Vegan Thai noodle soup stock น้ำซุปวีแกน

This recipe for vegan Thai noodle soup stock, or nam sup weegan, is a precursor to an upcoming post about putting together a bowl of kwaytiao nam sai (noodle soup in clear broth). This stock is not limited to noodle applications, however. Use it in any recipe that demands a flavoursome, light base. I believe this stock would work well in a mushroom risotto.

There are more variations of vegetable stock than stars in the sky (maybe this is true or maybe not, but it seems no one cares about statistical precision these days so please entertain me here). This recipe includes corn and daikon for sweetness, dried shiitake mushrooms for umami, and sam kleur for that basal Thai flavour. For the uninitiated, the translation of that last Thai wordset is three pals, a reference to the comradery of garlic, coriander root, and white peppercorns as an important ingredient set in Thai cuisine. Sam kleur is to Thai food what sofrito is to Meditteranian and Latin cuisines.

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Vegan Thai noodle soup stock (nam sup weegan – น้ำซุปวีแกน)

Along with congee, noodle soup is high on my breakfast want list, and hence I routinely have a batch of stock to hand. This is a basic stock suitable for kuaytiaw nam sai, arguably the most uncomplicated Thai noodle soup of the vast national repertoire. Next to Mama noodles, that is.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

• 3 litres water
• 330 grams daikon cut into chunks
• 1 piece corn cob
• 3-4 leaves Chinese cabbage
• 35 grams dried shiitake mushrooms (6-8 pieces)
• 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
• 2 ½ teaspoons ground rock sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large coriander roots (or ¼ cup roughly chopped coriander stems), pounded lightly with the back of a heavy knife
• 2 cloves garlic (large), peeled and smashed
• 1 scant teaspoon white peppercorns

Instructions

• Add everything to a large stock pot and bring to the boil. You can make a sort of bouquet garni for the coriander, garlic, and peppercorns with a piece of muslin, but this is optional (just tidier on straining). Turn the heat to low and simmer for 45-60 minutes with the lid on. I use the lowest setting on my burner.
• Turn the heat off and leave to cool. Strain and refrigerate. Squeeze the excess stock from the mushrooms and muslin. Don't bin the mushrooms (see notes below). You can also freeze this stock.

Notes

Additional resources:

• Thai soy sauce primer
• You can buy rock sugar at just about any Chinese grocer. Failing that, use unbleached cane sugar.
• You can save the daikon to eat in the noodle soup.
• Save the mushrooms! You can use them to make the braised mushrooms in my recipe for jok (Thai congee).