Veg Thai Tom Kha Gai Soup Recipe

Thai recipes are not supposed to be vegetarian. They like their seafood and their meat, and create magic with it. 

Since some of us like to be vegetarian and eat Thai food, we need vegetarians versions of Thai recipes. Someone's got to do it! 

While I may not be the first, this is an awesome vegetarian Tom Kha recipe. Tom Kha is my favourite Thai soup and I usually order the one with chicken and mushrooms. However, my homemade vegetarian version has tofu and no mushrooms (because I was serving this to someone who doesn't eat mushrooms either!). 

In Singapore, we get something called a Tom Yam set on most supermarkets that has all the essential ingredients to make vegetarian Tom Kha soup, namely, galangal, lemongrass, thai chillies, kaffir lime leaves, lemon, and shallots. 

Galangal is not optional and ginger is a very poor substitute. Galangal tastes nothing like ginger, although they look very similar. 

Tom Kha soup is supposed to be watery, not thick, so water is a reasonably good base for the soup. However, if you have the patience to make your own vegetable stock or have access to good vegetarian stock cubes, please use that for added flavour. 

Vegetarian Thai Tom Kha Gai Soup

Serves 2 generously

Ingredients:

1.5 cups thick coconut milk

1 cup water / vegetable stock

2 stalks of lemongrass

2-3 1" pieces of galangal

5-6 kaffir lime leaves

4 shallots

1 block of soft tofu cut into 1" cubes

12 button mushrooms, quartered (or any other variety you like)

4-5 Thai chilli padi / serrano chillies

1 tsp sugar

1 lime

Fresh coriander leaves / cilantro to garnish

Salt to taste

How I Made It:

1. Discard the bottom 2 inches of the lemongrass. Discard the top woody part and use the middle portion (about 8" of it) for the soup. Cut this part into small circles and set aside.

2. Roughly chop the galangal, chillies, and shallots. Tear the limes leaves into two.

3. Bring water or vegetable stock to a boil and lower fire to a simmer. Add the galangal, lemongrass, shallots, chillies, sugar, and lime leaves. Keep on simmer for 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the coconut milk and the tofu and mushrooms with some salt. Keep on simmer for another 7-10 minutes until the mushrooms are soft.

5. Remove from fire. Squeeze in fresh lime starting with half a lime and then increasing the quantity as you like. Garnish with roughly torn coriander leaves / cilantro. Serve hot.

The flavour should be spicy, sour, and sweet from the coconut milk and added sugar. Adjust the ratios according to personal taste. 

Basil Pesto Pasta Recipe

After discovering the deliciousness that is homemade fresh basil pesto, I had to try a pesto pasta immediately. It was a totally delicious, healthy, and quick-fix dinner on a weeknight (and so the pictures were taken in the light box)



Basil Pesto Pasta
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 cups of pasta of your choice, cooked al dente
3/4 cup basil pesto
One small broccoli, cut into florets
A handful of green peas
1 tomato, cubed
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
A few basil leaves, roughly chopped (optional)

How I Made It:

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the minced garlic. Fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the broccoli florets, tomato, and grean peas to this and stir fry for a minute. Sprinkle some water and cook for about 4-5 mins until the broccoli is cooked and soft.

2. Add the pesto and stir until it coats the vegetables. Toss in the cooked pasta, salt and pepper and mix well until all the ingredient are well incorporated.

3. Garnish with chopped basil leaves (if using) and parmesan before serving. You can serve this cold or warm.



The beauty of this recipe is, you can add any vegetables of your choice and serve it as a main dish or even as a pesto pasta salad. Its absolutely delicious, try it!

Cheddar Cheese Soup Recipe

This is from Nita Mehta's Soups, Salads and Starters. I was slightly skeptical when I read the name of the soup but since I had some cheddar cheese lying around and really wanted to use it up. The soup was a pleasant surprise, not as heavy as I expected but quite filling and creamy.

Cheddar Cheese Soup

Source : Nita Mehta's Soups, Salads and Starters

Serves : 5-6

What I Used:

2 onions, chopped

3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

25gm (1 cube Amul cheese) cheddar cheese, grated

2 tbsp butter

1 cup milk (I used low fat 'cuz that's all I had)

5 cups water

1/2 cup sour cream (I didn't use this)

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

To Garnish:

Croutons

25gm (1 cube Amul cheese) cheddar cheese, grated

Fresh coriander leaves (optional)

How I Made It:

1. In a pressure cooker pan, add the butter and brown the onions lightly.

2. Add potatoes and saute for 1-2 mins. Then add the water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Remove from fire.

