Homemade Veggie Chili

Veggie Chili is one of my favorite soups, which I got inspired from The Pioneer Woman recipe. The one-pot of warm and delicious chili can be served in any occasion such as a Supper Bowl party. There are many vegetables can be used including beans and a lot of spice. I also like to cook meatless healthy meals for my family each week. Let’s get started ka.

Ingredients: serves 6-8 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, diced

2 carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 tomatoes, diced or 1 can diced tomatoes

1 zucchini, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

one 15-ounce can reduced sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

one 15-ounce can pinto beans in mild chili sauce

4 cups of vegetable broth or water

1 teaspoon ground oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder, more if you like

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese , cilantro leaves, and lime wedges for serving

Directions 

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add onions, garlic, carrots, bell peppers, celery, and stirring until vegetables turn golden brown. Add salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, chili powder, turmeric powder, and curry powder. Pour water or the broth.  Stir in tomato, zucchini, and Worcestershire sauce. Let the mixture come to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and stir until combine. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes more. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer chili simmers, the better it will taste. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with your favorites. Enjoy ka!

Delicious ka!

 

Thai Hot & Sour Chicken Soup-Tom Yum Gai

Tom Yum Gai is very light and refreshing soup and filled with aromatic flavors of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and shallot. While I was making the soup, which was reminding me about my childhood meal in Bangkok. In the meantime, before serving just adding lime juice, chilies, and fish sauce in order to make this hot and sour chicken soup more flavorful. Let’s get started ka!

Ingredients: Serves 2 

1 cup chicken thighs, diced into small bites

2 stalks lemongrass, cut the stalks diagonally 2-inch long, scored lightly

8 oz whole button mushrooms, quartered

1 carrot, sliced

1 shallot, quartered

3 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-3 Bird’s eye chilies, chopped

lime juice, to taste

3 cups water or chicken stock ( I used chicken bones to make the stock)

cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions 

In a medium soup pot, pour water and heat over medium-hight heat. Add lemongrass and shallot into the boiling water. Add chicken, kaffir lime leaves, salt and fish sauce into it. Then add sliced carrot and simmer about 10 minutes. Use the ladle to remove all small bubbles. Add mushrooms and wait until cooked. Turn off the heat. Adjust the seasonings by adding lime juice, chopped chilies, and fish sauce. Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro leaves. Enjoy ka!

 

Matzo Ball Soup

Today was very cold and windy so I decided to make one of my favorite soups. This matzo ball soup required a few ingredients, which I already have in my pantry including matzo ball mix, eggs, and vegetable oil. The classic matzo ball soup is served in the chicken broth but today I made it with the vegetable soup. If you like a simple and meatless version you might have to try this recipe. Let’s get started ka. 

Ingredients: Serves 2 
1 package Matzo Ball Mix
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Vegetable soup 
Napa cabbage, cleaned and sliced 
2 onions, cut in quartered 
3 stalks celery, sliced including leaves 
4 cloves garlic, smashed   
soy sauce 
salt and ground pepper to taste 
water 
chopped parsley or dill for garnish 

Directions 
Make the vegetable soup, in a soup pot, pour water and bring to a boil over a medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, napa cabbage, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring the heat to medium low and simmer until veggies are soft. Check the seasoning and add more salt and soy sauce if desired.  Strain the vegetable broth with the mesh strainer. Reserve cooked veggies for later. 

Make the Matzo Balls, in a medium bowl add the matzo ball mix, 2 eggs, and 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, and mix until uniform. Let stand  for 15 minutes in refrigerator. Using wet hands, form the mixture into the balls, I made 4 balls. 

In a soup pot bring a vegetable broth to a boil. Drop Matzo balls into the boiling soup, cover tightly and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes. Add cooked veggies and check the seasoning. Serve hot and garnish with chopped parsley or dill. Enjoy ka. 

Delicious ka!

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

It was raining again and I would rather be at home with my kitty girls. They were sleeping all day and did not bother me while I was making lunch. Meanwhile, I am a huge fan of Ree Drummond and of course I have one of her cookbooks. I like her roasted creamy butternut squash soup recipe but also like to add some spices such as a pinch of curry powder and cumin. I love butternut squash and this is also the another recipe : spiced butternut squash soup.

Ingredients 

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes 

2 medium carrots, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes 

3 cloves garlic, smashed 

fresh thyme 

2 small onions, diced 

3 stalks celery, diced 

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground curry powder 

2 teaspoons honey

milk, I used 2% milk 

vegetable stock or chicken stock, here is my homemade chicken stock recipe 

olive oil 

1 tablespoon butter 

salt and ground black pepper to taste 

sour cream for serving 

dill to garnish  

 

Directions 

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees  

 

Spread the squash, carrot, garlic, thyme on to the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until they are tender about 30 minutes. Use the spatular or shake the pan to flip all veggies halfway through. Set them aside.

