Taiwanese savory soy milk soup with sesame toast
Taiwanese savory soy milk soup is a warm breakfast where hot unsweetened soy milk is poured over vinegar, soy sauce and chili crisp, which turns it into soft, silky curds in about a minute.
Published .
- Prep
- 8 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Serves
- 2
- Protein
- ~20 g
- The vegan swap
- Hot soy milk curdled with vinegar gives you the soft, custardy bite of eggs, and crumbled nori brings the sea-salty depth that dried shrimp usually adds.
- Make ahead
- Make the sesame toast up to a day ahead and keep it in an airtight container. Mix the bowl seasonings the night before. In the morning, just heat the soy milk and pour.
Ingredients
Bowl seasonings
Soup
Sesame toast
How to make it
Toast the bread
Brush one side of each bread slice with oil, then sprinkle with sesame seeds, garlic powder and salt, pressing the seeds in. Toast in a skillet over medium heat, seeded side down first, 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden. Cut into strips for dunking.
Build the bowls
Divide the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili crisp, half the scallions and the nori between two soup bowls. Give each a quick stir.
Heat the soy milk
Warm the soy milk in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it is steaming with small bubbles around the edge, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not let it boil hard or it can scorch on the bottom.
Pour and wait
Pour the hot soy milk into the bowls from a few inches up so it swirls into the vinegar. Stir once gently, then leave it alone for 1 to 2 minutes while soft curds form.
Top and serve
Scatter the remaining scallions on top, add more chili crisp if you like heat, and serve right away with the sesame toast for dunking.
Why this works
Soy milk is full of protein that tightens up when it meets acid and heat, the same idea behind making tofu. Pouring hot soy milk straight onto vinegar sets it into loose, silky curds right in the bowl, so you get a custardy texture with zero whisking or stirring.
The seasonings sit in the bowl first so every curd soaks them up as it forms. Vinegar brings tang, soy sauce and nori bring savory depth, and chili crisp adds crunch and warmth. Crispy sesame toast plays the role of the classic fried dough stick, giving you something crunchy to drag through the soft soup.
Tips
- Pick a soy milk with just soybeans and water on the label. Brands with lots of gums and thickeners curdle less.
- No black vinegar? Rice vinegar works, and a splash of balsamic adds a little of that malty depth.
- Pouring from a height matters. The splash mixes the soy milk and vinegar fast, which gives you more even curds.
- Want it heartier? Drop a handful of baby spinach into the bowls before pouring so it wilts in the heat.
Questions about this recipe
Why didn't my soy milk curdle?
Usually it was not hot enough or the soy milk has a lot of added thickeners. Make sure it is steaming with bubbles at the edge before you pour. If it still looks smooth after 2 minutes, stir in another teaspoon of vinegar and wait a moment.
Can I use almond or oat milk instead?
Not for this one. The curds form when the acid meets soy protein, and almond and oat milk do not have enough of it to set. You would just get tangy warm milk.