The other day I was in the mood for a very light meal and in much need of a little detox and I thought: why not a simple a vegetable soup? just some in-season veggies and some stock, period. And I realised I have not posted a basic vegetable soup yet and it would be a good recipe to share. So I went to a little grocery store around the corner and came back home with what I found there; a mix of winter and spring vegetables plus something I already had at home.
However… I couldn’t help myself and I end up turning my Mediterranean vegetable soup into a Chinese-inspired dish by adding some curry powder, ginger and tofu, among other Chinese flavours, to the mix and the result was wonderful! Shall we take a look at it?
Servings: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes in the pressure cooker* (or around 30 minutes for regular cooking) + 5 minutes without pressure to cook the tofu.
Ingredients
- a dash of olive oil
- 2 teaspoonfuls of grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 leek stalk, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 3 teaspoonfuls of curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoonful of chilli powder
- Fresh ground Sichuan pepper to taste
- a dash of soy sauce
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1/2 aubergine, diced
- 1 cup of chopped cauliflower florets
- 3 leaves of cabbage, chopped
- 1 liter vegetable stock
- 150 grams firm tofu, diced
Preparation
Heat the oil in the (pressure cooking*) pot, add the ginger, garlic, onion, leek, celery and carrot and sauté over medium-low heat until soften. Incorporate the spices and soy sauce stirring till fragrant.
Stir in the zucchini, aubergine, cauliflower and cabbage (or vegetables of your choice), stir to combine. Pour the stock, bring to a boil, cover and cook at full pressure* during 10 minutes when using the pressure cooker* or around 30 minutes if you’re not using a pressure cooker.
*Always follow your pressure cooker instructions and manage it with due care.
Once the veggies are cooked (and the pressure went down), open the lid, add the tofu and simmer for an extra 5 minutes, add water if necessary.
Serve and enjoy!
Filed under: Chinese, Creation, Mediterranean Tagged: cheap and cheerful, clean eating, curry, healthy food, high fiber, low calorie, low carb, low fat, pressure cooker, quick and easy, spicy food, tofu, vegan, vegetable protein, vegetables, vegetarian, whole food
