Egg Tofu Soup is our favourite quick & easy Asian soup to make at home.
Our Egg Tofu Soup recipe features slices of soft Chinese-style egg tofu, plump pork meatballs and tender vegetables.
The dish is flavoured with garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken broth and fried shallots.
We’ve traveled extensively through Thailand and eaten at all of the best Thai restaurants in Toronto. We’ve taken Thai cooking classes in Chang Mai and learned expert cooking techniques courtesy of the executive chef at JW Marriott Phuket Resort.
Cooking Thai food at home is quick and easy. Our flavourful Egg Tofu Soup recipe takes under 40 minutes to prepare and keeps in the fridge for several days. You’ll love loitering over these yummy Thai soup leftovers!
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What Is Egg Tofu?
Egg Tofu is a special form of tofu prepared with water, eggs and soy milk. Egg Tofu is also called tofu scallops because the soft vegetarian food product looks like a scallop when sliced and laid flat on a counter or plate.
Egg Tofu can be found at your local Asian market in the refrigerated area alongside firm tofu, wonton wrappers and fresh noodles.
Egg Tofu is sold in plastic tubes, giving the product a distinct cylinder shape, similar to a chorizo sausage. The product is creamy yellow in colour. It is highly prized because of its rich and creamy flavour, thanks to the eggs used in its preparation.
It requires less preparation than a brick of tofu (no pressing is required) and has a sturdier structure than soft silken tofu.
Egg Tofu is typically sliced into coins or cut into cubes before cooking. You can cook with egg tofu at home by frying it in a skillet with some oil or boiling it in broth like we do in our easy Egg Tofu Soup recipe.
What is Egg Tofu Soup?
We use Chinese-style Egg Tofu in this recipe, which is popularly used in kitchens in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand.
There is also a Japanese Egg Tofu that is very different from this tube-shaped tofu. Japanese-style tofu consists of steamed egg that does not contain soy but is called “tofu” because it resembles the shape and texture of silken tofu.
Our homemade Egg Tofu Soup uses the Chinese variety and is inspired by one of our trips to Thailand.
The soup broth features flavourful garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, oyster sauce and chicken broth. Spoon through a hot bowl and you’ll find plump ground pork meatballs, slices of tender potato, carrots and celery.
Egg Tofu floats in the centre of the steaming bowl and is topped with crunchy fried shallots before serving.
NOTE: do not confused Egg Tofu Soup with another popular Asian dish called Chinese Wonton Egg Drop Soup.
Travel to Thailand by Cooking Egg Tofu Soup at Home
I love traveling through Asia. My first visit had me living in South Korea for a year as a teacher and it’s where I was first introduced to fermented vegetables like kimchi.
After my contract ended in Seoul I travelled throughout southeast Asia for 6 months, visiting India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Macau and the Maldives.
On my first visit I spent over a month backpacking through Thailand. I’ve revisited Thailand two times since as a food and travel journalist and always love to discover new regional dishes. Over the years I’ve explored Thai destinations such as Ko Phi Phi, Krabi, Chiang Khong, Chang Mai, Sukothai and Bangkok.
What I found most fascinating is Thailand’s distinct regional food cultures. Much like the regional cuisines found in Germany, Italy or Spain, each town in Thailand had its own local speciality.
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Where To Eat Egg Tofu Soup
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Thai restaurant that serves Egg Tofu Soup.
Haven’t traveled to Thailand before? It may be helpful to first sample Egg Tofu Soup at a local Thai restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You can also assess the variety of ingredients used and sample the correct texture before trying to make the dish at home from scratch.
I spent months researching the best Thai restaurants in Toronto, visiting popular restaurants that serve authentic Thai dishes such as Sabai Sabai, Sukothai, Khao San Road, Pai, Kiin, Bangkok Garden, Mengrai Thai and Favorites Thai BBQ. If you’re looking to sample authentic Egg Tofu Soup in Toronto try visiting one of these award-winning restaurants for inspiration.
