Soups are great tummy fillers! Hot and Sour Soup and Mulligatawny Soup are two terrific winter dishes to spice up cold nights.
Soup from Thailand recalls a fragrant cuisine full of lime coriander and lemongrass. Spicy soups are also a mainstay of countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia. Check out other delicious Asian specialities such as: Laksa, Black Bean Soup, Glass Noodle Soup and Seaweed Soup.
THAI –STYLE HOT & SOUR SOUP
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup onions, sliced
- 2-3 tsp grated ginger
- 5 shitake mushrooms, sliced or chopped
- 1 cup diced tofu
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp Asian chili relish
- 15 shrimp, shelled and deveined
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
Method
- Put the broth, onion, ginger and mushrooms in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until the vegetables are a little tender but not over-cooked.
- Add tofu and cook for a minute.
- Stir in fish sauce, lime juice and chili sauce. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and bring to a boil. Then remove from heat and add the cilantro.
Makes 6 Servings.
Mulligatawny soup is an invention of the British who lived in India. Its name is a literal translation from Tamil for "pepper water." It can be altered to be very soupy or, if you want, add more ingredients to make it a heavier soup. It's often served with noodles or rice.
MULLIGATAWNY SOUP
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1-2 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 tbsp minced ginger
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ - 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 bay leaf
- 14 oz. can of coconut milk
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 3 cups of cooked chicken
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
- fresh cilantro
METHOD
- Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, potato, ginger and half the garlic. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne and bay leaf until you can smell the spices, 1 minute.
- Add coconut milk and broth and bring to a simmer.
- Add the rest of the garlic, tomatoes and chicken. Simmer about 20 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf and stir in parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with cilantro.
ALTERNATIVES: Some recipes have called for chopped apple, green pepper or carrots. Add them near the end with the chicken. Or, cook some rice and throw it in at the end for more "stuff."
Other spicy possibilities for dinner include Green Chili Chicken, Indian Cauliflower, Sri Lankan Chicken Curry and Thai Grilled Beef & Pork.
Why are things always so spicy in tropical countries? Well, the hotness makes you sweat and that in fact, cools you down. If things are too hot for your tongue, cool it down with something sweet such as raita or yogurt or a sweet drink. Water will not help!
