Veg. Tom Yum Soup

 

           This is a simple and a healthy vegetable clear soup - Thai style. It is a soul satisfying soup with some kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass thrown in for some lemony flavor. You can go ahead and add many more veggies, pasta and boiled grains for some variety. 

          Few pieces of boiled and shredded chicken or prawns can also be added for a non-veg. version. It is a complete and a wholesome light meal in itself. 

• 1/2 cup long beans, cut into 1" thick pieces
• 1/2 cup carrots, cut into 1" thick pieces
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• 2-3 tbsp. tom yum paste
• 5-6 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 lemon grass stack, crushed
• 1/2 cup noodles
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup Enoki mushrooms
• 1/2 cup white part of the spring onion, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 spring onion (green portion) sliced

          Add the tom yum paste, salt to taste, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass to a litre of water and mix well. Bring it to a boil. 

          Add the long beans, carrots, broccoli and noodles. Simmer for 2 minutes. Then add the mushroom and the white part of the spring onion. Simmer further for a minute more. 

          Switch off the frame and garnish with chopped spring onion. Serve in individual bowls for a healthy light meal along with some grilled delicacies.

Turai Ka Salan (Ridge Gourd Curry - Pakistani style)

 

             Here is a simple and an easy recipe of Turai (Ridge gourd) cooked in the Pakistani style. So far I cooked Turai with lentils - either tuvar dal or roasted moong dal. So this dish was really something new and delicious. 

            As usual I made it spicy and tangy to suit my palate. So go ahead and try this recipe and I am sure it will be appreciated. It can be relished with steamed rice, jeera rice or any Indian bread. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 2 Turai (Ridge Gourd), sliced
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1-2 fresh red chilies. slit
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp. tomato paste / 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 tbsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• coriander leaves, sliced lime and chopped onion to garnish

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with cumin seeds and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds. 

          Then add the onion and fry till they turn slightly brown in colour.

          Now add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste and all the dry spices mixed with a little water. Sauté till the oil separates.

          Add the turai and combine everything well. To it add salt to taste and sauté on a low flame for 4-5 minutes. 

          Add 1/2 cup water and cook, covered, till the turai turns soft and the gravy thickens.

          When done, switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. 

          Serve with hot steamed rice, jeera rice, plain biryani, paratha, naan, tandoori roti or phulka. 

Note - 

1.  If using tomatoes, add them after the onions have turned brown. 

2.  You can also add some lime juice while serving.

  Heat oil & temper with cumin seeds & slit chilies. Sauté for a few seconds. 

                Add onion & fry till they turn slightly brown in colour.

Add ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste & all the dry spices mixed with a little water. Sauté till the oil separates.

                  Add the turai & mix everything well. 

     To it add salt to taste & sauté on a low flame for 4-5 minutes. 

Add 1/2 cup water & cook, covered, till the turai turns soft & the gravy thickens. 

Add 1/2 cup water & cook, covered, till the turai turns soft & the gravy thickens. When done, garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with hot steamed rice, jeera rice, plain biryani, paratha, naan, tandoori roti or phulka. 

Thai Tom Yum Prawn Noodle Soup

 

                  Tom Yum is a traditional Thai clear soup which has all the flavours - spicy sweet and sour. It is simply delicious, spicy and mouth watering. The prawns and mushrooms brings out the true flavor. Prawns can also be substituted with boiled and shredded chicken. For a more wholesome dish, I also added some noodles. It is a complete meal in itself and a bowl of this appetizing soup gives complete satisfaction. 

           

                   This is a Thai street food which is found all over the country. It has become very popular here now and can be found in many restaurants and eating joints. This is an instant version where I made use of store bought tom yum paste. So when time is a restraint, this is a perfect one pot comfort meal to lift up your spirits. It is almost like a South Indian rasam. 

• 1/2 litre water
• 2-3 tbsp. tom yum paste
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tomato, cubed
• 1 onion, cubed
• 1 cup Shimeji mushroom
• 8-10 prawns / shrimps, cleaned & deveined
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 2-3 tbsp. spring onion (both white & green part)
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves to garnish
• lemon slices to garnish
• 1-2 boiled eggs, sliced into half
• 2-3 dumplings (opt)

          Bring the water to a boil. Then add the tom yum paste, sugar and red chili powder. Simmer on a low flame for 4-5 minutes.

          Then add the prawns, mushroom, onion, tomato, milk, white part of the spring onion and green chilies. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

          Ladle the soup into a serving dish and add lemon juice. Serve, garnished with chopped spring onion, coriander leaves, dumpling, lemon slices and boiled eggs.

Rui Macher Bhorta (Fish Bharta / Mashed Rohu Fish Curry)

 

          Bharta / Bhorta or mashed curry, be they of any veggie, lentil, fish, chicken or egg is very popular, particularly in Bangladesh and in West Bengal too. This is a great comfort food and goes best with hot steamed rice and with a drizzle of some raw mustard oil. The end product is just so divine and yummy. You may also relish it as a side dish with chapatti. 

          So check out this Rohu Fish Bhorta recipe that is so simple and takes very little time to dish out. It is a very easy recipe as very few ingredients are required to prepare it. This traditional dish is almost a lost recipe now and can be found in only few Bengali homes. Do give it a try by following a step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this amazing classic dish.

          In this recipe, fried fish is deboned and mashed along with sautéed dry red chilies, onion and garlic. This is then mixed along with salt to taste, mustard oil and chopped coriander leaves. Apart from Rohu fish, any other fish of your choice can be used. So when time is a constraint, this dish is the best option.