3. When cooled, blend the pressure cooked onions and potatoes in a mixer to a puree, along with the water used for cooking them.

4. Strain the puree (I didn't do this) and set aside.

5. Boil the milk separately. Bring the strained pureed soup separately to boil and add the milk, stirring continuously. Simmer for 2-3 mins on low flame.

6. Add grated cheese, salt and pepper.

7. Finally add the sour cream, if using, keeping the soup on very low flame and stirring continuously. Remove from fire.

8. To serve, grate top off with some grated cheese and toasted croutons with coriander leaves if using. Serve hot.

This goes to Monthly Mingle - Soups, conceptualized by Meeta and hosted this month by Sunshinemon. Thanks for reminding me, Sonia :)

Beetroot Rocket Salad with Brie

The other weekend, I uncharacteristically went and bought a bunch of stuff I usually wouldn't. It all started with this amazing salad I had at an Italian restaurant and I was craving it ever since! If I crave for a salad, then you can rest assured it was actually that good. I was almost successful in bringing the same taste at home the very next day!

Let's start with the Brie right here. Except for a couple of times I've had this with crackers at some fancy buffet, I've never bought Brie. That's totally changed now. I am a convert, to say the least.

Hello there, you creamy, evil mound of cheesy goodness.

Next we have Balsamic Vinegar. Again, its something I've had while eating out, I've come across it in other blogs but this is the first time I have ever owned a bottle of this. And while I was at it, I went and bought the best available bottle of balsamic vinegar in Singapore whose price shall not be discussed. Ever.

You are good, you know you're good.

This is what I ended up with. Like I said, it was pretty darn close in taste to the original thing I had in the restaurant. Here's how:

Beetroot Rocket Salad with Brie

Serves 2

What I Used:

4 cups lightly packed rocket lettuce leaves

1 small beetroot, cubed and steamed until cooked yet firm

Brie cheese cut into small pieces

Toasted sunflower seeds (the original recipe used pine nuts)

For the dressing:

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp sugar

A pinch of salt

Toss the salad leaves and other ingredients together. Mix the ingredients for the dressing well and combine just before serving.

There's something about rocket lettuce that makes me want to eat it all day. I am not much of a salad person but this salad totally makes me want to take that back.

The dressing used here is slightly sweet and very mild so it doesn't overpower the taste of the greens or vegetables. The brie gives a nice creamy feel to your bite and the sunflower seeds add a much needed crunch. Perfect!

What's more, its so photogenic! ;)

Basic Potato Salad Recipe

This is a quick one. I didn't make it intending to post it actually. I changed my mind after trying to find this recipe online, in vain. Ok, flashback time. 

TH sometimes talks about his childhood days in Abu Dhabi and how they went to Pizza Hut every now and then. He always talks very fondly about the potato salad they served there. Now me, I have not tried salad in Pizza Hut, ever! Pizza Hut is for pizzas. Period. Anyway, recently we attended a colleague's wedding where they had potato salad and TH went for a few helpings and forced me to try some too, which he never does, 'cuz really, I don't need to be forced to eat anything. I was just busy with other more tastier looking things on the table. I tried it anyway and I loved it! It tasted so 'simple', like you could make it with just 3-4 ingredients in the pantry. I didn't bother trying to figure what went into it because I was confident I'd find it online. 

I'm sure its out there somewhere but its not easy to find because there are a million ways you can make potato salad. So I gave up and threw in what I thought went into the salad we tried. Now I am sharing it with you :)

Potato Salad Recipe

Serves 4

What I Used:

Potatoes - 3 medium-sized ones (I used russet potatoes)

Spring onions - 1/4 cup, very finely chopped 

(You can also use celery or leeks or even cilantro instead of spring onions)

Mayonnaise - 1/2 cup (I used Kraft mayo, out of a bottle)

Cream - 2 tbsp

Greated cheddar cheese - 2 tbsp (optional)

Lime juice - 1 tbsp or more

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Boil potatoes until soft and cool completely. I cooked them in the pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside. 

2.  Whip together cream, mayonnaise and cheese with salt. Add lime juice to this and mix well. 

3. In a bowl, add the potatoes, the whipped cream-cheese-mayo mixture, spring onions and salt-pepper. Mix well without breaking the potatoes too much. 

Serve at room temperature. 

This is a great salad to serve when you have large number of people coming over and little time in hand. Its hard not to like it and it goes great with junk food like chips, burgers, tikkis, etc. Just make sure that you prepare it not too long before you need to serve it. Also, make sure you transfer leftovers to the fridge immediately in case you want to use it the next day. 

