? I’m sure this is just as great with out it as well!
Yep, check the intro to the post for a list of other vegetables that would go well in the soup. :)
Super delicious. I’m not a fan of sweet potatoes/yams, so I put in some frozen stir fry vegetable and sliced bamboo shoots. I also used shirataki noodles (aka miracle noodles) and they were perfect.
This is amazing! I forgot I didn’t have any ginger at home, and I excluded the fish sauce since I’m vegetarian, and it was still heavenly.
This was my first time cooking with bok choy, and you also got me started using kale. Thanks for expanding my horizons, Beth!
i’m cooking just for one but would love to try this because i have all the ingredients on hand. does this freeze well?
I actually haven’t tried freezing anything with coconut milk yet, so I’m not sure about this one.
Just letting you (and your other readers) know that it froze really well! I had enough servings for three days. It reheated pretty well too, each serving was defrosted in a sauce pan on medium and brought to a slow simmer. Next time, I probably will add the greens separately for each serving… just so they stay green XD
The recipe was a hit! My aunt who really loves Thai food enjoyed it. A few notes–instead of sugar, I used oyster sauce. I substituted the bokchoy with spinach (I had a lot of spinach and needed to use it!) and added some tofu to make it heartier. Next time I am adding shrimp.
Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome!! Thanks for reporting back on that. I was really curious, but ate mine way too fast to even try freezing it. :)
The taste was delicious, but I didn’t look carefully and I ended up using sweet potato vermicelli noodles. They have the same texture as konnyaku and completely absorbed all the liquid in the pot… Whoops!
Eating this RIGHT NOW. I added chicken and zucchini and left out the noodles. Still AMAZING. Thank you!
Oh gosh, this place called Stir Crazy used to have a thai curry bowl, and this looks exactly like it! I am making this recipe this weekend!
-Heather
http://heatherinreallife.com/
this was delicious!!! I was really scared of using fish sauce..but i’m glad i did- it tasted just like takeout. Made my house smell awesome…can’t wait to bring to lunch tomorrow <3 Another hit, Beth! Thanks!
Another brilliant Recipe. Made for supper tonight and Hubby loved it. Going into weekly rotation in our home. Keep those awesome recipes coming.
I’m new to this whole cooking thing, and I’m making this tomorrow night for my husband and brave friends. What would you, or your readers, suggest that I serve with this?
This is kind of one of those “all in one” dishes that doesn’t really need a side. And if you add a few more noodles or some shrimp, it will be a very hearty meal.
Yuss!! This was gorgeous: made it yesterday and had leftovers for lunch today. Perfect combo of high-impact taste and rich texture. Thank you!
Fantastic recipe. I made this almost exactly as directed; I just subbed in a regular sweet potato for the Chinese yam, and Chinese noodles for the vermicelli. All I can say is I’m excited to eat this every day for lunch this week! Also, I think the Sriracha is absolutely a MUST!
That’s a beautiful soup Beth!
Oh my god. Eating this right now and it is AMAZING! My boyfriend said we need to start having this at least once a week. Can’t wait to experiment with other additions to the soup but I love it as is.
I made this tonight for dinner, and was terrified when I realized I didn’t have the veggies on hand. I ended up substituting the rice noodles for two bricks of ramen, used mushrooms and frozen spinach for the veggies, and added a shredded chicken breast for some meat. I stuck to the recipe for the broth, which I fortunately had all the ingredients for.
It came out fantastically. Hubby took one bite and asked for it to go on the regular dinner rotation. I’d definitely recommend that little squeeze of lime slice to put the flavors completely over the top.
You and this soup are amazing! Very simple, fast and healthy (except sodium from the fish sauce, for me anyway). I added green beans, doubled the garlic and used sodium free chicken broth. I had spinach that needed eaten so I used that rather that bok choi. Fantastic!
Could you substitute green curry paste for the red?
Probably. I’ve never cooked with green curry paste, but I think it would work the same just a slightly different flavor.
Would water chestnuts be a good addition to this recipe? I am prepping everything for it now.
I think it would, yes.
This looks very good, but I REALLY don’t like coconut. What would you suggest I use to replace the coconut milk – just use regular milk or half and half? Thanks!
Half and half would probably be best, but honestly I just can’t imagine this without the coconut. It’s one of the main flavors. :P
Hi Beth, any recommendations for storing/reheating food/leftovers made with coconut milk (i.e. cooked coconut milk)? google search only comes up with “opened can” of coconut milk (plus, you’re awesome). Also, thank you so much for everything, I check your website at least once a week!
I kept mine in the fridge for four days and it reheated really well in the microwave. :) When it was in the fridge it looked as though the coconut milk rose to the top and the clear broth was on the bottom, but once I heated and stirred it up you couldn’t tell at all.
I made this with a large bunch of kale raab that needed to get used up rather than bok choy, and it turned out great. Easy weeknight dinner.
