Monday 31 March 2008

Beginning of the week soup..

I am not trying to comeover all Nigella but this is a great dish to have on a Sunday or at the beginning of the week. It is tasty but healthy and seems to make up for the excess of the weekend. I am sure that there is a proper recipe for it somewhere and that it is Thai or Vietnamese in origin but one of the things I like about it is that it is not accurate and you can freestyle it according to what you fancy or have to hand.


For the soup itself:




I usually get a pot and fill it up a random amount of boiling water, whatever quantity I think will do two people. To this I add a Gallo organic stock cube either chicken or vegetable. I smash up a clove or two of garlic, add a finely slice chilli (the size and hotness of which depends on your palate), a stick of two of lemongrass samshed up, some lime leaves and let it simmer for about 15 mins. Towards then end I add some fish sauce, and fresh lime juice.

What you end up with is a hot, fragrant fiery broth that feels good for you.

I either drop in

a couple uncooked King prawns until they change colour
or some organic chicken breast to poach
or a fresh mackerel with the head and tail chopped off. This only needs a couple of minutes to cook and the flesh just falls off.
or some vine tomatoes




When serving I get a big handful of raw baby spinach to sit in the bottom of the bowl, (this wilts in the heat of the broth and therefore retains all the goodness) and then pour in the liquor with whichever meat I have used.




To garnish I use what is lying about, so some bean sprouts, some mint and some basil.




Voila! Unami - tastic!


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