Bok Choy soup

Bok Choy soup with mushrooms, carrots, green onions and rice noodles. Flavorful broth with the goodness of ginger, garlic, star anise and sesame seeds. A hugely satisfactory lunch date with my family this afternoon.
This vegan and nutritious soup is not only full of flavor but has flu fighting properties too.
Takes 20 minutes from start to finish.  

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3-4 cloves garlic minced

1 inch ginger, grated

1 bunch green onion, finely chopped

200 gm white mushrooms, sliced

1lb Bok Choy, leaves separate and rinsed

1 large carrot, shredded

1 Star Anise

3 tbsp Soy sauce

6-8 cups Vegetable stock/water

10 oz rice noodles (about ¾ package)

Roasted sesame seeds for topping

Crushed red chili flakes for topping (optional)

1. Heat sesame oil in a large pot. Add onion and sweat for a few minutes.
2. Add ginger, garlic, green onions and saute for 1-2 minutes.
3. Pour the stock in along with shredded carrots and add star anise. Bring to boil, simmer for 5-7 minutes. Discard the star anise.
4. Add uncooked rice noodles, mushrooms and bok choy. Simmer for 5-7 minutes till rice noodles are cooked through.
5. Season to taste and serve piping hot sprinkled with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.

Root vegetable soup with chicken

Chunky root vegetables, slow cooked in flavorful broth and served with grilled chicken chunks on top. This simple cold weather soup is nutritious, filling and packed with flavor. Earthy red potatoes, sweet yams and sweet potatoes, carrots, leeks and parsnips all go in the broth. I also like to add eddos (although they are not technically root veggies). Eddos cook faster than the other vegetables, so add them midway in the cooking process. You can add parsnips, turnips, rutabaga and any other root vegetables you like. The robust flavor comes from garlic, onion, thyme and ginger. Make it vegetarian by omitting chicken. I love to serve this for Sunday brunch.

Root veggie soup (serves 5-6)
Ingredients: 

3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 inch ginger grated (optional)
6 cups chicken/vegetable broth
3 red potatoes
3-4 eddos
2 sweet potatoes
2 yams
1 parsnip
2-3 large carrots
1 stalk leek
2 tsp dry thyme
Freshly cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Fresh coriander to serve

1. Peel yams, sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots. 
2. Dice all the veggies into large chunks. Chop leeks fine. 
3. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot at medium heat. Add minced garlic, onion and ginger. Saute for a few seconds till onion turns pink. 
4. Add all other veggies (except eddos if using) and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. 
5. Add stock and turn up the heat to high. Bring the soup to a rolling boil. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. 
6. Stir the contents and add eddos. bring to a boil again and then simmer covered for 10-15 minutes till everything is cooked through. 
7. Serve hot with/or without grilled chicken garnished with fresh coriander.

Grilled chicken
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry thyme
Freshly cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
Olive oil

1. Mix garlic, thyme, pepper and salt together and use it to season the chicken. 
2. Drizzle with olive oil and grill at 350 F for 20 minutes till cooked through. 
3. Remove from oven and let rest covered for a few minutes before slicing into small chunks. 
4. Serve over the soup.

Tomato Soup

Lunch Option

Classic Tomato Soup

A big warm bowl of tomato soup has comfort written all over it. Prepare this at home with fresh tomatoes, tastes sooo much better than the canned variety. So ditch the can and chop the tomatoes for this heart warming comfort food. Serve with buttered toast for an excellent lunch.

Ingredients: (serves 6)
1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
3-4 large cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken/vegetable broth
10-12 plum tomatoes
1-2 tsp. sugar
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Blanch the tomatoes. Boil some water in a large pan, add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. When you see some skins split open remove them with a slotted spoon into a bowl of cold water. Peel when cool and chop. Keep aside. 
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat till the butter melts. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the onion and garlic. 
3. Add the broth, tomatoes, sugar, thyme, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil while stirring the mixture to make sure that the flour is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. 
4. Discard the thyme sprig if using fresh. Let cool briefly and then purée in two or three batches in a blender or food processor. I used a hand blender so could do it in the pan itself. If it looks too thick you can add a little more simmering broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
5. Serve hot, garnished with one or more of these - fresh herbs, dollop of butter, grated cheese, crisp croutons or a twirl of Crème fraîche.

