Tofu Noodle Soup

29 January 2013.

It's Like Chicken Noodle, But Not.

On a cold winter evening, nothing satisfies quite like a steaming-hot bowl of soup. This recipe is my vegan take on everybody's childhood favorite. I think it's fair to say that no two bowls of chicken noodle soup are alike -- every mother has her own special recipe, probably passed down over generations. I've made this soup quite a few times already this winter, so I can safely say that I'm starting a soup tradition in my own home. And an animal, earth-friendly one at that.

My tofu noodle soup is inspired partly by one of my all-time favorites: miso soup. The pure simplicity of a miso is hard to beat. So I, too, begin with a simple broth -- I use a powdered vegetable broth base in a big pot of boiling water. At this point, for my part, I could chop a few pieces of green onion in there, pour myself a mug-full and... ta da!
Maybe a lovely appetizer, but last night, I was in the business for a main course.
So I added vegetables.

What you put in the soup is really up to you. Traditionally (I'm going to go ahead and use that word), I use 1 cup of peas and a bok choy. I put them in the boiling vegetable broth along with 100 grams of tofu (chopped into bite-sized pieces). I add some fresh black pepper and let everything simmer for about 5 minutes. At that point, I would add noodles (I prefer udon noodles, but you can use absolutely anything -- I've used bifun and classic Chinese curly-noodles -- I imagine if you're really looking for that chicken noodle soup vibe, you could add spiral noodles...). I finish the soup with some chopped green onions and fresh basil.

tin occasionally complains that we never eat the exact same thing twice. (This blog has already been difficult for me, I must admit, because I'm not the type of person who pays particularly close attention to exact quantities...) I maintain that we have eaten this soup, precisely as described above, at least twice.

The other times I made some slight alterations. Sometimes you've got to be a little bit flexible. If your grocery store doesn't have bok choy, pick up a cabbage -- I used savoy cabbage once; last night I used the remainder of a small head of radicchio and a handful of parsley. Think of the above recipe as a reliably good base. It's certainly good on its own, but it's also simple -- it leaves a lot of room on the flavor spectrum for additions. So last night, I added 3 small carrots and 2 small potatoes.

I think that this soup is particularly good when served with red pepper sauce and soy sauce. And don't forget the fresh basil leaves -- seriously, it seems like a little thing (and it is!) but it makes a world of difference.