Tofu and Vegetable Soup (Printable)

Light Asian-style soup with silken tofu and colorful vegetables in aromatic ginger-garlic broth

# What You'll Need:

→ Broth

01 - 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
02 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
03 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, thinly sliced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil

→ Vegetables

06 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
07 - 3.5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
08 - 3.5 ounces baby bok choy, chopped
09 - 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
10 - 2 spring onions, sliced

→ Tofu

11 - 10.5 ounces silken tofu, cubed

→ Garnish

12 - Fresh cilantro leaves, optional
13 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, optional
14 - Lime wedges, optional

# Directions:

01 - Heat sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sliced ginger, sautéing for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
02 - Pour vegetable broth and soy sauce into the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer.
03 - Add julienned carrot, sliced shiitake mushrooms, and sliced bell pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
04 - Add chopped bok choy and sliced spring onions, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes until vegetables reach tender-crisp texture.
05 - Gently add cubed silken tofu to the broth. Simmer for 2 minutes, being careful not to break up the delicate tofu.
06 - Taste the broth and adjust seasoning with additional soy sauce if needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and top with fresh cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd expect, leaving you with a restaurant-quality bowl in under half an hour without the usual fuss.
  • The broth is silky but never heavy, so you can eat this on a Monday night or a Sunday morning without feeling weighed down afterward.
  • You can swap vegetables in and out depending on what's wilting in your crisper drawer, making it impossible to get wrong.
02 -
  • Silken tofu is fragile and will break apart if you stir it too enthusiastically, so add it late and treat it with the care you'd give to something precious.
  • The broth will taste a bit underseasoned when you first taste it hot, but this is actually correct—flavors develop and brighten as the soup sits for a minute or two, so resist the urge to oversalt.
03 -
  • Don't skip the step of letting your ginger and garlic bloom in the hot oil before adding the broth—this is what separates a decent soup from one that tastes like restaurant quality.
  • If you end up with more soup than you need, it keeps beautifully in the fridge for three days and actually tastes better the next day as the flavors deepen and get to know each other.
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