Easy & Sweet Seafood Soup with Luffa Gourd and Prawn Broth
Seafood soup is sweet, rich with flavours of the sea, and very savoury. Utilizing broth made from prawn shells and heads, the deep and slightly salty, slightly sweet taste is perfectly balanced with the essence of luffa gourd, also spelt “loofah”, which is a sweet vegetable, to make a warm and light soup.
This soup is just perfect as an appetizer, or an accompaniment to a heavier main course, or even on its own with plain white rice. I used seafood tofu, which is a type of flavoured tofu, as the “meat” part of the dish, but it can be substituted with fish balls or even chicken meatballs. My family thoroughly enjoyed it as it was naturally sweet yet full of oomphs. Very heart-warming.
Sweet Seafood Soup with Luffa Gourd and Prawn Broth Recipe
Ingredients
Apart from the prawn broth, seafood tofu and fresh luffa gourd, I had also prepared shredded carrots for some texture, and the usual seasonings: salt, pepper, oyster sauce, and garlic in oil. I’ve also prepared some cut cilantro for garnishing, which can be replaced with spring onions, or parsley if preferred.
After washing the luffa, we want to peel it to remove most of the dark green skin and the edges around it. I used a fruit peeler for this as it gets the job done. We don’t need to fully remove the skin, however. If there are small spots of dark green skin, they can be left as-is as they are edible. The most important part is smoothening out the luffa’s edges.
Wash the luffa gourd when done and clean up the working area. Next, use a sharp knife to cut the luffa into bite-sized pieces. I cut it into 1.5 inches cylinders, before cutting those cylinders into quarters length-wise.
Feel free to cut it into any other shapes, as long as they are bite-sized. I have also left the seafood tofu as-is, however, they can be halved if preferred.
Cooking the Seafood Soup
Pour all the prawn broth into a pot over medium-high heat. A stockpot is recommended for a large amount of soup. However, I used a normal pot with deep sides as this recipe only yields about 1 litre of soup with the other ingredients. Also, ensure that the prawn broth is still fresh for the best result.
Add in all the seasonings: salt, oyster sauce, and pepper. With a clean ladle, stir the seasonings in until they have fully dissolved into the broth. These seasonings will bring out the prawn flavour in the broth later.
Cover the pot and bring it to a gentle boil. This helps the seasonings to fully melt into the broth. Be sure to keep a watchful eye as it is possible that overboiling can happen. This will take less than 2 minutes.
When the prawn broth is boiling, add in all the seafood tofu. Cover the pot and allow to gently simmer for 1 minute. This brings the seafood tofu to cooking temperature and releases their essence into the soup, making for a tastier mouthful.
After 1 minute, the soup will come to a rolling boil. Now is the perfect time to add in the luffa to be cooked. Add in all the luffa carefully, taking care not to accidentally splash hot soup. Cover the pot and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
By allowing the luffa to simmer in the soup, it will release its natural sweetness into the soup, balancing the deep richness of the prawns with the mild sweetness of vegetables. 2 minutes is enough to almost cook the luffa. The residual heat from the soup will later fully cook the luffa, and the bite-sized pieces have a firm crunch to them. This is how my family and I love to have our luffa gourd.
However, if soft and tender luffa is preferred, they can be simmered for 4 minutes instead. By the time the seafood soup is served, they will still retain their texture, but will definitely melt in the mouth.
Taste the soup and adjust as preferred. Switch off the heat.
Add in the garlic in oil for extra fragrance and flavour, shredded carrots for a little more texture, and the cilantro for garnishing. Stir with a ladle to combine them into the soup. The shredded carrots, though raw, will be fully cooked and soft from the soup’s residual heat as they are very thin.
Now the Seafood Soup with Luffa Gourd can be served!
Bon Appétite
Eaten hot, this soup is very sweet from the luffa, and rich with the taste of the sea from the prawn broth. The seafood tofu is very tasty, and its soft, chewy texture goes well with the slight crunchiness of the al-denté luffa. The shredded carrots are so soft, they melt in the mouth.
This is a really heart-warming soup that is perfect to serve as the family is having a meal together. So tasty on its own, or with rice. Enjoy!
Luffa Seafood Tofu Soup with Prawn Broth
Equipment
- Knife
- Fruit Peeler
- stockpot
- Soup Ladle
Ingredients
- 250 g seafood tofu
- 450 g luffa gourd, peeled and cut to bite-sized
- 1 cup carrot, shredded
- 500 g prawn broth
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper, ground/ powder
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ tbsp garlic in oil
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves, garnishing
Instructions
- Pour prawn broth into the pot over medium-high heat.
- Add in salt, oyster sauce, and pepper. Mix until dissolved.
- Cover the lid and bring to boil.
- When the pot is boiling, add in all the seafood tofu.
- Cover the pot to simmer for 1 minute.
- Add in the luffa. Stir the soup.
- Cover the pot to simmer for 2 minutes for crunchy luffa. Simmer for 4 minutes for soft luffa.
- Taste and adjust as preferred.
- Add in garlic in oil, shredded carrot, and cilantro. Stir to evenly mix.
- Serve.
Video
Notes
- Best served immediately after cooking.
- Can be kept for a day, sealed after cooled, at room temperature, or in the fridge for up to 2 days.