I left work early yesterday – whatever I ate for lunch was threatening to make me barf all over my keyboard. I went home, climbed in bed, passed out for three hours and watched Gossip Girl before I realized I was starving.

I decided my best bet was soup. I had most of the ingredients for this recipe, so I half followed it and half threw in whatever sounded good.

Here’s my version:

Egg Roll Soup

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil plus more for frying
2 garlic cloves – minced
1 small head cabbage – shredded (I didn’t have any cabbage, so I skipped it)
2 small carrots – shredded (about 1 cup)
1 small bunch green onions – sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup bamboo shoots
5 cups veggie stock (use 6-8 cups if you are adding cabbage)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce – plus more for serving
10 egg roll wrappers cut into thin strips
1/2 block firm tofu – cut into small cubes

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry tofu until slightly browned on one or two sides. (I sprinkled mine with ginger, you could also use garlic or chili powder)
2. At the same time, heat oil in a soup pot – add garlic, cabbage, carrots, onion, bamboo shoots, ginger, fried tofu, veggie stock and soy sauce and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until vegetables are soft.
4. Meanwhile, cook strips of egg roll wrapper in hot oil in small batches until browned and crisp. This only takes a minute or so per batch.
5. Drain well on paper toweling.
6. When soup is done, ladle into bowls and top with fried egg roll wrappers and extra soy sauce, if needed.

I mostly just wanted broth, so this was perfect for a sick, sleepy night in bed.