Pad Thai Soup with Spicy Sriracha Tofu

Where’s the spring snow? They said it was going to snow here this weekend and today so I saved this Pad Thai Soup with Spicy Sriracha Tofu to share for Meatless Monday and because I was going to make it again tonight for dinner. This soup has been on repeat here for the last couple months so I have to share it with you. If you don’t like spicy food or have kids or a family that doesn’t all like spicy food don’t worry you can still make this for dinner, I’ll share how we do it.

This Pad Thai Soup with Spicy Sriracha Tofu is inspired by a Pad Thai Noodle Soup from Julie Morris’s Superfood Soups Cookbook. I love the cookbook and came across this recipe when I had a Pad Thai craving and it seemed perfect but we didn’t have bean sprouts but had some orange or red peppers at the time. It was wonderful only I wasn’t a fan of the plain tofu in the soup, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be, and my husband and I both added more spice as we usually do to Pad Thai so we switched it up. We’ve tried a few different things and adding in sweet chili and other Pad Thai flavors. The girls weren’t a fan of plain tofu, baked is ok but not too spicy. I’ll get to how we do it below, so when we whipped up this version it was perfect. We also like LOTS of broth with our noodles!

This is serious soul food and once you snuggle up with a big bowl I have a feeling you’ll keep coming back.

If you like Pad Thai you will love this soup, yes bold statement but I’m going to say it because I actually crave it more than Pad Thai. Well right now anyways but wouldn’t turn down Pad Thai. The whole family loves the soup when I make it this way. I do ask the girls if they want tofu before marinating it in Sriracha because if they do I will keep part of it separate and cook that up separate before hand. If you have a favorite Sriracha and the time I would highly recommend pressing and marinating your own tofu. I’m not going to lie I always thought pressing the tofu was a pain as it takes 30 minutes but you can do this ahead, of course doesn’t work for those last minute just before you decide what to make for dinner cravings but if you don’t you probably won’t like the texture. It removes the moisture and gives you a very different texture. It also makes it so your tofu will absorb the flavors of the Sriracha because yes plain tofu doesn’t really have a flavor. I cannot tell you how many people tell me they don’t like tofu and actually do. If I had only had soggy tasteless tofu I would tell you I hated it too. It is actually one of the things I missed most when I had to cut out soy. I’ve been trying to add it back in slowly and in moderation (since last year) but with this soup I want it every day again, trying to keep to 1-2 times per week max and not every week. If you are tight on time or don’t have Sriracha or just want quick and easy buy Sriracha tofu, I’ve seen it at both Whole Foods and Trader Joes. I haven’t really looked for it at other stores.

Quick and easy you can make this soup in about 30 minutes! However if you want to make your own broth and marinade your own tofu it will take longer but worth it in my opinion. You can make the broth and tofu ahead. This means you can prep it the day before, just throw 3 ingredients in a pot and simmering for 30 minutes and while that simmers pressing your tofu. Add Sriracha to your tofu and place that and the broth in the fridge. You can also prep your vegetables. I usually cut my own but lately buy shredded carrots to have on hand for soups or salads during the winter. This also makes a large pot of soup and with our family of 4 we have leftovers for lunch the next day that I just put into jars and we can heat up for a quick lunch or even quick dinner on busy nights.