Easy Broccoli Soup

Broccoli is very expensive in India so I have never cooked with this vegetable before. Its very widely available in Singapore and priced pretty much like any other vegetable so I bought some the other day. The only problem was, I didn't know what to make with it. Ignoring TH's comment to "cook it like you do with cauliflower, maybe Aloo Broccoli?", I started searching around for a good soup recipe since I was sure I had come across some nice ones before.

Finally zeroed in on this very easy Broccoli Soup recipe from BBC - Food.

What I Used:

Broccoli - 2 cups, chopped (discard the thicker part of the stem)
Vegetable stock - 4 cups (I used store-bought but here is a nice simple recipe if you want to make your own vegetable stock)
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves, chopped
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper - to taste (freshly ground pepper makes a lot of difference to the taste)

How I Made It:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the garlic till it turns a light brown at the edges.

2. Add the stock and the broccoli, bring to boil and simmer for 25-30 minutes. The broccoli should be cooked at this point.

3. Blend in a mixie/blender and serve hot with some salt and pepper.

In case you've been wondering where my Nablowrimo posts since Thursday are, hope on here :)

Other Soup Recipes On This Blog:

Tomato Soup
Pepper Rasam
Easy Vegetable Soup

Paneer Tomato Salad

This recipe has been in my archives for a long time now, simply because its really not much of a recipe - just a concoction of different ingredients that I like. I took a picture and saved it since it was just too colourful to pass without doing atleast that.

Now I see a great opportunity to post it because this is for a cause. O Food For Ovarian Cancer Awareness. Its a competition that spreads awareness about Ovarian Cancer and features all ingredients that either starts or ends with O. The one I am featuring here is Tomato. For more details, please click here.

What I Used:

Ripe red tomatoes - 2
Paneer/Indian cottage cheese - 1/2 cup, cubed
Capsicum/green bell pepper - 1/2 cup, cubed
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp
Lime juice/vinegar - 1 tbsp or more
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Mix the chaat masala, pepper, salt and lime juice/vinegar well together.

2. Mix the tomatoes, bell pepper and panner together, adding a bit of salt. Mash some of the tomato pieces so there is some mush and juices for the paneer to soak in.

3. Pour the lime dressing over it before serving. Can also be served as a wrap in chapati or pita bread.

Corn Peas Tomato Salad

I am not much of a salad person. I mean, I do like them but not as a meal in itself. Most of the salads are ones I make as an accompaniment to the main course. Because of this I don't spend much time on them, especially the dressing. After beginning to work, I find myself pressed for time to make dinner and I feel bad when there is just one gravy and one curry with rice. TH never complains but still I feel guilty. So salads like these are my solution! I sometimes fill the gap with raita too, but about that in a different post :)

Now onto the salad.

What I Used:

Serves 2 (on the side)

Boiled Corn kernels - 1 cup
Boiled peas - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped onions - 1/2 cup
Finely Chopped tomatoes - 1/2 cup
Minced garlic - 1/4 tsp (1-2 cloves)
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (I used white)
Lime juice - 1 tbsp (or to taste)
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Mix the salt, garlic and pepper with the lime juice.

2. Mix all the veggies well and add the above lime juice mixture 10 minutes before serving.

*Notes*

- I sometimes mix this with plain steamed rice and serve it as a rice dish. It looks colorful and is a welcome change from just plain rice.

- This salad is also good for making rolls with chapatis. To hold the salad together, you can add some light mayonnaise.

- You may also like my Pear-Apple Salad with Honey Dressing.

Apple-Pear Salad with Honey Dressing

Summer is here and with it, end of March which brings in additional 'heat' of pending deadlines for events. I made this salad last week but was not very happy with the pictures. One would think I am quite used to posting bad pics on this blog but somehow, I feel bars have been raised now :D I didn't have time to make this again, so the post will have to do with bad pics.

Pears are known for its mild flavour and firmness. This is why I like them best in salads and maybe poached. Wiki also says that in some varieties, its difficult to tell apart apples and pears. This was quite surprising to me since we get only one kind of pear in Hyderabad and maybe a couple of varities of apples. And reall, its not difficult to tell them apart easily.

Anyway, I used up a couple of pears and one apple in this salad. I also experimented with some spices and flavours for the dressing and was quite pleased with the results.

