Tofu and Vegetable Soup (Printable)

Light Asian-style soup with silken tofu, fresh vegetables, and aromatic ginger broth.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Broth

01 - 6.3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
02 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or 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 - 10.6 ounces silken tofu, cubed

→ Garnish

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

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large pot, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sliced ginger, sautéing for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
02 - Pour in vegetable broth and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
03 - Add julienned carrot, sliced shiitake mushrooms, and bell pepper strips. Simmer for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
04 - Stir in chopped bok choy and sliced spring onions. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until vegetables reach tender-crisp texture.
05 - Carefully add cubed silken tofu to the soup. Simmer for 2 minutes, handling gently to preserve tofu structure.
06 - Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional soy sauce if needed to achieve desired flavor balance.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top with fresh cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, and a squeeze of lime juice if desired. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in half an hour, perfect for nights when you're too tired to think but hungry enough to care about what you eat.
  • The broth tastes like it's been simmering for hours even though it hasn't, which feels like a small kitchen miracle every single time.
  • Silken tofu transforms into something impossibly delicate here instead of playing a supporting role, and that shift matters.
02 -
  • Silken tofu is fragile on purpose, and that fragility is its appeal; rough stirring or high heat will break it into sad, mushy pieces when you wanted delicate clouds.
  • The broth should taste good on its own before the vegetables even go in, because everything else builds on that foundation rather than saving a weak broth.
03 -
  • If you're using regular soy sauce and someone needs gluten-free, tamari tastes nearly identical and you truly won't notice the difference in the finished soup.
  • Don't skip the toasting of garlic and ginger in oil at the very beginning; those first two minutes of contact with heat unlock flavors that staying raw never could.
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