Monk’s Soup

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

1 cube vegetable stock

1 stalk lemon grass, halved length wise

1 tbsp tamarind paste

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

½ lime juice

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 fresh red chili finely diced

100g green beans cut into 2.5 cm

Firm Tofu cut into cube size

2 spring onions sliced

50g shitake mushrooms sliced

Salt to taste

200g noodles

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

Heat oil in a pan stir fry mushroom and tofu for 4-5 minutes till they turn to golden brown color. Sprinkle soy sauce mix well, and set aside.

In the same pan add 1 bowl of water, soup cube, soy sauce, tamarind juice, lemon grass, garlic ginger, brown sugar stir well, bring to boil for 5 minutes.

Separately boil water in a sauce pan, add salt and noodles boil for 2-3 minutes, when noodles are soft drain water set aside. In same boiled water add green beans, blanch for 3-4 minutes. Drain beans and wash them in cold water. Set aside.

When soup in simmering add stir fried tofu, mushroom, salt to taste and mix. Turn off heat.

Add noodles in soup bowl, add soup, sprinkle with red chili and spring onion.


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Borscht

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 onion chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
200g beetroot peeled and cut into thin strips or grated
1 carrot diced
100g cabbage shredded
1 celery stick sliced
1 tomato chopped
1 cube vegetable stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

For garnishing
2 tbsp sour cream / soy yoghurt
Parsley leaves

Method

Heat oil in a pan stir fry onion for 2 minutes, when onions turn soft add all vegetables stir well for 3-4 minutes.

Add stock cube, one bowl of water and bring to boil for about 10-15 minutes till vegetables are tender.

When soup is simmering add sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar, mix well.

Ladle soup into bowl, garnish with sour cream and parsley.

Vegetable Noodles

This is a complete meal with all vegetables, mushroom, tofu, mixed in a sauce made with soy sauce,tomato puree, veg stock & tomyum


Serves 2-3
Ingredients
50g tofu cut into cube’s
50g shitake mushroom sliced
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 carrot thinly sliced
1 celery stick sliced
100g cabbage chopped
50g kalian Chinese brocoli

For sauce
1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
2 spring onion’s chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp tom yam
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp corn flour mixed in cold water
1 stock cube
1 red chili finely chopped
200g Noodles

Method
Heat oil in a pan stir fry tofu and mushrooms, sprinkle a little bit of soy sauce, stir fry until tofu is slightly brown and set aside.

In the same pan stir fry carrots, celery and cabbage for 2 minutes. Vegetables should not be overcooked. set aside.

To make the sauce, put some oil in pan, add garlic onion ginger, stir fry. Add soy sauce, tomato puree, tom yam paste, sugar, corn flour mixture, stock cube, chopped red chilies.

Boil the noodles, when noodles are boiled add chopped kalian, leave for a minute, drain noodles n kalian, it’s not necessary to completely drain the water.

Put the noodles in sauce, mix add rest of the vegetables, lower the heat and add chopped Kai lan (Chinese brocoli) or spring onion n serve hot.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This soup is given a real bite by adding chunky cauliflower, carrot potato and celery


Ingredients
Serves 2

1 potato diced
200g cauliflower in small florets
1 carrot diced
1 celery stick sliced
2 tbsp yogurt/ cream / 100 ml milk / soy milk
1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
1 chopped onion
Parsley for garnishing
1 vegetable soup cube
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 tbsp corn flour mixed in cold water



Method

Pour 1 bowl of water in a large pan, add potatoes, onion, celery, garlic ginger, soup cube boil for 10 minutes. When potato is soft add carrot, and cauliflower, bring to boil for 3-4 minutes.

When soup is simmering and vegetables are tender add milk/cream/ yoghurt, salt and pepper to taste. Add mixed corn flour let the soup simmer.

Turn off heat, serve in bowls garnish with parsley.

Upuma

Made with semolina and plenty of vegetables, taken as tiffin/ breakfast in southern India. In my opinion it's another version of couscous.


Ingredients
Serves 2-3

100g semolina roasted 
1 carrot diced
1 potato diced
¼ cabbage thinly sliced
1 sprig curry leaves chopped
1 tbsp yellow split peas
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 onion chopped
Chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a non-stick pan add mustard seeds, fennel seeds, yellow split peas, onion, diced potato stir well and cover lid, leave it to stir fry for 4 minutes. Add cabbage stir well let it stir fry 5 more minutes. When potatoes are soft slightly golden, add carrots, salt, chopped curry leaves stir well.

Add 150 ml water to the same pan with vegetables, when it’s simmering add semolina mix well, reduce to minimum heat leave it for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Water should be fully evaporated and semolina has to be little dry.

Sprinkle some chopped coriander and serve.

Salad

Green pea, sweet corn & crunchy vegetables. This salad is a balanced meal with proteins and carbohydrate from green peas, corn and feta, vitamin’s and minerals from variety of vegetables and greens.


