Tofu Tom Kha Soup for Cook the Books June/July Selection: A Cook's Tour & Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Hello Friends! It's been a while again I am afraid. Still not doing much in the kitchen but, every now and then, I pop in and make something I am craving like this Tofu Tom Kha Soup inspired by Thailand and my book-inspired dish for Cook the Books and our June/July pick of A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines (or my e-book's subtitle: In Search of the Perfect Meal) by Anthony Bourdain, hosted by Claudia of Honey From Rock. (See her post here)

According to Goodreads (as I wasn't sure) I first read A Cook's Tour back in 2002. I was a bit shocked that it was 20 years ago, which made my reread of it almost like reading it for the first time. This time, having lost the great Anthony Bourdain in 2018, it was a very bittersweet journey through the pages. Also, although lapsed at times, my mostly vegetarian lifestyle probably led me to squirm a little more while reading it (poor little piggy, especially...) than when I was a full-blown carnivore. I was happy to revisit Bourdain's stellar food writing. Although he is rough around the edges, his love and respect for food and food traditions and his ability to make even the dubious to downright nasty sound anywhere from possibly edible to downright delicious are unmatched. I especially enjoyed his times in Asia--Vietnam and Cambodia where I have not journeyed yet to Tokyo where I spent a lot of time but not as adventurously as Bourdain. I really think you can't go wrong with any of Bourdain's books or shows, as sad as they are to read and watch with him gone. The world truly lost a talent and I appreciated getting him back for a bit with this book. 

For my dish inspiration, I was going to make a Vegetarian Pho Soup based on Bourdain's Vietnam travels. but at the last minute I was really craving Thai flavors and creamy coconut milk so I tossed together a Tofu Tom Kha Soup. It's not traditional and I took some shortcuts but it totally hit the spot. 

Quick and Easy Tofu Tom Kha Soup

By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes About 4 Servings)

2 Tbsp peanut oil or other cooking oil
2 lemongrass stalks, peeled and bruised (or 1 Tbsp Gourmet Garden Lemon Grass Paste)

1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated (or 2 cubes Dorot frozen crushed ginger)

1- 2 Tbsp Thai Yellow or Red Curry Paste
4 cup non-chicken/vegetable stock
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, torn

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 can baby corn

1 can straw mushrooms 

8-oz tofu pressed and cubed (or 1 package Nasoya Baked Sesame Ginger Tofu, 7 oz) 
1 pinch brown sugar
2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 can (400 ml) of coconut milk
400 ml canned coconut milk
fresh lime juice to taste
Thai basil to garnish

Add the peanut oil to a large pot over medium heat and add lemongrass stalks and ginger. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add curry paste and cook another minute or two. 
Pour the stock into the pot and add the kaffir lime leaves, carrots, baby corn, and mushrooms and bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the tofu, sugar, and soy sauce and cook another 5 minutes. 
Reduce heat add the coconut milk and stir for 2 minutes, not letting it boil. Add lime lime juice to taste. Serve with chopped Thai basil and enjoy!

Notes/Results: I love Thai soups--the blend of creamy and tangy with the lime leaves and juice so this was a great way to avoid takeout. The shortcuts came from the pantry--the curry paste, canned baby corn and straw mushrooms, and the freezer and fridge--lemon grass paste, cubes of frozen ginger and pre-marinated and baked tofu. All added lots of flavor. I am a mild spice person, especially lately since COVID and a newish asthma inhaler did a number on my taste buds, but you could certainly add more curry paste or a Thai chili or two if you want to up the spice level. I will make this again. 

Today (7/31/22) is the deadline for this round of Cook the Books and Claudia will be compiling all the entries on the Cook the Book site. If you missed this round and like food and books and foodie books, join us for August/September when we will be reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, hosted by Debra of Eliot's Eats. 

We have a few friends who have been waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen for quite a while now! Let's take a look!

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog shared Coleslaw Macaroni Salad and said, "This salad combines two old fashioned picnic favorites: coleslaw and macaroni salad! Does it get better than that? ... Think of this salad for guests with special eating needs. It meets gluten-free, vegan, dairy -free and kosher-parve standards. It can be made quickly and stored in the refrigerator for at least 2 days."

Melynda of Scratch Made Food brought French Lentil Salad and says, "French Lentil Salad is a taste of springtime! Yes you read that right, this lentil salad with fresh vegetables and a light vinaigrette is light, delicious and the perfect salad to make right now!"