 

 

In a large soup pot, cook the onion in the olive oil and butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Stir in diced celery and cook for a few minutes. Add roasted butternut squash and carrot including garlic into the pot. Add chicken or vegetable stock. Add ground cumin, curry powder, salt and black pepper. And heat the mixture and cook until veggies are tender. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot until smooth. Please be careful and use the low speed because soup is very hot. You can also use a food processor or a regular blender. Add milk, honey, and stir well.  Let it simmer for several minutes and check the seasoning. Serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with dill leaves. Enjoy ka. 

 

Yummy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minestrone – Bean and Pasta Soup

This Minestrone or an Italian Soup is perfect for a rainy day and can be served as a main-meal. Meanwhile, I got inspired to make this hearty soup from one of our favorite Italian restaurants “Bertucci’s.” Their food and service were very good. I really like this soup because I can use whatever I have in the refrigerator such as tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, carrot, onion, celery, and snap peas. I also made homemade chicken stock that created more flavorful soup. So let me show you how I made it. 

Ingredients 

4 cups cranberry beans, cooked, or two 15 oz cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed  
1 cup small pasta shapes, cooked to al dente and drained  
1 zucchini, halved, cut into thick strips and cubed
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
3 celery stakes, sliced, leaves included 
2 tomatoes, diced 
2 cups spinach, chopped 
10 oz snow peas, chopped or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces  
1 onion, diced 
4 cloves garlic, minced 
10 oz white mushrooms, quartered, I used king oyster mushrooms, cut and cubed 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
1/2 teaspoon ground curry powder 
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
7-8 cups chicken broth 
salt and ground black pepper to taste 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
2 bay leaves 
minced fresh parsley 
Parmesan cheese to serve 

 

Directions 

Sock the cranberry beans over night and boil the beans until tender. Drain well.  

 

 

In a large pot, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic and cook until translucent. Stir in carrot, celery, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms and snow peas. Then add the chicken broth and bay leaves. Season with ground cumin, curry powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Add diced tomatoes and beans. Simmer on low and add chopped spinach. Finally, add cooked pasta and chopped parsley. Stir and simmer until the soup is piping hot. Taste and adjust the seasonings. 
Serve the delicious Minestrone soup in a bowl with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy ka! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delicious ka!

Chicken Curry with Rice Noodle Soup (เกี๋ยวเตี๋ยวแกง)

This Chicken coconut curry with rice noodles is one of the most famous dishes among Thai Muslim food including Thai Curry Peanut Salad Dressing or สลัดแขก, and Thai Chicken Biryani or Kao Mok Gai. These delicious dishes were reminding me about my childhood meal. I also like the combination of soft boiled rice noodles, boiled eggs, tofu, and crunchy fried shallots that make this curry bowl even more interesting. Are you hungry? Let’s me show you how I made it! 

Ingredients: serves 4 
Red curry paste
5 large red chilies, seeded 
5 shallots, diced 
7 garlic cloves 
1 stalk lemongrass, thinly sliced 
1/2 teaspoon salt 

Chicken curry with rice noodles 
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces 
1 can of coconut milk
1/4 cup red curry paste 
1 teaspoon ground turmeric 
1 teaspoon ground coriander 
2 teaspoons ground curry powder 
1 tablespoon fish sauce 
1 tablespoon soy sauce 
2 tablespoons palm sugar
2 cups water or chicken stock 
salt to taste 
1 pack of rice noodles 
bean sprouts  

Garnishes 
1 pack of firm tofu, cut into small cubes
hard-boiled eggs, cut in half  
4 shallots, thinly sliced and fried 
chopped cilantro and scallions 
pickled & preserved cabbage 

Instructions:

Make the red curry paste

Cut red chilies with scissor and remove the seeds. Grind into a powder in a coffee grinder or sock in a warm water until soften. In a mortar and pestle or a blender, pound or blend together chilies, garlics, shallots, and lemongrass into a paste. 

 

Pour coconut milk into a wok or a large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the coconut begins to curdle, then add the red curry paste, ground turmeric, cumin, and curry powder. Stir to make a rich sauce and reduce the heat. 
Add chicken and stir until well coasted. Pour in remaining coconut milk, chicken stock or water, fish sauce, soy sauce, and salt to taste. Simmer over medium heat until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Adjust the seasoning as needed. 

