This Chinese tofu vegetable soup is the perfect cold-weather meal! It is hearty and satisfying without being overly heavy. A heartwarming soup that is easy to make and ready in 30 minutes.
Whenever I am craving something heartwarming and comforting, I always gravitate towards vegetable soups like my napa cabbage soup and this tofu vegetable soup! They pair well with rice and other Chinese main dishes like vegan orange chicken and Szechuan tofu.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Light yet satisfying and packed with flavors
- An easy to make 30-minute recipe that only calls for simple ingredients
- Highly customizable to suit your taste
- Healthier than Chinese takeout!
🧅What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Tofu - Use extra-firm or firm tofu that has been drained and pressed beforehand, either using a tofu press or stacking something heavy on top. Check out this post, ‘How to press tofu,’ if you need further instructions.
- Mushrooms - I am using enoki here, but feel free to use other kinds of mushrooms like shiitake, button, or shimeji mushrooms.
- Soy sauce - Can be substituted with tamari or shoyu. Use a certified gluten-free brand if needed.
- Shaoxing wine - A Chinese cooking wine. It can be substituted with dry sherry.
🔪How to make
Preparing tofu - Add tofu cubes, cornstarch, and salt in a container. Place the lid on and toss until tofu cubes are well coated.
Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick pan. Add tofu cubes in 1 layer, and pan-fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until most sides are nicely browned. Set aside for later use.
Sauteing aromatics - Heat a tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven, then add garlic and ginger. Saute until fragrant.
Cooking veggies - Add broth, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, and baby corn. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Stir in enoki, pan-fried tofu, and seasonings. Cook until everything is hot.
Your tofu vegetable soup is ready to be served!
✔Helpful tips
- Do not overcook veggies - If you prefer your veggies to be slightly crunchy, prevent overcooking them. Veggies will turn soggy and mushy.
- Using frozen veggie mix - To reduce the prep time, use a bag of frozen veggie mix or other frozen veg like broccoli, green beans, and spinach.
- Storing leftovers - Chinese tofu soup can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave before serving.
- Other ways to cook tofu - You can choose to leave tofu uncooked or bake/air-fry them.
- To bake - Spray some cooking oil on coated tofu, and bake for 20-25 minutes at 200C/400F or until golden brown.
- Cooking in the air fryer - Coat tofu with some oil, and cook at 200C/400F for 10-15 minutes.
✨Variations and add-ins
Tofu - Silken tofu can be used instead of firm tofu. Skip the pan-frying step, and add them in the last few minutes of cooking. You can also replace tofu with chickpeas as a soy-free alternative.
Veggies - Feel free to use any vegetables you have available! Some great options for soups are napa cabbage, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and bok choy.
Noodles - To make a heartier dish, stir in some cooked noodles, especially Asian noodles like rice vermicelli, soba, and glass noodles. Do increase the amount of broth by 2-3 cups.
Dumplings and wontons - This Chinese tofu soup works great as a base for dumplings and wontons! Add them with the veggies, and cook until they are hot.
Make it spicy - Add a generous pinch of chili flakes to spice up your tofu vegetable soup! Alternatively, you can drizzle on some sriracha before serving.
🍚How to serve
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this tofu vegetable soup:
- Rice - Jasmine rice, brown rice, or fried rice like my Chinese egg fried rice or kimchi fried rice. For a lower-carb meal, you can opt for cauliflower rice.
- Noodles - Especially stir-fry noodles like my oyster sauce noodles and chow mei fun.
- Sides and appetizers - I love serving it with dumplings like my tofu dumplings and vegan egg rolls.
- Chinese main dishes - To make a heartier meal, pair this Chinese tofu soup with vegan chop suey, oyster sauce tofu, or bok choy tofu stir-fry.
🍽️More vegan soups
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📖 Recipe
Chinese Tofu Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
For tofu
- 1 block extra firm tofu drained and pressed (14oz/400g)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
Other ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 5 cups vegetable broth *
- 2 cups broccoli floret (about 1 medium head)
- 2 cups cauliflower floret (about ½ medium head)
- 3.5 oz baby corn roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot sliced
- 1 bunch enoki mushrooms or other mushrooms (around 4oz)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Add tofu cubes, cornstarch, and salt in a container. Place the lid on and toss until tofu cubes are well coated.1 block extra firm tofu, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt
- Heat up a tablespoon or so of olive oil (or other neutral oil) in a non-stick pan on medium high heat. Place tofu in a layer and cook for 2-3 minutes on each sides, until most sides are nicely browned. Set aside.
- Now, heat up a tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Once pan is heated, place in garlic and ginger. Saute for a minute.4 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- Next, add in broth, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and baby corn. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Let it cook covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until veggies are fork-tender.5 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups broccoli floret, 2 cups cauliflower floret, 3.5 oz baby corn, 1 medium carrot
- Stir in enoki mushrooms, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and cooked tofu. Cook until hot, and serve!1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine, ½ tablespoon sesame oil, 1 bunch enoki mushrooms
Notes
- Do not overcook veggies - If you prefer your veggies to be slightly crunchy, prevent overcooking them. Veggies will turn soggy and mushy.
- Using frozen veggie mix - To reduce the prep time, use a bag of frozen veggie mix or other frozen veg like broccoli, green beans, and spinach.
- Storing leftovers - Chinese tofu soup can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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