Experience the vibrant flavors of Thailand with our Thai Boat Noodles recipe, a delightful plant-based rendition of traditional Boat Noodles Soup. Packed with aromatic herbs, spices, fresh vegetables, and nourishing ingredients, this recipe captures the essence of Thai cuisine.
For all the noodles lovers. Here is something that will make your mouth water. Thara is a big fan of noodles and today we veganized one of her favorite noodles dishes for you to enjoy!
If you like Thai soups, be sure to check out our Tom Yum and Tom Kha Soup recipes.
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History of Thai boat noodles
To all the noodles lovers! Here is something that will make your mouth water. Thara is a big fan of noodles and today she has veganized one of her favorite noodles dishes for you to enjoy!
Boat noodles, or "Kuai Dtiao Ruea" in Thai, are a beloved Thai street food known for their rich and robust flavors. Traditionally made with pork and beef, boat noodles gained popularity for their unique broth infused with pig or cow blood, creating a thick and velvety soup.
Our vegan version pays homage to the original dish while catering to those seeking a plant-based lifestyle. Originally served from boats navigating Bangkok's canals, boat noodles were a one-person operation, with the merchant handling every aspect of the dish, from paddling the boat to serving customers.
To ensure convenience and safety, the small bowl size was adopted, making it easier to hand over to customers without spilling. While now available in restaurants, the tradition of serving boat noodles in small bowls remains, often accompanied by a boat stationed nearby.
Why you will love this soup recipe
- Authentic Thai Experience: Offers a genuine taste of Thai cuisine with traditional flavors and techniques.
- Holistic Nutrition: Incorporates wholesome ingredients that align with a holistic approach to health and wellness.
- Complex Umami Flavors: Delivers a harmonious blend of sweet, spicy, sour, and savory flavors for a fulfilling taste experience.
- Dietary Versatility: Easily adaptable to various dietary needs, making it inclusive for different lifestyles.
- Sensory Delight: Provides a multi-sensory journey through aromatic scents, vibrant colors, and noodle enjoyment.
Ingredients to make Thai boat noodles
Soup Base
- Water
- Carrot
- Onion
- Shiitake Mushrooms
- Pickled Garlic
- Lemongrass
- Celery
- Pandan
- Pink Salt
- Light Soy Sauce
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Coconut Palm Sugar
Herb Bundle
- Dried Galangal
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Goji Berry
- Dried Ginger
- Cardamom
- Star Anise
- Chinese 5 Spices
To Serve
- Rice Noodles
- Morning Glory
- Holy Basil
- Bean Sprouts
- Textured Soy Protein
- Cauliflower fungus mushroom
- Firm Tofu
- Chili Flakes
- Lime Wedge
- Sesame Oil (To Mix with Rice Noodles)
- Rice Bran Oil (To Fry Textured Soy Protein and Tofu)
- White Pepper
How to make Thai boat noodles
For the soup
- Begin by washing and prepping all the vegetables.
- Create a bundle of herbs by wrapping dried galangal, cinnamon sticks, goji berries, dried ginger, cardamom, and star anise in muslin cloth, excluding the Chinese 5 spices.
- Boil water in a pot and add the herb bundle and pink salt. Once hot, incorporate shiitake mushrooms, carrots, onions, lemongrass, pickled garlic, celery, and pandan.
- Simmer the soup over low heat for 20-25 minutes, adding Chinese 5 spices and coconut palm sugar halfway through.
- Flavor the soup with light and dark soy sauce, remove the shiitake mushrooms, strain the soup, and set it aside.
For the noodles
- Wash all vegetables and separate holy basil leaves from the stems.
- Cut morning glory into bite-sized pieces.
- Soak dried white fungi and textured soy protein for 10-15 minutes.
- In the meantime, blanch bean sprouts and morning glory, then rinse with cold water and set aside to dry. Reserve some raw bean sprouts for garnish.
- Dice tofu and fry it in rice bran oil until golden brown, seasoning it with light soy sauce.
- Drain the textured soy protein, squeeze the water out, and fry it in a saucepan with the remaining rice bran oil - season with light soy sauce.
- Blanch the dried white fungi for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, rinse, and strain.
- Cook the rice noodles, rinse with cold water, and mix with crispy garlic, chili flakes, and sesame oil.
Recipe variations
- You can use tempeh in place of tofu for a nice variation.
- Use any type of seasonal mushrooms that are available.
- Use whatever seasonal greens are available.
- The textured soy protein can be optional, it's fine to leave this out.
- Thai holy basil can be difficult to source in certain regions. It's a distinctive flavor that other basils can not replicate. You can still make this soup if you don't have it.