Chicken noodle soup

Chicken noodle soup with ginger

When the cold season refuses to leave, your upper respiratory system has a traffic jam and your body feels like it weighs a tonne, you want nothing more to do except wrap yourself in a big blanket and go to sleep. A comforting hot bowl of chicken noodle soup is a perfect cure for winter blues. Try this home style soup, a bowl full of seasonal veggies and chicken simmered in flavorful broth with a hint of thyme. Makes for a perfect lunch.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
4 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp grated fresh root ginger
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
1-2 bay leaves
1/2 cup filini pasta noodles or vermicelli
2 cups chopped carrots, celery, leeks, mushrooms
1/3 tsp dried thyme 

1. Heat stock in a pan and add chicken, ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 15- 20 minutes till chicken is cooked through.
2. Remove the chicken and shred into bite size pieces. Keep aside.
3. Increase the heat and add the veggies to the stock along with bay leaves, thyme and salt to taste. Bring to boil and simmer covered for 5 minutes. 
4. Now bring to boil again and add the noodles. These will only take 2 minutes to cook.
5. Remove from heat, remove and discard the bay leaf and add the cooked shredded chicken.
6. Serve hot with freshly ground black pepper. 

Spinach-Mushroom cream soup

LUNCH OPTION

Spinach-Mushroom cream soup

A steaming hot bowl of freshly made soup with a buttered toast on the side, mmmm yum.  My most favorite duo to serve for lunch. Its hearty and wholesome packs away lots of veggies for the family and above all, it's delicious. It is the easiest way to warm up those cold winters or drab rainy days. 

I love making soups. Mostly because it helps clean my crisper, and I don't need to follow a recipe to get it on the table. Almost all veggies can be turned into soup. If you have a bunch of random stuff in your fridge and you have broth, then you are all set to make a soup.  

This version of spinach and mushroom soup is not heavy on the belly. It is perfect for Spring when there is an abundance of fresh spinach and earthy mushrooms. I used Cremini mushrooms hence the color is slightly brown. You can use the white button mushrooms as well. Fresh mushrooms taste heavenly in this creamy delight without the addition of any cream.

Ingredients: (serves 4-5)
4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoons dry thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup milk
4 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
4 cups packed fresh spinach

1. In a large pan, saute mushrooms, garlic, and onions in butter and oil until lightly brown. 
2. Stir in flour and seasonings and cook until blended. 
3. Gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add more broth if it becomes too thick.
4. Stir in spinach. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. 
5. Serve with a slice of buttered toast. 

Spinach-Mushroom cream soup

Rasam

Saaru or rasam as it is more commonly known as a soup prepared with tamarind or tomato as the base. Seasoned with various spices and with the addition of lentils it has a distinct aroma and taste. Rasam can be served with rice or as a soup separately as a starter. A yumilicious treat indeed. There are several ways to prepare rasam, this one here is tomato based. 

Tomato rasam
Ingredients: Serves 6-8

4 medium-sized tomatoes
3 tbsp cooked toor dal (remove some while boiling dal for sambhar)
1-inch diameter ball of tamarind
Pinch turmeric powder
Pinch asafoetida (hing)
Salt to taste
Sprigs of curry leaves, 
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.

