Sustenance

Where in the World Wednesday: Kimchi Tofu Soup

December 9, 2020 /

When the pandemic first started, I created a food passport for our family. For several weeks, we “traveled” around the world in the kitchen by making meals from different places. As restaurants opened back up and we started working outside the home more, we started doing this once per month instead of once per week. This is a really fun date night and an engaging family activity. We have a great time cooking meals together and reflecting on meals from prior weeks.

kimchi tofu soup stew broth bowl cook recipe kitchen korean food asian food weeknight meal tofu

We liked this kimchi tofu soup so much that this is the second time we have made it in about a week! You can make this soup vegetarian and/or gluten free, which is how we make it. I noted substitutions where appropriate. You can make less broth if you want it to be more like a rice bowl and more broth if you want it to be a soup.  

I know many of you might not have cooked with tofu before (or maybe not even eaten it!), but it is super easy to work with and you can use it to make many great meals. Tofu is affordable and you can use it in wraps, on salads, and with sauces.

Tofu

Just in case you are NEW to tofu, here is how I prepared the tofu for the soup:

Step 1: Cut open the tofu package over the sink (the container is filled with water)
Step 2: Put three paper towels on a plate, place the tofu block on top of the paper towels, put three more paper towels on top of the tofu block, place three heavy plates on top (you could use a tofu press if you have one!)
Step 3: Let the stack sit until the paper towels are saturated with liquid. *Note: I repeat this step if I am preparing the tofu for something else, like to bake for salads or to top with sauce
Step 4: Cut the block into slices
Step 5: Cut the slices into cubes

Soup Recipe

Check out the recipe for the soup below:

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sushi rice
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon oil (we use olive oil)
  • 1 package extra firm tofu, dried and cut into cubes
  • 3-4 scallions, sliced
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (peel with a spoon, then chop finely)
  • 2 not-chick’n bouillon cubes (or chicken bouillon cubes if you are not vegetarian)
  • 4 tablespoons low sodium tamari (or low sodium soy sauce if you are not gluten free)
  • 1 head bok choy, clean and sliced
  • 2/3 cups vegan cabbage kimchi (or regular kimchi if you are not vegetarian)
  • Chili Sauce (to taste)
  • Salt (to taste)
kimchi tofu soup stew broth bowl cook recipe kitchen korean food asian food weeknight meal tofu

Directions

  1. Add the sushi rice and water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for approximately 15 minutes (until all the water is absorbed). Fluff with a fork and re-cover.
  2. While the rice is cooking, heat a large nonstick skillet with the oil over medium high heat. Add scallions (save some for garnish), minced garlic, and minced ginger to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tofu to the skillet and cook to desired crispiness (approximately 8-10 minutes). Stir the tofu frequently to brown all sides and to prevent it from burning.
  3. Add the bouillon cubes, tamari, and 4 cups water to a large pot and whisk. You can also add chili sauce to the broth if desired. Put the broth pot on medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add bok choy and simmer for 3 minutes.
  4. Take the broth off the stove and add kimchi.
  5. Add the kimchi soup with bok choy to a bowl and top with crispy tofu and rice. Add green onions and chili sauce to garnish.
  6. ENJOY!

Have you ever made a recipe like this?

Katie G.

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