Fall – The season for soup

Its been some time since I’ve added a recipe, so thought it was only fair to give you two for one! Getting married takes up some serious life span (he better be worth it right!?), especially when you organize your wedding from a distance! But I wouldn’t have wanted to be a bride anywhere other than the rolling hills of Hertfordshire. And no, it (honestly) did not rain! Rest assured, my commitment to food continued as I ate my way through St Albans & Rome. It’s funny because I literally dine out for weeks on end or I’m cooking at home for months on end. And I tell you, what I long for much more are homecooked meals! Not just the monotony of menus and often their dissection! – I’m not fussy at all (snigger) but meals at restaurants should feel special – at least most of the time. Too frequent and it all becomes very tedious and I begin to dislike the lack of control. Not necessarily over what I order, but I start to feel restricted (tell me where can you get a decent salad as an entrée in Europe?) and miss home comforts along with my own personal style of cooking. So I’m back and trying to grasp how the hell its October!

Leaving my wedding excuses behind, I am here to talk about my biggest love. Food. And my favorite season. Fall. This means large warm comforting dinners curled up by the fireplace. Okay, maybe a little premature as it’s 31C in the Burgh today. But we know the colder weather is coming and you will need some heavenly cleanse bowls to keep you both happy and healthy. Growing up in England, the only soup choices I remember were tomato or leek & potato and usually out of a can! Don’t get me wrong, Heinz tomato soup has a place in my heart, but soup was consumed to literally warm up. Often full of dairy, salt and heavily processed, soup was not exactly a superfood. Whatever the type, homemade is always better of course, and blended bowls have their place (pass the bread… yes the entire basket) but the lack of texture and exciting flavors relegated soup to (a desperate) lunch or a starter at best. If you were a foodie in the making, you’d probably pass on the luke warm bowl of mush (after politely asking exactly what it is?) and if you’ve ever worked in catering you know the reputation soup has when it comes to a dodgy tum. Needless to say, I wasn’t inspired. This changed as I began to explore Asian cuisine and realized that the East really have mastered this thing called ‘soup’.

So yes, there is definitely a theme here! And certainly an overlap of ingredients. I want to show you how easy it is to make unique dishes from using a lot of the same herbs and spices. Its so easy to get creative with soup – who knew!

Thai curry soup

Green Thai curry is my all time favorite, ever since I first made it from a jar of paste and coconut milk as young girl. I adapted this from my Thai curry recipe – also on the blog – and I’m not sure which one I love more! Let me know if you have a preference 🙂

Ingredients (Serves 3):

The paste:

4 large (8 small) garlic cloves. minced

Thumb size piece of ginger, minced

2 lemongrass (inner stalks) or 1 tbsp jarred

1/3 bunch of salad (spring) onion

Handful of cilantro (stems & leaves)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp dried Thai basil

1 serrano pepper (without seeds) or jalapeno, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lime juice

The curry:

2 organic chicken breasts, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

2 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/2 large head of bok choy, washed, base cut with leaves separated from stalk

3 oz broccolini

1 14 oz can full fat coconut milk (I use Thai Kitchen, organic, unsweetened)

1 cup low sodium vegetable stock

1/2 tsp dried star anise

1 tsp coconut sugar

Fresh red chili paste (I use Sambal Oelek)

Moringa rice noodles (I use Lotus)

Method:

1. Add all of the ingredients for the paste to a blender. If you need some additional liquid, gradually add water.
2. Heat the paste in a large cooking pot – a circular cast iron pan works well. Include the chicken and give it a good stir, coating the meat. Add the pepper and mushrooms, and heat for a couple of minutes.
3. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Reduce to a medium heat and set the timer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the stock, coconut sugar, chili paste and star anise. Taste test as you go – its the fun part!
5. Boil the kettle so your noodles are ready to go – they take 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the broccolini and bok choy stalks a few minutes before the end followed by the leaves in the closing minute.
7. After you have drained and rinsed your noodles in cold water, add them to the soup and give it a good stir.
8. Serve into deep bowls and eat with chop sticks for mind full eating. You’ll be able to savor the aromatic flavors for longer, while improving your digestion.

Chicken & sweet potato soup

The second one is inspired from my sweet potato coconut bowl – also on the blog – but this is higher in protein (with the addition of organic chicken), heavier on the broth and bigger on spice. Perfect without the addition of grains, but if you want some more texture, then I highly recommend opting for cauliflower rice.

Ingredients (Serves 3):

1 tbsp avocado oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp minced ginger (run out of fresh? I have a back up jar from The Ginger People)

1 small onion, chopped

1 14 oz can full fat coconut milk

2.5 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced and quartered

2 tbsp lime juice

1.5 cups organic low sodium vegetable stock (I use Pacific – organic low sodium)

1/2 large head of bok choy, washed, base cut with leaves separated from stalk

A handful of cilantro, chopped

Chili flakes & cilantro leaves, for garnish

Method:

1. Heat the avocado oil in a Dutch oven (or large pan) and sauté the onion until softened.
2. Stir in the garlic and ginger for one minute before adding the chicken and spices, making sure the meat is well coated. Let sear for a couple of minutes.
3. Pour in the coconut milk and broth, squeeze in the lime juice and add the sweet potato.
4. Bring to the boil, let simmer on a medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in the bok choy stalks a few minutes before the end followed by the leaves and cilantro in the closing minute.
6. Fill up the bowl and grab your largest spoon!

The tough part is which one to make first?

Let me know your thoughts!

 

 

 

 

 

enjoy!