20 February, 2008

Soup for the Soul: Pak Choy – Noodles Soup

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Pak Choi - Noodles Soup


Where else could you catch a massive cold, if not in wet and cold Britain? I was surprised to see how I survived from Jan to mid Feb from the clutches of cold and flu when colleagues in my office were walking around with a tissue stuck to their nostrils!! Just when it seemed like we are going to celebrate early springs with daffodils smiling at clear blue skies, the temperature plunged to -10 degree celcious. Ha!!! Serves me right for planning my early spring shopping. Once I stocked up enough of cold remedies and boxes of Kleenex, I tried to research the latest findings on how best to tackle the illness that is still eluding the pharmaceutical industry. Well, what else I could have expected. As usual the results were not very encouraging. It seems there is actually no remedy for cold and one wise (wo)man even mentioned "Medicate a cold and it will be gone in 14 days; ignore it and it will be gone in two weeks." So if the cold usually lasts for two weeks then there is not conclusive proof that popping Vitamin C or zinc supplements is gonna work for you. These supplements might simply mask the cold but they don’t actually cure you.

With my nose looking like that of a buffoon’s, blood shot eyes watering continuously due to my coughing night concert, and tissue dangling from my nostrils I usually rely on some tried and tested recipes like pepper rasam, kashayam or bowl of piping hot soup. After all, there is nothing more comforting than boiling few tomatoes with little spices and a good pinch of salt or boiling a glass of water with tulsi (holy basil) with few crushed peppercorns and honey/jaggary. Well, it’s also all you likely to feel up to if you have a really nasty cold. But if it’s your hubby dear who is cooking for the poor you, then you as well give yourself a special treat;)

We created this Pak Choi-Noodles Soup using the ingredients which is sure to comfort me and clear the congestion. Who says creativity can't kick in when your nose is blocked? It's just your nose that is blocked not brain;). This sunshine coloured soup doesn’t require any fancy ingredients or too much of time and energy to prepare. The ingredients used are lemon grass stalk, ginger, black pepper corns and garlic which is a natural remedy for cold and a splash of soya sauce and lemon juice for tingling taste. Addition of noodles, pak choi, and red bell peppers make this filling as well as very comforting meal. I am sending this bowl of Sunshine to Lisa who is hosting No Croutons Required event and she wants us to make a soup that even the most carnivorous diner would drool over. Thank you Pooja for the tip:)

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Pak Choi – Noodles Soup
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
4-5 cups Vegetable Stock
1-2 Pak Choy/Pak Choi, cut into bite size pieces
Handful of Noodles (I used medium noodles)
1 small Red Bell Pepper, cut into bite size pieces
1 small Onion, finely chopped (Optional)
4-5 stalks of Spring Onion, sliced
1 inch Ginger, crushed
2-3 Garlic flakes, sliced thinly
¾ tsp Lemongrass Paste/1 stalk of Lemon Grass, outer skin removed and bruised
Few Black Pepper corns, crushed
1-2 Green Chillies, slit (Optional)
¾ tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Sambal Olek (Optional)
Few Basil, roughly chopped
1 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
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Pak Choi - Noodles Soup

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion and sliced garlic. Sauté it on medium flame till onions turns translucent.
Pour in vegetable stock and add bruised lemon grass stalk, sambal olek, slit green chillies and crushed ginger. Bring it to gentle boil.
Mix in noodles, red bell pepper, crushed peppercorns, soya sauce and salt to taste. Cook on a medium heat till noodles are cooked.
Add pak choi, spring onion and cook for another minute or two.
Switch off the flame and discard the lemongrass stalk and crushed ginger. Mix in lemon juice and basil and serve hot.

Update:
With my nose and brain blocked, I kind of forgot to thank Sig for sending me this cute You Make Me Smile Award. Thank you sweetie for this award (You can send me the confession mail stating whether I really make you smile. I cross my heart and promise not disclose the contents of your mail). Well, it really means a lot to me when somebody says I make them smile and I take it as a great compliment. And the big surprise (read shock;) was there are some people who really read my l-o-n-g posts filled with everything under the sun. Boy!!! You guys really have patience ;) So thank you for reading my rants and continue to knock on my door in spite of driving you all mad with my non stop talking. Now to keep my reputation I think I need to post some jokes instead of my monologues dialogues to make you all smile! And I am passing this award to all you people who make me smile with your wonderful comments, suggestions and feedbacks. So spread the smile around because that’s what the world really needs.

40 comments:

  1. once in a while a soup like this lifts up our soul. great recipe.

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  2. MMM Soup!! It's snowing here in DC again so your soup would do the trick of keeping us warm. Sigh too bad you are like a bazillion miles away or else I would be over for dinner in a hot second ;o)

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  3. Supriya, this looks warm and hearty, just what I want on this freezing cold day :) beautiful pics too!

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  4. Bok choi is my favorite too :). Sia, this soup surely is the perfect remedy for all cough and cold! Slurp!

