Salted Vegetable and Tofu Soup

This is the Salted Vegetable (preserved mustard or pickled mustard or ham choy in Cantonese) and Tofu Soup recipe improvised from the Duck with Salted Vegetable Soup. My dad loved to boil soups using soft tofu/beancurd that is available from the wet market, not the Japanese Silken Tofu. He would spend hours slow cooking the soup until the tofu is full of little tiny holes insides (look something like Swiss cheeses). As a result, the tofu is very yummy, especially dipped with chilli sauce. If you like this, boil this soup a bit longer to get that special effect on the tofu.

Sour plum and assam slices can be added, if desired. There is no need to add any salt as the preserved mustard imparts its saltiness and sourness to the soup. This soup is a bit sour plus slightly peppery which can be really appetizing and is usually served with yam rice. It might not be a good idea to eat too much of the preserved mustard too often.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 50 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 200g salted preserved mustard, cut into pieces and blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes 400g soft beancurd/tofu, cut into 4-8 sections
° 4 tomatoes, cut into 4 wedges
° 2-3 slices ginger
° 1.25 litre water
° 1 tablespoon white peppercorn
° pepper to taste
° ½ teaspoon olive oil (optional)
° a small handful fresh coriander leaves or spring onion (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Place the salted preserved mustard, tofu, ginger, water and pepper corn in a pot. Bring to a boil and 30-45 minutes.
2. Throw in the tomatoes and bring to boil for 3 minutes. Season to taste with pepper and oil.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion and serve hot.