Tomato Egg and Tofu Soup 番茄雞蛋豆腐湯

It tastes somewhat like a Chinese sour and spicy soup, but more of a milder version. The tomato egg and tofu soup requires less ingredients and thus easier to make. One might think that the flavor can be dull. To be honest, the end result was just the opposite and quite refreshing, light but still tasty thanks to the fruity aroma from the tomatoes and a slight herbal touch from the cilantro.

Tomato egg and tofu soup 番茄雞蛋豆腐湯 - 

Ingredients?

• 4 medium ripe tomatoes
• 3 eggs
• 1 small box/290 grams silken tofu
• 1 small pack/200 grams enoki mushroom
• 1 small pack/100 grams white beech mushroom
• 1 small bundle cilantro
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or other preferred cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• Some white pepper powder
• Some salt
• 6 cups water
• Some corn starch and water mixture
• Some rice vinegar (optional)

How?

Dice the tomatoes. Finely chop the cilantro. Trim-off the stem for the enoki mushroom and slice the remaining to shorter sections. Trim-off the stem for white beech mushroom and separate to individual pieces. Drain and cube the tofu. Beat the eggs in a bowl first.

Use a big pot and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil or other preferred light-tasting cooking oil. Switch to medium heat. Add in diced tomatoes along with 2 teaspoon of salt. Give it a quick mix and cook for about 2 minutes.

Season with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce. Mix then pour in 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil.

Add in both mushrooms and bring to a boil again. Once boiling, switch to lower heat to keep it at a light bubbling stage, continue to cook for couple more minutes.

Add in tofu and cook for a minute. Taste and adjust with salt if needed. I actually added 1 more teaspoon of salt here. Also seasoned with 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper powder. Mix till evenly blended.

Turn to lowest heat and wait for couple minutes. Ready the corn starch and water mixture. Pour in the mixture while stirring the soup at the same time to prevent clumping. We are aiming for slightly thickened but still runny consistency. Imagine thinner sour and spicy soup, that should do it.

Pour in beaten egg and give it a nice swirl.

Lastly, mix in chopped cilantro and let it cook in low heat for one or two more minutes. If you don't like the texture of the cilantro stems, you can only add in chopped leaves instead. Per my case, stems don't bother me at all. 

you can enjoy the soup as it is, or sprinkle some more white pepper powder for a pungent kick. Personally I love to add some rice vinegar, the translucent kind, for an even sourer taste. Once more vinegar was added, the soup actually tastes similar to the common sour and spicy soup, but with a brighter and cleaner flavor approach.

I suppose you can also modify the recipe a bit and turn it into a hearty meal. Just add some pork slices and pump up the seasonings. Also incorporate more corn starch and water mixture for thicker consistency. Simply scoop that over steamed rice and enjoy.  

Other Asian soup recipes:

• Magao clam and chicken soup 馬告蛤蜊雞湯
• Taiwanese oyster soup with pickled mustard greens and magao pepper 馬告酸菜蚵仔湯
• Chinese herbal soup with pork ribs 藥燉豬小排

Bitter Gourd Stir-Fry with Salted Black Beans (Try My "Not Quite as Bitter" Way of Cooking)

Never a fan of bitter gourd/bitter melon because no matter what others claim that it's not bitter at all, it is! Let it be a stir-fry, cold dish, or soup, bitter gourd always taste pretty bitter to me. Despite all my bitter past experiences, I still determined to take on the challenge and decided to cook the bitter gourd myself instead.

Turned out it might be the most delicious bitter gourd stir-fry I've even tried so far. I thinly sliced the bitter gourd, massage and marinate with salt, rinse and squeeze dry, and further stir-fry it with a dry hot wok. All that steps really helped in getting rid of that bitter taste from the melon. What's left was the soft gourd fully soaked up the savory seasonings with a slight sweet hint from the salted black beans and sugar. Really loved it.

Bitter gourd stir-fry with salted black beans - 

Ingredients?

• 300 grams white bitter gourd
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1~2 red chilies
• 1 tablespoon salted black beans in oil 豆豉
• 2 tablespoons preferred cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Some salt

How?

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem and remove the seeds from red chilies, chop the red chilies too. I actually used 1 tablespoons of chopped red chilies marinated in flavored oil (剁椒) instead.

Cut the bitter gourd in half and remove the seeds and pith in the center. Slice the bitter gourd, no thicker than 1mm. Use about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to massage the bitter gourd slices and let it sit for 5 minutes. 

The salt will draw out some liquid from the bitter gourd slices. Drain first then rinse the bitter gourd slices. It won't take long and there's no need to use cold water. Just a quick rinse to wash away excess salt then squeeze really dry again.

Use a wok and turn to medium low heat. Transfer the bitter gourd slices over and just stir-fry without any oil for few minutes. Once ready, remove and set aside for later use.

Now drizzle 2 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil, something lighter tasting. This time switch to medium heat or medium high heat. Add in garlic, red chilies, and salted black beans. Mix and cook for about a minute.

Add the bitter gourd slices back to the wok and give it a quick mix. Season with tiny pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Mix till evenly blended and stir-fry till the gourd soaked in some sauce. 

Scoop to serving plate.

If you're never a fan of bitter gourd, this recipe might change your mind for good. It truly turned the gourd into a well-seasoned stir-fry vegetable dish. A rice-killing recipe for sure.