When building a vegan version of this soup, I wanted to maintain the same balance of flavor. A lot of the 'flavor' in a traditional Tom Yum soup comes from the meat-based protein, as well as fish sauce. Both of which we’re leaving on the sidelines. And they’re not to be missed, because we landed in a great spot without them! But, trust me when I say the lime juice, liquid aminos (or soy, tamari) and sugar are all absolutely essential! There's only a tiny bit of each required, but they really help balance everything out and your taste buds will appreciate it.

Tofu replaces the meat-based protein that would traditionally be used in this dish. And if you're scrunching up your nose right now because tofu is not your jam, just hear me out. Since there are a lot of bold flavors jostling for attention in this soup, I opted to shred the tofu so that it just mingles quietly in the background. And, because it's thinly shredded, it absorbs more of the soup flavors. Even my carnivorous mother loves it ("it reminds me of shredded chicken, in a good way!"). Thanks mom. In any case, I highly recommend the tofu – but if tofu just aint your thang, just leave it out! The soup works well even without it.

As a guide, this recipe calls for 6 whole thai chili peppers added to the bubbling broth. These peppers are what bring the heat in this recipe. If you know you prefer things on the milder side, reduce the pepper count accordingly. Or if you're a spice fiend, you can slice a couple of the peppers in half before adding them to the broth – they'll release a lot more heat that way. Anguel and I fall into the latter category, so we throw in 3 full chili peppers and 3 cut in half. But please adjust to your needs! It is definitely easier to add spice than take it out.

The soup can be served as is, or with rice noodles if you want to add a bit more heft to the dish. When serving to a crowd, we like to dish up the broth and noodles individually, and allow everyone to pile on extra toppings as desired. Usually we'll serve some extra sliced limes, thai basil, cilantro and chili peppers on the side. Leftovers keep well in the fridge, but it's best to keep the noodles and soup separate (otherwise the noodles will swell). Best case scenario: if you're having the soup for leftovers, prepare the noodles fresh the day of, if possible.