Recipe by Kayli Pascal-Martinez, Blue Zones Project - Hawai‘i Ambassador

Sandy Pascal created this soup in 2020 as a low-sodium comfort soup for her husband, Chuck, who was sick with cancer. At the time, he could only eat soft foods such as tofu. As his cancer progressed, his appetite was suppressed. He was able to enjoy soup made up of the following ingredients. Sandy continues to share this comfort food with others in hopes that it will lift their spirits as it did for her husband. 

Ingredients: *For a one pot recipe

• 2 blocks of medium firm tofu
• 5 bunches of baby bok choy, sliced
• 2 blocks of Japanese fish cake (we like Hilo's Amano Finest Vegetable Tempura Deep Fried Fish Cake), chopped
• 2 tbsp of Better Than Bouillon Chicken Paste (opt for 2 tbsp of Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base along with 1 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning for a plant-based version)
• Halfway up the pot of water, or less

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes 

Directions:

1. Place approximately 4 cups of water in a 6 quart skillet. Then heat on medium heat. You can add more depending on the amount of guests/people being fed.
2. Add a heaping 2 tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base in the skillet.
3. Wash and strip baby bok choy. Cut the tofu and fish cake into bite size pieces. Make sure to throw each one into the skillet after cutting it.
4. Once you’ve added all of the ingredients together, let it boil for less than 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat. You want to make sure you don’t overcook it because you want to keep that vibrant green with the baby bok choy.
6. *Optional: Add more of the chicken, or vegetable base, if additional flavor is desired.