Rice soup with crispy tofu, mushrooms and ginger
Creamy rice soup or congee is common throughout Asia. It is very gentle on the stomach and still filling, making it an ideal start in the morning. Of course, you can’t just enjoy rice soup for breakfast, it tastes great all day long. In any case, you should use a mixture of jasmine rice and sticky rice. It only works with jasmine rice, but the soup won’t be as creamy. Basmati rice is not suitable for congee, it does not have a pleasant consistency. It is good to lightly pound the rice in the mortar before cooking, this gives the soup a silky texture
Preparation time 40 minutes plus at least 60 minutes soaking time
For 4 people
For the rice soup
180 g jasmine rice
60 g sticky rice*
1⁄2 tsp salt
1.5 l vegetable broth
For the deposits
1 pack firm tofu natural (200 g)
250 g mixed mushrooms (e.g. shiitake mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, enoki)
4 sprigs of coriander
1 handful Thai basil*
2 red chili peppers
2 spring onions
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
4 tablespoons oil for frying, more if needed
2 tablespoons light soy sauce, plus more for serving
coarsely crushed black pepper
Vegan, free from refined sugar
*Available in Asian markets or online
• For the rice soup, put both types of rice in a sieve and wash thoroughly to remove the rice dust. Place in a bowl, cover with water and soak for at least 60 minutes or overnight.
• For the fillings, cut the tofu into cubes of about 1 cm. Clean mushrooms and cut or chop into bite-sized pieces.
• Wash the coriander and Thai basil, shake dry and pluck off the leaves. Wash, deseed and cut chillies into rings. Clean and wash the spring onions and cut into fine rolls. Peel the ginger and cut into fine sticks.
• Pour the soaked rice into a colander and drain, then gently pound in a mortar and pestle. The rice grains should break but not become mushy. Put the crushed rice in a saucepan with salt and 1 liter of vegetable stock, heat slowly and simmer gently.
• Gently stir the rice mixture constantly with a wooden spatula to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The soup should thicken but always remain liquid. As soon as it starts bubbling, pour in some of the remaining broth. When the rice grains are soft but still noticeable, the soup is ready.
• In the meantime, heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the tofu cubes on a medium heat until they are light golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
• Add the mushrooms to the tofu pan and sauté over medium-high heat, adding a little more oil if necessary. Drizzle over the soy sauce and fry, turning constantly, until the mushrooms have started to colour, 3-5 minutes.
• Pour the hot soup into soup bowls, spread the tofu and mushrooms on top. Sprinkle with coriander, basil, chili, spring onions, ginger and pepper and serve. Add a bowl of soy sauce for seasoning.