It’s still a little bit chilly here; I’m talking about grey sky, cold wind, and rain. That kind of weather calls for a warm and spicy soup.
All the flavors of Thai cuisine are combined in this soup: garlic, ginger, coconut milk, lime, chili, and peanut tofu. Plus, it’s topped with sweet potato noodles! Comforting and full of different flavors.
This soup is made in only one pot and requires no blender! It all starts with onions, garlic, and ginger, which are first sautéed in a saucepan until soft.
The addition of full-fat coconut milk brings creaminess and adds a nice buttery flavor to the soup, while the lime juice, stirred at the end of cooking, brings some freshness as well as some tang.
As you can see, this soup is VERY thick and creamy! If you want a lighter and more soupy texture, add more water/almond milk to thin out and swap the full-fat coconut milk for light coconut milk.
The cilantro on top is just for photo purposes and cilantro lovers. Personally, I can’t stand the smell of fresh cilantro!
This soup will surely warm you up with its complex spicy, savory, and sour flavors. Skip the tofu and noodles and serve it in small bowls for a unique appetizer. You can also top it with roasted peanuts for a little crunch.
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe, and tag #fullofplants on Instagram if you take a photo!
Thai Sweet Potato Noodles Soup
Ingredients
Peanut tofu
- 7 ounces firm tofu
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp natural peanut butter
Soup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or other oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp of each: cumin, paprika, coriander
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups almond milk
- 3 tbsp cornstarch optional
- 2 tbsp lime juice
Spiralized sweet potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato
- salt pepper
Optional toppings
- Fresh cilantro
- Red pepper flakes
- Lime
Instructions
Peanut tofu
- Drain the tofu and wrap it in a paper towel. Place something heavy on top (a mason jar filled with water for example, or a heavy pan or skillet) and let the paper towel absorb the moisture for at least 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup and peanut butter in a small bowl or container.
- Unwrap the tofu and cut it into cubes. Transfer it to the marinade bowl and toss to coat it with the marinade. Let marinade for at least 1 hour.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large iron skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, or until brown and crispy.
Soup
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly until the onions are soft.
- Add the red bell pepper flakes, chili, cumin, paprika and coriander. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Lower the heat to low and stir in the soy sauce and maple syrup. Dissolve the cornstarch in the almond milk (it will help thicken the soup). Add the coconut and almond milk to the saucepan and increase the heat to medium again.
- Let simmer for about 10 minutes, whisking regularly and making sure it doesn't come to a rolling boil. In the meantime, prepare the tofu and sweet potato.
- Remove from heat, let cool a few minutes and stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Divide into bowls and top with tofu, spiralized sweet potatoes, and fresh cilantro.
- The soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Spiralized sweet potatoes
- Wash and peel the sweet potato. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Spiralize the sweet potato using a spiralizer on a large noodle setting. Add to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and sautée for 4-6 minutes, or until soft. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
This looks SOOOO good. Like, almost unbelievable that I could actually create such a thing kind of good. Can’t wait to try this!!
Hello Thomas,
I’m excited to make this soup! Autumn is in full swing where I live, and we’ve been getting snow in the mountains outside of town. It’s only a matter of time before it falls in town, and this soup will be perfect for chilly nights.
Quick question — when you list 1/4 tsp chili, do you mean dried chili powder, or chili paste? I have both in my kitchen!
Thanks so much for all your creative recipes. I’ve adored every one I’ve made!
Cheers,
Stephanie
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks for your feedback 🙂 You are so lucky to have snow! It hasn’t come here yet but finger crossed! Regarding the chili, I meant dried chili powder.
I’m in the process of making this for dinner and it would have been nice to know that I need to marinade the tofu before I got to that step! Even the time at the top says “Comforting, flavorful and ready in 30 minutes! Marinading the tofu should really be step #1!
I’m so sorry about it Melissa! I fixed it and placed the tofu recipe at the top. I hope you still enjoyed the soup!
This soup in incredible! Definitely one of my favorites!
Thanks Tiffani! 🙂
This recipe is delicious!! I did add some glass sweet potato noodles to it as well.
Awesome! Glad you liked it!
I needed this in my life–missing link soup.
I had no spiralizer so I just shredded the sweet potato, and instead of tofu I used shirataki noodles.
Other than that I changed nothing. Directions were a little out of sync and vague in a couple places
but I overcame. Lastly, there’s no way in Nutballtown this could be done in 30 minutes, unless, and this is a big maybe,
you’ve performed it a dozen times.
P.S. Use all 3 optional toppings (smack)!
Sounds good! Glad to hear you liked the recipe Tyrone! 🙂
Hi Thomas
This recipe was incredible and so simple, as are every other of your dishes I’ve made. They all become part of my dinner repertoire. I live on a boat with a tiny galley with a non-vegan partner which can make cooking sort of joyless but I can always find something quick to prepare, gluten free and with ingredients I have to hand thanks to you. And no one ever misses the animal products
Just want you to know your efforts are hugely appreciated.
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it!
Cooking on a boat sounds like a challenge! Glad you are still able to cook delicious dishes 😉
This looks like supper–today. I have all the ingredients on hand but have resisted jumping onto the spiralizer bandwagaon. Any suggestions for a substitute? Sweet potatoes are much harder than other veggies that I might otherwise attack with a grater, and as a longtime vegan I’d prefer not to serve knuckle soup.
You could try using spiralized zucchini or even carrots!
This looks so tasty! I can’t wait to make it this week!
Do you think it would freeze well? I’m thinking about batch-cooking this one!
Thanks Kate! Unfortunately, I doubt this would freeze very well.