recipe: tomato & tofu soup

I saw the recipe on a Taiwanese cooking show, where it was a side soup dish to Green Onion Pancakes. Well, on its own, this soup is simple and light and is something you can throw together fairly quickly. This is my version of the recipe, and it turned out pretty good. Apologies for the vague directions & amounts. I generally just eyeball everything and taste as I go. My general rule is just add as much as you want to eat.

Ingredients.
1/2 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
sesame oil
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped into slices or cubes (use whatever tomato you like)
1 container of tofu, chopped into cubes (cloth strained, firm)
1 handful of chopped cilantro (including stems)
water
salt & pepper to taste

Directions.
1. Mince shallots and garlic. Drizzle about 1/2 tsp of sesame oil into a medium stockpot, and stir fry the shallots and garlic until lightly browned.
2. Add chopped tomatoes to the pot, and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. This will give your soup a redder color.
3. Add chopped tofu and desired amount of water into pot. Generally 2-3 inches higher than the combined ingredients.
4. Let the soup heat into a rolling boil, and keep it simmering for 5 minutes. At this point, add salt to taste (start with 1/2 tsp, then keep adding to taste).
5. By 5 minutes, the soup should be finished. Some tomatoes will separate from its skin. Turn off the heat, and pepper to taste. (I used black pepper, but white will work too).
6. Top the soup with some extra sesame oil to taste. (Substitute with chili oil, if you want a spicier soup.)
7. Garnish with cilantro for extra flavor. If you have concerns with unclean cilantro (like my Mom), add it in your soup before you turn off the heat. Or, add it in your bowl, and pour the hot soup over it.

Optional: Add a starch into the soup--cooked rice or noodles will make this side soup into a meal, or just drink a lot of the broth and call it a day.