Asian Tofu and Noodle Soup — A Reminder of a Chicago Favorite!

When I used to live in Chicago, I LOVED Penny's Noodle Shop.  It wasn't necessarily the most amazing place in the world, but it was fresh, fast and really cheap.  It was in short, the perfect place for a rushed dinner, leisurely weekend lunch or even a mid-afternoon snack.  Since leaving Chicago, I've tried a variety of clear Asian tofu and noodle soups to find something that at least approximates what I enjoyed so much at Penny's.  Unfortunately, while I've found some decent soups here and there, I haven't been able to find a place that is able to recreate what seems like a fairly simple dish.

The weekend before last, I went to two Asian grocery stores in New Haven and decided to try to make this soup as best as I could.  I was able to find most of the ingredients that I thought I needed, and I decided to plot forward even though I didn't necessarily have all of the vegetables I wanted (e.g., sprouts, lime, carrots).  I'm glad that I tried it because after a little trial and error, I actually felt like I was sitting at the Penny's in Wicker Park!  

The "error" part was mostly forgetting to include the sesame oil — when I tasted the soup without it (and even with the cilantro, green onion and chili-garlic sauce accompaniments), the soup tasted really bland.  Adding the sesame oil really kicked up the flavor of the soup, and brought all of the ingredients together.  Additionally, I used a full package of tofu, as well as a full can of baby corn, which I think was just too much given the amount of soup I made.  I've made adjustments to the recipe below to accomodate those changes.

Finally, I lost the little sheet of paper that I wrote all of my ingredients/directions on, but hopefully I've recaptured it here.  I'll update the post if I realize that I've forgotten anything!

Ingredients (for 3 large, meal-size servings, or 4 – 5 appetizer servings)

• 5 cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 – 1/2 serrano pepper, finely chopped (vary pepper amount by your spice level, but I would start out with a smaller amount)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 5 cups water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 package firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 can baby corn, drained and cut into 1/2-inch segments
• 2 ounces fine rice noodles (I prefer slightly thinner, pho-style noodles)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 6 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro
• salt to taste
• chili-garlic sauce (optional)
• fresh lime wedges (optional)

Directions

• Boil water in medium saucepan, and add noodles, cooking according to package directions.  Drain water from noodles, and rinse with cold water.  Set aside cooked noodles.
• At the same time the noodles are cooking, heat vegetable oil in a large pot on medium-high heat, and add garlic, hot pepper and one chopped green onion.  Add the soy sauce as well, and saute until the garlic is fragrant (about 2 – 3 minutes).
• Add the five cups of water, and turn up heat.  Bring water to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Add tofu and cook for 5 minutes.
• Then add the baby corn, and 1 tsp. of salt (to taste).  Simmer soup for another 2 – 3 minutes.
• Add cooked noodles, and add additional salt if necessary.  
• Turn off heat, and add approximately 1.5 – 2 tsp of sesame oil (to taste).
• Ladle soup into serving bowls, and garnish each bowl with equal parts of cilantro and remaining green onion.  Add chili-garlic sauce and juice from a lime wedge if desired, and serve immediately.