Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

This is my kind of comfort food! It combines some traditional Thai flavors with somen noodles and tofu for protein.  I cook the tofu in a frying pan to crisp it up a little, and it contrasts really nicely with the soft wheat noodles.  Udon noodles, which are a little thicker, would work as well.  Although rice sticks would be more authentic, I like the heartiness of the wheat noodles.

I scaled down the spiciness considerably – I only used 1 tsp of red curry paste, and it was pretty mild – but if you like spicy food, use a full tablespoon.  I used Thai Kitchen brand, and I’m not sure how that compares with other brands in terms of spiciness.

(adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)

9.5 oz somen noodles

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chopped ginger

3 cups broth (vegetable or chicken – your choice)

1 tbsp turmeric

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp red curry paste

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

20 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 cm cubes

1 can (13.5 oz) light coconut milk

1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro

3 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts

2 tbsp thinly sliced shallot

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook somen noodles according to package directions.  Set aside.

Heat the peanut oil in a large saucepan or soup pot, until you can clearly smell the peanut aroma (that’s how you’ll know it’s hot!)

Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, turmeric, soy sauce, curry paste, sugar, salt, and lime juice, and whisk to combine.  

Turn heat to low and allow broth mixture to simmer.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high.  Add tofu and cook, shaking pan and flipping the tofu cubes until they are golden and slightly crisp on the outside.

Put the tofu into a large serving bowl or soup tureen.

Add the noodles and coconut milk to the broth mixture and cook for a few minutes.  The noodles may be stuck together, but just give them a nice stir.  When the soup is heated through, pour over the tofu and stir well.

Top with cilantro, peanuts, and shallots to serve.

Bok Choy Chicken Soup

This is a great, comforting chicken soup.  It’s a  wonderful recipe from my favorite Chinese cookbook; I can’t believe I’ve made so many things from the book but never this!

(adapted from The Chinese Kitchen by Eilenen Yin-Fei Lo)

Marinade:

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

2 tsp chopped fresh ginger

2 tsp Chinese rice wine

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

pinch white pepper

2 tsp cornstarch

Soup:

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced

3 cups chicken broth

a 1/2″ piece of ginger, lightly smashed

1/2 lb bok choy

2 tsp Chinese rice wine

Combine the chicken and marinade ingredients in a bowl.

Mix well, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 15 minutes.
Separate the bok choy stems and leaves, and cut both parts into thin slices.
Put the broth and ginger in a pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.  

Add the bok choy stalks, stir, and return to a boil.

Lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes or until the stalks become tender.

Turn the heat back to high, add the leaves, stir, and return to a boil.

Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and marinade and stir well.

Bring to a boil and cook for a two minutes, then add the wine.

Cook, stirring, until the chicken is done.

Transfer to bowls and serve.

A twist on Tom Ka Gai

I wanted to make a version of tom ka gai (Thai chicken and coconut soup with lime) that was vegetarian and included noodles.  I used some things I found in my pantry and put together this soup.  The lime juice stirred in at the last minute is what makes this soup so amazing.  If you prefer hotter foods, feel free to add more chiles!

3 or 4 pieces dried galangal (or 3 or 4 slices of fresh galangal, if available)

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1″ lengths

4 chiles de arbol, stems and seeds removed

1/2 tsp sugar

3 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth is fine too, if you aren’t making this vegetarian)

8 oz nigari tofu, cut into 1″ strips

1 16 oz can lite coconut milk

salt

juice of 2 large limes

6-8 oz dried rice sticks

Fresh cilantro for garnish

In a large saucepan, boil the galangal in 1 1/2 cups water for about 10 minutes. (Skip this step if you are using fresh)

Stir in the broth, chiles, lemongrass and sugar and simmer while you prepare the tofu.

Heat a medium nonstick frying pan over medium high heat and add half the tofu.  Stir fry for several minutes, until golden brown. 

Set aside and repeat with the other half of the tofu.

Stir the tofu, rice sticks, and coconut milk and cover, simmering until the noodles are soft.

