Soup for the Soul: Pak Choy – 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:)

Pak Choi - Noodles Soup

Print This Recipe

---

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

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.

---

Winter Warmers: Thai Clear Soups

With the mercury hitting south in our part of the globe, our kitchen smells of sizzling pots of soups, rasams and dals. Sizzling bowl of soup with warm bread straight from the oven or steaming cup of rice with hot Rasam/Dal is what we crave for. After my successful attempt at making Thai Curries, I was keen to learn and cook something new. Thai food is greatly influenced by its neighbours, India, China, Malaysia and Laos. No wonder our Indian taste buds start singing and dancing when tasting Thai food, an explosion of salty, spicy, sweet and sour flavours that sparkle with personality. The four main Thai flavour groupings are salty (from fish sauce), sweet (from coconut and palm sugar), spicy (from dry and fresh chillies) and sour (tamarind, lime, lemongrass), with the less used bitter as a fifth primary flavour. These five primary flavours are the characteristics of Thai cooking, something to touch and delight every taste bud.
As I said in my earlier post, don’t get intimidated by the unfamiliar ingredients used in Thai cooking. There are good substitutes available which you can use if few ingredients are not available in your local shop or you can omit those ingredients which you are not very fond of. And more importantly, don’t be afraid to make changes to suit your taste. While cooking Thai food at home, we found that the food tasted much better than the one from local Thai restaurant. And why it shouldn’t, with freshest of fresh ingredients used, homemade curry pastes and spices made a whole difference. You will never get to see the liberal use of fresh ingredients in any restaurant as at home. Many people shy away from cooking Thai food under the misconception that it takes lot of time and ingredients which are unfamiliar to them. Something magical is created when you cook Thai food or any foreign food over time and the ingredients which were aliens in the beginning become more familiar. I find the time consuming dishes more rewarding. Believe me when I say it is as close as meditation when you get to use mortar and pestle and pound out day’s anxiety.
With today’s recipes we want to prove that Thai cuisine can be as simple as it can get and you need not use many ingredients to taste some authentic Thai fair. By planning ahead and little preparation everyone can cook delicious Thai food which sure to please every taste bud. Make sure you use the best and freshest ingredients and be flexible. Cook with an air of playfulness, experiment with flavour and learn to balance. If you are not sure and nervous, follow the recipe strictly and pay careful attention to the final result. As you taste the dish, think to yourself: is it spicy/sweet/sour/salty enough? Does it suit your palate? Most importantly, remember to please yourself-cook the food the way you like it because it should taste good to you and enjoy the whole process. Every time we experiment and cook, we learn something new. Cooking is as refreshing as meditation with delicious food as a reward and nobody can say no to this delicious reward :)
Armed with our new acquisition Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott to our empty cookbook rack we tried two Thai clear soups, Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu and Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic. As author says, “Soup is an essential component of almost every meal, served and savored along with rice and its accompanying dishes. In keeping with Thailand’s Chinese culinary ancestry, soup functions as a beverage, a liquid refreshment that cleanses the palate between bites and makes way for further rides on roller coaster of tastes that make up a classic Thai meal.” Most of the Thai Vegetarian recipes are also perfect for Vegans and I thought these soups will be a perfect entries for this Vegan Month. These two Thai Clear Soup goes to Suganya's Vegan Ventures Event.

Nancie says, “Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu is a one bowl celebration of Thailand’s sparkling cuisine. Spicy hot with roasted chilli paste and sharply fragrant with lemongrass, wild lime leaves, and a squeeze of lime, tome yum sounds an inviting reveille to your senses.” And I totally agree with her. This delicious flame-colored broth studded with green herbs and vegetables with exotic citrus perfume is a pure delight to one’s senses. Serve hot with a bowl of jasmine rice and enjoy its healing power.

Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu

Print This Recipe

---

Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Makes: 3-4

---

Ingredients:
4 cups Vegetable Stock
2 Lemongrass Stalks
3+2 Kaffir Lime Leaves, cut into long stripes
1 inch Galangal/Ginger, sliced (Optional)
3 tbsp Lime Juice, freshly squeezed
3 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
1 Green Chilli, thinly sliced
1 cup Tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
1 cup Button Mushroom, thinly sliced
½ cup Carrot, julienned (Optional)
½ cup Red Bell Peppers, cut into i cm pieces (Optional)
1-2 tbsp Sambal Olek
1 tbsp Basil Leaves, finely chopped (Optional)
2 tsp Palm Sugar
1-2 tsp Soya Sauce
Salt to taste

Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu

Method:
In a large pan bring vegetable stock to boil over medium heat.
Meanwhile, trim the lemongrass stalk by removing upper hard, dried skin leaving smooth stem. Cut the stalk into 2 inch pieces and lightly bruise the stalk with pestle and mortar.
Add bruised lemongrass , 3 kaffir lime leaves strips, galangal to boiling stock and reduce the heat to low. Let the ingredients simmer for 5-8 minutes till lemongrass stalks turn into khaki green and nice citric aroma fills the room.
While the soup simmers, combine spring onion greens, 2 kaffir lime leaves strips, green chilli slices and lime juice and place them into serving bowls and keep aside.
Scoop lemongrass stalks, galangal from vegetables stock and discard. Add tofu, mushrooms, carrot, bell peppers, basil leaves, sambal olek, soya sauce, sugar, spring onion and salt to taste and increase the heat to high.
When the soup boils again, remove it from heat and pour it on serving bowls and serve at once with Jasmine Rice.

Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu

Nancie says, “Rice soup is comfort food in Thailand, simmered up from leftover rice to nourish a family member who is ill. It is also popular as a hearty breakfast or midnight snack. Cold, fever, aches, hangover and heartbreaks all seem to soften their edge just a little when a generous steaming bowl of Kao Tome appears.” And how can we not try this soup which claims to have medicinal properties and can be served as one-dish meal to satisfied our taste buds. We omitted Wheatballs or Wheat Gluten which the recipe calls and made few changes to suite our taste.

Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic

Print This Recipe

---

Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 3-4

---

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Garlic, coarsely chopped
½ tsp freshly ground Pepper
¼ cup Coriander Roots or Steams, coarsely chopped
5 cups Vegetable Stock
1 cup Mushrooms, thinly sliced
½ cup Carrots, shredded
½ cup Sugar Snap Peas, cut into 1 inch pieces (Optional)
1½ cups Cooked Jasmine Rice
¼ cup Spring Onion, chopped
1-2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp Crispy Garlic in Oil (Recipe follows. Original recipe used ¼ cup)
1 stalk Lemongrass (Optional)
½ inch Galangal/Ginger (Optional)
½-1 tsp Palm Sugar
Salt to taste

Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic

Method:
In a blender, combine 1 tbsp garlic, pepper, coriander roots/stems with little vegetable stock and grind to smooth paste.
Heat vegetable stock in a pan and mix in ground paste over a low flame. Add bruised lemongrass stalk, sliced galangal if using and bring the stock to boil in low flame.
Meanwhile, deep fry or pan fry sliced garlic pieces till they are crisp and golden and transfer to paper towel till required.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan and add mushrooms. Toss them for about 3-5 mins until they are shiny and tender and keep them aside.
Discard lemongrass stalk and galangal from vegetable stock and add sautéed mushrooms, carrots, sugar snap peas, sugar and salt to taste and cook for further 5-8 minutes over low heat.
Add cooked jasmine rice, spring onions and cook for further 5 minutes.
Serve hot or warm soup garnished with crisp fried garlic and coriander leaves and enjoy this one-dish meal.

Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic

---

Notes:
To check substitutes for different ingredients used in Thai Cuisine and also read more of Thai Cooking at Monsoon Spice Click Here. Also Read
Thai Vegetarian Red Curry
Thai Veg and Tofu Green Curry
How to cook Jasmine Rice
How to make Thai Red Curry Paste
How to make Thai Green Curry Paste
Also Check Jugalbandi’s Thai Pantry.

