I have a recipe for hot and sour soup that I would love to try. . I have never purchased or cooked with tofu. This recipe calls for "1 cup cubed firm tofu; one half of that Trader Joe's two pack."

I have looked online for a picture of that product to give to my friend who shops at TJs but also it not tofu savvy. No such luck. So, I need to be able to determine how many ounces to tell her are needed. Alternatively, I need to describe the package. HELP !

Ooops! Bing told me.... 8.89 ounces = 1 cup.

Yummy! I LOVE hot and sour soup.

me too. I'll check it out

Kroger sells it too. The packs are split in half so you can let the other half stay fresh.

Waiting for the recipe!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2021 10:26PM by SoCalMama.

Stephanie O'dea's Hot and Sour Soup slow cooker recipe

1 cup cubed firm tofu (I used one-half of that Trader Joe's two-pack.)
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can sliced water chestnuts
2 tablespoon soy sauce (La Choy is gluten-free)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (and some more later)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (and some more later)
--green onion for garnish

The Direction

Combine everything in your slow cooker. I used a 5 quart, and I think it was filled about 2/3 of the way full. Here's a picture since I am horrible at judging fraction-y type things:

If I did it again, I'd use a 3 or 4 quart. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or high 4-5. I was impatient (have I mentioned that I'm sick?) and cooked it on high for 3 1/2. The mushrooms would have been better if I had waited.

Taste.

If you need more of the sour flavor, add more rice wine vinegar. If you need more of the hot flavor, add more red pepper flakes.

I could probably eat this all day long. So I did. My kids really like it--they eat the broth and the tofu and leave the rest.
You could easily slip in lots more veggies that you have on hand---carrots, celery, those cute little canned corncobs, etc.

Many recipes call for cooked chicken or pork, which would be a great addition if you have some on hand or wanted to meat it up.


other soup recipes you might like:

Thai Coconut
Moroccan Lentil
Jamaican Pumpkin
Restaurant Tomato
Potato Leek
French Onion Soup

Make hot and sour soup at home easily in your crockpot slow cooker. This is a great soup to make when you are sick -- tastes just like a restaurant!

oh yay...many thanks

@walesmaven wrote:

Stephanie O'dea's Hot and Sour Soup slow cooker recipe

Thanks. I just substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.

How on earth did you get sick??? I have never felt better, since all the people with colds and flus are 6 feet away and masked. I don't know anyone who is sick. Bummer.

ETA: Maybe you aren't sick (I hope you aren't, and it's the receipe author that is sick)?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2021 12:37AM by SoCalMama.

Sorry for the confusion. The recipe author was moved to make this soup because she was having a miserable cold, quite a few years ago. I thought that I had edited out all of her many references to why she needed hot and sour soup. I also do not have any kids; that was, again, the author of the recipe.

We prefer the organic Nasoya brand tofu and if not available, there's a brand called "House Foods" that is wonderful as well. Our local Costco stopped selling Tofu months ago. So sad. We had tofu tonight. I couldn't eat enough. The hot and sour soup sounds easy and delicious.

@Madetoshop wrote:

We prefer the organic Nasoya brand tofu and if not available, there's a brand called "House Foods" that is wonderful as well. Our local Costco stopped selling Tofu months ago. So sad. We had tofu tonight. I couldn't eat enough. The hot and sour soup sounds easy and delicious.

I'm having the Nasoya dumplings this week. They look yummy, but are expensive ($4.99).
Kroger sells Simple Truth Organic tofu and House Foods. I should try House Foods if you say it's good.

Hello, All -I don't have a crockpot. How could I make Stephanie O'dea's Hot and Sour Soup slow cooker recipe on the stove or in the oven? TY, Night Owl at 4:07 pm.

Use a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Set oven to 350 for the first hour; then set it down to about 225 for 6-7 hours. Check it and adjust to promote a slow simmer, not a rolling boil.

Remember, a slow cooker is just a small device pretending to be an oven.

I tried tofu and it was not for me (operator error). Whenever I see a recipe with tofu, I sub chicken breast.

wales, I'm glad you like Stephanie's site! She has a wide variety of awesome recipes.

Too bad about your Costco. In my house one of their boxes of four containers lasts about two weeks. Depending on the expiration date I buy one or two boxes at a time. If I had to I could get the same brand at the Oriental market across the street from Costco, but it would cost more.

@Madetoshop wrote:

We prefer the organic Nasoya brand tofu and if not available, there's a brand called "House Foods" that is wonderful as well. Our local Costco stopped selling Tofu months ago. So sad. We had tofu tonight. I couldn't eat enough. The hot and sour soup sounds easy and delicious.

Hot and sour soup doesn’t need a slow cooker. It comes together fast.

I like Woks of Life for Chinese food. They put a lot of detail into their recipes, but it’s easy to simplify.

[thewoksoflife.com]

1cent, I like that website. Thank you for sharing it!

This soup has zero flavor. I’m adding spices little by little now.

wales, how did your soup turn out?

SoCal, that was the issue I had with the tofu dish I tried. Bon Appetit magazine made it look very delectable.

The only flavor was the red pepper. I added some more vinegar, to no avail.

SoCal, what spices did you add, and to what effect, please?

@walesmaven wrote:

The only flavor was the red pepper. I added some more vinegar, to no avail.

SoCal, what spices did you add, and to what effect, please?

