When it’s cold and dark, you need a dish that’ll bring a bit of zing into your day. This Thai soup is guaranteed to do just that. It’s full of zesty flavours like lime, lemongrass and ginger, and contains a whopping 11 plants over all – great for helping you fight off winter lurgies.

The Happy Pear guys say that this soup is a favourite of their kids. “It makes a great dinner as well as lunch, and it’s also good eaten cold for a meal on the go,” they claim. Whip up a batch for dinner and then take the rest in for an in-office lunch (even if you have no microwave). 

Crispy tofu adds a powerful protein punch. This recipe is made with an air fryer in mind but it’s easy enough to fry or bake your tofu nuggets if you don’t have one to hand.

For the crispy tofu

200g firm tofu

2 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp garlic powder

1 ½ tbsp oil

For the veg

200g rice noodles

1 red bell pepper

1 carrot

3 scallions or green onions

1 handful of fresh coriander

For the yellow curry paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1 red chilli

1 stalk lemongrass

1 lime, juiced

1 tbsp maple syrup

15g fresh coriander (just the stalks)

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tbsp tamari

1 x 400ml can coconut milk

400ml veg stock

Garnishes

Fresh lime wedges

Choppped red chilli

Peanuts or peanut rayu to garnish

1. Start by prepping the tofu. Cut the tofu into long rectangular chunks (about 4cm x 1cm). In a bowl, toss the tofu with the tamari, cornstarch and garlic powder until evenly coated. 

2. Place the tofu cubes in an air-fryer basket, making sure they are not touching each other for better airflow. Toss the tofu lightly in the oil. Air fry at 200°C (390°F) for about 12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until the tofu is golden brown and crispy. Set aside.

3. Next, cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process, then set aside.

4. Finely slice the red pepper and the carrot, slice the green onions into rounds and finely chop the coriander including the stalk. Keep some of the green onions and coriander back to garnish.

5. Place all the ingredients for the yellow curry paste sauce into a blender and blend until smooth. Add to a pot and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Divide the cooked noodles and veg between the serving bowls. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles, making sure to distribute the vegetables equally. Top each bowl with a portion of the crispy air-fried tofu.

7. Garnish with the peanut rayu, reserved sliced green onions and chopped coriander, lime wedges and sliced red chilli, if using. Serve immediately, encouraging everyone to squeeze some lime juice over their soup to enhance the flavours.

Tip: If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake the tofu in an oven preheated to 200°C fan/425°F/gas 7 for about 15 minutes, or pan fry it for 5 minutes.

Recipe from The Happy Pear 20: Learnings and recipes from the first 20 years, is on sale from 31st October, priced £23.99. Published by Gill Books. Photography by Joanne Murphy.