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  5. Hope you're feeling better, Sia! That is one gorgeous looking bowl of soup. I'd love to have some even though I don't have a cold! :)

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  6. Bok Choy soup is yummy Sia, like the chunky veggies there, very comforting. Hope it made you feel teeny weeny better too. Rest girl!:))

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  7. oh poor you, looks like everyone I know is down with cold or flu...not too good. Hope you get well soon. Another remedy, add pepper powder to a glass of milk and drink up, cold should be gone sooner than u think :) The Noodle soup looks delicious.

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  8. Sia, get well soon. Cold is no fun but the soup you have there sure would have worked wonders for the swollen nostrils. Looks slurpilicious :)

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  9. So Chinese cook inside you is rocking again now :) . I remember you Chinese cooking , i loved them all, and tried some too now is the turn of this soup :) . sups is making soup :D ....
    Take care dear of your health and get well soon . you can send this to No crontons required ,which is having deadline today . check out detaisl on my tomato-beans soup.
    get well soon , take enough rest and eat lot of fruits with Vitamin C .
    Hugs to you dear .

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  10. that;s a delish pic, Sia. Do the veggies have to be such big chunks though?

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  11. Hope you are feeling better now! Even here everybody has been sick the past two months... People at work are passing it back and forth :( Soup looks very pretty... Pak choi is bok choy right? I love it, and lemongrass in any soup is awesome!

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  12. Dear Sups,sorry to hear about your plight...yes, the temperatures have really made a nosedive...but that lovely soup of yours must have surely raised your spirits...take care, girl.

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  13. Sia, get well soon..that soup looks great for a non cold time too!...and yes not just sig...I too end up smiling reading your posts..long posts?..gosh is it so..I never noticed it..I think this is a very short one ..:D..i always felt I write long ones...u too??

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  14. Soups are super any given day! Get well soon dear and I always love ur posts.. love ur ranting too!.. hehehe..

    Get well soon!

    Siri

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  15. Hi Sia... I love ur blog... i am defintitely going to try this soup over the weekend...

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  16. Gorgeous soup! Thank you for participating in our event. The roundup should be up tomorrow, assuming I can get caught up here!

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  17. Yummy Soup.
    I love soup like this. They are healthy , filling and super delicious.

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  18. u sure, u did not bring on the cold just so dear hubby cooks for ya....lol
    hope u feel better soon.
    soup looks good, lemon grass has such a wonderful flavor, right ;)
    congrats on the award sweetie! hugs

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  19. if its any consolation Sia, it's POURING her ein "sunny california" and is also going to rain over the weekend!

    at least you get to it the delicious noodle soup:)

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  20. Soup looks yummy.Get well soon Sia.

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  21. Hope u're feeling better, Sia! You must be, with all that pampering!;-)

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  22. :-) You deserve that award Sups! Congrats! Hope you're feeling much better after devouring that yummy looking soup! PErfect entry!
    And i hear you on the home tested herbal remedies- nothing like those to comfort a cold!

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  23. Get well soon and I really do enjoy your rants...this soup is perfect for a cold or otherwise..great picture!

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  24. beautifull pics and hearty soup sia

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  25. "Who says creativity can't kick in when your nose is blocked?" Nice line!

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  26. I love these kinds of food..... clear base with lots of things in it to pick and choose from..... can you eat with chopsticks? Try using them and you will enjoy eating it... trust me!

    Get well soon.... Catch you sometime on chat. ;)

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  27. You proved creativity has no blocks even when nose has blockages. Well iam also suffering from cold. let me also have a soup.

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  28. Hi Sup!! Oh yes after those cold wave, we all definitely need something to cheer up and soup is the best anyone can offer!!
    I just love it!!!
    Do take care and hope your nose looks like u'rs and not of a buffoon's!! have a great weekend.I am going to have a very very quiet one!!

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  29. wow..pic looks yummy...bet it tastes wonderful..keep rocking

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  30. Hi Sia,
    Get welll soon. The soup looks so beautiful. It looks like a food network pic.

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  31. This is so good... a one pot meal... I think I have most ingredients... will make this soon :-)

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  32. very nice recipe Perfect for your health now!!!hope you get well soon lady !!!

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  33. wow, me a carnivorous diner is drooling over the pic :P very nice pic. Hey, i have something waiting for you in my blog.

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  34. soup looks awesome!! and nothing like it on a cold day....when you're under the weather...or have to feed just yourself!! love the colours!! i hope you feel well soon sia!!

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  35. The colour of the soup makes it so inviting....Hope your 7 days pass as soon as possible.

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  36. Hey get well soon sia and waiting for ur delicious recipes..Soup always cheers me up. thanks for posting..

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  37. The soup looks so delicious and healing. Hope you are very well now.

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  38. That soup looks Beeyootiful - as Kylie Wong would say! :)

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  39. @All,
    thank you all. i am feeling much better after all the pampering from hubby dear and ofcourse medicines. taken a day off to recover completely. thank you for ur wishes:)
    sorry, i couldn't visit ur blogs since few days. i will resume my blog hopping once i recover well:)

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Namaste! I am Sia and welcome to Monsoon Spice, my virtual home. Thank you for all your comments, inputs and feedback. I really appreciate the valuable time you spent browsing through my recipe repertoire.

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