Mushroom-Sesame-Tofu Soup

Folk Dancer's Note:

This recipe is from "New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant." It is easy enough that I was able to make it without creating a large mess to clean up, which is not often the case. We had a big Sunday dinner yesterday and only wanted something light for supper. This along with some bread was perfect.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 5

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 ½ cups chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 3 celery ribs , sliced
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1⁄8; teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large bay leaves or 3 small bay leaves
• 4 cups diced tomatoes , with the juice
• 1 cup vegetable broth or 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package soft tofu , pressed and cut into small cubes

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a pan (I used a 3 qt saucepan) and sauté the onions and ginger for 4 minutes.
2. Add the celrey and sauté for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat, and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the cayenne, salt, bay leaves, tomatoes and juice, and broth.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add the tahini and peanut butter.
7. Stir until peanut butter has dissolved.
8. Add the tofu and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
9. Stir periodically to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Reviews

[Daydream]

Folk Dancer, you posted this recipe 3 1/2 years ago - what a shame no-one has reviewed it in all that time! I found it when searching for recipes using soft tofu (I bought it instead of firm, by mistake). It is an absolutely scrumptious soup, and three of us finished it in one sitting. I used around a tablespoon ginger, 10 oz mushrooms, and two x 14 oz (400g) cans of chopped tomatoes, but otherwise followed the directions faithfully. It is a wonderful amalgam of flavours and I can't wait to make it again. Thanks for posting.