Thai Curry Please

The veggies you add aren’t the important bit. It’s this sauce. And it’s such a simple one to make. Just gather the ingredients and whizz together in a food processor, blender, or in a bowl with a stick blender.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 stalk lemongrass minced OR 3-4 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass
• 1-3 chilies depending on desired heat, deseeded and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 large handful chopped fresh coriander/cilantro leaves & stems
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1-2 tsp. brown sugar, to taste
• 1 can coconut milk

Once it’s all quite liquidy have a quick taste. If you like hotter add another chili or two or if it’s not salty enough for your tastes add more soy sauce a bit at a time. Don’t over-salt! It’s not good for you and then you’ll have to play the rescue game.

Now that your delicious sauce is prepared you’ll want to start prepping those veggies. Whatever is seasonal, colorful and fresh will work (this was made in the summer, so please don’t think I’m delusional– at the time they were seasonal).

The veggies I chose for the curry in the photo are: bok choy, carrots, aubergine/eggplant and red pepper. The one ingredient I always want to have in a this sort of curry is red pepper, but if they’re not available, no worries at all. The sauce will make this sing no matter the goodies it’s dressing.

So get those veggies into a hot wok with a bit of vegetable oil. Start with the ones that take longer to cook (carrots in my case) and gradually add them all in until they’re the texture you like. I love a bit of crunch so if you’re the same this step won’t take long.

Once you’re here pour over your sauce and let it heat through while stirring.

If you like noodles with your thai, like I do, you can get those cooking once you start cooking the veg. They’re really quickly done so if you’re not the best at keeping an eye on multiple pans don’t forget the timer!

If you opt for rice, the regular slow-cooking, plan ahead and get that going first.

Now we’re all ready. Get a good portion of noodles/rice in your bowl, spoon over a healthy (or should I say hearty?) portion of veg and don’t forget the sauce in the bottom of the pan. (Warning: that would be a crime punishable by death).

You can garnish with a few cilantro/coriander leaves if you’re feeling fancy. If not, tuck in. It is ready to be devoured.

In case you’re interested, my little flower looking thing is simply the base of the bok choy bunch. I chopped off the leaves far down their stems, quite close to the very end and ended up with this little beauty!

Wanna Be Blanc Soup

This squash, root, and apple soup with rosemary oil is styled after the starter I had at Brasserie Blanc. It’s very simple, warming and quite lovely (if I do say so myself).

It’s not very involved at all. All I did was:

1) Cook the onions with a bit of oil until translucent and starting to get a bit of color. (I added a couple of sprigs of rosemary during this process which I removed before the next step but it’s far from essential).

2) In with the prepped veggies, stir. Then fill with water and some stock powder. Stir again.

3) Once it’s bubbled until all the veg is tender take it off the heat, whizz it until smooth and you’re done.

I was really pleased with the way it turned out. The texture was spot on and the rosemary oil was quite flavorful and absurdly easy to prepare. Now I feel like I’m an amateur professional wot with making– without the recipe– a soup similar to one which is served at a real chef’s restaurant (and if I can do it, y’all can too).

If you’d like to try making it the same, here’s what went in:

1 oversized parsnip (2 normal)
1 hugely oversized carrot (about 4 normal)
1 sweet potato
2 potatoes
2 apples
1 squash
2 medium onions
1 sprig rosemary
about 2 tbsp stock powder

I spotted the Kabocha squash that I used in this and thought I’d give it a whirl as I like to try new things but must admit I was disappointed. It took rather a lot of effort for little reward. Squash is always a bit tricky to cut and peel but the form of this one proved to be particularly challenging. When I make this again I’ll go for a butternut or something similar.

As for the rosemary oil, all I did was let a few sprigs of rosemary sit in a jar full of olive oil for about two weeks. I bruised the rosemary up a bit first in the mortar in case that’d get more flavor into the oil. (I should try another batch without this abusive measure to see if it made any difference).

Oh, and I threw a few croutons on top for a bit of crunch (which might be de-poshing Monsieur Blanc’s style but I enjoyed them). So there you have it. A very basic soup that, it would appear, can pass at a fine establishment such as Brasserie Blanc.

Bon Ap!

Moroccanesque Stew

I conjured up this homey winter treat last year with a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Soup Mix. It’s simple, satisfying and a bit different. Now, I admit it isn’t the most attractive bowl full of goodness but the flavors make up for it’s bland appearance. (I haven’t even included any photos of the finished product because I don’t want to deter any of you… wow, I’m selling it but trust me! It’s worth a go.)

What you need:

• 1 bag Bob’s Red Mill Soup Mix -OR- 26oz/737g of mixed dried beans, pulses
  and grains
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• a large handful of dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 3 tbsp vegetable stock powder
  -OR- one pint vegetable stock
• fresh veggies you’d like to add (I used up some carrots and a yellow pepper)

It’s super simple. See–

Put the chopped onions in a pan with a bit of oil.
Once translucent, add the chopped garlic. Stir for a minute or two.
Add the the spices and stir continuously for about 30 seconds until aromatic.
Now pour in the remaining ingredients, cover with water/stock and let it simmer away. It’ll take a while, about an hour and a half.

Stir occasionally while bubbling and make sure to top-up the water/stock when it gets low. Them beans are thirsty.

Give it a taste once the beans are cooked to see if you’d like to add extra sweetness, saltiness or flavor. I also think this dish would favor a bit of spiciness, if you want to give that a whirl. Otherwise, voilà! It’s ready to meet your tummy.

If you’re curious, the Soup Mix consists of small red beans, pinto beans, red lentils, whole oat groats, brown rice, wheat berries, rye berries, hard red wheat, pearl barley, buckwheat groats and sesame seeds. Phew. So, if you’d like to make your own version there’s a guideline for you.

For serving, it’ll look prettier and enhance the flavors a bit if you add a dollop of sour cream (nullifies the veganness, if I need mention) and a few fresh cilantro/coriander leaves.