Before you scroll down and wonder what some of the ingredients are I’ll start by saying there are substitutions for most of them and some are optional.
First the broth, I like to make this with seaweed broth which you need kombu for. You can find this at Whole Foods and Amazon for sure and I’m sure other places and it’s less than $5 and you will be able to make lots of broth with it. It became a staple in our house when I started making Kitchari a couple years ago. Kombu is packed with minerals and seaweed in general has many other benefits like containing hydrating electrolytes. If you don’t want to make the broth (takes 30 minutes and can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the refrigerator) you can substitute vegetable broth.
Second Miso Paste, this is a hit or miss if people have this one hand. It keeps a long time (shelf life is 18 months, but does need to be refrigerated) and I always have chickpea miso (which is soy free) on hand. If you already have brown rice, yellow or white miso I would use that, both are options if you cannot find the chickpea miso. Miso is now sold at many stores, I’ve even seen it at Walmart when we were up north. The cost will be determined by the size of the container and what type. I believe I paid about $8 for the 16oz Organic Chickpea Miso I got at Whole Foods and it was after running out of the previous container which took be 9-12 months to use up. Miso is a fermented food and you would have many other options for using miso besides this soup such as using it in salad dressings, marinades, in a stir-fry, and in other soups or to make miso broth.
Tamari might sound foreign to some but it’s very similar to soy sauce and can often be used as a substitute but it is different. Tamari is generally gluten free but check your label, it has less wheat than soy sauce. If you are not gluten free you may not have known that soy sauce does include wheat. Tamari is darker in color and has a richer flavor than soy sauce. Tamari is found at many grocery stores right by the soy sauce and here is about $3.
The last thing is dulse flakes, which if there was one optional ingredient you didn’t want to buy I would say it would be this one as the others you would get a lot of use out of and dulse I only use in soups. It’s another sea vegetable that offers strong antiviral benefits and is packed with vitamins and minerals. I want to say the last time I bought dulse flakes it was roughly $8 and you don’t use a lot so it lasts a long time but again I would say this one is optional if you are not wanting to buy a lot of new ingredients not knowing if you’ll use them.

All of the other ingredients in this soup are pretty basic ingredients. If you are going to buy broth it would cost less to buy the kombu if you can find it and I would guess you would get at least 6 big batches (12 cups) of broth for the cost of $5. The miso paste is one I think you’d find many uses for if you bought it and making quick and easy miso broth when you’re feeling under the weather (with or without noodles) would be worth it. Tamari is versatile and gets used as much if not more than soy sauce or liquid aminos.

Trust me on this one, especially if you like Pad Thai, this Pad Thai Soup with Spicy Sriracha Tofu nourishes the mind, body, and soul and is my (our) go to comfort food lately.

It’s a busy week for many this week I know, many on Spring Break. The girls have 4 days of school this week and a week full of activities and getting ready to head to my parents for Easter. I have a lot of things I have to make and do before we leave. This Sunday is not only Easter but National Sourdough Bread Day, oh and April Fools. I did try to bake up some bunny butt sourdough rolls, again, and these ones didn’t turn out as well either as some of the tails fell off when they puffed up and twisted. We did make an AMAZING twisted cinnamon sourdough bread in a cast iron skillet that was devoured. It was a busy weekend in the kitchen and soaking up time with friends and family. You may have seen on Instagram we celebrated our anniversary Friday so I made sourdough and a pretty amazing decadent dark chocolate cake brushed with coffee liquor simple syrup after baking, filled with vanilla bean cashew cream, topped with chocolate espresso buttercream, and decorated with chocolate and espresso beans. Vegan or not it was a dang good cake! The hubby made fresh pasta so I could whip up homemade fettuccini. Of course wine too, it was perfect. I also tested and made yogurt cheese! Yes one ingredient, yogurt, made this whipped creamy cheese. I played with some flavors and a rosemary one and a sweet vanilla bean were both amazing. I need to figure out how to get the video back that I shared on Instagram on Friday to share again because some missed it and were asking. I did post a picture on Instagram here, and where you can find the instructions. So yes that cheese and bread with more wine, not to mention National Waffle Day yesterday, and let’s just say I’m ready for barre tomorrow, just hope my body is as it wasn’t when I got up Saturday and was debating on heading to an Intensive.

If you’re here for Meatless Monday, I look forward to seeing what’s happening in your kitchen and hope you link up with me and my co-host Deborah. I also hope you check out and are inspired by the recipes linked up below.
Have a great week!

Print Recipe

Pad Thai Soup with Spicy Sriracha Tofu

Spice up Meatless Monday or Friday night with Pad Thai Soup with Spicy Sriracha Tofu! This comforting soup will have you rethinking take-out as it satisfies the mind, body, and soul! Leftovers are great for a quick lunch or dinner. Plant-based soup is vegan and gluten free.

