This Bún Riêu Chay is a vegetarian noodle soup that’s light and fragrant with the most satisfying tangy flavor. The stock is beautifully sweetened from fruit and vegetables, then finished with tomato-infused toppings and a creamy tofu blend. It’s one of those dishes that feels like a warm hug!
The most comforting noodle soup
Bún Riêu Chay is the first vegetarian noodle soup I fell in love with. If you thought you had tasted some pretty good Vietnamese meatless dishes in the past, I guarantee you this one will make you think again.
It’s not one of those recipes that packs an exciting punch like Mum’s Bún Bò Huế Chay. This is one of those meals you’d enjoy on any casual weekend, surrounded by your nearest and dearest.
It’s a dish that goes down delicately smooth, from the silky rice noodles to the luxurious tofu and mushroom fusion that is just pure harmony.
And when you reach the broth, you’ll find savouriness laced with a gentle tang, making it the perfect comfort meal.
Why this recipe works
- Using fresh tomatoes and tomato paste means the broth will be fragrantly rich with an exquisite tang.
- Blending in vegetarian ham with tofu adds a wonderful springy texture and well-rounded flavor.
- Stir frying the toppings in tomato paste ensures that every layer of the dish will be seasoned and mixed in with amazing aromas!
What you’ll need
The Vegetable Stock
About the selection
Some of these fruits and vegetables can be easily found in the kitchen, but you can certainly use any others available in that season. Some alternatives might include:
- Corn
- Cauliflower
- Nashi
- Wintermelon
- Celery
Stock Seasoning
About the seasoning
The tamarind paste and Bún Riêu Chay stock cubes can be found in Asian supermarkets.
The Toppings
About the produce
All of the tofu varieties and vegetarian hams can be found in the fridge or freezer section of Asian vegetarian stores. If they’re not available, mushrooms are a great substitute.
The Garnish
About the herbs
All of these greens can be found fresh at your local Asian supermarket. If there are some that are not available, you can simply leave them out.
The Noodles
About the noodles
Bún Riêu Chay is traditionally eaten with thinner rice vermicelli noodles that have a milky white color when cooked. Be careful not to get it confused with vermicelli that is clear when cooked.
How to make this recipe
On medium to high heat, cook the stock fruit, vegetables, lemongrass, ginger and mushrooms in a large pot of water for 3 hours or until soft. Scoop them out when they have softened, separating the mushrooms for later.
While the stock is cooking, use a food processor to process the vegetarian ham and oyster mushrooms until well combined.
Set up a steamer and mix in the tofu, 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce and eggs.
Steam the dish for 15 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes to firm up.
Roughly chop the tomatoes into chunks and slice the shiitake and lion’s mane mushrooms into 1/2 cm (0.2″) thick.
Heat up a pan with 2 tbsp cooking oil and simmer the tomatoes with 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce, 1 tsp vegetable stock powder and 4 tbsp tomato paste for 15 minutes or until they have consistency of fresh tomato sauce, then pour into the broth.
Note: During cooking, use a utensil to flatten each chunk.
Pour 1 tbsp cooking oil into the same pan over high heat and stir fry the mushrooms with 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste and 1/2 tsp salt for 3 minutes.
Repeat the previous step with the remaining toppings.
Turn up the heat to high and transfer the cooked contents into the stock broth and season with the Bún Riêu Chay stock cube, vegetable stock powder, salt, rock sugar and vegan fish sauce.
When it boils, lower the heat to a simmer.
Mix the tamarind paste with water to dissolve it, then pour it into the vegetable broth.
Bring another pot of water to boil and cook the rice vermicelli noodles for 5 minutes or until al dente. Run the cooked noodles under cold water to cool, then set in a colander to drip dry.
Cook the water spinach in the broth and assemble your bowl with noodles, toppings and hot soup. Serve topped with fresh garnish and a squeeze of lemon!
FAQs
Tamarind will give the soup a tangy kick, which can be achieved by using powdered tamarind soup base as well. If neither of those are available at the shops, then you can add more tomato paste for the tang.
The vegetarian ham in the tofu is used for extra flavor and texture, but you can leave it out and use firm tofu instead. Just break it into smaller chunks using a fork rather than a food processor since it is much more delicate.
Tips for best results
- Use softer, riper tomatoes for the broth and firmer tomatoes for serving. Ripe tomatoes have fuller flavor which is perfect to cook down and season your broth with. Save the firmer tomatoes for a quick boil and when you’re just about to eat.
- Like all other noodle soups, the broth will taste better the next day. So this is the perfect dish to make ahead of time and can just be reheated the following day.
- Don’t overseason it! You’ll have plenty of opportunities to season the toppings as you cook them, but go light to start. You can always taste and add more salt or sugar towards the end of cooking.
Pair it with a Vietnamese dessert!
- Coconut Pandan Waffles (Bánh Kẹp) – Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, these are the perfect snack for every occasion!
- Vietnamese Glutinous Rice Balls with Ginger Syrup (Chè Trôi Nước) – Indulge in chewy and creamy rice balls in a sweet hot syrup that are drizzled with a rich pandan-infused coconut cream.
