Clear soup -by Aveline Kushi
1 Quart kombu or other soup stock
1 Carrot cut into flower shapes
1 Cup tofu cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 bunch watercress, thinly sliced
Slice and boil the vegetables
1/2 sheet nori, cut into small squares for garnish
Grated fresh ginger or ginger juice to taste for garnish
Slice and boil the vegetables separately for a few minutes, or until tender. Boil the tofu in the kombu stock for 1-2 minutes, or until it comes to the top.(cooked in this way , the tofu is quite tender. If cooked too long, tofu becomes rubbery.) Put 1-2 pieces of boiled carrot and a spoonful of sliced water cress into each individual serving bowl. Pour the hot kombu stock into each cup over the vegetab;les and add 1-2 tofu squares. The colour of the vegetables should be bright. The colour will fade if they are cooked together. Garnish with nori and grated fresh ginger or ginger juice and serve.
Variations: Instead of carrots, other vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, celery, parsnips, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, pumpkin, or winter squash may be used. Bread crumbs, dried or deep-fried, make an excellent garnish for all of these clear soups.
– We had to do without tofu in our soup because when I opened the package a horrible smell creeped out and I had to throw it away. Here is a picture of what clear soup looks like with tofu(tofu, corn and lettuce) 🙂
