Sesame Ginger Soup
Posted: | Categories: Recipes | Tags:gluten-free soup vegan winter
Sesame Ginger Soup
Melissa Ben-Ishay
Savory Recipes
This is the best soup I’ve ever made. It’s packed with flavor, veggies, and protein, so it’s the perfect soup to enjoy as a full meal. I can’t eat soy sauce anymore, so I got tamari and coconut amino acids to try as an alternative. I found tamari (what my gluten-free best friend recommended) to be saltier than soy sauce, but it seemed closer to the flavor profile I was looking for (the amino acids were a bit sweeter). This recipe uses tamari for the salty umami, but feel free to swap it with soy sauce if you prefer. And whoever said you couldn’t use salad as a soup topping? This topping adds an extra burst of sesame, plus a refreshing crunch that will make you feel great.
Ingredients
- 2 leeks, roots and leafy green parts cut off
- 1 head garlic, peeled (about 8-10 cloves), roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups various mushrooms, cleaned—I used 1 - 4 oz package baby shiitake mushrooms and 1 - 8 oz. variety pack that included royal trumpets, shiitakes, and blue oysters
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 - 3 inch knob of ginger, grated (about 1 tablespoon)
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 bunch bok choy, thinly sliced, divided
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons tamari, or 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce, divided
- 4-5 scallions, trimmed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
- Juice of 1 lemon cheek (about 1 teaspoon)
Directions
Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then thinly slice. (Make sure to clean well so you don’t end up with sand in your soup.)
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the leeks. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the garlic to the pot and stir.
- Roughly chop the mushrooms and add them to the pot.
- Season with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Add the ginger, then pour in the broth.
- Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
- After about 10 minutes, add half the sliced bok choy to the pot. Place the other half in a small bowl.
- Squeeze the tofu in a tea towel to get as much liquid out as possible.
- Cut into 1/2" cubes and squeeze again in a dry tea towel.
- Add the tofu to the pot and season with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tamari.
- Let cook, uncovered, while you prepare the topping.
- Add the scallions to the bowl with the bok choy and stir to combine. Add the sesame seeds, sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon tamari, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and the juice of one lemon cheek.
- Top the soup with the bok choy mixture just before serving.