---

Gingerly Cooking... From Cookery Show: Ginger-Potato Curry

The symptoms were there but it was not known to me or to my family for quite many months until last week. Like many people I had been unknowingly affected by cooking shows and it was too obvious not to see what I was doing. The first sign of it showed on one weekend morning when I realised I was talking to myself. I had been making our favourite breakfast Upma. “First we chop these ‘lovely’ onions very finely. Don’t we all love the aroma of onions frying in oil”, I whispered. “Next chop these hot green chillies and these ‘gorgeous’ plump red tomatoes. Make sure that you have sharp knife so that tomatoes are chopped into nice small chunks without much difficulty”, I said flashing all 31 teeth to my virtual audience who were watching my actions keenly. “Pick few coriander leaves and chop them very finely…. Mmmm… I love the fresh smell of these coriander leaves and always end up adding more”, I winked at my fans. “You know what the trick behind good Upma is? It is to roast the semolina in low flame till it turns golden brown and to add water little by little when cooking”, said to my all impressed audience.
Yes, I have had fallen a victim of “food porn” in capital letters. Fallen prey for all those flashy cookware and utensils, the way food is cooked and presented, the charming chefs (Jamie Oliver is the one;). It shouldn’t be a big shock for a person who is a foodie and has her own food blog going on full swing. It shouldn’t be a big shock to her husband who is getting used to the sight of his wife clicking pictures of each and every thing which comes under the category food or anything edible. But talking to myself in kitchen pretending to be a celebrity chef on TV is little too much for my own sake. But hey, it was kind of fun while it lasted ;)
With too many cooking shows in too many channels hosted by too many chefs and too many food blogs I some time wonder at this new craze of cooking. You flip the channels and you will find Gordon Ramsey's explosive attitude showering F-words at would-be chefs in one channel, Nigella Lawson whipping delicious (???) food in minutes in other channel. Other channel has its viewers glued to their screen with all sorts of so called celebrities from politics, movies, music backgrounds trying to win Master Chef fame in one show and next one has tight competition going on for the best dish prepared by Michelin-star chefs for Her Majesty, The Queen. I am not sure if the number of people and time spent in preparing food in their own kitchen has increased or is it just another TV show gimmick! But one thing is for sure, the attitude towards cooking has surely changed. In spite of working late in offices or workplace outside home, both men and women are spending much more time with their families in the kitchen cooking everyday meals. Few years before, it was just the lady of the house whom we would see slogging in her kitchen. With changing time, attitude and lifestyle, we can see many men cooking along with their spouse at home. (Well, at least this is the case in our home:)
Coming back to Cookery shows, Ginger-Potato Curry is adapted from the recipe demonstrated by Rakesh Sethi of Mirch Masala fame. With free-view channels with our TV package, I came across this show on Star Plus and watched Mr. Sethi cooking this dish which immediately caught my attention. This was the first time I came across a recipe which uses so much of deep fried ginger and using it as the main ingredient in a curry. With Sunita hosting this month’s Think Spice event where she asked us to cook with Ginger, I could hardly stop myself from giving it a go. I have made few changes to the recipe to suit my taste. Chef Rakesh used 1 cup of ginger julienne for 250 gms of baby potato which I thought will be too bitter and spicy for our palate. I added 1 tbsp cashew paste because I wanted little thick gravy than thin watery one. It was spicy, sour and sweet with tingling taste of fried ginger and sweet taste of baby potatoes and it tasted better the next day when potatoes nicely absorbed the flavours. Next time I might roughly mash potatoes for the flavours to blend well. So with all these changes here is my Ginger-Potato Curry.

Ginger-Potato Curry

Print This Recipe

---

Ginger-Potato Curry
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 3-4
Recipe Source: Rakesh Sethi of Mirch Masala

---

Ingredients:
10-12 Baby Potatoes, cooked and peeled
¼ cup Ginger juliennes (Original recipe called for 1 cup)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1-1½ tsp Chilli Powder (preferably Kashmiri Chilli Powder)
1 lime size Tamarind Pulp
½ tsp Methi/Fenugreek, lightly roasted and powdered
1-2 tsp Brown Sugar/Jaggary (adjust acc to taste)
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Cashew Paste (Optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 Dry Red Chillies, broken
Few Curry Leaves
¼ tsp Hing Asafoetida
½ tbsp Kasoori Methi
1 tbsp Oil

Ginger Juliennes Before Frying

Ginger Juliennes After Frying

Method:
Place tamarind pulp in ½ cup of hot water for around 10 minutes. Squeeze the pulp and collect the puree and discard the pulp.
Mix turmeric powder, red chilli powder, tamarind puree, salt to taste with ½ cup of water. This is the basic marinade for the potatoes. Prick cooked and peeled baby potatoes with fork and place then in the marinade. Mix them well and keep aside for around 15 minutes (Chef didn't marinade the potatoes and used it directly). After 15-20 minutes, separate the potatoes and the marinade.
Deep fry ginger juliennes in heated oil in a slow flame till they turn brown and crisp. Drain them on paper towel and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard, red chillies, hing and curry leaves.
When mustard starts to pop and splutter, add marinade mixture carefully and mix well. Bring this mixture to a boil at medium flame.
Now add fried ginger, kasuri methi, brown sugar/jaggery, cashew paste and mix well. Cook for further 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add baby potatoes and methi powder and cook over a low flame for 10-12 minutes till all the flavours blend well.
Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves with rice or roties.

Ginger-Potato Curry


Print This Recipe

Watermelon Rind Dosa with Ginger-Coconut Chuteny

Watermelon, watermelon,
On the vine, on the vine,
Green and ripe and juicy,
Green and ripe and juicy
Please be mine,
Please be mine.

