Vegan Egg & Tomato Soup
There is something so comforting in soup, isn’t there? What is it that makes it so? Here I am in the Philippines, in 110% humidity and sun a-blazing, and you know what I want?
A big bowl of soup. SOUP!? Why? What is wrong with me?
Then I remember it’s been 2020 for a whole year and I am in constant need of a hug, and a bowl of soup is like a hug for your soul. So, there you go. I just need a soul hug and soup is the closest thing to it.
There is a very limited range of produce available at the nearby village fruit and veg stand, but I am learning to make do with the 5 kinds of vegetables regularly available. Tomatoes are one of them (or are they a fruit? Well, anyway, you know what I mean). Since leaving China for 10 days and never being able to return I often find myself overcome with waves of grief over the loss of such amazing food. So, to comfort myself, I feed myself, and all is well in the world for those few beautiful moments.
I especially miss the small, unassuming Muslim noodle shops full of the most amazing dishes with handmade noodles. Watching the cooks whip a giant heap of dough into soft, chewy, and delicate noodles is one of my favorite memories from my time there. However, many dishes at these shops are not vegan, so plant-based foodies missed out on the beautiful and brothy bowls slung out by the bare bones kitchen cooks. I decided to make a recipe with my own spin on things, which is a vegan egg and tomato soup recipe.
In many Chinese soups, a beaten egg is gently swirled into the boiling broth to make lovely thin ribbons and add flavor to the dish. I decided to use extra thin fried tofu skin in place of egg in this recipe, and I must say I think it works quite nicely (I have been binging on Bridgerton, so as I am typing in my head it sounds British FYI ).
PS Did someone say hot soup?
You can serve this as a side dish sans noodz or make it a meal and serve in a large bowl full of your favorite cooked Asian style noodles. I opted for the thin style to remind me of the little shop near my home in Shanghai. It was perfection.
So, here is to a delicious soup recipe that makes your belly happy and your face smile.
Vegan Egg & Tomato Soup
Enjoy this easy, simple, and comforting recipe for a vegan version of one of my favorite Chinese soups.
Ingredients
- 5-6 medium Roma tomatoes
- 4 scallions
- a bit of cooking oil
- 4 C vegetable stock
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 dried roll of fried tofu skin
- salt and ground white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the Roma tomatoes into equal quarters and set aside.
- Separate green and white parts of scallions, slice thinly and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat a bit of cooking oil. Add scallions and tomatoes. Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until tomatoes are soft and their skin is falling off.
- Add vegetable stock to the pot and turn heat to high. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Slice dried tofu skin into thin strips and add them to the pot. Stir. Add sesame oil and cook for another 3 minutes, until tofu skin is fully softened.
- If using cooked noodles, add them to the bowl. Then ladle in soup and garnish with sliced green scallions.