Prep Time

15- 30 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Passive Time

30 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

Pad Thai Soup with Spicy Sriracha Tofu

• 12 c seaweed broth (see below), or store bought vegetable broth
• 8 oz Pad Thai noodles (brown rice)
• 1 TBSP coconut oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 8 oz shredded carrots
• 12 oz or one head broccoli florets, cut small
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 TBSP grated ginger root
• 1 TBSP white or yellow miso* (Miso Master Chickpea Miso)
• 3 TBSP tamari
• 3 TBSP coconut sugar*
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce
• 3 limes, 2 cut into quartered wedges
• 4 green onions, green and light green parts only sliced thin
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, steams removed
• 2 tsp dulse flakes, optional
• 1/4 c halved shelled peanuts, optional

Seawead Broth

• 12 c filtered water
• 1 piece (2x4") dried kombu
• 2 TBSP tamari

Spicy Sriracha Tofu

• 15-18 oz firm tofu, drained and pressed or sub Sriracha Tofu and omit Sriracha (sprouted organic)
• 1/2 c sriracha sauce (we love Ninja Squirrel from Whole Foods)
• 1-2 TBSP coconut, or avocado oil

Prep Time 15- 30 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Passive Time 30 minutes Servings servings Ingredients Pad Thai Soup with Spicy Sriracha Tofu 12 c seaweed broth (see below), or store bought vegetable broth 8 oz Pad Thai noodles (brown rice) 1 TBSP coconut oil 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, grated 8 oz shredded carrots 12 oz or one head broccoli florets, cut small 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise 1 TBSP grated ginger root 1 TBSP white or yellow miso* (Miso Master Chickpea Miso) 3 TBSP tamari 3 TBSP coconut sugar* 1 tsp sriracha sauce 3 limes, 2 cut into quartered wedges 4 green onions, green and light green parts only sliced thin 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, steams removed 2 tsp dulse flakes, optional 1/4 c halved shelled peanuts, optional Seawead Broth 12 c filtered water 1 piece (2x4") dried kombu 2 TBSP tamari Spicy Sriracha Tofu 15-18 oz firm tofu, drained and pressed or sub Sriracha Tofu and omit Sriracha (sprouted organic) 1/2 c sriracha sauce (we love Ninja Squirrel from Whole Foods) 1-2 TBSP coconut, or avocado oil

Instructions

Seaweed Broth

1. Bring water and kombu to a boil, reduce and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, remove kombu (save for later, chop and add to salads, soup, buddha bowls), and stir in tamari. Can be made up to a week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Pressing and Preparing Spicy Sriracha Tofu

1. If making your own sriracha tofu press tofu. If you have big blocks cut in half so they are about 1" thick.
2. Lay paper towels down on a plate or cutting board. Place tofu on the paper towels and put another layer of on top of the tofu. Put another plate or a cutting board on top of the paper towels and then weigh it down with heavy books, cans, or even a cast iron skillet. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
3. After pressing tofu cut into 1" squares and gently mix with 1/2 cup Sriracha, coating the tofu. You can do this ahead and let marinade in a covered container for up to a day in advance or do it just before starting your soup. Another alternative is to buy Sriracha tofu which I've seen at many stores.

Pad Thai Soup with Spicy Sriracha

1. Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil for cooking your noodles.
2. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot heat coconut oil. Add onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add carrots, broccoli, and red peppers and saute until the brocoli is bright green about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in ginger and broth and cover.
5. In a bowl whisk together miso, tamari, coconut sugar, and sriracha. Add to soup and turn heat up bringing to a boil, once it comes to a boil reducing to simmer. Stir in juice of 1 lime and half of the dulse flakes.
6. While the soup is simmering heat a cast iron skillet or large skillet with coconut or avocado over medium-high heat, you want just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add in tofu and cover, cooking about 1 minute per side. Gently tossing or flipping. Using the cover will prevent it from splattering all over. Depending on the size of your skillet you may need to cook your tofu in batches. Set aside cooked tofu.
7. Cook noodles according to package instructions while cooking your tofu or right after.
8. Drain noodles and add to bowls, top with lots of broth and veggies (soup) and tofu.
9. Garnish with green onion, cilantro, lime wedges, dulse flakes if using, and optional peanuts.
10. Enjoy!
11. If you are not eating all 6 servings you can add the noodles, and tofu, in with the rest of your soup and put into jars for a quick and easy lunch or dinner. I cook the noodles separately as they don't fit into my large Dutch pot as we like a lot of broth with our noodles.

Recipe Notes

Sub brown rice or yellow miso for chickpea miso.
Brown sugar can be substituted for coconut palm sugar.

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