Who gets a cold in the middle of a 90 degree week? This girl, apparently.
I can hardly remember the last time I had a cold, nevermind the last time I had a please-just-kill-me-now-and-put-me-out-of-my-misery kind of cold. I blame 4 days of partying on vacation followed by 12 hours of traveling in enclosed spaces.
In any case, I had a pretty miserable week. And by the end of it, despite the temps outside, all I really wanted was a big steaming bowl of soup.
My sister made a version of this soup for me back when I lived in Daytona. I loved it and I’m kind of surprised it’s taken me this long to make it. I changed a few things, but it’s the same gist. And oh so good. I was afraid Nick would be weirded out by the tofu (truthfully even I was a little weirded out when slicing up the jiggly stuff), but to my surprise he loved it! And I mean a three huge servings kind of love! š
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp dark sesame oil, divided
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 pkg sliced mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp minced or grated fresh ginger
- 1 (32oz) carton vegetable broth
- 2¼ cups water, divided
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ½ lb firm or extra firm tofu, diced
- 2½ tbsp cornstarch
- Salt, to taste
- Cayenne pepper, to taste
- 4 egg whites lightly beaten
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- Heat olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms and saute until soft and browned. Add garlic and ginger and continue sauteing 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add vegetable broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
- Add vinegar, soy sauce, pepper and tofu, and simmer another 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ¼ cup water and cornstarch. Add to pot and continue simmering 3 additional minutes, stirring frequently.
- Season to taste with salt & cayenne (I like it spicy, so I used about ¼ tsp cayenne).
- Slowly stream egg whites into the pot while stirring continuously.
- Remove pot from heat and stir in green onions, cilantro, and remaining 1 tsp sesame oil.
- Serve immediately.
I don’t know if it was the soup or the obscene quantity of Dayquil, but I’m finally feeling much better! As much as I hate being sick, I’m glad I finally had an excuse to make this super delicious soup!
If you love this soup, you might also love my Tom Kha Gai – Thai Coconut Soup!
So this is a long story, but I met your Navy pilot this weekend and he showed me your blog. (My boyfriend is college friends with Porthouse and we came down to visit this weekend and as you know, Nick happened to be in town too). I love your layout- your photo header is great š Look forward to reading more. (P.S. Props on posting so often! I’ve kinda neglected mine as of recently…..whoops….)
This was amazing! I have always loved this soup at restaurants but never thought I could make it then I came across this. Thank you for this great post!
Yay!! So glad you made it!
I have made this soup several times and love it! I Wanted to make a few batches and freeze them…do you think it would freeze well?
You know… I have never tried. I don’t see why not though. If you do try it, let me know!
Did freezing this soup work? This is my husband’s favorite medicine and with cold season in full swing, I thought I might get a jump on it and have it on hand, ready for heating up.
Thanks for this recipe! We made it tonight and it was wonderful! The only thing we changed was that we saw Swanson had a hot and sour broth that we used instead of vegetable broth! I highly recommend that broth in it! We will making this again!
What size package of sliced mushrooms did you use – 8 oz or 16 oz.?
You’ll want to use the smaller 8 oz package! Although honestly, the big one wouldn’t hurt. It would just be extra mushroomy– OK in my book!
My husband is anti soup and he said, “if I liked soup, which I don’t, but if I did, this would be delicious.” I make it for him every few weeks and he loves it. This recipe is perfect as is or as a starting place for variation. We always add spinach b/c I usually have at least half a bag I need to use up. I have used chicken stock when it’s on hand from making a batch but I t’s just as good prepared as directed so don’t hesitate to try it that way.
Great recipe Jessica. Love the pictures. I’m so glad I found your recipe.
Thanks!! So glad you liked the soup! This is one of our favorites in the winter… especially when we are sick! So comforting. <3