 

 

Make fried shallots 
In a pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add sliced shallots and stir until golden brown. Transfer on the paper towel lined plate to drain.

 

 

Make hard boiled eggs 
In a saucepan, add water and eggs and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil eggs about 10 minutes. 

Make the rice noodles and bean sprouts 
In a large container, add cold water and sock the rice noodles about 15-20 minutes and drain. In a soup pot, bring water to a boil and add noodles and cook for a few minutes or until soften and drain well. Then add bean sprouts into the boiling water for a few seconds and drain. 

 

 

Place bean sprouts and noodles in a bowl and pour chicken curry on it. Top with boiled egg, tofu, fried shallots, pickle cabbage and chopped cilantro and scallions. Enjoy ka! 

 

Enjoy ka!

  

Hot and Sour Prawn Soup-Tom Yum Goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง)

Tom Yum Goong or shrimp is one of the most famous soups of Thai cuisine and usually made with prawns. The words are derived from two Thai words, “tom” refers to the boiling process, while “yum” refers to a Thai spicy and sour salad. Tom Yum is described its distinct hot and sour flavors with fragrant spices and herbs such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal. These herbs are normally left in the soup because they are very tough to eat.   

I prefer tom yum goong nam sai, which is a clear broth and lighter soup, while tom yum goong nam khon is the creamy version that added coconut or evaporated milk. This soup is from my family recipe and normally we don’t add lime juice and chilies in the pot. But we just add these ingredients later into an individual bowl. I prefer this way because I like sour but do not like too much spicy. If you like spicy taste please feel free to add chilies into the soup while cooking. Let’s get started ka! 

Ingredients: Serves 4 

1 1/2 cups shrimp, peeled, deveined, and keep the shells and heads to make a shrimp stock  

6 cups shrimp stock or water 

3 lemongrass stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 kaffir lime leaves, torn

6 sliced galangal 

1 shallot, quartered 

2 tomatoes, quartered 

1 onion, quartered 

1 carrot, sliced 

1 cup or 1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces   

8 oz whole white mushrooms, quartered 

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce 

1 teaspoon salt 

cilantro for garnish 

lime juice, fish sauce, and chopped or sliced chilies for serving, depending on your taste 

cooked jasmine rice for serving  

Instructions 

 

How to make a shrimp stock

 

Rinse shrimp shells and heads under cold water and place them in the stockpot. Pour water and salt. Bring to a boil and lower the temperature to simmer the stock about 20 minutes or until turn pink. Skim the impurities that rise to the surface with a ladle or spoon and drain it. 

In a large pot, pour the shrimp stock, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal into the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat until smell fragrance from the herbs. Add onion, carrot, and tomatoes until they are tender. Add mushrooms and bring the soup to a boil. Stir in shrimp for few seconds until turn pink and then add fish sauce and turn off the heat. Adjust the seasoning. You can add lime juice and sliced chilies into the pot or in an individual bowl. Ladle the soup into a bowl and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice. You also can make this soup in advance and then add shrimps and mushrooms whenever you are ready to eat. Enjoy ka!  

 

Love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five-Spice Chicken Noodle Soup with Bitter Melon (เกี๋ยวเตี๋ยวไก่ตุ๋นใส่มะระ)

When it comes to winter recipes, one of my favorite dishes is a delicious fragrant Thai chicken noodle soup. There are many spices and herbs, which add aroma flavor into the soup such as star anise, cinnamon stick, ginger, and galangal. This soup can be made with chicken, beef, or pork and cook in the pot until its tender. 
The bitter melon is star of the show and has been deemed a super food. It creates such a bitter flavor but also has health benefits such as lower blood sugar, lose weight, and soothe digestive disorders.
There are many types of noodles can be used including egg noodles and rice vermicelli. The beansprouts, spring onion and coriander are also added at the end of cooking for a delightful in taste and texture. I am sure that you are already hungry, so let’s get cooking ka!

Ingredients: serves 6-8 

8 chicken drumsticks 
5 sliced fresh ginger, unpeeled
5 sliced galagal
5 star anise 
3 cinnamon sticks 
2 medium onions 
2 tablespoons soy sauce 
2 tablespoons oyster sauce 
1 tablespoon fish sauce 
1 teaspoon salt 
2 teaspoons palm sugar or granulated sugar 
2 bay leaves 
12 cups water 
5 dried mushroom, sock in warm water 
1.5 pounds or 2 bitter melons, cut into 1-inch and remove seed  
1 carrots, sliced 
egg noodles or rice noodles  
2-3 cups beansprouts
3 scallions, finely chopped for garnish  

Making cilantro paste: 
handful cilantro stems or 3 cilantro roots 
5 garlic cloves 
1 teaspoon whole black or white pepper 
1 teaspoon whole or powder allspice 
fresh cilantro leaves for garnish 
pickled or preserved cabbage (Tung Chai) for garnish(optional)
Making fried garlic for garnish  
7-8 garlic cloves, minced 
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil 
Thai table condiments such as fish sauce, red chili flakes, lime or Thai chilies and white vinegar(prik nam som)

Directions  

To make cilantro paste, in a pestle and mortar, add chopped cilantro, garlic, pepper, whole allspice , and pound together until smooth. 

