Tag: Asian Cuisine

Spinach, Coconut & Courgette Soup
It is such a pleasant late summer day. We linger in the garden and enjoy the last warm sunny rays. A book, a blanket and a cup of coffee during the day and a garden fire at night, gazing at the endless starry sky. When is the last time you saw a falling star? Did you make a wish? In September it is such a joy to be one with the garden.

Today, I am making a healthy vegan spinach soup and serving it outside. I remember years ago my husband made a spinach soup for our four-year-old daughter who exclaimed “The soup is delicious, but I do not like the taste.”. Aren’t we all having a similar reaction when we hear about spinach? I assure you, this soup is so amazingly flavoured it will make you think of fine-dining and nothing else!

As a fine porcelain lover, I have collected so many services through the years. There is a beauty in every tender white-floral piece. My collection is constantly growing – English, French, German, Hungarian porcelain… I love them all. Yet, nothing compares to Villeroy & Boch. The “Blue Phenix” patterns seems to fit my cheerful garden party perfectly today. There is something magical in dressing the table and serving a soup in an ornamental French tureen. A simple meal becomes special, an ordinary day – full of joy!

The soup is truly amazing. One spoon is all it takes to forget the beautiful setting and focus solely on the taste. A green good-for-you creamy delight, garnished with Italian dry ham and micro-greens, served with generous slices of fresh baked bread. Can a summer day be more perfect!

Make this healthy spinach soup once and it will become a favourite recipe! A vibrant vegan soup full of goodness: spinach, zucchini, leeks, potato and coconut milk, fragrant with lemongrass, cumin and curry.

Make this healthy spinach soup once and it will become a favourite recipe! A vibrant vegan soup full of goodness: spinach, zucchini, leeks, potato and coconut milk, fragrant with lemongrass, cumin and curry.
Ingredients

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp mild curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 large leek topped and tailed, finely diced

1 medium potato, peeled and cubed

1 large courgette, cubed

1 lemongrass stick

250 ml water

1 vegetable stock cube

1 x 400g can coconut milk

100g fresh spinach

salt and pepper to season

½ tsp sugar

To garnish (optional)

Thin slices of Italian dry ham

Micro-greens

Slices of bread

Method

1. Heat the oil in large pot. Add the spices and stir for a minute.

2. Add the leek, potato and courgette and stir to coat in the spices. Season well with salt and pepper, cover the pot and sweat the vegetables over low heat for five minutes.

3. Add the hot water, dry vegetable cube, lemongrass and coconut milk and cook for another 10 minutes or until the potato is fork tender.

4. Take out the lemongrass. Add the spinach and stir. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

5. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender, make sure the lid is secure and blend until completely smooth. You may need to do this in batches.

6. Transfer back to the pot and season with salt, black pepper and a little sugar.

7. Serve the soup with slices of bread and garnish with Italian dry ham and micro-greens.
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September 14, 2021
Meatballs in Sweet Chili Sauce
My husband loves his favourite meatballs. They are so easy to make and go well with almost anything – mashed potatoes and salad, Italian spaghetti with tomato sauce and as I am discovering today, Asian sweet chili sauce served with rice and veggies.

He is the traditional cook in our household, I am the experimental chef. He sticks to what he knows, I love to extend our culinary boundaries by constantly trying something new. Somehow, we find balance and it works! Today’s lunch in no exception. What started as intent to make traditional meatballs ended in an Asian inspired meal that luckily, we both loved!

For the recipe I am using sweet chili sauce. You may always save your cooking time and by it from the shop, but as I like to add new skills and dishes to our home repertoire today we are opting for the homemade version.

What is sweet chili sauce? Sometimes also referred to as Thai Sweet Chili Sauce or Asian Sweet Chili Sauce, it’s a simultaneously sweet, savory, tangy and spicy sauce incorporating red chilies, garlic, ginger, sugar and vinegar.

