Soup of the week: Green soup with crispy lemongrass tofu

I rarely buy magazines anymore especially food magazines. I think there’s a combination of reasons for this. Having access to the internet gives me endless sources of information and recipes, I don’t want to waste paper and have a stack of magazines I have to throw out (I did that for years), my bookshelf of cookbooks need to be used and I like to be creative. But I do love flicking through a magazine occasionally (when I have the time) especially when they’re packed with incredible recipes. Last weekend’s rainy weather kept me housebound where I cooked and ate most of the weekend. When I was doing the grocery shopping I spotted Taste.com.au Magazine and the comforting image of pumpkin soup and the text ‘101 cosy recipes’ won me over.

I’ve cooked a few things in the magazine since and I’m so glad I picked it up! Last week’s soup of the week was potato and leek and this week I made the green soup with crispy lemongrass tofu from Taste.com.au Magazine. This is one of Manu Feildel’s star soups and oh my it is delicious. It’s also packed full of nourishing ingredients to keep you immune system strong and help you fight off any nasty colds this winter.

I made a few changes to the recipe by using kale and baby spinach, substituted palm sugar for 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, forgot to add the lime juice and didn’t use coconut milk! It was still super delicious! Another thing I love about this recipe is that you even use the broccoli stem so there’s no wastage.

Green soup with crispy lemongrass tofu

Serves 4

Prep and cooking 20 minutes

You need:

2 tbs coconut oil

1 brown onion, roughly chopped

½ bunch coriander, roots finely chopped and leaves picked (use the whole bunch if you don’t have anything else to use the coriander for)

3cm-piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (I use my zester to grate my ginger)

2-3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

500g fresh broccoli, cut into florets, stems sliced

1L Campbell’s Real Soup Base – Asian (I used the Thai one)

120g baby spinach (I used kale and baby spinach)

1 lime, rind finely grated, juiced

1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, finely chopped (I used jarred lemongrass)

1 fresh long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (use two if you want more heat)

15g palm sugar, finely chopped (If you’re feeling lazy like I was and don’t want to hack into your lump of palm sugar then substitute this for 1-2 tsp brown sugar)

250g firm tofu, cubed or coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tsp fish sauce, or to tast

Light coconut milk to drizzle at the end (optional)

Fresh coriander and baby spinach leaves to serve

What now?

1. Heat 1 tbs coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion, coriander root, ginger, sliced garlic and broccoli stems for about 4 minutes or until softened. Add the stock and bring to boil.
2. Add the broccoli florets. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in the spinach and/or kale and coriander leaves. Remove from heat and stir in lime rind and juice. Use a stick blender or blend in bacthes using a jug blender until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan on a low heat to stay warm.
3. Heat the remaining coconut oil in a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Cook the lemongrass, chilli and sugar, stirring for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add the tofu and cook, stirring for 4 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and fish sauce. Cook, stirring for 1 minute or until the tofu is golden.
4. Ladle the soup among bowls and drizzle with coconut milk if using. Top with tofu, extra baby spinach and coriander.

Recipe from the Taste.com.au Magazine