Late Night Comfort Food > Ginger and Tofu Soup with Prawns

Late night snack = late night lighting = not the best photo. Oh well. It tastes good.

Since the blog started, it has been focused completely on either macarons or sourdough starters. So I thought I'd break it up with something a little bit savory.


Both my parents love cooking. And they're both pretty good at it. My Mum is amazing at the home style everyday food, that she seems to throw together like magic. My Dad prefers showing off with his flashier restaurant style dishes. Although this is one of  my Dad's recipes, it is uncharacteristically homely and comforting.

This is one of my favourite cold-weather dishes. Originally, Dad made it for me when I was sick with the flu. Ginger is supposed to have immune boosting properties, so I guess he was hoping it would make me better. I'm not sure if it worked, but it tasted so lovely that it became something we ate every autumn. 

The sharpness of the ginger is balanced out by the mellow flavour of the tofu and the prawns add an extra level in both taste and texture. Yum.

Ginger and Tofu Soup with Prawns

600-700ml chicken or fish stock (use water if you must)

200g firm tofu (make sure it’s the white, un-fried tofu)

50g piece of young ginger

100-150g green prawns (shelled, deveined and roughly chopped)

1 tbsp corn starch, mixed with a little water to form a thin paste

Small length of green onion (also known as spring onion or shallots)

1. Bring the stock to the boil in a small to medium sized saucepan.
2. Slice the tofu and ginger into a fine julienne and add to the pan. Let it simmer away for a few minutes to impart their flavour to the broth. The timing here does not need to be precise as both tofu and ginger are quite forgiving in that it takes a fair bit of time to ‘over-cook’ them. If fact, I’m not sure firm tofu can be overcooked. While they are simmering away, you can prepare your prawns.
3. Turn up the heat and bring the soup to a rapid boil. Season with salt, and if you like, a little white pepper (I find the pepper isn’t necessary as the ginger gives plenty of spice, but Dad always added a little). Add prawns. When the soup returns to the boil (it should only take a few seconds) add the cornflour paste and stir (make sure you stir just before adding, as the cornflour likes to settle to the bottom of the bowl). When the soup thickens, turn off the heat and serve with a little green onion snipped in.