Winner! My husband just made this for dinner minus the fish sauce added some marinated tofu. So so delicious and comforting. This is definitely going to be a regular. Also we added the noodles to the whole pot at the end of cooking and it came out great.
Good to know about the noodles! Thanks for sharing. :)
Fantastic! This recipe may end up replacing our visits to the local Thai restaurant!
I made this recipe as printed except I substituted sweet onion for the red onion. I had all the ingredients in my pantry or fridge (except for the baby bok choi that I bought at the Asian market because I wanted to try it)! Fast, easy, and good. I am loving all your World Flavor recipes you have been posting lately. Trying them and eating them up. They are so healthy too!
Could this be made in the crock pot? Would love to serve it to my ski group, but I would need to start it the night before.
When I was researching this recipe, I think I did see a couple people who had made it in a slow cooker. Try a google search for “slow cooker thai curry” and I’m sure you’ll find it. It sounds easy!
Holy moly, I am eating this soup as I type and it is incredible! Thanks for the stellar recipe, I will absolutely be making this again!
Oh man, this looks so beautiful! I will have to find a way to make this.
I made a vegan version last night – so gooood! I subbed soy for fish sauce, veg broth, and a heavy squeeze of lime to serve. I had to add more soy to my bowl (I guess fish sauce is even saltier than soy). I’ve never used the Thai curry paste before and even though the jar has 3 “chili peppers” denoting heat, it was quite mild. I will add more next time. I paired it with Beth’s sweet potato corn cakes (all that cilantro – yum!). I failed at those, kind of…comments on that page.
Thank you so much for the info! I was thinking of mixing soy sauce and miso paste to replace the fish sauce.
If you can find it, try substituting gukganjang (Korean soy sauce for soup) for the fish sauce. It’s lighter in color and saltier than regular soy sauce. I haven’t tried it myself, but my favorite Korean recipe blog often substitutes fish sauce for gukganjang, so I imagine it works the other way around too!
Dear Beth,
I’m in love…with this soup that is. I made it yesterday to go with our Reuben sandwiches and it was so good. I didn’t make it exactly like yours because I didn’t have all the ingredients but I did have variations on the ingredients. I used butternut squash puree, regular cabbage, no fish sauce due to allergies but still it was delicious. I love just about every one of your recipes. Thank you.
Alice
Made this last night … fantastic! I cooked the noodles right in the broth and it was wonderful. I upped the fish sauce and brown sugar (might have doubled those measurements) … yummo!
That looks awesome! It’s going straight to the top of my to-do list for the week. I’ll try it without the fish sauce before I go and buy a bottle.
I assume you peel the ginger first? Or did you leave the peel on and save time because it’s obscured in the soup?
Honestly, I just grated it with the peel on. I used to peel my ginger, then I saw a cooking show where an Indian woman said she never peels hers, so half the time I never bother anymore. :P I just make sure it’s very clean.
This… is a game changer.
How hot is the Thai red curry paste you use? Two TBSP seems like a lot.
I expected it to be much hotter than it was. Honestly, it was kind of mild, which is why I ended up adding sriracha at the end (I like the contrast between the creamy coconut and spicy). I even stuck my finger straight in the jar after making the soup just to see how spicy the paste was itself, and it wasn’t very spicy at all. It might just be that brand, though. :)
Hubby and I made this for dinner. I bought our curry paste at an Asia market. Holy cow was this hot. I will have to add some yogurt to the leftovers to “make it edible,” according to him. Be aware if the paste you buy is actually made in thailand. The brand I bought was “Aroy-D.” I really like the flavor, so we will just add less of the curry paste next time.
Made this tonight for dinner. Deeeeeeelicious.
This looks like such an amazing recipe, I will 100% be making this (I lovvvee anything with cilantro). Also, this whole blog is just amazing!! I have just started a new food blog myself, if you would like to give me any adivice on food blogging that would be great! my websites
http://thescrumptiousblog.com
The best piece of advice I can give is to join a food blogging community so that you always have somewhere to go for help, to stay up to date on the latest trends and changes in the blogging world, and general support. Food Blogger Pro is a great one, but there are also several facebook groups out there. :)
I just did this recipe, but I used tofu instead of sweet potato. It tasted amaaaaaazing, everyone loved it !
Beth ~
I am SO spoiled by your recipes. I LOVE that you share and include photos along the way. As a NON-cook who loves to explore, I really need the photos to make sure I’m on track.
Thanks.
Beautiful soup, Beth! Could fresh spinach for “plus-size” bok choy be used instead of the baby size? I’d be hard pressed to find the baby size in my town. It’s supposed to cool down and rain this weekend here – perfect soup weather.
BTW, I made your Stuffed Poblano Peppers again the other night……so tasty – and healthy!