Taste and season as needed with salt.

Using tongs (to help with the noodles) and a ladle, distribute the soup (avoiding the galangal) into 4 bowls.  Stir in about a tablespoon of lime juice, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

The Perfect Lentil Soup

In the not so distant past, I would have told you there is no such thing as perfect lentil soup.  Lentils were something I forced myself to eat because they seem so healthy.  Fortunately, I discovered I was just using the wrong kind of lentils!

This soup doesn’t look like much, and there’s no picture because I left my camera at my in-laws house on father’s day…BUT it is delicious.

The key is the lentils.  I used red ones, which I buy from the bulk bins at my local natural foods store.  I was disappointed to find that they don’t stay red after you cook them, but no matter.

Clarified butter is another recent discovery that I adore.  I guess you could use vegetable oil instead, but clarified butter gives a great flavor.

This recipe is adapted from “The Bombay Cafe” by Neela Paniz

1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained

6 cups water

1-2 tsp salt

1 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

1.5 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1.5 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 serrano chile, minced

1 tbsp lemon juice

Put the lentils and water in a large saucepan over high heat.  Partially cover, and boil for about 40 minutes, or until the lentils have completely disintigrated.  Skim off the foam and then add about a teaspoon of salt, or maybe 2 (depending on your taste preferences).  Turn the heat down to low and cover.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the ghee.  Toss in the cumin, ginger, serrano chile, and mustard seeds and cover for 30 seconds, shaking the pan.  Then pour this into the lentils and stir.  Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Tortilla soup

I am pretty much obsessed with soup, or really any food that can be eaten out of a bowl.  My freshman year in college, I ate literally every meal in the dining hall out of a bowl…and my floor-mates nicknamed me C-Bowls because of it.  

Soups are fantastic because they can suit any mood, any season, and are a great way to throw together odds and ends from the fridge.  I love this soup because it can be as simple as a rich chile-tomato broth with just the delightful crunch of tortilla strips or you can dress it up with shredded chicken, queso fresco, avocados, cilantro and Tapatio to amp up the heat.

I adapted this recipe from “Mexico One Plate at a Time” by Rick Bayless

1 lb chicken breast tenders

1 lime

2 cloves garlic

6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2″ by 2″ strips

Vegetable oil

2 dried pasilla chiles, seeds and stems removed

1 15-oz can whole tomatoes, drained

4 cups chicken broth 

1 medium white onion, sliced thinly

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz cotija cheese or queso fresco, cut in small cubes

1 avocado, cut in small cubes

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

To prepare the chicken:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Slice the lime thinly and chop the garlic. Place the chicken in the middle of a large sheet of parchment paper, and toss with the garlic and a little salt.  Lay the lime slices over the chicken and fold up the paper so you have a nice little package.  Put that in a pie pan or roasting pan…I just use an old 8″ round cake pan.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.  Remove from the oven and open the parchment so the steam can escape and the chicken can cool.

While the chicken is baking, pour the oil into a large, heavy sauce pan so it is about 1/2″ deep.  Heat until a piece of tortilla sizzles immediately when dipped in the oil, but don’t let it get so hot it smokes.  Fry the tortilla strips in 3 batches, stirring the pan, until they are beginning to brown.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.

Pour the oil out so there is just a thin coating remaining, and turn the heat to medium.  Add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, until they are light brown.  Transfer to a blender, but don’t wipe out the pan.

Tear the chiles into pieces and stir fry in the pan for about 30 seconds, or until they are just beginning to blister.  Place them in the blender with the onions and garlic, add the tomatoes and a few tablespoons of broth, and puree until smooth.

Transfer the contents of the blender back into the pan (over medium-high heat) and stir constantly until the mixture has the consistency of tomato paste.  Add the salt and the rest of the broth, stir to mix,  and turn the heat to low.

With two forks, shred the chicken and stir into the soup. Taste the soup and add salt if necessary.  Ladle into bowls, and top with tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, and a sprinkling of cilantro.