Today, we're introducing Vegan Khao Soi Noodles. With its vibrant flavors and rich history, this dish offers a tantalizing experience. Join us as we explore the origins of Khao Soi noodles and how this traditional Thai dish has been adapted to suit vegan preferences without compromising on taste or authenticity.
Our Vegan Khao Soi is vegan and can be made gluten-free. You can substitute the wheat noodles for egg noodles, as the traditional recipe calls for if you prefer a vegetarian version, or for rice noodles to have a gluten-free option.
For protein, we use crumbled tofu. Tempeh is also a great plant-based protein for this dish. You can add various vegetables, but we kept the recipe simple and as similar as possible to the traditional recipe.
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History of Khao Soi Noodles
To fully appreciate Vegan Khao Soi Noodles, it's important to dive into its rich roots in Thai cuisine. Khao Soi, meaning "cut rice" in Thai, likely originated with the Yunnanese-Muslim community in Northern Thailand.
This hearty dish stands out for its creamy coconut milk-based broth, bursting with a blend of aromatic spices.
Khao Soi began as a meal for laborers and workers in the busy markets of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Its origins reflect the cultural melting pot of the region, blending Thai, Burmese, and Chinese influences.
Traditionally, it's made with egg noodles and paired with chicken, beef, or tofu, then topped with crispy fried noodles, shallots, lime, and pickled mustard greens.
The result is a dish that perfectly balances textures and flavors-savory, spicy, and tangy all at once.
As the years passed, Khao Soi has grown from a street food favorite to a beloved comfort food, served in restaurants worldwide. Its versatility and ability to adapt to modern tastes have earned it a special place among food lovers seeking authentic Thai flavors with a contemporary twist.
Our Vegan Khao Soi Noodle recipe is:
- A creamy coconut noodle soup
- Vegan
- Gluten-free - using rice noodles.
- Nice and spicy!
- Fragrant and aromatic
- All-round delicious!
How to make Khao Soi curry paste
Store-bought curry paste from supermarkets is convenient for a quick curry at home, but nothing beats homemade curry paste! It's worth the effort, and you can make a large batch to store in ice cube trays in the freezer for future use.
Ingredients you will need
- Dried Bird-Eye Chillies: You can also use larger chilies. This is the main ingredient that gives the curry paste its red color. To use more chilies without making the paste too spicy, deseed them first. Wearing gloves, cut the chilies down the side with scissors, remove the seeds, and soak them in water for about 10 minutes.
- Lemongrass imparts authentic Thai fragrance and flavor. The best part to use for curry paste is the bottom stalk, which reveals a purple hue when sliced.
- Shallots: We use finely chopped baby shallots for our curry paste, but white or red onions can also be substituted. If you have access to Asian shallots, they are ideal for curry pastes.
- Fingerroot: Traditionally, this curry paste is made with fingerroot. This ingredient can be tricky to find outside Asia, but Asian supermarkets often carry it frozen, making it convenient to store and use as needed. If fingerroot is unavailable, ginger or galangal can be used as alternatives.
- Kaffir Lime Peel or Leaves: Use the peel of kaffir lime fruit if available at a good Asian market. Alternatively, use lime leaves-just remove the stems before adding them to your curry paste.
- Garlic: Peel and slice fresh garlic cloves.
- Soybean Paste: This adds a nice umami punch. Miso paste can also be used as a substitute.
- Coconut Sugar: You can use coconut palm sugar, granulated coconut sugar, or brown sugar.
- Turmeric Root: When handling turmeric root, be sure to wear gloves. Peel and chop the root before use.
To Make Khao Soi Paste
- Fry dried chili in a non-stick pan on low heat until darkened color and crispy and then set aside. Be careful not to burn it
- Sliced Lemongrass, turmeric, garlic, onion, kaffir lime skin, and fingerroot in small pieces so it is easy to pound.
- Pound fried chili first until fine then add lemongrass, turmeric, kaffir lime skin, and fingerroot then keep pounding until its breaks through very nicely.
- Add onion and garlic and continue pounding until everything gets very fine.
- Add the coconut sugar and soybean paste, then pound the mixture until everything is finely ground.
- Take out from the mortar and pestle to a small bowl and set aside.
How to make Vegan Khao Soi Noodle Soup
Once you have the curry paste, making the rest of the dish is relatively easy.
Ingredients you will need
- Rice bran oil or regular cooking oil
- Curry paste
- Water
- Coconut milk
- Curry powder
- Brown mushroom
- Pink salt
- Soy sauce
- Add oil to the pot and fry Khao Soi paste until fragrant on medium heat.
- Add mushroom and curry powder and cook for 2-3 minutes and then add a little bit of coconut milk and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add water and cook until boiling then add the remaining coconut milk.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Flavor with pink salt and soy sauce and simmer in low heat for another 3-5 minutes.
To cook the noodles
- Bring the water to a boil, add Vegan Khao Soi noodles, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Rinse in cold water and set aside.
To finish Vegan Khao Soy Noodles
This Thai coconut noodle soup is traditionally served with an assortment of ingredients that can be prepared while the rest of the meal is still cooking
Ingredients you will need
- Vegan Khao Soi Noodles or wonton skins to fry
- Pickled cabbage
- Limes
- Shallot
- Coriander
- Chili flakes
- Rice bran oil to fry chili flakes
- Crumbled tofu
- Soy sauce to flavor tofu
To serve
- Fry the separate Khao Soi Noodles or wonton pastry strips until golden and crispy. Do not fry it too long. Drain well.
- In the saucepan add oil and tofu. Cook until tofu is golden brown and crispy.
- Season with soy sauce and set aside.
- Fry chili flakes in a little oil for 1-2 minutes and set aside.
- Chop pickled cabbage into smaller pieces.
- Diced shallot into small pieces.
- Chopped coriander.
- Heat Khao Soi Soup before serving.
- Plate up Khao Soi by adding cooked Khao Soi noodles into the bowl, and pour Khao Soi soup over the noodles. Then place crispy Khao Soi Noodles on top.
- Topped with pickle cabbage, coriander, lime wedge, and fried chili flakes.
Equipment you will need
- Mortar and pestle or blender for curry paste
- Chopping board
- Chefs Knife
- A good saucepan for making soup
- A deep fat frier or saucepan with oil for frying the wonton skins
- Serving Bowl
FAQ & Chefs Tips
Yes, sure you can. You can use any vegan red curry paste to make your Khao Soi.
Khao Soi is traditionally a very spicy dish, as the curry paste is made with red chilies. If you're making your curry paste, you can easily adjust the spice level by increasing or reducing the number of chilies. If you're using store-bought curry paste, reduce the amount for a milder soup.
It isn't easy to find traditional Khao Soi noodles outside of Thailand, but ramen noodles can provide a similar texture. For a gluten-free option, rice noodles work well.
More Thai vegan recipes
- Vegan Khao Yum Salad
- Thai Red Curry
- Thai Green Curry
- Vegan Crab Curry with Lions Mane Mushrooms
- Kanom Jeen Noodles
- Thai Vegan Boat Noodles
- Tom Kha Soup
- Tom Yum Soup
Happy cooking friends
We hope you enjoy making this recipe. Let us know in the comments below how it worked out for you.
📋 Recipe
Erik R says
Good morning!
very well crafted noodles recipe and the ingredients on this dish are amazing.
Love the nutritional facts guide too!
Thara says
My favorite Thai noodles recipe 🍜 🍝