Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp light oil (such as vegetable or sunflower)
- 6 fat spring onions [scallions], sliced
- 2 Tbsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 3⅓ cups (800 ml) homemade or light vegetable stock
- 1½ heads broccoli, finely chopped
- 5½oz (150 g) firm silken tofu
- ½ grated lemon zest, plus a squeeze of juice
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the fiery Ginger Matchsticks
- ¾in (2 cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- cornflour [cornstarch], for dusting
- light oil, for shallow frying
How to Make It
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over low heat and sauté the spring onions, ginger and garlic for about 10 minutes until soft.
- Meanwhile, chop the ginger for the matchsticks into fine strips with a sharp knife or using a julienne cutter or mandoline. Sprinkle a little cornflour onto a plate and toss the ginger matchsticks in it to lightly coat.
- Heat a little oil in a small non-stick frying pan until hot. Scatter in a few of the ginger strips and fry, stirring regularly, for about 1 minute, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat to fry the remaining matchsticks, then set aside.
- Once the onions have had their 10 minutes, add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the broccoli, pop a lid on the pan and cook for 3 minutes until the broccoli is just cooked but still green. There’s not a huge amount of liquid, so push the broccoli down into it and make sure you stir everything around a couple of times during cooking.
- Transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until very smooth. Add the tofu and lemon zest, and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Blend again, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if you need to.
- Pour the soup straight into 4 warmed bowls and top each with a little pile of ginger matchsticks, to serve.