Debra of Eliot's Eats made Nicoise Style Chopped Salad, saying, "The farm bag delivery is the highlight of my Tuesdays. Most of the recipes that they feature are great. This one is pretty darn tasty (even though all the ingredients were not included in the bag). In hindsight, I should have thrown in the sliced mushrooms that came that week. (Please note the original recipe calls for Kalamata olives. Not having any, I left them out. I did add a few more capers to adjust.)"

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shared Potato Salad Two Ways, saying, "This is a decent potato salad which is easy to prepare. Doug liked it (and he doesn't like potato salad) so I am going to call this a win. Here is a snap of the dish before the sour cream was added.  It could be served warm like this.Here it is chilled with the sour cream added.  Winner either way, just depends if you like a warm or chilled salad."

Thank you, Judee, Melynda, Debra and Tina for joining me and being patient while I got around to posting. 

If you'd like to join in Souper Sundays, I am opening up the below link for two weeks.

Anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the two weeks and I will post a recap of the entries on Sunday in two weeks.) 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.  

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

8/14/22 Update! Extending one more week! Use this link and I'll combine both in a recap post. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Revisiting Chloe Coscarelli's Vegan Ramen Bowl with Crispy Hoisin Tofu for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

It's April. Work and a general funk are still kicking my butt ,and indecision about Super Sundays is still in effect. This weekend I was craving a bowl of ramen. Did I make it? No... I bought it. My gas station/7-11 happens to have a kick-ass simple bowl of ramen that you grab from the chill display and heat in the microwave. I have no regrets--other than the current price of gas so don't get me started.... 

If I had been in the mood to cook my own, I definitely would have made Chloe Coscarelli's Vegan Ramen Bowl with Crispy Hoisin Tofu, posted on April 1, 2018 from her book, Chloe Flavor. It is not at all hard to make and non-traditional but so delicious with the hoisin sauce, curry and coconut milk. 

Vegan Ramen Bowl
From Chloe Flavor by Chloe Coscarelli
(Serves 4)

About 8 oz fresh or dried ramen noodles
3 Tbsp vegetable oil + more as needed (I used coconut oil)
1 (16 oz) package extra-firm tofu, pressed (see note below) and cubed
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 1/2 cups (8 oz) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch baby bok choy, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp curry powder (I used 2 tsp)
1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
4 cups vegetable broth
1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk

Toppings: thinly sliced scallions, sesame seeds, sriracha or chili-garlic sauce, optional (I added pea shoots)

Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water and return to the pot--off the heat.

Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the tofu and sear for about 3 minutes per side, until it turns golden and crispy. (Chloe says the key to crispy tofu it not to flip them over too soon--to let them get nicely brown before turning them over.) Add more oil as needed if the pan looks dry. Add the hoisin sauce, reduce the heat to low and turn the tofu to coat it evenly.

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium high heat and when it shimmers, add the mushrooms and bok choy. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the bok choy wilts. Add the garlic, curry powder, and salt and cook for another minute, until fragrant. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and stir in the coconut milk. Add the cooked ramen noodles and stir until heated through.

Ladle the broth and noodles into bowls and top each serving with scallions, sesame seeds, and tofu. If you like heat, add a drizzle of sriracha or chili-garlic sauce. 

My Notes: It's not traditional, but this ramen bowl totally hit the spot with the curry-coconut broth and the crisp-chewy hoisin-sweet tofu. If you are not a fan of tofu, you haven't tried it pressed, fried up and tossed in a yummy sauce--it adds great flavor and with the mushrooms, a meat-like vibe to the soup that is really satisfying. It's nice on its own and with a touch of heat from the sriracha. Although there are a few steps and pans used in this recipe, it goes together pretty quickly and easily. Chloe notes that you can make it gluten free with rice or other gluten free noodles and making sure your hoisin sauce and broth are GF. 

We have a few stalwart friends in the Souper Sunday kitchen from earlier in the month. I'm going to highlight their dishes below and open the link up for a couple of weeks so feel free to add a soup, salad or sandwich creation and I'll highlight those in two weeks.

