What to Serve with Thai Coconut Soup? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Serving flavorful ethnic dishes every once in a while always makes your meals feel a little more special.

But this cultural exploration isn’t all fun and games because you’re left with a challenging task, i.e., finding suitable side dishes.

Luckily, we’re here to solve your problem.

In this guide, we will discuss what to serve with Thai coconut soup and why the sides make essential components of your meals.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes for Thai Coconut Soup?

Thai coconut soup comprises sweet, spicy, sour, and salty flavors.

The Thai seasonings are responsible for creating this complex flavor profile that puts all your taste buds in an active state.

So, side dishes with mild flavors become crucial to balancing your meal and making it well-rounded.

Doing so will also introduce complementary nutrients, toning down the richness of the coconut soup.

What to Serve with Thai Coconut Soup? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Here’s everything from the most refreshing salads to the most delectable meaty dishes you’ll love to serve alongside Thai coconut soup.

1 – Apricot Feta Salad

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Thai coconut salad in summer calls for refreshing and vibrant fruits.

And what better way to enjoy the warm days than by making a salad with the season’s signature fruit: apricot?

This salad is rich in antioxidants and dietary fiber, so it is always a great addition to any meal.

Shredded feta cheese adds extra calcium while introducing exciting tangy flavors.

It adds a creamy side to the juicy apricots.

If you want to widen the flavor profile of this dish, consider crushed almonds as an additional garnish; it will give the salad a crunchy twist and add protein and healthy fats to your meal.

2 – Scotch Eggs

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You can never go wrong with protein-rich sides when serving Thai coconut soup.

And one exciting way to do this is by making some scotch eggs.

They are essentially eggs wrapped in sausage meat and breadcrumbs.

Scotch eggs have meaty and tender textures that combine well with the soup broth.

The best thing about this side dish is that you can customize its taste to suit the soup’s ingredients (except the eggs).

Since Thai spices in the soup are pretty flavorful, you’ll want to season the sausage lightly.

A soft-boiled egg is a good option as the gooey texture will beautifully combine with the meat.

3 – Crispy Breaded Chicken

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Thai coconut soup always tastes delicious with some chicken sides.

And one universal favorite is deep-frying them after coating the meat in breadcrumbs.

This leaves the chicken crispy on the outside yet flavorful and tender inside.

Chicken breasts work best for this dish as they cook easily and retain a good structure even after tenderizing and cooking.

They’ll be well-cooked once the crust has turned golden; a double fry will give it a crunchier and thicker crust.

This quick and easy side dish requires no complex seasonings yet delivers outstanding results.

Its mild flavor and meaty texture combine with the soup’s broth, resulting in a well-rounded meal.

4 – Grilled Lobster Skewers

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This simple seafood dish will make an exciting side for an ethnic coconut soup; it is delicately sweet and lacks the ‘fishy’ smell that most seafood is known for.

You will need lobster tails for this dish; you can use them whole or chop them into bite-sized pieces.

The seasonings can be as simple as a garlic-butter sauce or include more savory options like a hot sauce.

Since lobsters are naturally aromatic, it is a good choice not to extinguish their taste with heavy seasonings.

This side dish is rich in protein and B vitamins, making it healthy and delicious.

So, don’t wait any longer to try it; head out to see if your local fishmonger has fresh lobsters.

5 – Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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Sweet potatoes and soups are a striking combination.

The starchy potatoes absorb the flavorful broth and help achieve a desirable balance of textures.

You can stuff the sweet potatoes with all your favorite foods, but a protein-rich filling with quinoa and cheese will make a delicious and healthy option.

Doing so increases the protein content in your meal.

Meanwhile, the savory cheese adds a decent amount of calcium and fats.

Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, but their taste is easy to customize; this is one benefit of including them in your daily meals.

All in all, this dish is a good source of essential nutrients and is pleasing to the palate.

6 – Glass Noodle Salad

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Noodles are everyone’s favorite food to pair with any soup.

While there are endless options you can serve with a Thai coconut soup, try this glass noodle salad; you can give it an ethnic twist by adding Thai seasonings.

Glass noodles (cellophane noodles) are essentially carbs and contain almost zero fat; it is a gluten-free substitute for wheat noodles.

They also lack dietary fiber, so you’ll want to balance this by adding a diverse set of fresh veggies.

This vibrant salad can contain anything from protein-rich meat to the crunchiest veggies and condiments, so there isn’t a limit to how much you can achieve with it.

7 – Sweet Chili Salmon

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Baked salmon dishes and a hearty coconut soup are a delightful combination.

It is a significant source of protein and healthy fats.

Sweet chili salmon is different from other baked salmon dishes because of one single step: it uses a Thai sweet chili sauce, giving the salmon a vibrant glaze.

However, it does not overpower the flavors of the soup.

This dish has a similar flavor profile to the coconut soup and may seem like a meatier extension of it.

Refined sugar and honey are responsible for the sauce’s sweetness, while Thai peppers add a pleasant heat.

All in all, this dish is suitable for all palates; despite its red hue, it isn’t too spicy.

However, it does the job of providing the soup with some exciting textures to relish.

8 – Pull Apart Cheese Bread

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You cannot have soups without bread; there’s no fun when you don’t have something to dip into the rich broths.

So, consider this cheesy pull-apart bread for a Thai coconut soup; it’s cheesy, fluffy, and hearty and will instantly elevate your meal.

Scallions and parsley give this bread green accents and a pleasant aroma that quickly draws everyone to it.

But the best part about this bread remains the mozzarella that can stretch as far as you want it to.

Using a blend of cheeses is the trick to bringing out the best flavors in any pull-apart bread.

You can use cheddar for a sharp twist to the cheese.

9 – Pan Fried Tofu

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If you’re looking for a plant-based dish that’ll provide a decent amount of protein and look appetizing on the dinner table, consider tofu (soybean curd).

It is available in textures ranging from silken to extra-firm and can produce myriad flavors; this only proves how versatile they are.

You can use any tofu for a simple pan-fried tofu dish, but medium to firm ones will retain their structure better.

If you’re using extra-firm tofu, consider marinating them in a sauce before cooking.

Doing so will give the tofu more time to absorb the flavors.

Because the coconut soup already contains many complex flavors, you can keep the tofu simple by seasoning it with garlic-soy sauce.

10 – Potato Bacon Hash with Kale

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If you ever find yourself in a cooking rut, combine everything you have and make a quick hash.

It’ll be a delightful combination of flavors containing a favorite or two of every palate.

Bacon and potatoes are one simple combination you can never go wrong with.

Add to it some nutrient-rich kale, and you’ll have a healthy and delicious meal in no time.

This dish is a healthy way to include veggies without making it boring.

It introduces contrasting elements to the soup by providing meaty and starchy textures.

Besides, it doesn’t limit you to a fixed set of seasonings because you can customize it to fit your preferences.

Conclusion

When serving Thai coconut soup, it always helps to study the ingredients before deciding on a side dish.

You’ll need milder sides like a light salad or bread if the soup uses various Thai spices.

But if it uses moderate spices, you can go for more flavorful sides like a sweet chili salmon dish.