Silken Tofu, Prawn And Chive Soup
You might think you don’t like tofu, but give it a go. Having it in a brothy soup is a good introduction, it takes on the flavour of the stock and melts as you eat it.
Ingredients
SERVES 4
- 1.2 litres 2 pints good chicken or fish stock
- 3 cm generous 1in root ginger, peeled and sliced
- 4 spring onions
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- small handful of coriander stalks
- 350 g 12oz raw tiger prawns, shelled and deveined (preferably organic)
- 160 g 5¾oz tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
- salt and pepper
- juice of 1 lime or more to taste
- 10 g ¼oz chives, chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
- Put the stock into a saucepan with the ginger.
- Finely slice the spring onions on the diagonal and separate the green bits from the white.
- Reserve the green bits.
- Crush the white bits in a mortar and pestle with the garlic.
- Add to the stock with the coriander stalks.
- Bring the stock to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- If you have time, leave the stock to sit so that the flavours can infuse.
- Strain.
- Return the stock to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Add the prawns, tofu and seasoning and simmer for one minute, then squeeze in the lime juice and check for seasoning.
- Serve in soup bowls, dividing the chives and coriander leaves between each bowl.
- This doesn’t reheat brilliantly – it is much less fresh and the tofu makes the whole thing look a bit cloudy – so it’s best eaten when just made.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
for something different This doesn’t just have to be made with prawns. You can also use small ‘queen’ scallops – halve them horizontally – or cubes of salmon. Or try shredded cooked chicken. And there doesn’t even have to be any meat or fish; in season, green beans and asparagus tips can be used, too: cook them in the stock for as long as it takes them to become tender, then add the tofu and cook for another minute.
