Most Chinese people love to cook and enjoy Tofu soups. Tofu soups can be light and delicate or rich and hearty. Tofu’s ability to absorb every flavor and broth is what makes it so simple and wonderful.

Zha cai ( Chinese pickled mustard ) is a common flavoring ingredient in Chinese cuisine. As a fermented food, it combines salt, spices and mild fermentation—producing a subtle tang from lactic acid bacteria—with its naturally crisp texture, making it excellent for enhancing flavor. When paired with meat protein, the umami becomes even more enticing. This is why dishes like stir-fry shredded pork with Zha cai are so beloved in Chinese family. In fact, the combination also works wonderfully in soup.

This time, we just add frozen tofu with them, to fully absorb their delicious essence.

🥢 Basic Ingredients
Shredded zha cai (pickled mustard), shredded lean pork, frozen tofu, minced garlic, ginger slices, chopped scallions
Optional: red bell pepper or sweet pepper strips

🥢 Simple Steps

1. Heat a little oil in a wok. Sauté the garlic over high heat until fragrant, then add the pork and stir-fry. Splash in some cooking wine.
2. Add dried chili strips and ginger slices. Pour in enough water and simmer over medium heat. The pork proteins will enrich the broth, which will gradually turn milky.
3. Add the frozen tofu cubes (thaw in advance), reduce to low heat, and continue simmering for a few minutes.
4. Put in the shredded Zha cai and let it cook for a short while so its salt, spices and mild lactic acid flavor infuse the soup and meld with the proteins to create umami.
5. When the broth deepens in color and the aroma of Zha cai blooms, add the red pepper strips and sprinkle scallions in. Turn off the heat immediately and serve on table.

Tips

This is a classic homey soup: lightly salty with a hint of tang, low in fat, balanced in nutrition, and gentle for digesting but also appetizing.

Because Zha cai already contains salt, additional seasoning is usually unnecessary—unless you’re using unsalted varieties. If your Zha cai is quite salty, rinse it briefly in water beforehand.

Do not cook Zha cai for too long, so as to reduce its beneficial lactic acid bacteria and diminish its crispness and depth of flavor.

For this soup, frozen tofu performs better than fresh soft tofu because the former has more elastic pores, just like a sponge.