What I Used:

Ripe pears - 2, cubed
Apple - 1, cubed
Honey - 4 tbsp
Lime juice - 2 tsp
Salt - 2 pinches
Cinnamon - a few small pieces
Chaat masala - one pinch

How I Made It:

1. Mix the cubed fruits well with salt, before they turn brown.

2. Sprinkle chaat masala over this.

3. Mix the honey, lime and cinnamon well and pour over the fruits just before serving.

The burst of different flavours was quite unique. I added more lime juice than necessary, so the measurement given here has been adjusted. Please check to make sure the measures are to your taste.

This fresh fruity salad goes over to Raaga's AFAM - Pears and Abby's Monthly Mingle - Fruit Sensations.

Easy Tomato Spaghetti with Shredded Chicken

Any kind of pasta is always a welcome dinner for me, simple because it is hassle-free and doesn't demand a side dish or gravy. Isn't that a perfect meal for one? (Oh!! How I hate cooking just for myself!) I prefer the tomato based paste to the cheese base, though I crave for the latter occasionally. This is an as-simple-as-it-gets kind of recipe to make some yummy spaghetti. Vegetarians, just avoid the chicken and add mushrooms instead, if you like them, or just go plain!

What I Used:

Spaghetti - one packet
Shredded cooked chicken - 1/2 cup
Pureed tomatoes - 4
Capsicum/bell pepper - half
Spinach (optional) - 3 to 4 stalks
Crushed garlic - 6 pods
Oregano - 2 tsp
Pepper - 3 tsp
Salt - to taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp

How I Made It:

1. Cook the spaghetti in boiling water till done. Add some salt and a little oil the water to enhance flavour and prevent it from sticking together once done.

2. Heat the oil and fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the diced spinach and capsicum, pureed tomatoes and the chicken and fry for another minute.

3. Add the spaghetti and mix well. Season with the oregano and pepper while still on the stove and mix well. Adjust salt and remove from fire.

Serve hot.

This One-Dish Dinner goes to Meeta's Monthly Mingle.

Simple Tomato Soup with Garlic Toast

I had been racking my brains to come up with a good recipe that focusses on garlic for Sunita's Think Spice event. This is one of my favourite spices and I almost went ahead and made my first pickled garlic. Well, note that I said almost. My laziness got the better of me, of course! So last weekend, I made something much simpler yet really tasty and filling. Tomato soup and garlic toast!

Tomato Soup

Serves 2

What I Used:

Tomatoes - 4
Garlic, crushed - 4 cloves
White pepper - 2 tbsp
Basil leaves - 2 (I used dry basil leaves powder)
Salt - to taste
Sugar - one pinch
Butter - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnishing

How I Made It:

1. Puree the tomatoes with salt.

2. Heat a kadai and add the butter. When it has melted, add the garlic, pepper and basil leaves and stir well for 10 seconds.

3. Add the pureed tomatoes and cook for some time, partly covered. You can sieve the tomato puree if required, I just removed the skin of the tomato before pureeing, that way its easier.

4. Adjust salt and spice, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

This is a really simple recipe for tomato soup that I tried out on my own. Was pretty okay, but the frothing just wouldn't go off. Any suggestions on that, please pass it on.

Garlic Toast

What I Used:

Wheat bread - 3 slices, halved (Use any bread of your choice, baguette being the ideal one)
Salted butter, at room temperature - 3 tbsp
Garlic - 6 cloves

How I Made It:

I am not a huge fan of garlic chunks in the toast so I blended the butter and garlic nicely before spreading on the bread and toasting till golden brown. It was out of this world!

This simple meal enters Sunita's World to participate in her Think Spice..Think Garlic Event.

Stir Fried Sweet Potatoes With Onion-Carrot Salad

I was alone at home for yet another weekend and was dying to make something other than dal, sambhar, wheat dosa and all the other normal dishes I make over the weekend, especially if I am alone. So I went to the corner vegetable wallah, looked around and my eyes caught a pile of sweet potatoes in the corner. I immediately decided to buy it, not giving much thought to what I would make with them.

To my horror, I got back home and came to realise that my internet connection had conked off. I was relying on looking up online for some recipes to cook the potatoes. Since that option was ruled out, I just started putting together my own recipe and it turned out so well that I was sad there was nobody to share it with.

Stir Fried Sweet Potatoes With Onion-Carrot Salad

What I used:

For the Stir Fried Sweet Potatoes:

Sweet potatoes cut in round slices - 150gm

Marinade:
Curd - 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Keep the sweet potato slices marinated in the marinade for 1 hour.

