Vegan Hot and Sour Soup (Bún Thái)
This vegan hot and sour soup is infused with lemongrass, tamarind juice, and pineapple for a wonderful harmony of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. Served with rice noodles, fried tofu, and plenty of greens, this is one of our favorite Vietnamese noodle soups!
Ingredients
Tamarind juice
- 1/3 cup tamarind pulp
- 1 cup boiling water
Broth
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass
- 1 medium tomato sliced into 1-inch thick slices
- 1/4 pineapple peeled and cut into chunks (about 1 cup chunks)
- 4-5 cremini mushrooms quartered
- 2 lemongrass stalks slightly crushed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mushroom seasoning optional but recommended
- 6 pieces fried tofu
- 1/4 Thai chili finely sliced
Add-ins
- cooked white rice noodles
- a handful of Thai basil
- vegan bologna or vegan sausages
Instructions
Tamarind juice
- Dilute the pulp. Add the tamarind pulp to a large bowl and cover with the boiling water. Using a wooden spoon, stir to dilute the pulp. Let the tamarind sit for about 10 minutes.
- Strain. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the tamarind juice and discard the pulp. Set the juice aside.
Broth
- Sauté the pineapple, tomatoes, and lemongrass. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pot. Once hot, add the minced lemongrass, sliced tomatoes, and pineapple. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender.
- Next, add the quartered mushrooms and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Cover with water. Pour the water into the pot and add the lemongrass stalks.
- Pour in the tamarind juice. Then, add the tamarind juice to the broth and season with sugar, salt, and mushroom seasoning.
- Incorporate the add-ins. If using, add the fried tofu or vegan bologna. At this point, you can also add chopped morning glory, green beans, or your favorite greens.
- Let simmer. Bring the broth to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and let it simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Give it a taste and adjust the saltiness and sweetness if needed. Before serving, feel free to add a few slices of chopped Thai chili to spice up the broth.
Assemble
- Cook the noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Traditionally, round rice noodles are used but any type will work. Once cooked, drain the noodles and divide them between serving bowls.
- Arrange the add-ins in serving bowls. Using a slotted spoon, add some mushrooms, fried tofu, pineapple, and greens to each bowl.
- Pour in the hot broth. Pour the piping hot broth into each bowl and garnish with Thai basil.
- Serve. Serve immediately with chopped chili on the side if you want to make the broth extra spicy.
Notes
- Crush the lemongrass. To help the lemongrass release as much flavor as possible, crush each stalk using the back of a knife.
- Make it into a hotpot. You can easily double the broth to serve this dish as a hot pot.
- Do not omit or substitute any ingredient. Although you can experiment with different add-ins, I advise you not to change the ingredients in the broth. The pineapple, lemongrass, and tamarind play a crucial role in achieving the authentic flavor of the dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving (without noodles) | Calories: 202 kcal | Carbohydrates: 28 g | Protein: 5.6 g | Fat: 9.1 g | Saturated Fat: 1.4 g | Sodium: 1466 mg | Potassium: 386 mg | Fiber: 2.1 g | Sugar: 24 g | Calcium: 123 mg | Iron: 2 mg
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