Turmeric broccoli, tofu and rice soup
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In her iconic
newsletter this week, the wonderful wrote about the “creative surge” she has experienced of late, and it made me think of my own “surge of creativity” that has taken hold of my life. I like to call mine an “urge of creativity”. Over the last 13 years or so, the need to create has often felt like a dam that is threatening to break. I have read that it is common for women to experience a creative surge in mid-life. Mine hit me like a ton of bricks after the birth of Huck, my third and final child. Knowing that I was done with the physical act of birthing children gave me a palpable sense of closure. And while my life with three children who are very close in age has been nothing short of chaotic since, I have never felt more in control of my destiny, more inspired to be whoever I want to be, and more inspired to create.My creative urges started when Huck was a few months old. I saw possibility all around me. I felt empowered to just explore, in my own time, in my own way. Unapologetically, and ignoring paved paths. I tried things. I made websites for businesses that never eventuated, I wrote a food-related children’s book manuscript that got rejected (rightfully so! And I don’t think I have EVER admitted this before), I went back and dabbled in PR but decided I had outgrown that job, I organized a lot of bake sales at my kids’ schools, I baked macarons for a friends cafe (my first foray in food!), and cooked vegetarian salads and delivered them to locals on my bike. That last idea, probably the most outlandish, was the one that stuck. It landed me here, writing this newsletter, with this wonderful community as my readers.
I feel, deeply and earnestly, that the act of creation can be a salvation. It certainly was for me. So treat this as a reminder to indulge those creative urges whenever they come. You never know where it will lead you.
This week, I received four recipe emails with a title that was some iteration of SOUP WEEK. My immediate reaction was to scoff because, frankly, I am not ready for soup yet. That goes for squash and root vegetables too. But then a craving for something congee-ish hit, so I compromised with this hearty rice soup.
This recipe hits somewhere between a soup and jook. You could easily thicken it up by adding more rice or less stock, or loosen it up by adding less rice or more stock. This is what I would call a gentle soup. The turmeric imparts deep earthy smokiness but it is not overpowering. There are notes of ginger and garlic to balance the sweetness of the leeks. The tofu adds body (and protein for those who find this important).
This week:
Cook lemon tofu, a rather great in-between seasons dish, that only needs a bowl of rice. If you wanted more veg, add come charred baby bok choy or broccoli. Similarly, this pantry-friendly spiced coconut and tomato with peas relies on frozen peas, canned tomatoes and can be served with either rice or rice noodles. Or another pantry winner - fried cheese in spicy tomatoes and chickpea ‘gravy’ (unlocked NYT recipe), which is a flexible recipe giving you the option to use either haloumi, paneer, feta or queso blanco / queso de freir (if you’re in the USA where it’s readily available); for vegans, use firm tofu.
Bake my mochi brownies (unlocked NYT recipe). I had a chocolate craving yesterday but little desire to spend hours in the kitchen, and these hit the mark.
Eat Sara Lee Frozen Pound Cake? Did anyone else grow up eating these? My mother doesn’t bake so for most of my childhood, this was the only cake I ate regularly. I would mostly eat it while still par frozen. I was at the supermarket this morning with my son and I was telling him about it - we picked one up and will try take a trip down memory lane later today. Let me know in comments if you have memories of Sara Lee Pound Cake or if you have any special ways of eating it.
Turmeric broccoli, tofu and rice soup
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love
My overarching vision for this soup was a sea of broccoli, still green and slightly crisp from restrained cooking. By all means, cook it more if prefer it more tender, but I am always attracted to a soup which offers contrasting textures.
Basmati rice is the best choice here because it cooks so quickly. Since it’s not an overly starchy rice, it will stay quite separated, and light. I like this finish in this soup but it is also acceptable to use a starchier variety like long grain or arborio to get a thicker, more velvety soup. And here’s a curveball - if you’re looking for something richer, add 1 can of coconut milk. It becomes sweeter and almost like a curry.
Serves 4
extra-virgin olive oil
1 leek, trimmed, white and green parts sliced (or 1 brown/yellow onion, sliced)
2 inch (5cm) piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1/2 cup (90g) rice, preferably basmati
sea salt and black pepper
5 cups (1250ml) vegetable stock
1 pound (450g) silken tofu
1 large head broccoli (about 450g / 1 pound), cut into very small pieces
handful coriander leaves, to serve
finely sliced scallions, to serve
soy sauce or maggi seasoning sauce, to serve (optional)
chili oil or crisp, to serve (optional)
Heat a large pot on medium. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the leeks. Cook, stirring constantly, until the leeks are soft and starting to turn golden, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and turmeric and stir until fragrant, about 30 to 60 seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat, and then add 1 teaspoon of sea salt and the vegetable stock. Cover and cook until for 10 minutes. Using a large spoon, scoop out big chunks of the tofu and add to the soup (don’t worry, it will break down), along with the broccoli. Gently stir to submerge the broccoli and simmer, uncovered, until the tofu is heated through, and the broccoli is bright, green, and tender, about 5-7 minutes. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper.
To serve, top with coriander, scallions, and a little soy sauce or maggi seasoning sauce and chili oil/crisp, if using.
Soundx divine!!!
Oh wow, Sara Lee poundcake. When I was a kid, my brothers and I had somehow worked our way from a bowl of cereal with a donut "for dessert" for breakfast to simply a huge chocolate chip muffin, made by our local grocery store. We moved the summer before my senior year in high school, and our new town's grocery store had no chocolate chip muffins! It was a disaster. My mom brought home, instead, for me, chocolate swirl Sara Lee poundcake to eat for breakfast, and once, when they had no swirl, Sara Lee vanilla poundcake with a side of chocolate ice cream. I was certainly old enough to know better about sugar bombing myself before school, but looking back on it now, all I can see is my mom's love. (And yes, I always ate it, and ate it cold).