I gave up.
It mostly tasted like water chestnuts. I used Korean Red Pepper Flakes. Rice Vinegar, sesame Oil and Soy Sauce. (which was from the recipe)

Husband said I should add cilantro and fresh grated ginger, but I wanted to stick to the recipe (mistake)
I added white pepper, liquid aminos, more rice vinegar, and a fresh shallot. I also added some "Better than Bouillon" vegetable paste.

The tofu looked like chocolate marshmallows, because it sucked up the color from the soy sauce I think?

It just had no "depth". It was like flavored water, not a broth.

I tried. Bummer.

Tomorrow is mushroom risotto, which is amazing. Even he likes it (and he shies away from anything healthy or vegan). I'm not cooking. I am working 9 hours, commuting 2 hours and doing 2 grocery stores on the way home. It will be ready when I get home at 7 PM.

He makes it with non-dairy milk (I think that it's oat milk right now), Country Crock Plant butter, and vegetable broth, stock or diluted bouillon, fresh mushrooms, and fresh baby spinach. I got some really cheap ($1.49 a box) gourmet risotto from Imperfect Foods a couple of months ago. I ordered 10 boxes because it's usually around $8 a box for that type.

I have also given up on that hot and sour soup recipe. Even made with 100 % chicken broth instead of half water, no discernible flavor. Blah taste.

I have yet to try making this soup but I would add Bok Choy and fresh ginger. Slice up bits of fresh green scallions ( all parts) and add it as a topping to the soup. Has anyone here ever made congee? So delicious with sliced/minced scallions. Now i must search for the tofu dumplings!

Hmm.. Not a tofu expert or even a novice. However, I had read somewhere that the bland tofu is supposed to pick up the flavors of the other ingredients. Perhaps that is not true. I am now going to delve into a few vegetarian/vegan books because I need to know.....

... and I know just one thing more. I found a similar recipe with a different tofu instruction. This recipe calls for firm tofu that is thinly sliced and then cut into small rectangles. Would the thinner pieces absorb more flavor than the cubed tofu?

This recipe has sliced snow peas [for color and texture, presumably], [bland] water chestnuts, broth with typical [mild flavored] veggies, at least 1/4 tsp. of several common herbs, and 8 whole peppercorns. I might add more herbs and emphasize ginger or a westernized [probably the happy medium between your experience and too much of the hot] curry. Would that be ethnically blasphemous, according to foodies? I certainly hope not and intend no offense.. If so, please let me know.

@walesmaven wrote:

I have also given up on that hot and sour soup recipe. Even made with 100 % chicken broth instead of half water, no discernible flavor. Blah taste.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2021 01:18AM by Shop-et-al.

The key to flavor absorption is to press most of the water out of it before cooking. I will do it in whole bricks. If you don't, the texture and flavors will be different. My Mom prefers no pressing. The rest of my family does. Mom prefers soft and silken (hard to press and keep whole). We prefer firm and pressed. I have always wanted to try making a copycat recipe of Chipotle's sofritas. Adding tofu to soups has always resulted in it being bland. The only soup I have made (more so my Mom that is) is bokchoy, veggie wontons, shitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, chicken stock, pepper with topped sliced green onions. Mom does the veggie wontons by hand. I doubt that i can make it taste good otherwise without those delicious wontons. The tofu adds texture and protein.

I read the same thing after my tofu salad disaster. I was not motivated to try making tofu again.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Hmm.. Not a tofu expert or even a novice. However, I had read somewhere that the bland tofu is supposed to pick up the flavors of the other ingredients. Perhaps that is not true. I am now going to delve into a few vegetarian/vegan books because I need to know.....

I am willing to try certain recipes.

Why not get a bag of arborio rice for $4?

@SoCalMama wrote:

Tomorrow is mushroom risotto, which is amazing. Even he likes it (and he shies away from anything healthy or vegan). I'm not cooking. I am working 9 hours, commuting 2 hours and doing 2 grocery stores on the way home. It will be ready when I get home at 7 PM.

He makes it with non-dairy milk (I think that it's oat milk right now), Country Crock Plant butter, and vegetable broth, stock or diluted bouillon, fresh mushrooms, and fresh baby spinach. I got some really cheap ($1.49 a box) gourmet risotto from Imperfect Foods a couple of months ago. I ordered 10 boxes because it's usually around $8 a box for that type.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Why not get a bag of arborio rice for $4?

@SoCalMama wrote:

Tomorrow is mushroom risotto, which is amazing. Even he likes it (and he shies away from anything healthy or vegan). I'm not cooking. I am working 9 hours, commuting 2 hours and doing 2 grocery stores on the way home. It will be ready when I get home at 7 PM.

He makes it with non-dairy milk (I think that it's oat milk right now), Country Crock Plant butter, and vegetable broth, stock or diluted bouillon, fresh mushrooms, and fresh baby spinach. I got some really cheap ($1.49 a box) gourmet risotto from Imperfect Foods a couple of months ago. I ordered 10 boxes because it's usually around $8 a box for that type.

I got it for $1.49 a box, instead of $8 a box.
Amazon has it for $25 for an 8 pack. Cucina & Amore brand. Good quality stuff.

I'm asking instead of buying multiple boxes for cheap, why not get a bag of the rice for much cheaper.

I used to make lobster risotto on New Year's Day. It made sense for me to buy a $6 box for one occasion. Since you make risotto frequently, why not buy the raw rice in a bag.