As with most everything, nothing beats homemade and Sweet Chili Sauce is no exception. Not only is it super quick and easy to make, it’s cheaper, doesn’t have any additives or preservatives, you know exactly where the ingredients come from, and it tastes better than the bottled stuff. That’s a win-win! This homemade sweet chili sauce recipe is sure to become your go-to whenever you’re craving this deliciously versatile sauce!
Ingredients

For the meatballs

500g minced meat beef and pork

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 small egg

Handful of parsley, thinly chopped

Salt

Black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

For the veggies

½ aubergine

½ courgette

1 tbsp olive oil

1 carrot

Salt

Black pepper

For the Sweet Chili Sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons cane sugar

Or diabetic alternative: use granular sweetener of choice (e.g. erythritol)

1 tablespoon rice wine (can substitute dry sherry)

1 tablespoon sambal oelek

Or 1-2 teaspoons dried red chili flakes (these are very hot, start with less and add more if desired)

1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

1 teaspoon finely minced ginger

1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce (use tamari for gluten free)

2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water (the sauce will thicken more once cooled)

1-2 drops natural red food coloring (optional)

To serve

White rice

Coriander leaves

Mint leaves

Method

1. For the meatballs: Mix the minced meat, egg, shallot, parsley, salt and ground black pepper in a large bawl until well combined. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a non-sticky pan. Form bite-size balls and place in the pan. Cook over medium heat for around 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and become golden brown.

2. For the veggies: Peel and wash the carrot. Wash the courgette and the aubergine. Guillen all the vegetables. Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-10 minutes over high heat.

3. For the sauce: Place all of the ingredients except for the cornstarch mixture in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring regularly. Once the sugar is dissolved stir in the cornstarch mixture, stirring continually until thickened, about 1 minute. Let the sauce cool completely, pour into an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator. Will keep for up to a week. Makes about 1 cup.

4. To serve: Mix the vegetables, the meatballs and a few tablespoons of the sweet chili sauce (add more if desired to taste). Serve with boiled white rice and decorate with coriander and mint leaves.
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June 11, 2021
Asian Duck Stir-Fry
Stir-fry makes for such a quick and easy meal. We love to make it occasionally with all sorts of vegetables. This one however is slightly special. The recipe is made with duck breasts which give such a deep delicious flavour to the meal. A perfect accompaniment to Teriyaki sauce, which goes really well with all sorts of meat. Next to the duck we add to the pan onions, chillies, bell peppers and pak choi. A handful of fresh coriander leaves and the meal is ready to serve.
Ingredients

2 duck (or chicken) breasts

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small red onion, finely sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

1 large red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into large strips

1 large yellow bell pepper, deseeded and cut into large strips

2 heads pak choi, leaves separated and large ones halved

250ml Teriyaki Sauce

a handful of coriander
Method

1. Remove the skin from the duck and discard it. Cut the breasts into thin strips. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Season the duck with salt and ground black pepper and fry for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. It should be medium-rare – if you prefer it more well done, cook for a little longer (if using chicken, make sure it is cooked through at this stage). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a plate.
2. Return the wok to the heat and add the onion, chilli and bell peppers. Stir-fry over a high heat for a few minutes until fragrant, then add the pak choi, chilli and Teriyaki sauce and  a little salt. Stir for another minute, then remove from the heat, stir in the sliced duck. Finish with the coriander  and serve immediately.

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June 1, 2019
Tom Ka Gai Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
We are a family of foodies. Unashamed, our summer time holiday destination selection has began to change adding “fine cuisine” as a top criteria. Bathing or taste buds in a sumptious tasty experience is not something solely received for vacations. Every Christmas and birthday celebration has become an occasion for new delightful cookbooks to enter into our family collection with the hope, that not before too long, we will be discovering new amazing family favourite dishes.

This Christmas season cookbook gifts have opened our world to Asia. We have already tried Thai fish pancakes and Thai green curry falling deeper and deeper into the Thai cuisine – light, well balanced and full of flavour, but most of all so quick and easy to make.

This coconut milk chicken soup takes less than half and hour to make, yet it offers real celebration of healthty light meal full of warmth and tender, fragrant flavour.
Ingredients

500 ml Coconut milk

800 ml Water

3 cm Fresh Galanga root (grated)

2 Stalks Lemongrass

4 Lemon leaves

1 Chicken boullion cube

1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

2 tbsp Fish Sauce

1 Shallot

300 g chicken filet

150 g oyster mushrooms

1 tbsp lime juice

handful of fresh coriander leaves

1 red chilli
Method

1. In a deep cooking pot mix together the coconut milk and the water, letting them gently simmer over a medium heat.
2. Add the grated galanga, lemongrass stalks and the lemon leaves and leave them to boil for 10 minutes until the flavours are infused.
3. Take the lemongrass and the lemon leaves out.
4. Add the chicken bouillon, the palm sugar and the fish sauce.
5. Slice the shallot into thin cubes and add to the soup. Cut the chicken filet into small cubes and add to the soup. Boil for 5 minutes.
6. Cut the red chilli pepper into small pieces and add to the soup.
7. Cut the oyster mushrooms into thin slices and add to the soup. Let it boil for 5 more minutes.
8. Garnish the soup with a handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves.