Yep, you can absolutely use spinach or regular bok choy instead. :)
Nice recipe, I´m in the process of doing more creative stuff when it comes to cooking! It´s been quite a struggle for me to leave the typical meals behind me. This website rocks in that sense…congrats! I´ve also used Barilla Restaurants´ page to do soups, quickly and effectively! (and delicious of course!) Check this out for example! http://www.barillarestaurants.com/Menu/Zuppe/Pasta-e-Fagioli
Have a great day!
James
This sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
Those pictures are mouthwatering! I must make this before it starts to get too hot around here.
Thank you for including a decent amount of vegetarian recipes to your menus. I’ve made quite a few of them and they are a great. Can’t wait to try this one!
Ooh be careful! That’s a package of mung bean thread vermicelli. I guess if this was used, it still worked for the recipe! Other than that it sounds like a great recipe to try! :)
Is there something wrong with that? I don’t understand the concern.
Oh, was it?? I guess I didn’t read the package close enough. :P It still worked great, though! :D
It was great and fast. I did have to make some substitutions within your suggestions. We were out of fish sauce, so I used a pinch of dashi granules, and I subbed spinach for bok choy since that is what we had in the house. I don’t usually love sweet potatoes, but it totally worked, and I am eagerly looking forward to leftovers for lunch.
Oh man. This is why I love Budget Bytes. These recipes right here. You da bomb, Beth. Can’t wait to put this on the next meal plan. Mmmmm.
I’m definitely giving this a try and freezing it. Probably will skip the noodles because of the freezing. It looks delicious!
Let us know how well it freezes!
I just made this (threw in some shrimp as well) and holy, you weren’t kidding – my tummy is very happy right now.
This looks so delicious! I’ll have to make sure to stop by the Asian Market on my next grocery run. Can’t wait to try it!
Yum! I bet some tofu would be great in here too…. :)
Would light coconut milk work okay?
I’ll probably make this with zucchini noodles. Mm!
It definitely won’t be as creamy, which might throw off the balance a little. Despite that, I’d probably still eat it. LOL
Yummy! Love pad Thai, pho, and curries!
What do you think would happen if I used soy sauce in place of the fish sauce….is it worth trying or better to just skip the fish sauce all together with no substitute?
Skip it if you don’t want it, but fish sauce adds a wonderful depth of flavor you won’t get with either soy or the salt shaker. It’s kind of like the spectacular indefinable effect you get in some Italian recipes with just a hint of anchovy, and I’m one of those people who would actually have to be starving to eat a recognizable anchovy anywhere, any time, but grab that tube of anchovy paste out of the fridge at least once a week–can’t imagine my home made Caesar salad without it. Fish sauce lasts almost forever in the fridge, and you might find yourself developing a taste for it.
Another hint–Thai curry paste can vary a lot from jar to jar or can to can, so I like to start a little easy with it. Green and yellow pastes are a little milder than red, and any of them would do for this terrific recipe. Thanks, Beth, we had it for dinner last night! I did add some strips of red and yellow bell pepper–I had a package of the mini peppers in the vegetable drawer and was happy for a chance to use some up
I will be subbing with soy sauce and finishing with a good squeeze of lime. (salty/sour) I have to agree that there is no true substitute for fish sauce, but soy and lime will be tasty! I’m going to make this vegetarian sans noodles, with tofu, and for the leafy greens I’m going to use wakame. (My god, I have so much wakame!!!) Beth – this looks beautiful!!!
You could definitely do that (start with less, though, and add more until the saltiness is where you like it). As I mentioned in the post, it’s still good without fish sauce (I tasted before adding it), but it’s missing a little depth and that authentic Thai flavor.
My mouth is watering right now!!! :-)
If I were to not use garlic and ginger (and just use the extra red curry paste as you mentioned), would I still need the oil? I am assuming that is mostly for sauteing the garlic/ginger.
I am counting my calories, so trying to cut out unnecessary calories. If the oil is still necessary, could I decrease the amount used?
Thanks so much! It looks great
Correct. :) You might want to use a little (maybe a teaspoon or two) to make sure the paste doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot, though.
That looks *really* good. I was just thinking eatlier this week that I wanted to make a thai-style curry. I’ll probably cut up some boneless chicken thighs from my freezer, along with whatever veggies are lurking in my fridge.
Oh, yum!! This looks absolutely delicious…and even better, gluten free for me! One of my favorite dishes at my local Thai restaurant is called “double noodles” and is a mix of pad thai and curry; this looks quite reminiscent of their dish.
My favorite oil for this is coconut oil.
Good call! :P
I can’t even handle how badly I need to eat this soup. Would it freeze well (minus the noodles) or no because of the coconut milk??
You know, I’m not sure. I have never tried to freeze anything with coconut milk before.
Think this would be all right with yellow curry paste? I have some I need to use up.
I’ve never used yellow curry paste before, so I’m not sure. :)