Melynda from Scratch Made Food shared Creamy Potato and Celery Soup, saying "Now about this soup, it is a lighter potato soup with all the nutrition you could ever want! Celery provides a good source of fiber and potassium, along with vitamins A and K. Plus it is a low carbohydrate food. This is why I love using it in my potato soup recipe. I get a creamy, delicious potato soup that is still light enough for lunch, with all the flavor I could hope for. On those rare days I am starving, I can easily add a sandwich and still not feel stuffed!" 

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor brought Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup and said, "The news of the world..... I'm hating what is going on in Ukraine and wish I could make vat after vat of this nourishing soup to help feed those in need. This soup is an adaption of an Ina Garten recipe which only distantly resembles the original recipe.  This is more of a third cousin to Ina's roast lemon chicken with orzo."

Radha of The Magical Ingredients for a Wholesome Life From the Heart of My Home stopped by with Carrot Slaw/Carrot Salad, saying, "This is a simple and delicious slaw with season's best carrots and flavored with Meyer lemons. This healthy, vegan salad is a crowd pleaser and can be made in minutes! This is a very tasty side for Spring or a anytime healthy snack!"

And Debra of Eliot's Eats shared a salad of Rabbit Food with Chicken Nuggets she made for a book review. She said, 'So, to celebrate Ann I decided to morph together two meals that revolve around her. One is a meal from her early life, a salad of “kale, some cucumbers, carrots, sunflower seeds for protein” ... This salad sounded immediately delicious to me even if she was only eating it to lose weight for her abusive husband. She also prepares a separate meal for him because he won’t eat this “rabbit food.” ... From her second life, that of a loving wife and mother who runs a multi-million dollar foundation, I topped the salad with my  version of chicken nuggets. Right before she is called on stage by her powerful and rich boss, she gets a phone call from home. In a twist from her previous life, her current husband is home cooking and caring for their children. He has just over nuked the chicken nuggets to the horror of their young daughter" 

Thank you friends for joining me, even when it has been so sporadic!

If you'd like to join in Souper Sundays, I am opening up the below link for two weeks while I try to finish deciding what my go-forward looks like. 

Anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the two weeks and I will post a recap of the entries on Sunday in two weeks.) 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.  

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchenand link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Five Soups with Toppings That Take Them to the Next Level for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I love how toppings can take a simple bowl of soup to the next level. Here are five favorites:

White Bean Farro Soup with Chickpea Parmigiana by Terry Hope Romero uses chickpea flour for a fun, cheese-ish topping in a vegan soup. 

Moroccan Lentil Soup with Yogurt & Chili-Fried Onions--so many layers of flavor in this lentil soup by Diana Henry.

There's something about lentils and chili oil because Ottolenghi's Red Lentil Soup with Fried Tofu and Chilli Oil is another favorite.

And tofu cubes as a topping work really well in Chloe Coscarelli's Vegan Ramen Bowl with Crispy Hoisin Tofu.

Finally, there's Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Mushroom & Hazelnut Topping where the topping is a unique mix on Ellie's Krieger's simple pureed soup. 

I could easily find another five, ten or twenty soups for this theme! But instead, let's check out the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here:

First up is Melynda from Scratch Made Food with a slaw salad. She says, "Celery Root Carrot and Apple Slaw is easy, delicious! Fall is the perfect time to add a vegetable salad to your dinner table, and this one will become a new family favorite. We love this salad because it is delicious, and adding more vegetables to the table is always a good thing!"

Next is Debra of Eliot's Eats with her Spicy White Pumpkin Soup. Debra says, "After Halloween, I found a few pumpkins on sale—for 50 cents a piece. I had to buy some to roast. These were “white” pumpkins (Pumpkins Lumina). While I was writing this post, I was roasting them so it just made sense to utilize them for something Friendsgiving-like. I was also spending part of the morning going through my November magazines (bon appetit, Food & Wine, Southern Living, and Martha Stewart). I garnished with sliced jalapenos, cilantro, and crumbled cojita."

Finally, Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog shared her insta-pot Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup, saying, "Combined with red lentils, butternut squash makes a hearty cool weather soup that is filling, comforting, and delicious. The savory flavors come from tomatoes, peppers, onions, chiles, potatoes and cumin. Although this recipe could also be made on the stove top, I made this version the Instant Pot. It's fast and easy, especially if you buy pre-cut up butternut squash to avoid having to peel, clean out the seeds, and chop the firm squash (I peeled and chopped)."

Thank you Debra, Judee and Melynda for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Jamie Oliver's Hot & Sour Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Since Friday was Chinese New Years and I was craving Hot & Sour Soup, I adapted a Jamie Oliver recipe this week.I think you can't go wrong with tangy and spicy.

