Massaman Peanut Noodle Soup

Thai Peanut and Noodle Soup 16x9.jpg

By the Gracious Vegan

There’s hardly a Thai-inspired dish I don’t love. I’d seen a number of recipes for Thai noodle soup online, but most of them contained coconut milk (high in saturated fat), oil, and sugar. I had to figure out how to eliminate those without sacrificing taste and texture. Here is the result—a mouth-watering peanut-infused soup with noodles. It’s creamy and savory, but with hints of lime and curry paste to jazz things up.

Makes 4 servings (about 380 calories per serving)

Makes 4 servings 

Make the peanut broth. Blend together the following ingredients on high for 30 seconds or longer, until the dates are dissolved. Set the broth aside.  

  • 2.5 cups vegetable broth 

  • 1/3 cup natural peanut butter (creamy or chunky) 

  • 3 Medjool dates, each cut into a few pieces 

Make the soup. In a Dutch oven or other large pot, broth-sauté the vegetables (start with 1/4 cup vegetable broth) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sweet potato pieces are just tender. 

  • 1.5 cups diced sweet potatoes (peeled) 

  • 1 red bell pepper, diced 

Add the following ingredients to pot, stir them in, and cook for another few minutes on medium, stirring frequently. 

  • 1 clove garlic, minced 

  • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger 

  • 1-2 Tablespoons Massaman curry paste or red curry paste (red paste is spicier) 

  • 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika 

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 

Increase heat to medium-high, add the following ingredients, and cook, uncovered, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until the thickness is to your liking. 

  • 2 cups vegetable broth 

  • The peanut butter broth 

  • Juice from one lime (1-2 Tablespoons) 

  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce  

  • 1 teaspoon Chinese roasted sesame paste or sesame oil 

Add the following ingredients and cook for 3 minutes. 

  • 3 ounces whole grain thin noodles (millet and brown rice ramen noodles recommended) 

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, and divide the garnishes among the bowls. 

  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced 

  • 1/4 cup chopped peanuts 

  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 

Timing: about 45 minutes

Gluten-free if gluten-free noodles are used