Bok Choy and Tofu Soup
I had a yen for something green, and had this tofu to use up. My sinuses are clear, and it was delicious!
I had a yen for something green, and had this tofu to use up. My sinuses are clear, and it was delicious!
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large bok choy chopped or sliced
- 1/2 red onion peeled and chopped
- 14 ounces organic tofu cut in 3/4 inch squares
- 1/2 cup organic low salt vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups salt free chicken broth i use homemade
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or more, to taste
- 6 ounces organic buckwheat soba noodles uncooked, broken in half
- dark sesame oil 1/4 tsp. per bowl of soup
- 1 teaspoon organic olive oil
- sea salt or dark soy sauce if you want a salty taste
- Carbohydrate 33.9889745054448 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 6.07142638107929 g
- Fiber 3.39159357538266 g
- Protein 15.6213214495671 g
- Saturated Fat 0.800097944448535 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (339g)
- Sodium 655.186144444707 mg
- Sugar 30.5973809300621 g
- Trans Fat 0.567626214402342 g
- Calories 234 calories
Step-by-step
- Add the olive oil to a deep fry pan, or your wok over medium high heat. Toss in the onion and the white parts of the bok choy.
- Stir frequently, to prevent burning, until the onion starts to caramelize. The bok choy should still be crunchy.
- Add the chopped bok choy leaves in a pile on top and stir them in, along with the fresh ginger, black pepper, tofu, and crushed red pepper. (You may substitute cayenne pepper for the crushed red pepper, but add it to the soup bowl in the last step.
- Add the chicken and vegetable broth and stir again.
- Add the soba noodles and stir.
- Lower the heat to medium, cover and steam cook for about four minutes.
- If I am planning to eat this for more than one meal, I take it off the heat before the noodles are completely done.
- In the bottom of each serving bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil, and here is where you would add the cayenne pepper, if you are using it. I like it very spicy, so I add about 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon.
- Ladle the soup into each bowl and serve.
- This recipe is has very little salt in it, so you may want to add some crushed sea salt, or a bit of dark soy sauce to enhance the taste.
Cover and steam cook the mixture for exactly four minutes over medium heat to achieve the proper balance of tenderness and bite. Controlling doneness in broths containing fragile vegetables and noodles relies entirely on visual and textural indicators rather than thermal probes. Soba noodles continue absorbing liquid and softening even after removal from the burner, meaning residual heat finishes the cooking process. Fresh ginger provides a sharp, pungent kick that dried ginger lacks, which loses its volatile oils during dehydration. Similarly, fresh bok choy retains a crisp crunch in its white ribs while tenderizing in the steam, whereas preserved or canned greens lose their structural integrity entirely.
- Caramelize the onions over medium-high heat until they show deep golden color, but remove them from scorching points immediately.
- Add the dark sesame oil directly to individual serving bowls at a rate of 1/4 teaspoon per portion before ladling the hot liquid over it.
- Pull the pot off the heat slightly underdone if storing leftovers, preventing the buckwheat noodles from turning mushy during reheating.
- Adjust salinity at the table using dark soy sauce or sea salt to taste since the simmering broth contains minimal sodium.
Mastering these sensory cues ensures consistent texture across multiple servings. Proper timing protects the vegetables from over-softening.
