Creamy, luscious, silky carrot soup with slips of tender noodles, piles of chewy, crispy, spicy shredded tofu and drizzles of chili oil. A bright, hearty, filling soup that is packed with flavour and texture!
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That colour! Just the kind of cheerful orange we need in the middle of winter. And it doesn't just look bright. This carrot soup tastes bright, too. It's so packed with flavour and texture!
We've got 3 different components going on for a peak soup eating experience. First, we have a simple and easy-to-make carrot soup that is really silky, luscious and soothing. That soup is ladled over slippy rice noodles, and then it's all zhuzhed up with golden, savoury, sweet, chewy, shredded tofu and drizzles of spicy chili oil. The combination is dynamite!
This carrot soup with noodles and tofu has got it all. It's easy to make, it's packed with flavour and texture, and you get your veggies, starchy carbs and protein all in one convenient bowl. A real dinner winner, and for such a budget-friendly and humble recipe, it feels kind of fancy too!
Mel x
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
For the carrot soup:
- Carrots - These should be fresh carrots, not frozen.
- Stock - Any veggie stock will do here. My go-to is usually Better Than Bouillon.
- Coconut milk - It must be from a can, but can be the full-fat variety or light. Use whichever you prefer. Obviously, full-fat coconut milk will create a richer, more luscious soup, so bear that in mind when choosing.
- Cumin - My go-to, as it goes so well with carrots, but you could use curry powder or even curry paste instead.
- Noodles - I like to use wide rice noodles, but you could use thin rice noodles, vermicelli, or even glass noodles. Even ramen noodles would work at a push. Just be sure to slightly undercook them because they finish off in the hot soup when you serve.
For the shredded tofu:
- Tofu - Your tofu must be extra-firm. Softer tofu will not grate well and will take much longer to get the chewy, crispy texture.
- Garlic - This is key to great flavour. I use one large clove, but sometimes throw in an extra one. If you're a garlic lover, I say go with your heart!
- Soy sauce - For umami, meaty flavour and colour.
- Maple syrup or brown sugar - This helps with the colour, texture, and flavour.
- Oil - There is no doubt that this recipe turns out better if you use oil, but if you are WFPB or need to avoid oil, you can omit it. You might need to cook it a little longer to get it nicely golden, though.
- Chili powder - This makes the tofu shreds really tasty! Feel free to add in any other spices you like as well or instead. You could go in all sorts of directions with this!
- Black pepper - A generous amount for flavour. You don't need any salt because of the soy sauce.
Making Ahead/Meal Prep
Every component of this recipe, except the rice noodles, can be made ahead.
The carrot soup - Make it and store in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
The shredded tofu - This will keep in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It's so quick and easy to reheat. Just throw it in a hot, dry skillet and stir it around for a couple of minutes. I think it would probably freeze well, too, but I haven't tried it.
The rice noodles - These need to be cooked fresh, but if you're familiar with rice noodles, you know they cook super fast, so it's not really any bother.
Recipe
Carrot Soup with Noodles & Shredded Tofu
Author:Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2lbs or 907 grams (about 8 large) carrots peeled & chopped roughly
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups (960 ml) stock
- 1 can (400 ml/13.5 oz) coconut milk
- about 8oz (228 grams) dried rice noodles , about 2oz (57g) per person. Only cook as many as you need. They don't reheat well.
For the shredded tofu
- 1 block extra firm tofu grated with a box grater
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 large clove garlic finely grated
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder or any other spice you like
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
To serve
- chili oil or chili crisp
- coconut cream or dairy-free yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the soup - Place a soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil, onion and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onion just turns golden on the edges, then add the garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute.
- Add the stock. Stir, then partly cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the carrot is soft.
- Puree with an immersion blender until smooth, then add the coconut milk. Stir, then allow to warm through. Turn down low to keep warm until everything else is ready, or turn off and reheat later.
- Cook the tofu - While the soup is simmering, place a wide saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, grated tofu, soy sauce, garlic, pepper, chili powder and sugar. Toss well, then cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently until deeply golden, dried out, and chewy. If your timings are a bit off, you can turn it off and reheat for a couple of minutes before serving.
- Cook the noodles - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the noodles until almost cooked but still with a good amount of bite. Usually a minute or two less than it says on the packet. Drain through a sieve and immediately run under lots of cold water while using your fingers to gently shake/separate them apart while rinsing to avoid clumping. Set aside.
- Serve - Divide the noodles between each bowl (the hot soup will warm them up). Ladle over the soup, then pile on the shredded tofu. Finish with a generous drizzle of chili oil or chili crisp and a drizzle of coconut cream or yogurt.
NOTES
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NW Herbivore says
Finally made this tonight, to rave reviews. I told my partner that you put a lot of effort into developing your recipes, and he said, “well, tell her it shows! DELICIOUS! Five stars!!”
I used your instructions from a different recipe to bake the tofu rather than sautéing it, and it turned out great. The only tweak I made to the soup was adding about a teaspoon of curry powder along with the cumin.