Not The Knowing One

I lived in Athens, Ga for a little while after grad school.  I guess I really didn’t want to be there for long, because I just about refused to make friends or come up with any kind of social life while I was there.  Instead, I holed up in my little duplex with my dog, and some really good Thai take out.  That year, I fell in love with Tom Yum soups.  The blend of acid and heat is something I particularly love.  The following soup was meant to be a cross between my chicken noodle soup, and my thai favorite.  It relied heavily on everyone’s favorite Vietnamese  hot sauce.

I used the chili garlic sauce. Lots.

1 brick firm tofu
2 tbs olive oil
2 medium white onions, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 head celery (with leaves), chopped
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
2 bottles beer
1 large can fire roasted tomatoes, crushed with juice
3-5 tablespoons chili garlic paste
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
1-3 tbs cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup whole wheat egg noodles
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Drain tofu from storage water.  Line one dinner plate with two cup towels, folded in fourths.  Place the tofu block on the towels, then top with two more folded towels, and another dinner plate which faces upward.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours with cans to weight the top plate.  Leave in the refrigerator until well drained.  Remove tofu from fridge, and slice into squares about 1/4 inch thick.  Place on a hot non stick skillet.  Begin to gently press the tofu with a flat spatula.  Water will escape the tofu and evaporate on the hot skillet.  Turn when the underside has started to brown and repeat.  Continue pressing until the tofu is about halved in thickness and has a slightly meaty consistency. Cut into bite sized pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large soup kettle.  Saute onions until translucent, then add garlic to soften.  Add celery and stir until it begins to soften.  Add remaining ingredients except noodles, pressed tofu, and cilantro.  Allow to simmer, on low, until the carrots are softened.  Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired.  About 20 minutes before serving, add the noodles and tofu and cook unti the pasta softens.  Serve with chopped cilantro.

Tags: soup, Sriracha Chili Sauce, thai, tofu, Tom Yum, vegetarian

This entry was posted on March 6, 2009 at 5:25 am and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.