 

To make the soup, pour water into a large heavy pot, add cilantro paste, sliced ginger, galangal, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves. Add chicken drumsticks, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, and palm sugar. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim off any form that rise to the surface of the liquid with a slotted spoon. Add dried mushroom including water and whole onions. 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, prepare bitter melons, cut the ends off and cut in half lengthwise, do not peel. Cut into about 1 inch and remove the seeds and white pith from the middle of the melon with a small spoon. Clean and add salt to brine the melon about 10 minutes. Massage the melon with the salt and clean it with cold water. Then add the melon and carrot into the pot. Simmer about 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Taste for seasonings. 

 

 

 

 

To make fried garlic, add oil in a pan over medium heat. Stir in minced garlic and stir until golden brown. Pour in a small bowl. 

 

To make the noodles, heat water to boiling, add noodles and boil uncovered about several minutes, stirring occasionally until tender. Drain noodles and add in a bowl. Sprinkle noodles with fried garlic, pickle cabbage or Tung Chai and pour  the soup with chicken and veggies. Season the noodle soup with fish sauce, chili flakes, and Thai chiles with white vinegar if desired. Enjoy ka! 

 

 

 

 

Let’s have lunch together ka!

 

   

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

It is Friday and the first snowflakes fall already. What am I going make for dinner? This warm, creamy, fantastic spiced butternut squash soup is at the top of my list. The soup is super easy, quick, and delicious and requires several ingredients that I already have on hand. Let’s get started ka! 

Ingredients:

2.5 pounds butternut squash, peeled, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped 
1 carrot, chopped 
2 onions, chopped 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground curry powder
1/4 teaspoon clove 
1 bay leaf  
4 cups water, I make a vegetarian version or chicken stock
1/3 cup half and half 
1 tablespoon butter 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
parsley leaves for garnish (optional)
sour cream for serving

 

 

 

Instructions:

Heat butter and olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and sauté for a few minutes or until translucent. Add carrot, celery, and squash, and stir well. Pour water or chicken stock and bring to a boil; cover partially and reduce to simmer. Add  ground nutmeg, clove, curry powder, cumin, bay leaf, and stir until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. 
Cook until vegetables are tender about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and bring the bay leaf out from the pot. I use a hand blender that makes a quick work for pureeing soup in the  pot until smooth. Then drizzle with half-and-half cream and mix well. Heat through, but not boil. Adjust seasoning. 
Ladle into a bowl, and top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with chopped parsley leaves. Enjoy ka!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would you like a warm bowl of soup ka?

Thai Chicken Galangal Soup-Tom Kha Gai (ต้มข่าไก่)

Baby, it is cold outside. This creamy chicken soup with coconut, which filled with fresh herbs like galangal(kha), lemongrass(ta kai), and kaffir lime leave(bai makrut) flavors will make you warm and create fragrant smell before you even take the first spoonful. However, there are several main ingredients such as galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves that require you to shop in Asian Supermarkets near by your home. I promise, it will be well worth delightful homemade soup for you and your family. Let’s get cooking ka.

Ingredients: Makes 4 Servings

1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
7 sliced fresh or frozen galangal
1 can(13.5fl.oz) coconut milk
2 stalks lemongrass, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can baby corn cobs (optional)
4-5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
3 cups chicken stock
3 fresh Thai chilies, whole or halved lengthwise to garnish
chopped cilantro leaves and scallions to garnish

Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

5 kaffir lime leaves, hand torn

2 shallots, sliced

salt to taste

Instructions: 

To make the chicken stock, pour in cold water into a stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sliced galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, salt and chicken. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is done. As it cooks, skim any impurities that rise to the surface. 

In the soup pot, pour coconut milk and 3 cups chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for several minutes. Then add cooked chicken including some sliced galangal, lemongrass, shallot, and kaffir lime leaves and until cooked through. Add fish sauce, chilies, and stir well. Remove from the heat. Add lime juice and check the seasoning. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro leaves. Serve hot with cooked jasmine rice. Enjoy ka! 

Yum!!!