Mushroom Soup

Ingredients :

• 1 bunch spring onions, chopped
• 300 gms button mushrooms, sliced
• 600 ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp white wine
• a dash of nutmeg
• freshly ground black pepper 

Preparation :

• In a saucepan, cook about 100 ml of stock with spring onions, mushrooms and wine until vegetables are soft.
• Season with thyme, nutmeg and pepper.
• Add rest of the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Serves 4 

Minty Pea Soup with Bacon

Ingredients :

• 70 gm bacon
• 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 250 ml frozen peas
• 1 tsp sugar, optional
• ½ small bunch mint , chopped

Preparation :

• Fry the bacon in a non-stick pan, till crisp. 
• Add the potatoes and chicken stock and simmer till potatoes are soft
• Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes
• Remove the stock from the pan, and pour in a blender, in batches.
• Add chopped mint to the blender. Add sugar if needed.
• In the blender, mix everything till smooth.
• Serve with fried croutons

Serves 4

Florets Soup

Ingredients :

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 4 cups cauliflower and brocolli tiny florets
• 3 cups diced peeled baking potato
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation :

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and sauté onions and garlic.
• Add the tiny florets, potato, carrots and caraway seeds to the garlic and onions and cook until florets begin to brown. Stir frequently.
• Add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
• Season with salt and pepper, and serve with warm bread.

Serves 4

Chickpea Soup

Ingredients :

• 2 cup of dried chickpeas
• 6-8 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2-3 large lemons                  

Preparation :

• Soak the chickpeas in a large bowl of water overnight. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas, and soak again in water with baking soda. Drain and rinse again, this time removing any skins
• The next day, heat olive oil in a pot on medium heat, and add the onions, celery, bay leaves, paprika and sauté until the vegetables soften.
• Add the chickpeas in the pot and pour the stock, and bring to a boil. Skim off the top layer of foam that covers the stock.
• Reduce heat and let simmer for about 2 hours, till chickpeas are soft.
• Add salt and olive oil and continue cooking for a few minutes.
• Mix the flour and the lemon juice. When the mixture is smooth, add 2 table spoons of the chickpeas broth and stir. Pour the mixture to the chickpeas, and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
• Serve with a dash of lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a warm portion of garlic bread.

Serves 4

Melon and Cucumber Soup

Ingredients :

• 1 cantaloupe melon, peeled and seeded
• 4 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 8 – 10 sprigs mint 

Preparation :

• Puree melon and cucumbers until smooth in a blender and strain.
• Add honey and lemon juice to soup. Pour mixture into a jug, and keep aside
• Add chopped mint into the soup. Keep the mixture for a few hours at room temperature.
• Chill until ready to serve. Serve chilled.

Serves 4

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients :

• 1.5 kg pumpkin, peeled and chopped
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 lemongrass
• 1 tbsp ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 800 ml vegetable stock
• lime juice and sugar for seasoning
• 1 red chilli sliced, for garnishing
• 1 tsp chopped coriander

Preparation :

• Heat oven to 200^O C. Place the pumpkin in a roasting tin with half the oil and seasoning, and roast for 30 minutes. Pumpkin should be soft and tender.
• Add the rest of the oil in a sauce pan and sauté onions, ginger and lemongrass on a medium flame. Cook gently till it softens. Stir in the curry paste, and stir for a minute.
• Add the roasted pumpkin. Keep aside 3 tbsp coconut milk for later use and add the rest along with the stock into the sauce pan.
• Bring to a simmer, cook for a few more minutes and then remove the lemongrass.
• Allow to cool. Once cooled, blend in a blender, to a smooth consistency.
• Return to the pan, heat and adjust seasoning as required.
• Remove from pan, drizzle with lime juice and sugar if needed.
• Garnish with 1 red chilli and chopped coriander

Serves 6

Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk (Tom Kha Gai)

Ingredients : 

• 3 chicken breast pieces, cut into strips

• 2 cups coconut milk

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 1 stalk fresh lemongrass, washed and chopped in chunks

• 1 onion, peeled and chunked

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 3 pieces of galangal peeled and sliced thinly

• 2 tsp chillies, finely chopped

• 2 kaffir lime leaves, chopped

• 1 tbsp fish sauce

• ½ cup coriander leaves,

• 1 tsp sugar

Preparation :

• In a sauce pan, mix the coconut milk, stock, onions, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, half the chilli, sugar, kaffir lime leaves. Over a medium heat, bring to a boil. Simmer for around 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

• Remove the pan from the heat, and pour the broth through a strainer to elminate all the chunky pieces. Pour the broth back in the sauce pan, and put on heat again.

• Add chicken, remaining chillies and simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Also add the fish sauce.

• Continue stirring until chicken is cooked and well mixed.

• Add the coriander to garnish. Add salt if needed.

• Serve warm

Serves 4