Egg Tofu Soup Health Benefits
Our Thai Egg Tofu Soup recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Shallots and other members of the onion family are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
An excellent source of vitamin A and the phytochemical beta-carotene, carrots help keep your eyes and bones healthy, and may help protect against several types of cancer.
Potatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Studies have linked potatoes to a variety of impressive health benefits, including improved blood sugar control, reduced heart disease risk and higher immunity.
Celery is a great source of antioxidants, reduces inflammation and supports digestions.
Eggs contain two vital nutrients that are not present in many foods: iodine and vitamin D. Eggs are also rich in tissue-building protein and vitamin B12, which helps your body manufacture blood cells.
Tofu is a good source of protein and contains all nine essential amino acids. It is also a valuable plant source of iron and calcium and the minerals manganese and phosphorous.
Pork is an excellent source of protein and provides several important vitamins and minerals. It’s an excellent source of thiamin, selenium, niacin, vitamin B-6 and phosphorus, zinc, riboflavin and potassium.
A good source of bone-strengthening vitamin K, cilantro is also rich in antioxidants that help protect the eyes from damage by free radicals.
Tips for Making Thai Egg Tofu Soup
If it’s your first time making Egg Tofu Soup we suggest you start by reading the ingredients list and recipe directions below.
Egg Tofu Soup is the perfect quick & easy lunch or last minute dinner to make when you’ve got a busy week and find yourself unable to cook for hours on end. From start to finish it take under 40 minutes to cook the recipe at home in your kitchen.
This recipe is a great template for using up vegetables that are loitering in your fridge. While we suggest using potatoes, carrots and celery, you could substitue by using squash, sweet potatoes and parsnips.
You can also substitute the chicken broth for beef, mushroom or vegetable stock. If you don’t like pork feel free to make the meatballs using minced beef, chicken or turkey instead.
What To Serve with Egg Tofu Soup
Egg Tofu Soup is typically enjoyed as a simple lunch or as an appetizer at a more elegant multi-course Thai feast.
If you’re hosting a large Thai-themed dinner party, serve homemade Egg Tofu Soup with steamed rice. You might also want to serve the soup with other popular Thai dishes like Papaya Salad, Thai Beef and Pumpkin Curry, Thai Red Prawn Curry, Pad Kra Pao, Grabong Northern Thai Pumpkin Fritters, Gai Pad Med Mamuang Thai Cashew Chicken, Authentic Massaman Curry Recipe with Beef, Nam Tok Authentic Thai “Waterfall Beef” Salad, Gaeng Keow Wan Thai Green Curry Chicken, Thai Pork & Beef Mince Curry Khua Kling or Chiang Mai Noodles “Khao Soi.”
The soup keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days so store it in an airtight container.
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Best Thai Egg Tofu Soup Recipe
Egg Tofu Soup with Pork Meatballs
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Large Pot
- French knife
- Food processor
- Melon Baller
- mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp White peppercorns
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp Cilantro roots finely chopped
- 7 oz Ground pork
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Canola oil
- 8 oz Egg Tofu
- 3 cups Chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 Yukon Gold Potato peeled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1/2 Medium carrot peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1/4 cup Celery leaves
- 1/4 cup Celery chopped
- 1 tbsp Fried shallots
Instructions
- In a food processor blend white peppercorns, garlic and cilantro roots into a fine paste.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground pork, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and the garlic and cilantro paste. Mix well.
- Using a melon baller or soup spoon lubricate with vegetable oil, scoop the marinated ground pork into 1/2 inch balls. Place the pork balls on a large plate and set aside.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the egg tofu package on the dotted line. Slowly push the egg tofu out of its package from the bottom. Trim the uneven ends and cut the tube crosswise into six 1-inch medallions.
- In a medium pot over medium high heat, bring the chicken broth and salt to a boil. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add all the pork balls, the egg tofu, and the remaining 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Decrease the heat and cook until the pork balls rise to the surface, 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in the celery leaves and stems and the fried shallots. Remove from the heat and serve hot with steamed rice.
Nutrition
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