tom yum goong (soup)

Tom Yum Soup is one of the most common Thai dishes we know. Its popularity attributes to its fresh taste and innumerable health benefits. Many use the Tom Yum Soup Paste for quick and easy cooking , which is not a bad option. However, it always gives me pleasure making it the traditional way!

Dedicated to my friend Hemalatha

Ingredients:4 cups of water (or shrimp stalk)

prawns (peeled and de-veined)

stalk of lemon grass (2)

a few kaffir lime leaves

a handful of straw (or shiitake) mushrooms

a handful of cherry tomatoes

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp lime juice

a hand full of cilantro
3 red chillies 
2 inch slice of fresh galangal root
1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)
1/4 tsp sugar
 salt

Method:
Bring to boil 4 cups of water(or shrimp stalk)  in a soup pot .Gently bruise the lemon grass to release the oils and add them into the pot together with the kaffir lime leaves and galangal root. Now add the fish sauce, lime juice and straw mushrooms. Let simmer for 2 mins. Throw in the cherry tomatoes. Add the prawns and the coconut milk(optional). Mix in salt and sugar to balance the flavours. Remove from heat within a minute to  avoid overcooking  the prawns. Garnish with red chillies and cilantro. Serve hot!

Nutrition facts:
This soup helps relieving sinus problems and  boosts your immune system to fight cold and flu!

Quick and Easy Stir Fried Mushrooms and Baby corn

Feel like having some Indochinese food? Stir fry some baby corns and mushrooms with some sauces readily available at home! Both baby corns and mushrooms cook very fast and have a juicy texture. Baby corn is an important Thai crop and  goes well in all Indochinese cuisines. 

Here we go!

Ingredients:

10-15 Baby corn ears, chopped into halves

10 Button mushrooms, chopped into halves

2 tsp Tabasco sauce (red pepper flavour)

21/2 tbsp Chilli garlic sauce (or any tomato sauce)

2 tbsp Sweet soy sauce  

1 tsp Corn starch (optional)

3 slit and deseeded red chillies

2 pods of garlic, coarsely chopped

A pinch of Ajinomoto (optional)

Extra virgin olive oil

salt(optional)

Method:

Simply mix all the sauces with corn starch (if using) and keep aside. Slightly heat olive oil in a skillet and add the coarsely chopped garlic pods. As the garlic softens, add the fresh red chillies and the baby corns. Toss them for a few mintues, add the mushrooms and let cook for 2 minutes. Now add the sauce mixture(together with ajinomoto, if using). Stir fry dry . You can dispense with the salt as there's enough in the the soya sauce ! Stir fried mushrooms and baby corn is ready to serve.

Nutrition info:
This dish is rich in dietary fibre and iron. However the Sodium content is also high. So the salt sensitive people -im sorry, this is not your dish!

Pumpkin,leek and asparagus soup

Hi! This is my first post here and what a better way to start than to post a recipe for a soup? As they say - soups are the best way to shed weight and gain nutrition! Here, I've got a healthy and tasty soup recipe for you.
This is dedicated to my friend Kala!

PUMPKIN, LEEK AND ASPARAGUS SOUP

Ingredients:

2 tbp extra virgin olive oil
chopped onion
chopped garlic
one leek stalk- chopped into rings
a bunch of tender asparagus
1 cup of chopped pumpkin (optional)
mushroom/vegetable stalk/chicken stalk
salt
pepper

mint leaves

a blob of butter (optional)

single cream (optional)

Method:

Slightly heat the olive oil in a soup pot and add the minced garlic and onion to it. Toss it for some time and then add the chopped leek. Now chop the asparagus and keep aside their tender spears. Throw in the chopped asparagus (not the spears) and the chopped pumpkin into the soup pot. Saute the veggies for a while and then add in the mushroom stalk. Cover and cook till the veggies are soft. Let cool and blend it.

Now heat it again with some more of the mushroom stalk and throw in the asparagus spears. Simmer for 5 mins. Add butter, salt , pepper and garnish with mint leaves and single cream. Serve hot with soup sticks .

Nutrition info:

This soup is rich in Vitamin A,C and B6.