Tomato Tofu Soup (番茄豆腐湯) Recipe

This warming soup leaves the pleasant tang of cilantro and garlic chives on the tongue. If you can’t find garlic chives, substitute green onions.

Ingredients 

4 small size Tomatoes (about 400 grams)
400 grams (14 oz) of firm tofu, cut into cubes
2-3 tbsp of oil
2 tbsp of garlic, minced
2 tsp of ginger, minced
2 tbsp of tomato paste
2 tsp of salt
1/2 tbsp of sugar
White pepper to taste
2.5 cups of Chicken stock
Cornstarch water (2 tbsp of water + 1 tbsp of cornstarch)
Diced scallions as garnish

Directions

1. Cut a cross on each tomato and soak them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Then transfer the tomatoes into cold water and peel off the skin. This is an optional step because the skin is editable.
2. Roughly dice the tomato and set it aside; cut the tofu into cubes.
3. Heat the wok until smoking hot. Add oil and swirl the oil around to create a nonstick layer. Sear the tofu for 2 minutes on each side until both sides are slightly golden. Remove the tofu from the wok.
4. There should be some oil left in the wok. Use that to saute the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste until fragrant. Add the diced tomato along with the salt and sugar. Keep cooking until you can see a lot of tomato juice coming out.
5. Add the tofu back and pour in 2.5 cups of chicken stock. Bring it to a boil. Then thicken the soup with some cornstarch water. If you want to keep this dish vegan, you can use vegetable stock.
6. Before serving, add some white pepper to taste and sprinkle some diced scallions as garnish.