Sunday Paper Dinner Table: Miles Tofu Soup

by VILAILUCK “PEPPER” TEIGEN

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Miles Tofu Soup

Serves 4 to 6

FOR SERVING

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground pork, garlic, white pepper, and soy sauce until combined.

In a large pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the carrot. Drop spoonfuls (about 1 tablespoon) of the pork mixture into the broth to make little meatballs. They won’t be perfectly round—that’s okay. Let the meatballs cook for 4 to 5 minutes, skimming away any fat that bubbles to the surface. Add the cabbage, bok choy, and celery and cook until the bok choy has turned bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tofu and cook for another minute, then remove from the heat. Season with the salt and fish sauce, tasting and adding more if needed.

Serve the soup with rice, either mixed in or on the side. Garnish with fried garlic and cilantro.

Reprinted from The Pepper Thai Cookbook. Copyright © 2021 by Vilailuck Teigen with Garrett Snyder. Photographs copyright © 2021 by Jenny Huang. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.

VILAILUCK “PEPPER” TEIGEN

Originally from Thailand, Vilailuck “Pepper” Teigen moved to the United States as a young woman after getting married. She longed for the flavors of home and so she started cooking Thai-ish food using American ingredients to substitute for Thai ones she couldn’t find in grocery stores. It was while she was working at her then-husband’s bar in Washington State that she earned the nickname Pepper, because the patrons always saw her snacking on fresh, spicy chiles. She now lives in Southern California with her daughter, Chrissy, son-in-law, John, and her grandchildren, Luna and Miles.

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