15 Minutes Super Simple Seaweed and Tofu Soup( Vegan)

5 min readNov 15, 2021

This 15 minutes super simple Seaweed and Tofu Soup( Vegan) is so tasty, light, and you’ll have it on the table in just under 10 minutes. The soup( broth) is thinner than the usual creamy soups, and the umami flavor is from the seaweed and vegan fish sauce. The beauty of this soup is that It’s simple, fast, and healthy! — a perfect warm-up starter soup!

What’s Seaweed?

Seaweed, its scientific name is Undaria Pinnatifida. In English, it can also be called Sea Mustard, Miyeok in Korean, and Wakame in Japanese. It is incredibly nutritious and packed full of vitamins and iodine, a widely used ingredient in Asia, especially in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisines. You will often see them in soups, salads, side dishes, stir-fries, even pancakes.

As an ingredient, seaweed (海帶[haidai,] sometimes referred to as kelp) has been used in Chinese cuisine since prehistoric times and is one of the foods to which Chineses attribute their health and longevity

What does seaweed taste like?

The taste of seaweed is ocean-like: minerally and salty. The biggest flavor in seaweed is the sea-like saltiness. Dried seaweed is tough to eat as it is, so they require soaking for at least 15 minutes( hot or cold water both are ok.) After soaking, they’ll tend to take on a chewy texture the way nori does.

However, once seaweed is cooked, the flavor kinda mellows, and soak up whatever seasonings you add into it.

What ingredients for Seaweed and Tofu Soup?

Seaweed– also known as Wakame( Japanese), Miyeok( Korean). Usually, you can buy a big bag of dried seaweed and it will last for a long time, as dried seaweed will expand 10 times bigger in volume after soaking in water. Generally, it is cleaned( before seaweed is packaged, it will be washed, dried, packaged, and so on.) If you take a closer look and see impurities or dust on the seaweed, such seaweed must be cleaned before cooking.
Silken Tofu– cut it into roughly 1.5×1.5×1.5 cm cubes. Silken tofu is also known as soft tofu, it has a smooth and “silky” appearance. It’s very light in texture with a wonderful, creamy mouthfeel and fatty flavor. Just in mind, some silken tofu in Asian groceries contain eggs, please check the label before purchasing. If you can’t find silken tofu in the shops, regular firm tofu is a replacement for this recipe.

Vegetable Stock & Water– Use salt-reduced( low-sodium) vegetable stock mixed with water to give the soup an extra rich flavor. ( You can use store-bought vegetable stock or you can make your own, check here How to make Asian-Style Vegetable Stock)
Seasame Oil– toasted sesame oil gives this soup a bit of nutty flavor
Vegan Fish Sauce– Vegan fish sauce gives this soup the natural umami taste, if you don’t have vegan fish sauce, simply replace it with light soy sauce.
Spring Onion( Shallot)– thinly sliced
Salt & Ground White Pepper– salt is usually not needed as fish sauce is quite salty. you can taste the soup first to see if salt is needed.

How to make Seaweed and Tofu Soup?

Heat up vegetable stock and water in a heavy-based saucepan on high heat.
Cut dried seaweed into bite-sized pieces by using a pair of scissors, then place them into the pot.
Put the lid on, let the broth simmer for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, open the lid and add diced silken tofu into the pot.
Add seasonings( vegan fish sauce, sesame oil, salt, and ground white pepper) and stir.
Bring it to a boil, then it’s ready to serve. ( Garnish with sliced spring onion and white sesame seeds) Enjoy!

If you do try this recipe, let me know! –Let me know how you like it by rating the recipe & leaving a comment! by tagging @joyful_dumplings_vegan_recipes. I love seeing your creations!

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