Tom Yum Soup (Vegan Version)
Tom yum — Thailand's hot-and-sour soup — is traditionally made with seafood or chicken, but its flavour framework is built entirely on plant-based aromatics: lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, and chilli. The vegan version swaps fish sauce for soy sauce (or a soy-mushroom combination), uses mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, straw mushrooms) as the main protein, and achieves the characteristic complexity through the aromatic base alone. What makes tom yum extraordinary is the intensity and precision of its aromatics — lemongrass is bruised, not chopped; galangal is sliced but not meant to be eaten; kaffir lime leaves are torn to release their oils. These are simmered briefly in the broth (5–7 minutes maximum) to extract their volatile compounds, then the soup is finished quickly. Tom yum is not a slow-simmered dish; it is assembled rapidly and served at peak brightness.
Two in town · two shipped · three elsewhere in British Columbia · three not yet within reach.
- In town
- 2 · oyster mushrooms, fresh lime juice
- Shipped to you
- 2 · fresh lemongrass, firm tofu
- Elsewhere in British Columbia
- 3 · coconut milk (full fat), fresh galangal, fresh coriander
- Not yet within reach
- 3 · kaffir lime leaves, thai bird's eye chillies, fish sauce substitute (tamari or soy sauce)
The Market List
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Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.
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The Method
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What to Pour
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
The whole pairingOrigin & Lineage
Thailand; tom yum is central to Thai culinary identity; the soup is believed to have been part of Thai cooking for centuries, documented in royal cuisine as well as street food contexts.