it's tom kha tofu!

this has got to be one of my top ten meals of all time: hot, sweet, sour, salty and umami galore, fresh and quick and comforting. magic.

i think the proportions are very flexible, based on taste and what you have available. a litre of coconut milk makes a great soup, but less can be used without problems.

1L coconut milk

200ml water 

3cm knob of galangal or ginger (preferably young)

1 stalk lemongrass (cut and keep the top half for tea; chop the bottom half into 3cm lengths for the soup)

4 kaffir lime leaves

2-3 red chillis

3-4 tsp black/fried chilli paste

1 large piece kombu seaweed

300g firm tofu

1c mushrooms, quartered (tinned straw mushrooms are nice, too)

4-5tbs soy sauce

2tbs sugar (palm or brown sugar is best)

1 bunch bok choy or other asian greens

1 lime, juice and zest

bunch of coriander

jasmine rice to serve

put rice on to cook.

on low-medium heat, gently simmer coconut milk and water in a large saucepan. add galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, half the chillis (you can always add more later!), kombu and chilli paste. stir and heat for 5-10 minutes. remove kombu and discard.

add tofu, mushrooms, soy sauce and sugar. cook for a further 10 minutes on medium heat without boiling. after the first 5 minutes, add the greens in to cook. finely grate lime zest into the saucepan. adjust seasoning, then remove from heat. 

serve in bowls: add a teaspoon of lime juice to each, and top with a few stalks of lightly chopped coriander.

cauliflower and leek soup

this is gorgeously creamy and filling. keep it simple or add cumin and nutmeg for a warming lunch. serve topped with croutons; or as pictured above with dukkah, brown rice and fried firm tofu.

500g cauliflower (0.5 a medium head)

1 small leek

0.5 small onion

1c water

1 vegetable bouillion cube (or use 1c stock)

0.25c ground almonds

0.25c soy milk

ground spices to taste 

salt, pepper

coarsely chop the cauliflower, leek and onion and simmer in saucepan with water and bouillon cube or stock for 15 minutes or until soft. remove from heat, add in almonds and soy milk. blend until smooth; adjust seasoning to taste.