Summer and watermelons… Like many (grown up;) kids, I too have fond memories of eating a big crescent of watermelon greedily after playing outside in blazing hot sun, just plain or sprinkled with little salt or dipped in honey. It was dad’s department when it came to buying a huuuuuuuuge watermelon and cut it into big equal sized slices so that we kids don’t get any chance to argue as who got the big chunk of watermelon :) Red and juicy watermelon dotted with slippery and oval black seeds covered with green and white striped skin was one among favourite fruits of mine. Who can forget seed-spitting competition as who would spit the seeds as far as we could and the fear and panic when our elders would tease us saying swallowing these seeds would result in a watermelon plant growing in our tummy:)
When it comes to food, I have one more fond watermelon memory. Once we kids had our fill of watermelon my dad would cut the watermelon into small pieces and store it in refrigerator for late morning snacking and mom would collect all thick skin to make delicious Dosa. My sister and brother preferred sweet watermelon dosa prepared adding grated jaggery ground with rice and white part of watermelon pieces. The spicy version of dosa prepared adding dry red chillies and aromatic cumin and coriander seeds were my and my dad’s favourite.
When Bee and Jai chose Watermelon for this month’s AFAM which is a brainchild of Maheshwari, I knew what I wanted to contribute without any hitch and hesitation or confusion which I usually have whenever I participate in food events. Watermelon Dosa might sound bit unusual to most of readers but you have to try it to know how tasty and delicious it is and how quick and simple it is to make. Unlike many dosa recipes, water melon dosa doesn’t need any fermentation process. Addition of coriander and cumin seeds with dry red chillies takes it to another level of taste. The peel left after eating the red part of watermelon is used to make this dosa. The outermost green part is peeled and only the remaining white part is used to make this dosa. Cut these white parts into small pieces and grind them with rice and other spices to make batter.

Watermelon Rind Dosa with Ginger-Coconut Chuteny and Watermelon Lemonade

---

Watermelon Rind Dosa
Prep Time: 10-15 mins (excluding soaking time)
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-4

---

Ingredients:
1 cup Rice
3-4 cups Watermelon rind, chopped-only the white part as mentioned above
½ cup Fresh/frozen Coconut
3-4 Dry Red Chillies, according to taste
½ tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 small Onion, chopped finely
2 Green Chillies, chopped finely
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped
Few Curry Leaves, chopped
Salt to taste

Watermelon Rind Dosa with Ginger-Coconut Chuteny

Method:
Soak rice in warm water for at least 2 hours and drain water completely.
Grind coconut, rice, red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, salt to taste and about 3 cups of chopped watermelon rinds without adding any water. If the batter is too thick add little more watermelon rinds and grind. The batter should be little thinner than Idli batter consistency.
Now add finely chopped onion, green chilli, coriander and curry leaves to the batter and mix well. Keep this aside for about 15 minutes so that all the flavours blend well.
Heat tawa/griddle and pour a ladle full of batter in the centre. Using back of ladle spread this into thick circle.
Cook both the sides in medium-low heat till they turn golden brown by applying little oil or ghee if desired.
Serve hot with Chutney or Sambar or with honey.

I love my plate of watermelon dosa with honey and Ginger-Coconut Chutney. Here is the simple recipe for making Ginger-Coconut Chutney.

---

Ginger-Coconut Chutney
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: -
Serves: 3-4

---

Ingredients:
1 cup Fresh/Frozen Coconut
¾ inch Ginger
2 Green Chillies
1 marble sized Tamarind
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind all the above ingredients adding little water (about ¾ cups of water) at a time to a smooth paste and serve with Dosas or Idlies.

Watermelon Rind Dosa with Ginger-Coconut Chuteny

---

Did You Know?
Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds.
Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide.
In China and Japan watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host.
In Israel and Egypt, the sweet taste of watermelon is often paired with the salty taste of feta cheese.
Watermelon is 92% water.
Watermelon's official name is Citrullus lanatus of the botanical family Curcurbitacae and it is a vegetable! It is related to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.
A watermelon was once thrown at Roman Governor Demosthenes during a political debate. Placing the watermelon upon his head, he thanked the thrower for providing him with a helmet to wear as he fought Philip of Macedonia.
Watermelon is an ideal health food because it doesn't contain any fat or cholesterol, is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C, and contains fiber and potassium.
The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt.
The word "watermelon" first appeared in the English dictionary in 1615.
(Source: www.mrspohlmeyerskinderpage.com)

---

Watermelon Rind Dosa