2. Shallow fry till both sides are golden brown and keep aside.

For the Onion-Carrot Salad:

What I Used:

Carrots - 2
Onions - 1, big
Fresh Coriander Leaves - a bunch
Chilly powder - one tsp
Lime juice - of half a lime
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Cut the onions and carrots into long strips.

2. Mix in the chilly powder, salt and lime.

3. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with the stir fried sweet potatoes.

Stir Fried Sweet Potatoes With Onion-Carrot Salad

I am sending this recipe to Mansi's event - Game Night Party Recipes. Anything stir-fried should be a good add-on to a party night.

Chicken Noodle Broth

I spent 10 mins trying out different names for this post. Chicken soup, Chicken noodle soup, Chicken soup for the soul (yeah, I know!), Noodle chicken broth, etc etc. Finally settled on Chicken Noodle Broth.

If you check recipes of chicken noodle broth online, you will invariably find chicken pieces added to it or atleast shredded ones. What I have here is just plain chicken broth with noodles in it, spiced up with some pepper and salt.

Wikipedia says that Chicken broth is the liquid part of chicken soup. Broth can be served as is, or used as stock, or served as soup with noodles. Broth can be milder than stock, does not need to be boiled as long, and can be made with meatier chicken parts.

Its great to have when you have a cold or a bad throat. As the weather is cold these days, its great to have a hot cup of chicken broth to curl your fingers around and watch some TV.

Chicken Noodle Broth



What I Used:

Maggi Chicken Stock Packets - 2 (150 gm)
Noodles - 100gm
Water - 4 cups
Pepper powder - 3 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Cornflour - 1 tsp (if you want thicker consistency)
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Boil the noodles in little water, until cooked.

2. Add the water, bring to boil and then add the chicken stock powder. Mix well before it forms lumps. Add the coriander powder and cornflour also, at this stage.

3. When the raw smell of the stock powder leaves the broth, mix in the pepper, adjust salt (stock powder has added salt, so be careful!) and remove from fire.



Serve hot with bread sticks.

Easy Tomato Pasta

I know I have been away for way too long. I do have a reason (aka excuse), of course. Err.. Work! Anyway, I am back with yet another dish which I have been wanting to make for a long time. Pasta!! I think this can pass off as one of the easiest things I made and came out great though it was a first attempt.
What I Used:

Pasta (boiled with little salt) - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Onions - 1, finely diced
Crushed garlic - 6 cloves
Crushed red chillies - 3
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Capsicum - half
Oil - 1 tbsp

How I Made It:

1. Saute onions and garlic in oil till golden brown.

2. Add pepper and crushed chillies and fry for a min.

3. Make a puree out of the tomatoes and add to the above mixture, along with the capsicum. Boil for 3 mins.

4. Add the boiled pasta and keep on fire for another 2-3 mins. Add salt to taste.

It was slightly bland, but it was great for dinner. If you have any suggestions in making pasta dishes more flavourful, do let me know. Adding cheese would be a last option, since its not too healthy (though I love cheese!).

Sending this over to Presto Pasta Night. Thank you KayKat for reminding me of this wonderful event where I can share my recipe :)

Easy Vegetable Soup

I was feeling quite sad thinking I many not be able to take part in Meeta's Monthly Mingle - Liquid Dreams, since I did not have a fancy and pretty glass to photograph. (Yes, I can be quite silly at times). Anyway, there I was, mainly thinking of other events and trying to figure out when to cook what.

That's when it suddenly struck me that I need not make something that should necessarily go into a fancy glass. I can make something nice and hot, and simple too.

So here is my simple veggie soup, that comes to my rescue when I have left over vegetables, when I am too lazy to cook, and when I feel I should have something light and healthy yet filling.


What I Used:

Veggies
Carrots - 1 medium
Beans - 6
White cabbage - a small piece
Green chillies - 2
Spring Onions - 2 stalks

Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 8
Water - as needed
Salt - to taste
Soya sauce - one tsp

How I Made It:

1.Cut all the vegetables in tiny pieces, add sufficient water (approx. 1 cup) and boil till its cooked.

2. Once the veggies are done, keep the pan open and bring to boil on sim. Mix the cornflour with some water and add to this. Chop the garlic in tiny pieces and add to the mixture at this point.

3. Bring to boil, adjusting the water consistency. Add salt just before removing from fire.

4. Serve hot, mixed with soya sauce (I love the sour flavour it gives out)

I know this recipe seems very crude but I am always satisfied after a bowl of this. I know many of you out there are seasoned cooks, so all suggestions to make this better, is welcome (with more or less the same ingredients, please) :)

My humble contribution to this month's Monthly Mingle and to Super Soup Challenge.