Hot & Sour Soup

Slightly Adapted from JamieOliver.com

(Serves 4 to 6)

2 cloves of garlic
1-2 fresh red chillies
sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
250 g (about 9 oz) shitake mushrooms, cleaned
225 g (about 8 oz) bamboo shoots , drained
groundnut oil , or vegetable oil
low-salt soy sauce
rice wine vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
1.5 litres (about 6 cups) hot organic vegetable stock
150 g (about 5 oz) firm tofu (I used whole 1lbpackage)
2 spring onions
1/2 bunch of chives
1 large free-range egg 

(I added 1 tsp toasted sesame oil)

 

Peel the garlic and deseed the chillies, then roughly chop and place into a pestle and mortar. 

Bash with a pinch of salt to a rough paste. Peel, finely chop and add the ginger, then bash until broken down and combined.
 

Finely slice the mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Heat a lug of oil in a large wok or heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and fry for 4 minutes, or until lightly golden. Stir in the chilli paste and bamboo shoots and fry for a further minute.
 

Meanwhile, mix together 3 tablespoons of soy, 4 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, the honey and a good pinch of white pepper. Stir the mixture into the pan and cook for a minute, then pour in the hot stock and bring gently to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Meanwhile, chop the tofu into 1cm cubes, finely slice the spring onions and chives and whisk the egg well.
 

Once reduced, remove the soup from the heat. Using a chopstick, stir the soup in a clockwise direction until you get a little whirlpool, then slowly add the beaten egg, stirring continuously to form thin ribbons. Stir in the tofu and return to the heat for 1 minute to warm through. Season to taste with soy and vinegar, then serve immediately with the spring onions and chives scattered on top.

 

 

Notes/Results: For some reason, my egg never made it into ribbons so maybe I left the soup of too long, otherwise this was great--rich, tangy, slightly spicy and lots of flavor. I stirred in a little toasted sesame oil at the end, which I really like. A nice way to make your dinner instead of relying on take out, I would happily make it again. 

 

Linking up at I Heart Cooking Clubs where we are celebrating Chinese New Year!

 

Now let's check out the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here!

It's nice to have my friend Tina of Squirrel Head Manor back at Souper Sundays this week. Tina made Veggie Soup and said, "Not too much new in the kitchen this month but as we cleared out our fridge and freezer, useing leftovers and partial frozen bags of veggies so there is minimal waste. Roasted corn from Trader Joe's store. ... We tried it as a side dish and I have to say, it wasn't remarkable.  Perhaps I added a bit too much water in the cooking method. ... I gave the corn another try adding it in a pot of soup. It was a good addition there. Leftover roasted potatoes and carrots, sliced onions rounded this out. Thickened with a bit of flour and broth and you have a hearty lunch for a cool day."

Simona of briciole is here with Vegetable and Quinoa Salad, saying "Since I am the only one in the family eating quinoa and I don't eat a lot of it, I cooked 1/4 cup / 50 grams at a time for each of my experiments. Every time, I found that I needed more liquid than the 1:2 ratio usually found in recipes. Finally, using part water and part broth made for a tastier result. As for the vegetables, use what's in season, like tasty salad turnips (a favorite, also featured in a recipe last year⁴). If you buy a bunch, save the tasty greens and cook them. I liked the addition of steamed broccoli in one version. I liked using the last persimmon in another. And in terms of dressing, choose what goes well with the vegetables: nut butter and broccoli, mayonnaise (maionese) and baby salad greens (from my garden). The overall idea is that you can cook some quinoa and have it handy to compose a salad."

Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen shared Sriracha Butternut Couscous Salad and said, "I had some left over butternut squash that I roasted and tossed into some couscous making this rather simple Salad. It was perked up a little Sriracha and baby spinach from the garden for colour. Okay, I am off to have a lazy weekend, which may mean sitting on the sofa under my blanket watching TV and reading. But one thing for certain, I am turning off the computer screen. Have a good weekend."

Finally here at Kahakai Kitchen, I made a (Mostly) Classic Tuna Salad Sandwich for a book review.  It reminded me of how good a simple tuna sandwich on soft white bread with potato chips can be.

Thank you to Tina, Simona, and Shaheen for joining me this week!

 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Kung Hei Fat Choi and have a happy healthy week!