Equipment you will need
A longtail boat... only joking!
To bring this recipe to life, ensure you have a good pot for cooking the soup, a frying pan for frying tofu and soy protein, a strainer for the broth, and basic kitchen tools like a knife, cutting board, and a muslin cloth to wrap the herbs and spices in the soup pot.
Recipe FAQ
During the years of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, vendors would cook noodles on board small boats and sell them to people on shore or on other vessels. This was the history of one of Ayutthaya's best-known dishes – now simply called 'boat noodles.
The Thai alternative to Vietnamese Pho is called Boat Noodle Soup. There are many variations of boat noodle soup depending on the region and season.
There are different types of noodles used for making boat noodles; thin rice noodles, egg noodles, sen yai (เส้นใหญ่, literally – 'big noodles'), and sen lek (เส้นเล็ก, literally 'small noodles'). Thin rice noodles are the most popular.
'guai tiew ruea' ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ
Nutritional content
This Thai Boat Noodles recipe offers a nutritious and well-balanced meal. Packed with vegetables, plant-based protein, and wholesome ingredients, it provides essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
The soup's aromatic herbs and spices not only add incredible flavor but also offer various health benefits. Remember to adjust the portion sizes and ingredients based on your dietary needs and preferences.
The full nutritional calculations are at the end of the recipe below.
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More vegan recipe ideas
📋 Recipe
Thai Boat Noodles {Vegan}
Equipment
- Weighing scales
- Chopping board
- Chefs knife
- Saucepan
- Frying pan
- Strainer
- Muslin cloth
- Serving bowl
Ingredients
To Make Soup
- 2800 ml Water - filtered
- 200 g Onions Cut into big chunks
- 300 g Carrots Cut into big chunks
- 25 g Celery
- 100 g Shiitake mushrooms
- 20 g Lemongrass
- 20 g Pandan
- 80 g Pickled garlic
- 10 g Pink salt
- 100 g Soy sauce light
- 10 g Soy sauce dark
- 30 g Coconut palm sugar
To Make Bundle Herbs
- 20 g Galangal dried
- 2 g Ginger root dried
- 15 g Cinnamon sticks
- 4 g Cardamom pods
- 2 g Star anise
- 5 g Goji berries
- 4 g Chinese 5 Spice
To Serve
- 400 g Rice noodles
- 200 g Morning glory
- 20 g Holy basil
- 200 g Beansprouts
- 100 g Textured Soy Protein
- 20 g White fungi - dried
- 300 g Tofu firm
- 3 g Chili flakes
- 2 each Lime wedges
- 15 ml Sesame oil To mix with rice noodles
- 25 g Rice bran oil To fry textured soy protein and tofu
- 1 pinch White pepper ground
Instructions
To Make Noodles Soup
- Wash and Prep all the vegetables.
- Make Bundle Herbs by wrapping the herbs and spices in muslin cloth except the Chinese five spices.
- Add 2800ml Water into a pot, When the water starts to get hot add the bundle of herbs and pink salt.
- When the water is boiling add Shiitake, Carrot, Onion, Lemongrass, Pickle garlic, Celery root or stalks and Pandan.
- Turn to low heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- When it half way through add Chinese 5 Spices and coconut palm sugar.
- After simmer for 20-25 minutes, flavors with light and dark soy sauce.
- Scoop out shiitake mushrooms and strain the soup with strainer and set aside.
To Prepare Noodles
- Wash all vegetables, Pick the holy basil leaves out from the stems then cut morning glory into bite size.
- Soak the dried white fungi and textured soy protein for 10-15 minutes.
- In the meantime blanch the beansprouts and morning glory together. Add into cold water and then drain it and leave it to dry. Leave some raw bean sprouts for garnish.
- Diced tofu and fried in rice bran oil until golden brown then seasoning with light soy sauce.
- Drained textured soy protein and fry in a saucepan with the remaining rice bran oil and seasoning with light soy sauce.
- Drained dried white fungi and blanch for 2-3 minutes in boiling water then rinse and strain it.
- Cooked noodles, rinse in cold water and strain it then mixed with crispy garlic and olive oil.
To Serve
- Heat up the soup by bring it to boil one more time before serving.
- Add cooked morning glory and bean sprouts into the bottom of the bowl and leave some for garnish on top.
- Plate noodles into the bowl and pour hot soup over noodles.
- Garnish with raw bean sprouts, holy basil, fried tofu and textured soy protein, lime wedge and white fungi.
- Sprinkle on chili flakes, crispy garlic and white pepper.
- You can adjust the flavor as your preference by adding more light soy sauce, lime or vinegar, sugar and chili flakes.
- Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!