simple Archives - Page 2 of 9

Spicy Thai Corn Soup with Greens

30|07|2014

If soup is synonymous with comfort in winter, I cannot get enough. The smell of a pot of deliciousness simmering away on the cooktop, makes me hungry. The thought of a bowl of fresh, steaming soup cradled within the confines of fine china warms up my insides like snuggling by a fireplace in the company of loved ones on a cold wintry evening. I wrap my hands around it. I enjoy moving my spoon in circles picking up pieces of crispy garlic croutons or chunky vegetables on the way before they plump up within the soup.

Although soup has a year-round occurrence in our home, it tends to take centre stage as soon as the weather turns nippy. To turn it into a main meal, I cook it in either of the two ways. A noodle soup of broth-like consistency with Asian flavours, greens and some form of protein. Or a thick soup comprising of lentils, beans or barley cooked in a flavourful and spicy stock with vegetables. This one is somewhere in the middle. The soup is thick, spicy, filling, satisfying and tastes every bit like a Thai red curry without going through the actual process of cooking a curry. Thai curry pastes are extremely handy when you are not in the mood of making your stock from scratch. The base of a good soup lies in the stock in which it is cooked. Using a strong flavouring agent like a curry paste rules out the necessity of a stock and makes life so much easier. Plus you get all the sweet, spicy, acidic flavours that are unique to Asian cuisine. If you have not already realised, the convenience of this soup is that you are making it from few and ingredients that are tinned or canned which makes it perfect for a rainy day.

I have kept the soup vegetarian. You can add your choice of protein to make it your own. The creaminess of coconut milk paired with sweet corn and heat from the curry paste makes the soup outright delicious. Adding greens like broccoli, snow peas, green beans and fresh herbs like coriander, basil or chives makes it nutritious and gives it another level of texture. I enjoy the added heat of chilli flakes in my soups so I sprinkled some on top. It can be easily left out as the soup itself is moderately hot.

Spicy Thai Corn Soup with Greens
Serves 3

2 tsp Thai Red Curry paste
1 canned of corn kernels (400 g)/ frozen corn kernels
1 can coconut milk (400 g)
1/2 cup water (depending on the consistency of the soup you are after)
Salt and pepper, to season
1 tbsp. palm sugar/brown sugar
Greens- broccoli florets, green beans, snow peas
Fresh herbs- Basil, Coriander, Chives
Red Chilli flakes, for garnish (optional)

Heat the Red Curry paste in a large saucepan till aromatic (about 1 minute). Add the corn kernels, coconut milk (reserving 3 tbsp. coconut milk for serving later) and water to the saucepan. Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring at intervals till corn is slightly tender. Remove from heat. Season. With a stick blender (or in the food processor), blend the soup into a thick somewhat smooth consistency. (You could go with a finely blended soup or slightly coarse like the one above). Put it back on the heat, add the palm sugar and vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes or till vegetables are slightly tender. Ladle into serving bowls, spoon over reserved coconut milk. Garnish with herbs and a sprinkling of chilli flakes (if using). Serve warm

Spicy Kale, Sweet Potato And Broad Bean Quinoa Pilaf

13|05|2014

Quinoa. Everyone apparently wants to include it in their diet, it is increasingly visible in supermarkets and health stores. there are recipes doing the rounds all over the Internet, even in restaurant menus and it is categorised as a Superfood. Right? These are facts that I came to learn about Quinoa since it took the food industry by storm. But despite knowing this I was never convinced to buy quinoa or cook with it. I would come across packaged quinoa every time I would go past the health section of the grocery store, hold it in my hands…take a good look and then return it back on the shelf. Nothing about it appeared different from any other grain.

It was not until recently that I started including quinoa in my meals. I was looking for healthy alternatives to rice that would make a meal by itself without much fuss. More importantly it had to take up flavours well. Though I use couscous at times on account of the convenience of making it, I’ve never been a fan. I was surprised how easy it was to cook with quinoa and it would go with any kind of cuisine. It was easy to blend it into a dish whether Italian, Mexican or Indian.

But what is a Superfood? And why is Quinoa one? There is so much information on these topics in the Internet but in simple terms, Superfoods are those foods that offer multiple benefits for the body without a high amount of fat or calories accompanying them. Clearly, Quinoa offers many proven nutritional benefits while introducing very little calories and fat to the diet. It is a tiny grain that cooks up like rice and has a mild, nutty flavor and a light, fluffy texture. High in protein and fibres, it’s benefits have far outdone the benefits of any other grain available. The important thing is that you can incorporate it into your breakfast, lunch or supper as it is versatile.

In this recipe, I’ve gone with spices and it tastes delicious. I found this recipe on Taste magazine which is generally my go-to for simple recipes.It is easy to prepare and you can use your choice of vegetables. It took me about 20 minutes to make this. While the quinoa was cooking, my sweet potatoes were roasting in the oven while I prepped my broad beans. I’ve been generous on the turmeric as I like the curry kind of look for this dish. You could reduce it or leave it out if you want to.

This dish is healthy, vegan, gluten-free and packed with flavours. I am eating this for lunch often with a combination of different vegetables. Frozen vegetables are also easy to incorporate if you want to eat it as a quick, hassle free midweek dinner.

The other discovery I made about Quinoa- it is hard to overcook. So many reasons to bring Quinoa into your life.

