This Lemongrass Noodle Soup has got it all - fragrant lemongrass, ginger and meaty shiitake mushrooms.
A tasty and fragrant broth, chewy shiitake mushrooms, slippery slurpy noodles and crunchy fresh veg in all colours of the rainbow!
Ultra delicious and healthy Lemongrass Noodle Soup is suitable for all sorts of diets - gluten-free, vegan, Paleo, keto...the list goes on. I guarantee that you will LOVE this dish. You can add tofu to it or prawns would be excellent too. For a low starch or Paleo option, use zucchini noodles.
All about this noodle dish
- perfect for when you want a lot of flavour but not a lot of bite from hot spices
- nourishing and comforting all at once
- anti-inflammatory ingredients such as ginger and turmeric
- the perfect noodle to liquid ratio - lots of noodles and not drowning in liquid
- way better than takeout - no dodgy ingredients
- change up the noodles, the protein and veggies - just keep the flavour paste as is and play around with the rest
- suitable for most diets and preferences - eg. gluten free, Paleo, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian. Just change up the protein, veggies and noodles to your preference
It's easy to make this recipe
Full details are below, here is a handy summary:
- Start by making the paste in a blender or mini food processor
- Prep your protein and vegetables
- Briefly fry off the paste in a saute pan or stockpot
- Add some of the soup ingredients - bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer
- Cook the noodles in a separate saucepan
- Gradually add other ingredients
- Once the protein and pumpkin are both cooked, add the last ingredients and you are ready to serve!
Pro tips for making these Asian noodles
- make the flavour paste the day before for a weeknight meal or make it earlier in the day for a weekend dinner
- if you plan to have some of the dish as leftovers, don't add all of the cabbage during cooking, but store it separately because it can discolour the protein and broth if stored together
- if you are using any seafood (such as firm white fish or prawns), add these towards the end of the process to avoid overcooking. Don't add them when ingredients such as tofu or chicken would be added
- Makrut lime leaves can be frozen, so if you get a packet with more than you need, add them to a ziplock bag and freeze them
- You can use frozen lemongrass stalks to save money - you can pick these up from the Asian supermarket/grocer
- Noodles are best prepared al dente/slightly undercooked before adding to the hot soup, because they will keep cooking in the soup
What noodles I recommend
Because I eat a gluten free diet, these are the gluten free noodles I recommend using. If you don't eat a gluten free diet, use your favourite Asian noodles, eg. egg noodles or white rice noodles. Just make sure to slightly undercook the noodles before adding to the soup because they will keep cooking.
- For the Aussies, you can use Coles brand GF instant noodles, made with brown rice. These are located in the health food aisle. Other options include black rice noodles from Coles, also in the health food aisle. Zucchini noodles and thin white rice noodles also work well (not vermicelli but a Pad Thai noodle), as do shirataki/konjac noodles.
- For those in the US, Lotus brand noodles are great along with white rice noodles, shirataki/konjac noodles or zucchini noodles.
- For those in other countries, choose your favourite gluten free noodles suitable for Asian cooking, eg. brown rice noodles, white rice noodles, zucchini noodles or shirataki/konjac noodles
Equipment needed
No special equipment is needed to make this recipe - most kitchens will have these kitchen essentials:
- blender or mini food processor
- large saute pan or stockpot
- chopping board and knives
- measuring cups and spoons
- digital scales (mostly to measure the noodles, but you can guess)
- saucepan
Lemongrass Noodle Soup with Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms
Equipment
- blender or mini food processor
- large saute pan or stockpot
- chopping board and knives
- measuring cups and spoons
- digital scales (mostly to measure the noodles, but you can guess)
Ingredients
Flavour Paste
- 4 lemongrass stalks white part only
- 3 teaspoons finely grated ginger use a 3cm/1 inch piece or a little more
- 3 medium to large makrut lime leaves may be labelled as kaffir lime leaves
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 medium to large shallot* (eschalot) peeled and roughly chopped
- ⅔ cup coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon cooking salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Noodle soup ingredients
- 4 teaspoons coconut oil or a neutral cooking oil
- 500 grams (1 lb.) protein of choice eg. firm tofu, large raw prawns/shrimp, sliced chicken thighs, firm white fish
- 200 grams (½ lb.) Kent pumpkin, Jap/kabocha or butternut squash peeled, de-seeded and chopped in to bite sized pieces
- 10 medium fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms sliced - if using dried, slice after rehydrating
- 16 snow peas ends trimmed
- 2 cups finely shredded red cabbage
- 2 tablespoons frozen edamame optional
- 1 litres/quarts chicken stock, mushroom stock or vegetable stock
- 240 grams (8 oz.) dry noodles of choice or use noodles from 2 zucchini/courgette - see notes for suggestions
Garnish
- coriander/cilantro leaves
- 4 lime cheeks (from 2 limes) don't skip this!
Instructions
Make the flavour paste
- Slice off the very bottom of the lemongrass stalk, peel off any dried-out layers, then bash the woody top end with a rolling pin to soften. Then slice into thin rounds.
- Place the coconut cream, sliced lemongrass and the rest of the paste ingredients into a blender or small food processor and blend for a few minutes. The lime leaves should now look like tiny green pieces. If need be, scrape down the sides of the jug and blend again.
Prepare protein and vegetables
- Prepare the vegetables and protein into large bite sized pieces - if using prawns, keep them whole. If using dried shiitake, rehydrate them first in a bowl with hot water before draining and slicing. You can keep the liquid for another recipe or use it as the "stock" in this recipe.
Make the soup
- To make the soup, heat the saute pan/saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the oil and and fry the paste in the oil. Cook for a minute or so until fragrant. Add the stock, mushrooms, pumpkin and protein (not seafood - add this towards the end). Place the lid on the pan, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.Boil a full kettle of water - this is going to be used to heat the noodle bowls just before adding the soup and noodles for serving. This will keep the noodles nice and hot during your meal!
- The noodles can be cooked now in a separate saucepan while preparing the soup. Follow the packet instructions, but also remember you want them slightly undercooked/al dente because they will keep cooking in the soup. Drain and set aside when done. If using zucchini noodles, they don't need to be cooked - just add them to the soup just before serving.
- Once the noodles are ready and you're almost ready to serve the soup, pour the boiled water from the kettle into your empty noodle bowls and let sit while you quickly finish the soup.
- After 5 minutes of simmering the soup, bring the temperature up to a gentle boil. Add snow peas, shredded cabbage, edamame and seafood (if using). Cook for only another minute or so until the protein is cooked. Prawns will be done quite quickly.
- Taste and season the soup with extra salt if required. Carefully empty the noodle bowls of the boiled water.
- Add your prepared noodles to the bowls and then ladle the soup - with protein and vegetables - over the top,. Squeeze fresh lime over the top or serve the lime cheeks at the table.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep any cooked noodles separate to the liquid for storage. Reheat the soup in a saucepan.
Notes
- For the Aussies, you can use Coles brand GF instant noodles, made with brown rice. These are located in the health food aisle. Other options include black rice noodles from Coles, also in the health food aisle. Zucchini noodles and thin white rice noodles also work well (not vermicelli but a Pad Thai noodle), as do shirataki/konjac noodles.
- For those in the US, Lotus brand noodles are great along with white rice noodles, shirataki/konjac noodles or zucchini noodles.
- For those in other countries, choose your favourite gluten free noodles suitable for Asian cooking, eg. brown rice noodles, white rice noodles, zucchini noodles or shirataki/konjac noodles
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