Ellie got her first cold last week, and of course we ended up getting it too. I hate seeing her sick, but she’s a trooper.
I felt pretty crappy on Monday and Tuesday. My throat was killing me and I had basically zero energy. Sometimes I’ll try and run when I’m sick but it just wasn’t going to happen on those days. Today I felt a little better and figured getting outside and running just might give me a little extra energy, and it totally did. Just changing into my running clothes perked me up a little bit, so I headed out for 4.5 miles and felt great. Slow, but more human than I’d felt in at least 48 hours.
On Monday, when all three of us were feeling pretty miserable, I decided to make some soup. I was trying to go for the richly flavored broth that came with the noodle soups in Thailand, except those obviously use meat. I probably should have added some vegetables (I think bok choy would be great), but it kind of escaped my mind at the time.
I sauteed some shallots, ginger, and green onions, then added the tofu and let it soak up those flavors before I added broth (and a pinch of five spice powder). The dumplings aren’t completely necessary, but they are a nice addition. I just used basic yellow noodles I found at the Asian grocery store. The addition of chili garlic sauce, in my opinion, is non-negotiable (especially for cold-curing purposes).
I’m submitting this to my friend (and fellow science teacher) Branny’s Souper Bowl. Click on that link to participate too (you don’t even need a blog!) Branny loves animals more than anyone else I know, and for every soup that’s submitted, she’s giving a dollar to the ASPCA. I’m dedicating this to Berkeley, the golden retriever my family had during my teens and early twenties. He was probably one of the worlds dumbest dogs, but he was a total sweetheart. I miss so many things about him, but my favorite thing was his full-body wag every time I walked in the door.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions (green and white parts), thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp finely minced ginger
- 1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, then cut into 1 cm cubes
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- pinch five spice powder
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 8 ounces thin yellow noodles
- 10-12 frozen dumplings
- chili garlic sauce, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and scallions, and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes. Stir in the vegetable broth, soy sauce and five spice powder and let simmer.
- While the broth is simmering, cook the noodles according to package directions, then drain and rinse.
- Stir the dumplings into the broth and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Taste and add salt as needed. Add the noodles, mix well, then ladle into bowls to serve.
- Top with a little chili garlic sauce
This sound amazing – but I what is five spice powder??
Aly – Five spice powder has star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seed, and Szechuan pepper. You should be able to find it either with the spices or in the Asian section at the store.
Thanks! I’ll have to look for it. I have been on the lookout for a vegetarian noodle soup that doesn’t have coconut milk in it! Not as easy to find as you would think!
I’m glad your family is feeling better. E is so sweet looking. Thanks for participating in this year’s bowl!
[...] reading Cate’s blog last week, I saw her link to Branny’s Souper Bowl and knew I had to [...]
Just noticed this recipe and am doubly excited for Genki tomorrow.
I love tofu-y noodle-y soup!
[...] you seen the beautiful baby soup that Cate and Cate’s World Kitchen made? She submitted Tofu Noodle Soup and it looks great. The Self-Taught Cook blog is new to me but it looks spectacular. [...]