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orange-yellow Passion fruit sour soup with tofu, slices of lime, and green herbs
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Passionfruit and tomato sour soup with tofu

The perfect soup for hot weather or whenever your appetite is low, this Yunnan style sour soup is best served with a bowl of hot steamed rice. The passion fruit and tomatoes you use may be more or less acidic than mine, so adjust with sugar and lime to suit your palate.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 3 people, with rice

Ingredients

The tofu

  • 400 grams medium firm tofu
  • 600 millilitres water
  • 12 grams salt 2 teaspoons
  • oil, for frying

The soup

  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 80 grams finely minced onion packed ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons
  • 10 grams minced garlic 1 packed tablespoon
  • 10 grams minced ginger 2 packed teaspoons
  • chopped fresh chillies optional
  • 200 grams roughly chopped tomatoes
  • 400 millilitres water
  • 3 passion fruits, pulped approximately 90 grams pulp, or a scant ⅓ cup
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vegan oyster or mushroom sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1-2 teaspoons lime juice
  • Fresh coriander and spring onion
  • thin slices of lime optional

Instructions

Prepare the tofu

  • Slice the tofu into thin ½ centimetre (just shy of ¼ inch) pieces. The length and width is up to you. Pop the slices in a saucepan and add the water and salt. Heat on high until it boils, and then turn it down to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Leave the tofu in the salt water for a further 10 minutes.
  • Drain the tofu and lay a tea towel out. Lay the steamy sliced tofu on the tea towel in one layer. Try to keep each piece separate because hot plain tofu sticks to each other. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.
  • Drizzle a little oil (you don't need much) in a nonstick frying pan and fry the tofu on both sides until you see some light colouring. You're not aiming for a crispy fried skin. Pop the fried tofu on a plate while you make the soup.
    top down view of thin slices of tofu, golden from frying, laying on a red and white tea towel

Make the sour soup

  • You can use the same skillet for making the soup. Heat the oil to medium and fry the onion, garlic and ginger for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Make sure you stir it semi regularly to avoid burning.
  • Add the tomatoes and cook for around 5 minutes or until broken down. Then add water, passion fruit pulp, soy sauce, vegan oyster or mushroom sauce, sugar, and salt. Slide in the tofu and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
  • Add a teaspoon of the lime juice and give the broth a taste. It should be a balance of salty and sour with a little bit of sweetness. Add the additional teaspoon of lime juice if you want more sourness.
  • Dish up and garnish with spring onion, coriander, and sliced limes, if using. Serve with steamed rice.