Food Diaries: Savory Soups From The Far East

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I absolutely love Asian cuisine followed by Italian, particularly Thai and Vietnamese. The fresh vibrant flavors and exotic spices crescendo and explode like a harmonious symphony on your palette. And the low carbs and calories are figure friendly as well.

Fortunately, I don’t have to book a trip to Indonesia to enjoy this type of cuisine there are a plethora of restaurants available.

Prior to the internet and cable TV’s Food channel, Asian cuisine, and its recipes, were a guarded cultural secret reserved only for family members, and then passed down from generation to generation.

Now, there are web-sites dedicated to this cuisine complete with “How To” videos and recipes, and if I want to procure the ingredients, I just get in the car and go across town to my local Asian Market, or order them on-line.

Since dabbling in the art of Thai cooking, I've been shopping at this particular market for about 2 yrs. In the beginning, the owners and patrons viewed me as somewhat of an intruder; as I’m sure they don’t get many westerners roaming their isles asking piercing questions, while pointing to a list of ingredients; ingredients I’m unable read or pronounce.

But I think after awhile, I became somewhat of a novelty, because now, they just smile, wave and giggle when they see me.

I had to capture this picture of my shopping cart because nobody believes that one person can consumes this much produce, in fact, people standing at the check-out line think I’m feeding a family of eight. When I try to explain that all this produce is for my juicing regimen, they look at me as though I had two heads and tail...

Here are two of my all time favorite soups. I usually prepare these broths from scratch, and then freeze them as ice cubes for convenience; from scratch they can be labor intense, so I’ve substituted instant soup paste for ease of preparation. For anyone who would like these soup recipes from scratch, write to me, and I’ll be happy to post it.
If you’re unable to find the soup bases at your local Asian market, you’re can order it online from the links provided below.

I’ve removed all the fibrous elements from the recipe and substituted a scrambled egg, (similar to an egg drop soup in Chinese cuisine) Dover Sole and Tofu in place of the Shrimp. Eventually, I hope to return to having it with Shrimp, Mussels and Clams, until then, these substitutions work just find.

Stay tune for more recipes and culinary adventures from the Food Diaries.

Bon Apetite,

The 2th Fairy

Tom Yum Koong Soup

Hot & Sour Thai Soup

This soup has a spicy lemony fragrant flavor profile. You can adjust the level of spice based on how much of the paste you use.

Ingredients

1 quart low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon Instant Tom Yum Koong Soup Paste

1 egg slightly beaten

3 oz of medium firm Tofu cubed
3oz Filet of Dover Sole

½ an avocado*, diced

1 small package of glass noodles
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 lime quartered

Prep & Cook Time: Approx 10 minutes-Serves 2 large bowls, or 4 small servings

Preparation:

In saucepan, heat stock, add paste and simmer. Place noodles in separate sauce pan, add hot water and set aside 15 minutes: noodles do not need to be cooked, just soften. Prepare cilantro, avocado and green onions and place in serving bowl, add soften noodles. Bring broth to a boil, add tofu and slowly pour in egg mixture. Pour soup into bowl. Serve with lime wedges.

Pho Soup (Pronounced-Fa)

Savory Vietnamese Beef Soup

The ingredients are the same as the previous soup however the flavor profile is slightly different. Pho soup has an aromatic 5 spice blend with a savory robust beef flavor. I’ve provided a condiment recipe that gives the broth a slight kick. I also use the condiment in other Thai dishes. Typically this soup is made from a rich hearty beef stock that is poured over thinly sliced raw, or rare beef.  After the 1^st week I was able to add Dover Sole to both soups; a very soft fish that requires no chewing and practically dissolves in your mouth.This variation is still really good and like the original savory, and satisfying.

Stock
1 tablespoon Instant Pho Beef Base

3-Cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock

3oz Filet of Dover Sole

1 egg slightly beaten

1 slice or 3 oz of medium firm Tofu cubed

½ an avocado*, diced

1 small package of soften glass noodles
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 lime quartered

Prep & Cook Time: Approx 10 minutes Serves 2 large bowls, or 4 small servings

Preparation:

In saucepan, heat stock, add paste and simmer. Place noodles in separate sauce pan, add hot water and set aside for 15 minutes: noodles do not need to be cooked, just soften. Prepare cilantro, avocado and green onions and place in serving bowl, add soften noodles. Bring broth to a boil, add Sole and cook for 3 minutes add Tofu and slowly pour in egg mixture. Pour soup into bowl. Serve with lime wedges

Garnish with a few coriander leaves and add 1 tablespoon of Nam jim described below, serve. Enjoy!

Condiment

Nam jim rod dedt (chili vinegar with garlic)
This sauce will keep indefinitely. Its flavor profile is similar to a hot and spicy chili Verde, it's a great compliment to the soup.

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fish sauce
½ cup white rice vinegar
3 tablespoons palm sugar

1/3 cup Serrano Chile peppers, minced
1/3 cup garlic, minced
1/3 cup ginger, grated
1/3 cup cilantro, including roots, chopped

Method
Heat the water, fish sauce, vinegar, and dissolve sugar. Allow to cool, and then add all the ingredients in blender and process to a smooth paste. If you prefer a thinner consistency you can increase the amounts of water, fish sauce and vinegar.

*Although avocado is not traditionally used in these soups, I added it because of its nutritional value as a whole food, and for the soft buttery texture.