Tofu and Vegetable Soup (Printable)

Light Asian-style soup with silken tofu, fresh vegetables, and aromatic ginger-garlic broth. Ready in 30 minutes.

# 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

# Directions:

01 - In a large pot, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sliced ginger, sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
02 - Pour in vegetable broth and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer.
03 - Add julienned carrot, sliced shiitake mushrooms, and bell pepper slices. Simmer for 5 minutes.
04 - Add chopped bok choy and sliced spring onions, cook for 2-3 minutes until vegetables reach tender texture.
05 - Gently add silken tofu cubes to the simmering broth. Simmer for 2 additional minutes, handling delicately to prevent breaking apart.
06 - Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional soy sauce as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, and lime wedge. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's ready in thirty minutes, which means weeknight dinner or lunch break actually happens without stress.
  • The broth tastes like it simmered for hours but barely touched your stove, fooling everyone into thinking you're more skilled than you are.
  • Silken tofu becomes tender and almost delicate in the heat, nothing like the rubbery versions that scared you away before.
02 -
  • Never let the broth boil hard once the tofu is in—it falls apart like it was never meant to be solid in the first place.
  • Silken tofu isn't delicate because it's weak, it's delicate because it's absorbing every flavor around it, so gentle handling is actually respect.
03 -
  • Use a microplane to grate your ginger instead of slicing if you want it to disappear into the broth and flavor everything evenly.
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan for thirty seconds right before serving—it makes them taste twice as nutty and changes the whole bowl.
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