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April 12, 2018
Asian Teriyaki Pork
We love Asian food at home. Easy and quick to prepare and not to mention deliciously light and exceptionally healthy. It is often gracing our family table for various meals. From completely vegan variaties to options of cooking with fish and meat. No surprise when this Christmas season I have found not one, not two but three Asian Cookbooks waiting for me under the Christmas tree.

But before I dedicate full attention to studing the fine features of the various Asian cuisines (what makes the Chines, Japanies, Thai and Vietnamese kitchens so different and which are each country’s most typical dishes?) we enjoy this tasty meal by cooking vegies and pork with ready bought teriyake sauce – delicious!

Ingredients
- 2 Pork Cutlets
- 1tbsp virgin olive oil
- 1 chilli
- 1 red paprika
- 1tbsp of sesame seeds
- fresh coriander leaves
- Ready made Teriyaki sause
- 2 coffee cups brown rice (boild)
- pintch of salt
- ground black pepper
Method

1. Start by boiling the brown rice. In a deep microwave oven-prove plastic dish add two coffee cups of rice and four coffee cups of water. Place in the microwave oven initially for three minutes on 750W, then reduce to 350W and let it boil for additional 15 minutes. Brown rice take longer to boil comapred to white rice so check several time to make sure it is ready then set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Chop the chilli into tiny slices and add to the pan. Fry for a few minutes until softened. Chop the red paprika into small piecies and add to the chilly. Mix togther and fry for 3 minutes then take out of the pan placing them on a separate plate.

3. Chop the pork cutlets into small square cubes and place in the pan, stir frying for severall minutes on high heat. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Once the meat starts to slighly brown add the already fried chilli and red paprika and pour over the teriyaki sauce. Stir fry for several minutes until all flavours are well mixed together. To finish sprincle on top sesame seeds and freshly chopped coriander.

4. Serve with rice or noodles, according to preferences.

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January 2, 2017
Indian Curry with Pork and Rice
The magic of India… Not about its vibrant history, landscape, architecture, religion and people. But about its food, cultural gastronomy, spices and life. So many things to excite the imagination and most definitely to invite the senses to a delicious banquet of flavoursome delights. I wish… its authentic vegetables, fruits and spices will be more nearby. I wish… I would wake up in the morning and my day will filled with adventurous discoveries and colourful understated elegance. I wish… I would sit next to the old wizards on the ground and listen to their enchanting incantations. I wish… I would cook for someone I love, surrounded by the warm-hearted cheer of a cloud of Indian lady friends. I wish…

Drawing India closer to my my heart, I am shopping from the neighbourhood store with the idea to prepare an Indian curry with pork loin and vegetables. The ready-made Indian curry sauce I am selecting, is a basic tomato paste with onion and vegetables, spiced with chilly, cardamon and coriander. It is such a pleasure, in a lifestyle full of working stress and daily rush, to be able to prepare quickly a delicious far east meal, relying on what is a available in the local store, yet not compromising on the quality of ingredients. Cooking Indian Curry with a ready made sauce, may slightly count as gastronomical cheating, but is rich flavours are feeling our home with delightful aromas, its taste bringing a delicious smile on my face, letting me relax after a long busy working day, and letting me dream of the beauty and magic of India again.

Ingredients

(Serves 3 people)
- 400g pork loin, cut in small pieces
- 400ml Indian Curry sauce (ready made)
- 250ml coconut milk
- 1 red paprika
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- fresh coriander leaves
- Long Grain Rice
Method

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. Add the pork loin, stirring constantly, then add the salt and black pepper.

2. Toss in the red paprika and continue stirring on high heat.

3. Add the Indian curry sauce and let it coat evenly the pork. Let it simmer gently for a few minutes leaving the meat absorb the nice curry flavours. Optionally, add coconut milk to soften the heat of the chilly Indian Curry, balancing the flavours to taste. Add the fresh coriander leaves.

4. Serve straight away with Long Gran Rice.

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April 19, 2015