Thai Tofu w/Minced Pork Soup

In the past few weeks, food took a definitive back seat to music in preparation for my recital. I cut out alcohol and reduced my intake of caffeine two weeks before. I even took up running in the evenings to get my heart in shape for the endurance test that was my recital repertoire, and of course, to lose a few pounds to fit in my recital dress. I still wouldn't call myself chubby, but my waist is definitely not as narrow as it was at this time last year. Being so focused on the music really paid off, because although I didn't drive myself crazy in the practice room (no more than normal), I made it through my recital without any serious brain misfires. You know you're on the right track when you get in bed at night and can't fall asleep until you've involuntarily sung and fingered through the whole Strauss oboe concerto.

One recital and research paper later, my brain is free to think about food and to get cravings. This weekend I was hit with a craving for a soup from my favorite Thai restaurant, Crystal Thai, which is unfortunately 350 miles away. So, in lieu of the real thing I decided to make my own tofu w/minced pork soup. After a quick analysis of how I remember the soup tasting and how one might go about making it, I headed to Whole Foods. While Whole Foods had most of the more exotic things I was looking for, like savoy cabbage and lemon grass, they were entirely out of ground pork. I headed to Dave's Market, where I bought the last pound of ground pork left in Cleveland, and some much more expensive ground veal to supplement. In hind sight, ground turkey might have been a smarter choice.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground pork
1 egg
1 thumb-length piece of ginger
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
1 stalk lemon grass
2 cups (plus some extra) chicken stock
5 cups water
1 head savoy cabbage, cored and cut into chunks
2 blocks of firm tofu, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
1 small bunch cilantro
salt and pepper

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the meat, egg, salt and pepper, 3/4 of the ginger, grated, and 1 clove garlic, put through a garlic press.

In a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the leeks until translucent. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and the remaining ginger, also minced. Cook for 1 minute. Add 2 cups chicken stock and the lemon grass and bring to a boil.

Pinch off 1-inch balls of meat mixture and add to the stock. Add enough water to cover, or about 5 cups, and bring to a boil while stirring gently. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, covered for 1 hour.

Add the cabbage, tofu, and a few springs of cilantro and cook, uncovered, until cabbage is tender, about 15-20 minutes. If stronger flavor is desired, add more chicken stock. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve with a garnish of cilantro, chili oil, or bean sprouts.

I was extremely pleased that the soup ended up tasting exactly how I remember. The only difference was the texture of the meat. I guess when they say minced, they mean minced, not ground, but I wouldn't have made it any other way. Now I have lunch for the rest of the week!