Banana Blossom Tom Kha Soup (Tom Kha Hue Plee)

This soup has a sweet delicious flavor from the coconut milk and a unique, fragrant aroma from the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and cilantro. This simple, nourishing, tasty herbal soup is one I you'll love eating and serving to your friends and special guests.

Banana Blossom Tom Kha Soup (Tom Kha Hue Plee) [Vegan]

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 ml) water
• 3 cups (720 ml) coconut milk
• 2" (5-cm) piece galangal, sliced into thin rounds
• 4 stalks lemongrass, sliced into 1" (2.5-cm) lengths
• 10 grape tomatoes
• 8 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 small young banana blossom, peeled and sliced 1⁄4" (6 mm) thick
• 10 button mushrooms, halved
• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) thin soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) fresh lime juice, plus more as needed
• 5 fresh Thai chiles, chopped, plus 2 chiles, hand-pounded, for garnish
• 1/2 cup (8 g) chopped cilantro
• 1/2 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation

1. Place the water and coconut milk in a large pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the galangal, lemongrass, grape tomatoes, lime leaves and banana blossom. Boil for about 10 minutes or until the herbs release their flavor and the water turns light green. Add the mushrooms and boil for 3 more minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and add the soy sauce, sugar, lime juice and chiles. The flavor should be spicy and sour. If you like it more sour, add lime juice as needed. Garnish with the cilantro, lime wedges and pounded chiles. Remember that you don’t eat the lemongrass, galangal or lime leaves, but they remain in in the soup for herbal flavor.

Notes

This soup tastes best hot because when it is cold, the coconut milk will separate and float up to the top

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/banana-blossom-tom-kha-soup-tom-kha-hue-plee-vegan/