Papaya Soup

Tinola, a Philippine papaya soup, inspired me to create this. The few recipes I found didn't have great reviews, so I revised one to make it vegetarian and to use some of my herbs and vegetables in my garden.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 221 Calories

Ingredients

• salt to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 6 cups water
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• ¾ cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 cubes vegetable bouillon
• 2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh ginger
• 6 fresh chives, chopped
• 3 fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 1 small hot chile pepper (Optional)
• 1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 small green papaya, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon fried onions, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat coconut oil in a stockpot over medium heat; add onion, red bell pepper, chives, garlic, rosemary, sage, ginger, and chile pepper. Cook and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tofu to onion mixture; cook, stirring every 2 minutes, until tofu is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Season with salt.

Step 2

Mix Worcestershire sauce and lime juice into tofu mixture. Stir water and bouillon together in a bowl until dissolved; pour over tofu mixture. Bring liquid to a simmer, add papaya, loosely cover stockpot, and simmer until papaya is tender yet firm to the bite, about 20 minutes.

Step 3

Remove stockpot from heat, stir on spinach, cover, and allow to sit until spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with fried onions.