Vegan Tom Yum Soup

I have wanted to make Tom Yum (sweet and sour) Soup forever. It sounds like the perfect soup for a cold day and even if you have a cold. If you add more chilies, it will clear that head right up! Anywho, a lot of recipes I have seen call for Tom Yum paste. Let me tell you how hard it is to find Vegan Tom Yum paste without MSG.

Me, "It's flippin' hard!"

So anywho, I combined a couple recipes I found and made a vegan Tom Yum soup from scratch. The best way to make anything anyway.

Vegan Tom Yum
Makes 4+ servings

INGREDIENTS
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbs ginger minced
About 10 shitake mushrooms sliced
1 stalk of celery sliced
1 carrot cubed
2 stalks lemongrass or zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 Thai (red) chili
3 limes juiced
lime zest
2-3 Tbs agave or 1-2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 can coconut milk
28 oz water or broth
Small bunch (about inch diameter, you don't want much) rice noodles

METHOD
1. Lightly salt bottom of large sauce pan and let heat for about one minute.
2. Add 2 Tbs olive oil.
3. Add onion, garlic, and ginger to pan and saute for 4 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms, celery, carrot to pan and saute another 4 minutes.
5. If using lemongrass, use the white part of the stalk. Crush it until it just splits with the side of knife or a mortar and pistil. This makes the juice come out a little.
6. Add the lemongrass, chili, lime juice, and lime zest. Saute for 4 minutes.
7. Add water or broth. Bring to a boil.
8. Cover pot and let simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Take out all lemongrass bits.
10. Add coconut milk and rice noodles (broken into thirds) and agave or sugar and soy sauce.
11. Cook for 15 more minutes.
12. Let cool (I told you to, if you burn your tongue don't come crying to me), try a taste test for seasoning. Adjust if you must and enjoy. Don't burn your tongue.