          However, there is another variation where the de boned and mashed fried fish is mixed with sliced raw onion, chopped green chilies, coriander leaves and mustard oil. Sometimes tomato, lime juice or / and kasundi are also used. Both ways it tastes just divine and is served with hot steamed rice. My choice would be the latter one.

• 4-5 Rohu fish pieces
• pinch of salt & turmeric powder
• 3 tbsp. + 1 tbsp. mustard oil
• 3 dry red chilies
• 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 green chili to garnish (opt)

          Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. 

          Heat oil in a kadai / pan and fry the fish till golden. Keep aside to cool. Then debone them and mash well. keep aside. 

          In the same oil, fry the dry red chilies, garlic and onion separately. 

          Mix together the deboned fish, fried onion, garlic, dry red chilies, salt to taste, chopped coriander leaves and mustard oil. 

          Serve with hot steamed rice with a drizzle of remaining mustard oil for a great comfort meal. It tastes divine. 

                   Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt & turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. 

     Heat oil & fry the fish till golden. 

                             Keep aside to cool. Then debone them and mash well. keep aside. 

                                    In the same oil, fry the dry red chilies, 

                                    garlic

                                    and onion separately. 

                      Mix together the deboned fish, fried onion, garlic, dry red chilies, salt to

                      taste, chopped coriander leaves ....

                                  and mustard oil. 

                                   Form into round balls if preferred. 

                       Serve with hot steamed rice with a drizzle of the remaining mustard oil.

Guacamole (Mexican Avocado Dip)

 

          This is a classic Mexican dip that is very easy to dish out. All you really need for my version of this recipe are ripe avocados, onion, garlic, tomato, coriander leaves, olive oil and few seasonings. These basic ingredients are easily available in the kitchen. This healthy party dip can be enjoyed with nachos, tortilla chips or veggie crudités. You can also use as a spread on sandwiches / parathas or serve along with any grilled meat / chicken. Choice is yours. 

• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted & mashed coarsely
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, seeds removed & chopped
• 1-2 green chilies, chopped
• 2-3 garlic, grated
• handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. lime juice 
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• pinch of pepper powder
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

          In a bowl, mix together all the above mentioned ingredients.

          Serve immediately with nachos, tortilla chips or veggie crudités.

Dak Gomtang (Korean Chicken Rice Soup)

 

          Dak Gomtang is a very light and an ultimate comfort food - Korean style. It is also a very healthy one-pot meal with the goodness of chicken, rice and few basic veggies. It is a fuss-free recipe that is incredibly simple, easy and quick to prepare. 

          This soothing soup is typically served in individual bowls with some rice and topped with shredded chicken and spring onion. Traditionally it is served with kimchi. You may relish on its own or with some chili-garlic sauce as an accompaniment. So this soul satisfying chicken soup is an ideal winter delicacy.

          This yummy Korean soup is traditionally prepared with a whole chicken. However I used few curry cut pieces along with some onion, ginger, garlic and spring onion for the stock. I also added a chicken stock cube for some extra flavour. But it is purely optional. 

          Dan Gomtang is traditionally done in an open pot. But, I used a short cut method by preparing this soup in a pressure cooker. It came out just perfect. So this is a perfect light meal for dinner. You can make use of noodles instead, for some variation.

• 1 cup cooked rice 
• 4-5 pieces of curry cut chicken with bones
• 1 onion, cut into four pieces
• 1 cup spring onion, roughly chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1" ginger sliced
• 1/2 tsp. whole peppercorns
• 1 chicken stock cube (opt)
• 3 cups water
• salt & pepper to taste 
• 1-2 tbsp. chopped spring onion (green part) to garnish 

          Pressure cook all the ingredients (except rice) for 3-4 whistles. Strain the stock and keep aside. 

          When the chicken is cool enough, then shred the meat off the bones and keep aside.  

          To serve - place some rice in the serving bowl. Then top it up with some shredded chicken pieces and chopped spring onion.

          Ladle some piping hot stock over it. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy with spicy red chili-garlic sauce. 

Garlic Pepper Labneh (Middle Eastern Dip)

          Labneh is a traditional Middle Eastern dip prepared from strained yoghurt. It is seasoned with some mashed garlic (raw or roasted), pepper powder and salt, then served with a drizzle of olive oil. Herbs like mint, parsley, coriander or dill can be added as a garnish. This healthy tangy dip is best enjoyed with any Arabic bread, veggie crudités, fried foods, bread sticks or bread croutons. I like relishing it as a spread on sandwiches or parathas, a la Indian style.

          Labneh can also be turned into easy to make balls, which are a great addition to a Middle Eastern themed lunch, not because they are yummy but also because they are very pretty to look at. 

          The Labneh balls can be rolled in spices or herbs and served as topping on salads or toasted bread. 

          Alternatively, you could also place the balls in a tight fitting glass jar with generous amount of extra virgin olive oil. It can be refrigerated for 1-2 weeks. Thaw for an hour before using.

• 400 gms. yoghurt
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp. pepper powder
• salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
• a sprig of mint to garnish

          Pour the yoghurt in a cheese cloth and place it on a strainer. Keep a bowl underneath and fold up the ends of the cheese cloth. Refrigerate it for 24 hours. The thick strained yoghurt is used in the recipe. 

          Roast the garlic on an open flame and mash it well. In a bowl, mix the strained yoghurt, garlic, salt and pepper powder until well blended.

          Garnish with mint and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy as a dip with Khubz (Arabic Bread), veggie crudités, bread sticks or bread croutons. It can also be served as a spread on sandwiches or parathas.