Rasam powder
2 tsp Coriander Seeds
2 tsp each chana and toor dal
1/2 tsp black peppercorns 2 red dry chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
For tempering
1 tsp ghee/oil (use oil for a vegan fare)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1. Mash the cooked dal and keep aside. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract its juice, keep aside. Dry roast and grind all the stuff under the rasam powder heading, keep aside. Chop two tomatoes fine and puree the other two, keep aside.
2. In a saucepan combine chopped tomatoes, tamarind juice, salt, turmeric powder, curry leaves and pinch hing and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pureed tomatoes and 1/2 cup water and boil till the raw tomato smell is gone. 
3. Now add mashed dal, 3 cups water, and the ground spice powder. Boil till the mixture froths up, about 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
4. Temper with mustard seeds and serve hot sprinkled with freshly chopped coriander. 

Italian Wedding soup

 

Italian Wedding Soup with spinach and barley

Winter is definitely soup season and here is one of the heartiest. My kids call it the meatball soup. A complete meal on its own, this dish consists of chicken broth with some greens (spinach, endive, kale, etc.), meatballs and some form of grain (mostly in restaurants you will see orzo pasta or pastina). Very quick to make and gives tonnes of satisfaction. I used lean minced chicken for the meatballs, spinach as my greens and barley instead of pasta. If you have never tried barley, you are in for a treat. It is slightly nutty with a lot of body and chewy pasta-like consistency. Extremely high in dietary fiber and selenium, it is one of those wonder foods which is not very widely used yet is very good for you. I highly recommend this recipe for this season. Try it out once and you will be hooked.
Ingredients: (serves 6)
For the chicken meatballs
1 lb lean ground chicken
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 tsp minced garlic
1 egg lightly beaten
handful fresh coriander chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese(optional)

For the soup
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic chopped fine
1 large carrot diced
2 celery stalks chopped
8-10 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup pearl barley
10 ounces fresh spinach washed and roughly chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs and drop one inch meatballs onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20-30 minutes till cooked thru and slightly browned.
4. While the meatballs are cooking heat oil in a large stock pot and saute onion, garlic, carrots and celery for 5 minutes till soft.
5. Add the stock and bring to boil. Add barley and simmer for 15-20 minutes. The barley is just about done at this point. If you are using pasta, cook according to package directions. You might need less stock with pasta as cooking time will be almost half.
6. Add spinach and meatballs and cook on high for 5-6 minutes till spinach wilts and meatballs take on the flavor.
7. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and serve with fresh rolls.

Italian Wedding Soup serve with fresh rolls

Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)

March is Thai Cuisine Month at FabFri

Thai food is known for its balance of the four fundamental flavours in each dish or the overall meal -- salty, spicy, sweet and sour. Fresh and aromatic basil, cilantro, galangal (sharper more peppery version of ginger), hot red and green thai chillies, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and fish sauce are some of the most commonly used ingredients in Thai cuisine.

I got hooked on to these flavours fairly recently and since then have explored and tried several versions of some of the most popular recipes. This month we are feasting on all these dishes and getting high on Thai. So join us and enjoy.

Tom Yum Goong

Perhaps the most famous of all Thai soups is this delicious spicy shrimp soup called Tom Yum Goong. It is a perfect blend of all four Thai flavours and is a great concoction to clear up your sinuses this allergy season. In Thailand it is often served in a charcoal heated hotpot.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

6 Cups water
6 lemongrass stalks crushed
3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
10 kaffir lime leaves
1-4 Thai red chilies finely chopped (number depends on the desired spice level)
1 inch galangal peeled and finely chopped
2-4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 lb raw shrimp, deveined and peeled
2 oz mushrooms sliced
12 cherry tomatoes halved OR 4 regular tomatoes cut in thick thunks
juice of 2 limes
cilantro and basil leaves for garnish

1. Pour stock in a large stock pot and add lemongrass, cilantro, lime leaves, chilies, galangal, fish sauce and sugar. Cover and bring to boil, simmer for 3 minutes.
2. Add shrimp and mushrooms and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and lime juice. Check seasoning and add more fish sauce (for salty flavor) and sugar if necessary.
4. Remove and discard lemongrass stalks. Serve garnished with cilantro and basil.