Serves 2
Ingredients

50g de-froze green peas
50g de-froze sweet corn
½ red onion finely sliced
¼ of green, yellow, red bell pepper finely sliced
½ Japanese cucumber halved and finely sliced
1 tomato chopped into cube sizes
30g feta cheese sliced
1 tbsp pitted black olives chopped
1 tbsp capers
5 romaine lettuce leaves washed and torn

For dressing
½ lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt n pepper to taste
1 tsp chili flakes – optional
Few coriander leaves chopped


Method

In a large pan/ bowl add all dressing ingredients mix well.

Add all vegetables except lettuce mix well with a wooden spoon.

Place lettuce in serving bowl add salad on top.

Cinnamon-spiced Chickpea and Vegetable Soup

Cinnamon, ginger and turmeric are a warming mix of spices to perfectly complement nutty chickpeas.


Serves 2-3
Ingredients

1 large onion chopped
1 cube vegetable stock
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
½ tsp curry powder
1 carrot diced
1 celery diced
200g tomatoes chopped
1 large potato diced
200g chickpeas boiled or can
Fresh coriander leaves chopped for garnishing
½ tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil


Method

Heat oil in a large pan sauté onion, garlic ginger paste for 2 minutes. When onion is soft add chopped tomatoes, turmeric, cinnamon, curry powder stir well until it forms a thick paste.

Add stock cube 1 bowl of water, carrots, celery and potatoes and bring to boil.

When soup is simmering and vegetable are cooked, add chickpeas, salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat add lemon juice and mix well.

Ladle soup into the bowls, garnish with chopped coriander.

Pasta and Bean Soup

Serves 2
Ingredients

100g boiled / canned cannellini beans
200g tin tomatoes with juice, chopped
2 tbsp tomatoes puree
1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
1 large onion chopped
1 soup cube mixed with 1 bowl of water
2 bay leaves
Ground black pepper
Olive oil
Salt
100g small soup pasta of your choice
Chopped fresh parsley for garnishing
Grated parmesan cheese / soy cheese

Method
In a pan put 2 tbsp of oil and sauté onion, garlic n ginger for 2 minutes, Add tomatoes, puree, bay leaves, one bowl soup stock and pasta and bring to boil for 7-10 minutes.

When the soup is simmering and pasta is cooked, add cannellini beans, salt n pepper to taste.

Serve sprinkling parmesan cheese, parsley.

Laksa – Noodles in curry bowl

Serve’s 2

6 shitake mushrooms cut lengthwise
1 cube vegetable stock
100g firm tofu cut into cube sizes
2 tbsp soy sauce
150g noodles
100ml coconut cream
2 tbsp fried onion
2 coriander leaves for garnish
Handful of chopped spring onion

To make laksa paste
1 large onion cut in to quarter size
1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
4 candlenuts
1 lemon grass stalk finely sliced
6 large red chilies
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds

To make the paste put all ingredients in blender with adequate amount of water blend till it’s smooth.

Heat oil in a large pan sauté tofu, mushroom adding soy sauce till it’s slightly brown. Set them aside.

In the same pan add coconut crème, blended paste, soup cube and bring to boil for about 5 minutes. Depending on your preference add water. Add salt to taste.

Separately boil water in a pan, when water is boiling add 1 tsp salt and noodles. When noodles are cooked, drain water and set aside.

Serve soup in bowl up to ½ or ¾ level, add noodles, mushrooms, tofu. Garnish with fried onion, spring onion and coriander leaves.

String Hopper Biriyani

String hoppers, (known as Puttu Mayam in Malaysia) made with rice flour could be made @ home or bought, this is mixed in Biriyani paste made with spices, and vegetables. "String Hopper Biriyani" is a delicious meal on its own and can be taken as dinner on special occasions.

Serving size 4
Ingredients for String Hopper Biriyani
20 string hoppers broken into small pieces

Biriyani Paste 2 tspn soya sauce
1 tbsp tom yam paste
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tb sp fragrant spice mixture (made with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and star anise)
1 tb sp curry powder
2 tb sp vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut fine
6 garlic cloves (peeled) and piece of ginger grounded into paste
5cm piece of pandan leaves
1 sprig of curry leaf
2 green chilies

To make the Vegetable mix
1 large potato
100 g firm tofu
1 medium-sized carrot, cut into tiny cubes
5 sprigs of spring onion
50g cherry tomatoes
50g sweet corn
2 tbsp vegetable oil

salt to taste

Method
1. Put oil in wok add tomatoes puree, soya sauce, tom yam, 1 tb spn curry powder, fragrant spice mixture, chopped onion and garlic ginger paste, curry leaves n pandan leaves, green chillies and sauté until oil separates from the mixture. Mix the broken string hoppers in the paste and set aside.

2. Cut potatoes into small cubes and sauté in pan until potatoes are soft. Cut firm tofu in to small pieces, mix with 1 ts pn soya sauce and sauté in the same pan along with potatoes. Keep this aside once tofu skin is slightly brown.

3. In the frying pan or wok heat the vegetable oil. Add carrots and corn, sauté for a minute.

4. Reduce the heat and add string hoppers and stir fried potatoes and tofu and mix them well.

5. Switch off burner; add chopped spring onion and tomatoes, mix well. Serve hot.