How a Thai Hot Pot Broth Gave My Favorite Comfort Soup a Southeast Asian Glow-Up
There’s a cabbage and pork soup I’ve been making for years. It’s simple enough that I have the recipe memorized, packed with healthy vegetables, inexpensive, and easy to make. It has comforted me across multiple countries and become my go-to recipe while nomading because I can usually find enough of the ingredients to make some version of it.
It was delicious enough that I could eat it twice a day for several days in a row. Comforting in the way of old favorites, but not exactly something to write about.
That was before SE Asia. One Thai ingredient completely upped the game. Now I don’t know how I ever settled for the original.
Nobody Talks About Nomadic Cooking Challenges
Cooking while nomading is one of those challenges that doesn’t make it into the highlight reels. The kitchen “unboxing” in each new serviced apartment or shared hostel kitchen is a surprise. It’s always obvious when a host has put some thought into it. Others provide one dull knife and a dented, thrift‑store skillet.
Storage containers and measuring tools? Forget about it. (At least that’s true for apartments in my price range). I’ve learned to eyeball almost everything out of necessity.
Then there are the ingredients. Every country has its own staples, and what seems completely ordinary back home can be impossible to find somewhere else.
Here in Vietnam, for example, I have never seen celery. Honestly, I wasn’t heartbroken because I’m not the biggest celery fan. I’ve had to become really adaptable as I cook while traveling. No red pepper flakes? No problem. Sriracha to the rescue.
And canned tomatoes have been surprisingly elusive throughout my travels too. They seem to be much more of a Westernized grocery store staple. When I do find them, they’re usually expensive imports, so I usually substitute fresh tomatoes whenever I can. But the price of those in Vietnam led me to opt for tomato sauce for the first time in this recipe.
The biggest surprise came when I asked a grocery store employee where the chicken broth was.
“We don’t have that.” She looked at me like I’d asked where they kept the unicorn milk…then went back to what she was doing. She was in no mood to play Google Translate tag and help me find a substitution.
Well…okay then.
The Accidental Upgrade
So I kept wandering the aisles. And that’s when I found it —nowhere near the soup aisle because that would have been too easy — a packet of Lẩu Thái Chay …with a subtitle in English (Vegetarian Thai Hot Pot).😄.
Best. Decision. Ever.
That packet elevated my favorite, already-yummy soup to a gastronomic level that had my taste buds dancing with absolute freaking glee. It was complex, tangy, spicy, and indescribably flavorful — the kind of flavor that makes you smile mid-bite while your feet do a happy dance under the table.
I honestly don’t think I’ll ever go back to plain chicken or vegetable broth again.
Thai Hot Pot Cabbage and Pork Soup
My hearty cabbage and pork soup was transformed by an unexpected discovery in a grocery store in Vietnam. This comforting one-pot meal swaps traditional broth for Thai hot pot broth, creating a rich, tangy, flavor-packed soup that just might become your new comfort food too.
Servings: 10 – 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 75 minutes
Ingredients
| Original List | Nomadic Swap | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Tablespoons | coconut oil | 2 Tablespoons olive oil |
| 1 cup | onion (any color), chopped | |
| 2–3 cloves | garlic, minced | |
| 1/2 –1 pound | ground pork or Kielbasa, chopped | |
| 1 cup | celery, diced | Omitted |
| 1 cup | carrots, chopped | |
| 1 | bell pepper (any color), chopped | |
| 6 cups | chicken or vegetable broth | 1 packet SG Food Essential’s Nước Dùng Cô Đặc Lẩu Thái Chay (Vegetarian Thai Hot Pot Concentrated Broth) + 1.5 liters (about 6 1/4 cups) filtered water |
| 1 (14 oz) can | diced tomatoes (basil, oregano, garlic flavor) | 1 (400 g / 13 oz) jar tomato sauce |
| 1/2 head | cabbage, sliced | |
| 1 teaspoon | oregano | |
| 1 teaspoon | basil | |
| 1/2 teaspoon | red pepper flakes | 1 teaspoon Sriracha (or to taste) |
Nomad Notes
Country: Vietnam
What I couldn’t find: celery, chicken broth, canned diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes
What I substituted: omitted celery, vegetarian Thai hot pot broth concentrate, tomato sauce, Sriracha
Would I make it this way again? Absolutely. This version is even better than the original.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over low heat.
- Sauté the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, until it releases its aroma. Do not let it burn.
- Add the ground pork or sausage. Increase to medium heat and cook until browned.
- Add the carrots and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
- Add the bell pepper and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add in the remaining ingredients: tomato sauce, Thai hot pot concentrate, water, oregano, basil, Sriracha, and cabbage.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the cabbage is tender, about 30 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
✨Final Thoughts
The best thing about cooking while nomading is that every country teaches me something new. Sometimes necessity forces a substitution I’d never have considered at home. Sometimes that substitution becomes the version I never want to stop making.
This soup is proof of that.
📌 Note: You can swap fresh tomatoes for canned, skip the celery, eyeball the measurements, or make whatever substitutions your local grocery store forces upon you. But the Thai hot pot broth concentrate and the Sriracha are non-negotiables. Those two are the soul of this new version. Trust me.
📝 I’d love to hear if you try it, especially if you discover your own unexpected substitutions while cooking it.
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