Lotus root and tofu soup

We certainly like to hear the pitter-patter of rains, share a few puddle trips, shake up the water from a leaning branch and have some fun.
Once the petrichor is satisfied,  most of us will love to hug that bowl of warm soup and sip away as the soothing warmth engulfs us. No doubts the rains bring more of the cold and coughs too. In this era, we certainly don’t want that scare. The slight weakness of the immunity has to be addressed to the best possible option now.
Soups provide a wonderfully aromatic, liquid option to carry a variety of immune-boosting herbs and spices. Simple clear soups achieve this with ease. Most cuisines have a version of the clear broth based soup that they swear by for the season like the pineapple rasam soup or  Chinese style winter melon soup we made earlier. Then there are soup versions that a made up from the imagination of home cooks like me. This is one of my versions of a clear broth based soup.

Getting prepped

The first component of the lotus root and tofu soup is the aromatic broth.
The broth:
The basic broth is prepared here is prepared by simmering garlic, ginger, lemongrass, spring onion, Sichuan peppercorns in water. Unlike the classic broths, there are no vegetables added to the broth, so no celery,  no carrots or mushrooms. It can’t get any simpler right.
The lotus root:
Fresh and crunch lotus root is the best for this lotus root soup. Wash the lotus root thoroughly and peel it. Wash the inner tubes well as well, they may harbour dirt. The soup will work perfectly with frozen ones too. If they are brined wash away the salt, buy changing the water a couple of times. The sliced lotus root is simmered in the broth till it is cooked.
Here is a tip: the best way to clean the inner tube is to use a straw cleaning brush and then run water through them. We have a couple of recipes with lotus root on this blog. Try this Kashmiri style Nadru palak recipe with the remaining lotus root.

The tofu
The protein element of this soup is tofu. I use soft tofu for soup preparation as they are so soft and provide a textural contrast to the crunch lotus roots. The tofu is easier to digest and the mouthfeel with the tofu soup broth is perfect. Moreover, it does not take long to cook in the tofu soup broth. Here is what I love to do with the more soft tofu – Tofu brownies.

As you can clearly see from the images, this is a very simple, gluten-free, low carb and vegan option. The flavours of the immune-boosting whole spices are delicate and delicious. Stir in some salt and pepper or try with a bit of Sambal paste to suit your palate and the tofu soup is ready. Never miss playing in the rain!!
See you at the next post.