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Bún Riêu Chay (Vegetarian Tomato Noodle Soup)
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
The Vegetable Stock
- 800 g / 1.8 lb daikon
- 500 g / 1.1 lb pear
- 500 g / 1.1 lb red apples
- 250 g / 0.6 lb carrots
- 900 g / 2 lb chayotes
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 25 g / 0.06 lb ginger
- 2 L / 8.5 US cup coconut water
- 5 L / 21 US cup water
Stock Seasoning
- 700 g / 1.54 lb tomatoes
- 1 Bún Riêu Chay stock cube
- 1 1/4 tbsp salt, or to taste
- 10 g / 0.2 lb rock sugar, or to taste
- 2 1/4 tbsp vegetable stock powder
- 7 tbsp vegan fish sauce
- 1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1/4 US cup water (to dilute the tamarind paste)
The Toppings
- king oyster mushrooms
- shiitake mushrooms
- enoki mushrooms
- 100 g / 0.22 lb oyster mushrooms (for blending with the vegetarian ham)
- lion's mane mushrooms
- 4 eggs
- 300 g / 0.66 lb silken tofu (for mixing with the vegetarian ham and oyster mushrooms)
- fried tofu
- 300 g / 0.66 lb vegetarian ham (plus more to be served as a sliced topping)
- burdock gean
- tomato paste
- vegetable stock powder
- vegan fish sauce (for the vegetarian ham and tofu mix)
- cooking oil
The Garnish
- bean sprouts
- water spinach
- Thai basil
- Vietnamese coriander
- mint
- lizard's tail
- lemon/lime
The Noodles
- thin rice vermicelli noodles
Instructions
- On medium to high heat, cook the stock fruit, vegetables, lemongrass and mushrooms in a large pot of water for 3 hours or until soft. Scoop them out when they have softened, separating the mushrooms for later.
- While the stock is cooking, use a food processor to process the vegetarian ham and oyster mushrooms until well combined.
- Set up a steamer and mix in the tofu,1 tbsp vegan fish sauce and eggs.
- Steam the dish for 15 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes to firm up.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes into chunks and slice the shiitake and lion's mane mushrooms into 1/2 cm (0.2") thick.
- Heat up a pan with 2 tbsp cooking oil and simmer the tomatoes with 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce, 1 tsp vegetable stock powder and 4 tbsp tomato paste for 15 minutes or until they have consistency of fresh tomato sauce, then pour into the broth.Note: During cooking, use a utensil to flatten each chunk.
- Pour 1 tbsp cooking oil into the same pan over high heat and stir fry the mushrooms with 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste and 1/2 tsp salt for 3 minutes.
- Repeat the previous step with the remaining toppings.
- Turn up the heat to high and transfer the cooked contents into the stock broth and season with the Bún Riêu Chay stock cube, vegetable stock powder, salt, rock sugar and vegan fish sauce. When it boils, lower the heat to a simmer.
- Mix the tamarind paste with water to dissolve it, then pour it into the vegetable broth.
- Bring another pot of water to boil and cook the rice vermicelli noodles for 5 minutes or until al dente. Run the cooked noodles under cold water to cool, then set in a colander to drip dry.
- Cook the water spinach in the broth and assemble your bowl with noodles, toppings and hot soup.
- Serve topped with fresh garnish and a squeeze of lemon!
Notes
- Use softer, riper tomatoes for the broth and firmer tomatoes for serving. Ripe tomatoes have fuller flavor which is perfect to cook down and season your broth with. Save the firmer tomatoes for a quick boil and when you're just about to eat.
- Like all other noodle soups, the broth will taste better the next day. So this is the perfect dish to make ahead of time and can just be reheated the following day.
- Don't overseason it! You'll have plenty of opportunities to season the toppings as you cook them, but go light to start. You can always taste and add more salt or sugar towards the end of cooking.
- Some of the fruits and vegetables for the stock can be easily found in the kitchen, but you can certainly use any others available in that season such as corn, cauliflower, nashi, wintermelon and celery.
- The tamarind paste and Bún Riêu Chay stock cubes can be found in Asian supermarkets.
- All of the tofu varieties and vegetarian hams can be found in the fridge or freezer section of Asian vegetarian stores. If they're not available, mushrooms are a great substitute.
- All of these greens can be found fresh at your local Asian supermarket. If there are some that are no available, you can simply leave them out.
- Bún Riêu Chay is traditionally eaten with thinner rice vermicelli noodles that have a milky white color when cooked. Be careful not to get it confused with vermicellli that is clear when cooked.
This looks absolutely wonderful! We’re heading into winter where I live so I’ll be indulging in plenty of nourishing soups over the coming months.
That’s sounds so wonderful! Enjoy!
This soup sounds so good! Delicious and perfect for summer.
Thanks, Biana! It certainly is!
This is one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes. I can’t wait to try it now that the weather is getting colder.
I’m glad you love it because it’s super delicious to make! Thanks!
WOW. This looks amaaazing. I love that you added so many tips and advice in your recipe. It’s all REALLY helpful to making a fabulous VEGETARIAN soup!
Thanks, Peter! I’m glad the tips were helpful because I know they’re not easy to come by!
The combination of flavours makes this soup sound great, even without the vegetarian ham, something we have never tried. I think we will give the extra firm tofu option a go.
Your version sounds delicious, Rhonda! Enjoy!