Spicy Kale, Sweet Potato And Broad Bean Quinoa Pilaf (adapted with variation from Taste.com)
Serves 4

150g (1 cup) frozen broad beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large orange sweet potato, peeled, cut into 2cm cubes
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground paprika
190 g (1 cup) quinoa, rinsed, drained
500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock (can be substituted with chicken stock if not vegan)
1 bunch kale, stems trimmed, shredded
1/2 cup coriander leaves
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Lemon wedges, to serve

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the sweet potato on the lined tray and drizzle with half the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, cook the broad beans in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes or until heated through. Refresh under cold running water. Drain well. Peel broad beans and set aside.

Heat remaining oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric and paprika; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.

Add quinoa and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid evaporates and quinoa is al dente. Stir through kale until just wilted. Add the sweet potatoes and broad beans and season with salt and pepper. Divide among serving bowls and sprinkle with coriander. Serve with lemon wedges.

Mango, Mint and Lime Granita

27|02|2014

Mangoes were considered the ‘queen of fruits’ where I grew up. They still are. Everything about them screams summer. The vibrant sunny appearance or the sweet succulent refreshing interior. We owned a large orchard and summer time meant eating tonnes of fruit. The green unripe ones would be used for cooking and the ripe ones would make their way into every corner of the house. Boxes and baskets of fruit to be given away to friends and neighbours. The air subtly scented with smell of sweet mangoes. Meal times made special with platefuls of peeled, cut mangoes to finish off. The varieties endless and names so many that it was hard for one to remember.

Alas! A glut of mangoes today, is something that exists only in my memory or possibly in my dreams. In the part of the world where I live now mangoes can be expensive. And make a fleeting appearance. So, it’s case of ‘enjoy while it lasts!’ However, thanks to technology there are options. Like canned mangoes and mango juice. No substitute to the fresh ones in my opinion but okay when you crave for a taste of the glorious fruit.

If mangoes stand for summer, so does ice. While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my share of ice creams and popsicles this summer, my freezer has been packed with trays of Granita. Using both fresh fruit and store bought juice. They are so fun to make with a bit of this and that. The best part is shaving the ice. You can do it over and over again. Melt, freeze, shave. It’s a great way of adding life into store bought juices. And one can enjoy them even when fruits are not in season.

The flavours of this Granita are sensational. You have to taste to know. Mint and lime add a burst of freshness in your mouth which balances the sweetness of the mangoes.

There are no hard and fast rules while making a Granita. One adds flavours of choice, sweetness as per taste. It can be served with fresh fruit, a fruit sauce or even yoghurt or cream. Store bought juices vary in sweetness, so the sugar may need adjustment.

Mango, Mint and Lime Granita
Serves 6-8

500 ml store bought mango juice
1/4 cup sugar (or as per taste)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
Juice of 2 limes

Place the juice and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir till sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cool slightly and add the mint leaves and lime juice. Pour into a shallow baking tray and cool to room temperature. Don’t discard the mint leaves. They get shredded and distributed during the process of shaving the Granita.

Carefully, transfer the tray into your freezer. Scrape at hourly intervals to form crystals until frozen (4-6 hours)

Tomato Garlic Prawn Risotto

23|02|2014

On my blog birthday, I was excited like a child. I wanted to do all things blog. Fortunately, the kids were at the day care so there wasn’t much coming in the way. Having the day to myself, I created and photographed 4 recipes. The caramelised white chocolate cheesecake was already sitting in the refrigerator. I wanted to cut the cake on the same day so picture taking was left till the last minute. Since, I wanted the berries to be as fresh as possible I had to pick them up on the same day too. With boxes of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries at hand and not wanting to waste them (Not using precious berries for recipes especially photography has been considered ‘wasting’ at our place since the time this blog came into being) I wanted to make a few desserts.

By lunch time, there were bowls of batter everywhere. Baking trays kept going in and coming out of the oven. My clothes had stains of cocoa and meringue. There were sweet things in excess and no lunch. I have no shame in admitting that had it been me alone I would be happy to lunch on cake batters and dessert. But since it was a question of feeding others…that too parents-in-law, I knew I had to switch gears to savory.

Like most times, lunch came out of tins and cans. Some pasta sauce, Arborio rice, frozen prawns, a splatter of parmesan, fresh herbs from the garden and lunch was on the table. Risotto is made frequently at our place. We are rice lovers so I stock up on all kinds of rice. Since risotto can be easily turned into warm and filling one pot meals, I can cook up one at a short notice.

I have used frozen prawns on account of convenience. Fresh is always a great option. I usually prefer to keep a pasta sauce with chunky vegetables to add nutrition to the meal. You can go with your preference.

Tomato Garlic Prawns Risotto
Serves 4-5

3 cups salt-reduced chicken stock
1 cup tomato pasta sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
20-22 frozen prawns
salt and pepper, to taste
a handful of fresh basil and parsley leaves

Place stock, pasta sauce and 2 cups cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until mixture starts to simmer.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large pan. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until softened. Add rice. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until rice is coated. Add 1/3 cup stock mixture. Cook, stirring until stock has absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock, 1/3 cup at a time, until liquid has absorbed and rice is tender.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and add the prawns. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through.

Add prawns to the rice. Stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup of the parmesan. Top with basil, parsley and remaining parmesan. Serve.