Name: Coconut Tofu Soup
Ingredients: 1/2 lb Extra-firm tofu; 2 x Cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbl Vegetable oil; 1 can Coconut milk (I try to get; 1 1/2 cup Vegetable stock (or water); 1 tbl Light soy sauce; 1 oz Galanga (Kah); 1 x To 3 Thai or Serrano Chiles; To taste (I like 4!)

Why it works: Tofu and coconut work together. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 91 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Coconut Tofu Soup

Time15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Add a little lemon grass or lime juice to reduce coconut sweetness, tasting as you go.
Drain tofu of excess water by placing a heavy weight over it surrounded by three layers of paper towels. Cut tofu into bite-size pieces.
Stir-fry garlic in oil until golden, then stir-fry tofu until evenly golden brown.

Make the soup

In a medium saucepan, mix coconut milk, vegetable stock (or water) and soy sauce.
Add tofu, Keffir lime leaves (or substitute), and galanga to the saucepan.
Cook over low to medium heat for 15 minutes, do not allow to boil.
Taste the soup; if coconut taste too strong, add more Keffir lime leaves (or substitute).
Pound chilies with the flat of a heavy knife until split.
Add chilies to the soup and cook for a couple of minutes more.
Serve soup over steamed jasmine rice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

535Calories

13 gProtein

45 gFat

24 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Coconut	1/2 cup shredded (40g)	283
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Tofu	100g firm	76
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Water	not in our table	0
Galanga	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Tofu + coconuttop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together91 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Tofu + garlictop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together604 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Clove + coconuttop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together458 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,368 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Coconut + milktop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,648 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Extra-firm tofu: Provides the main body of the soup and absorbs flavor; draining and browning firm it up.
Coconut milk: Supplies richness and fat, giving the soup its creamy body and sweetness.
Vegetable oil: Carries heat for browning the garlic and tofu, adding fat and savory color.
Garlic: Adds aroma and savory depth once cooked until golden.
Light soy sauce: Adds salt and savory depth to the coconut broth.

The step that matters

Keep the soup from boiling. Coconut milk can separate and turn grainy when boiled hard, and the tofu can toughen. Gentle low-to-medium heat keeps the broth smooth and creamy.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, garlic, coconut, milk, sauce):

Turmericfits better
Gingerfits better
Corianderfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, garlic, coconut, milk, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Coconut Tofu Soup