Korean Gochugaru Soup

This is my quick and easy recipe for coconut noodle soup. The creaminess of the coconut based broth goes so beautifully with the spicy gochujang chilli paste. Served with ribbon rice noodles, crispy tofu and fresh greens this soup is a perfect filling weeknight dinner.

This recipe is easily customisable as you can add whatever protein, vegetables and noodles you like! My version uses ribbon rice noodles because they give something for the broth to cling to, and crispy tofu is always a welcome addition to any asian-inspired dish!

Ingredients for the Coconut Noodle Soup

The base of this amazingly delicious soup is coconut milk. I really prefer the full-fat coconut milk but the low-fat version works well too if you’re watching your fat intake. Whichever you use, make sure to use the canned version and not the “drinking” variety you get in those 1L cartons.

I used ribbon rice noodles – these are my absolute favourite because they really stick to the broth so they carry so much flavour with every bite. You can use any noodles you like, though – udon, soba, vermicelli – the choice is yours. Just cook according to the instructions on the packaging before adding to the broth.

The majority of flavour and colour of this coconut noodle soup comes from the gochujang chilli paste. This is a korean chilli paste thats rapidly gained popularity over the past few years. That means, fortunately, it’s now widely available in most supermarkets. Gochuang paste is absolutely packed with savoury umami flavour, and it can be used in all sorts of asian recipes when you want to boost the flavour profile of your dish.

I’ve kept it simple with the veggies in this one – mushrooms sliced and fried into the broth for extra nutrition and some lightly steamed bok choy leaves add in some calcium and vitamin C! Use whatever vegetables you have, fresh or frozen! I love adding broccoli, corn, chinese cabbage, edamame beans and courgette to mine, too.

This coconut noodle soup is topped off with some simple crispy tofu. I use cornstarch to get a really crispy coating on my tofu and you don’t need much oil to cook with either.

More Info

My coconut noodle soup will save in the fridge for a day or two but I recommend storing the tofu separately if you can because it will lose some of that crispiness. It will still taste good but for best results make the tofu fresh if you can.

This recipe cannot be frozen as is because the crispy tofu will change texture and lose its crispiness. The broth and rice noodles can be frozen though. I recommend freezing any extra broth you have separately. When you want to reheat simply microwave or warm up on the stove before serving with the noodles and whatever protein you choose.

Making the Coconut Noodle Soup

To start, heat the coconut oil in a large pan before adding the sliced spring onion and mushrooms. Sautee for a few minutes until the mushroom has shrunk and softened.

Now add the garlic and ginger and fry for another minute or so until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Next, add in the gochujang paste and fry for around 5 minutes until the paste has softened and slightly darkened in colour.

You can now add the coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice and water. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

While the broth is simmering, prepare the crispy tofu.

To a bowl, add the cubed tofu, cornstarch and salt. Mix well to coat the tofu in the cornstarch mixture.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan before adding the tofu. Make sure the oil is hot first otherwise the tofu may end up very greasy.

Fry the tofu on each side for a couple of minutes. Cornstarch does not turn a deep golden brown colour when fried so be careful when cooking. Keep an eye on the colour and as soon as there’s any yellowing you can flip the tofu to the next side.

When all the sides are cooked, remove from the pan and pat dry with some clean kitchen towel.

Cook your rice noodles according to package instructions. My ribbon rice noodles were boiled for 5-7 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside.

Just before assembling the bowl, add the bok choy leaves to the broth. They will only need cooking for a minute or two until they become very vibrant in colour.

Add the cooked rice noodles to a bowl before spooning over the coconut broth. Add the bok choy leaves before topping off with the crispy tofu.

You can optionally serve with thinly sliced chilli for extra spice.