Silken tofu and rice noodles in ginger broth
A light, plant-based bowl for a quiet appetite
Doubles in a larger pan, using a whole block of tofu rather than half.
Silken tofu holds together only barely, which makes it exactly right for a night when chewing feels like an effort. Ginger does the flavouring here, sliced and simmered in the stock until the whole pan smells warm and a little sharp, then strained out completely before anything else goes in, since a spice like this is meant to season the broth and disappear rather than sit in the bowl. Rice noodles cooked properly soft take on the same broth, and the tofu goes in barely stirred, so the cubes stay whole rather than breaking into curds. A dash of soy sauce is the only seasoning it needs. The whole thing is vegan by nature rather than by substitution, and the only washing-up at the end of it is a pan and a sieve.
Ingredients
Contains: Gluten, Soya, Celery
- 400 mlvegetable stock, home-made and strained, or a good stock cube
- 4 slicefresh ginger, sliced, to infuse and remove
- 70 grice noodles, dried
- 150 gsilken tofu, cut into cubes
- 1½ tbspsoy sauce
Method
Put the stock and ginger slices in a small pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Let it infuse for 5 minutes, then pour it through a fine sieve into a clean pan, so every piece of ginger is left behind.
Bring the strained broth back to a simmer, add the rice noodles and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or as the packet says, until they are fully soft with no bite left.
Add the tofu cubes to the pan, sliding them in gently rather than stirring, and warm through for a minute without breaking them up.
Stir in the soy sauce, taste, and pour into a deep, warm bowl.
Watch-points
- Slice the ginger, simmer it in the stock to infuse, then strain it out and lift out every piece before the noodles go in. None should remain in the bowl.
- Use a stock that is clear and strained, home-made or a good cube.
- Silken tofu is delicate. Cut it in cubes and slide it into the hot broth rather than stirring hard, so it stays whole.
Some hospitals allow a little ground ginger as a spice; the leaflet this book follows does not. Leave it out if you have been told to.
Make it more nourishing
- Use 200 g of silken tofu instead of 150 g. More protein, no extra step.
- Stir a tablespoon of vegetable oil through the broth before it goes into the bowl. It adds about 120 kcal and gives the surface a little shine.
- Blend 100 g of the tofu with a ladleful of the hot broth and stir it back in. The broth turns opaque and creamy and carries more protein in the same amount of liquid.
Swaps
- Instead of silken tofu, use firm tofu, cut small and simmered a minute longer
- holds together better if silken tofu feels too delicate to manage
- Instead of rice noodles, use fine egg noodles cooked soft
- not plant-based any more, but a good stand-in if that is what is in the cupboard