Scallion Fermented-Bean Tofu Soup (cong chi dou fu tang)

Why people make this soup

When the weather swings cold, the little ones in kindergarten are the first to catch a wind-cold, says Nourilo. He likes parents to keep dispersing foods like ginger, garlic, scallion white and coriander on hand. This scallion-bean-tofu soup is his go-to at the very first chill — it gently disperses wind-cold and opens the nose, helpful for that early stage of headache, stuffy nose, clear runny nose, sneezing and a scratchy, ticklish cough.

Method

1. Rinse the fermented black beans; cut the tofu into pieces; smash the scallion whites flat.
2. Lightly pan-fry the tofu in a little oil until fragrant, then add it and the fermented beans to a pot with 1.2 L of water and cook about 20 minutes.
3. Add the scallion whites and boil 3 more minutes. Serve hot.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup suits both adults and children. When a child has a cold, digestion weakens a lot — the easy-to-digest tofu adds nourishment to help recovery. Note: dan dou chi (the prepared, unsalted fermented bean) is sold at Chinese herb shops, and is different from the black beans used for steaming dishes.