Noodle soup with tofu

This light and refreshing soup is an excellent pick-me-up. The aromatic, spicy broth is simmered first, and then the tofu, mushrooms and noodles are added.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

150g noodles

1 vegetable soup cube

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

100g tofu cubed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

5-6 shitake mushrooms thinly sliced

½ lemon juice

50g peanuts roasted

2 spring onions chopped

Method

Heat oil in a pan, roast the peanuts for 5 minutes, when peanuts change into golden colour, set them aside.

In the same pan stir fry mushrooms and tofu for 4-5 minutes, add few drops of soy sauce mix well, when tofu changes to golden brown, set them aside.

Stir fry garlic ginger for a minute, add soup cube, tomato puree, soy sauce, sugar, 1 bowl of water, and bring to boil.

In a separate sauce pan, boil water, when water is boiling add noodles and salt cook noodles, drain water and set aside.

When soup is simmering add salt, turn off heat mix lime juice, tofu and mushroom.

Serve noodles in soup bowls, ladle soup into the bowl, garnish with spring onion and roasted peanuts.

Salad - Cauliflower, French beans & peppers

Serves 2

Ingredients

50g French beans cut into 2” lengthwise

100g cauliflower florets

¼ of each green, yellow, & red pepper thinly sliced

50g pitted black olives sliced

1 onion thinly sliced

1 Japanese cucumber halved lengthwise, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk sliced

Few Romaine lettuce leaves washed, dried and torn

1 large tomato diced

For Dressing

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

Blanch French beans & cauliflower, by boiling water in a sauce pan, add salt green beans, and boil for 2 minutes. Add cauliflower into the same pan boil for further 2 minutes. Drain the vegetables, wash in cold water & set aside.

Mix all dressing ingredients and set aside.

Put all vegetable in a large pan, sprinkle dressing and mix well.

Arrange lettuce leaves in bottom of the salad bowl, & serve the salad.

Leek and Potato Soup

This filling and heart warming soup, can be processed to a smooth  puree or served as it is here, in its original peasant style.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

2 stick’s leeks, halved and thinly sliced

2 potatoes, peeled cut into cube size

2 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp dry thyme

150ml milk

1 cube vegetable stock

2 tbsp double cream

Method

Heat oil in a large pan, sauté leeks until its soft and golden. Add potatoes, thyme, stock cube and stir for few more minutes.

Add milk, salt and 1 bowl water into the same pan, bring to boil for about 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are soft.

Turn off heat, mix double cream with the soup, add salt and pepper to taste & serve.

Chunky Spiced Vegetable Soup

Coconut crops up in many dishes in tropical countries. Here it is teamed with sweet potato and spices to make a tasty soup

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion finely chopped

100g of each turnip, sweet potato, pumpkin, peeled roughly chopped

1 tsp dried marjoram

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground fennel

1 cube vegetable stock

1 tsp sugar

200 ml coconut cream

Pepper and salt to taste

1 fresh red chilli chopped

Handful of coriander leaves chopped

Method

Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion and garlic ginger for 2 minutes. Add chopped vegetables, salt, marjoram, soup cube, sugar, cinnamon, coriander & fennel powder stir well for 5 more minutes.

Add one bowl of water, and coconut cream and bring to boil till vegetables are soft.

Turn off heat, ladle soup into the bowls, garnish with chopped coriander and red chilli.

Vegetable and Spinach Varuval

Sri Lankan cooking method applied to western and Chinese vegetables to make a healthy colourful stir fried dish for rice.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

100g cabbage thinly sliced

1 carrot cut into thin strips

2 fresh red chillis sliced

2 tbsp shredded coconut

1 onion chopped

1 tsp chilli flakes

Salt to taste

1 bundle Chinese spinach leaves / Amaranth cleaned

2 tbsp oil

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add shredded coconut, onion, and chilli flakes sauté till shredded coconut turns to golden brown.

To the same pan add cabbage sauté for 2-3 minutes. Later add carrot, red chilli, and salt stir well.

Blanch Chinese spinach leaves, by boiling water in a sauce pan when water is boiling add Chinese spinach leaves and salt, leave it for a minute, drain and wash with cold water.

Add blanched spinach leaves to stir fried vegetables mix well, serve with rice of your choice.

Thai Tofu & Noodle Soup

Originally a chicken soup, tofu is substituted for chicken.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

100g tofu cut in cubes

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 onion chopped

100ml coconut cream

1 cube vegetable stock

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp curry powder

½ lemon juice

200g noodles

50g green peas

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Pepper n salt to taste.

Method
Heat oil in a pan, stir fry tofu, soy sauce until tofu skin is changed to golden brown. Set them aside

In the same pan Heat oil add garlic ginger paste, onion then add coconut cream, curry powder stir till colour changes.  Add stock cube, lime juice, peanut butter and 1 bowl of water bring to boil.

Add noodles to the soup and boil.  When noodles are soft, add green peas, season with coriander, black pepper and salt.

Depending on your preference to thicken the soup you may add 1 tbsp corn flour mixed in cold water and add to soup.

Aubergine-tofu Soup with Lime

A delicious soupy stew from Indonesia. If you like, serve the soup with a bowl of rice and a chilli sambal.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

100g tofu cut into cube size

200ml coconut cream

2 tsp sugar

1 large aubergine cut into wedges

2 -3 kaffir lime leaves thinly sliced

1 lime juice

Salt

For the paste

1 onion roughly chopped

2 fresh red chilli chopped

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 candlenuts

1 tbsp curry powder

To serve

Cooked rice 100g

1 lime quartered

Method

To make the paste, grind all paste ingredients adding little water, to a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a pan, stir fry ground paste for 2-3 minutes. When colour changes and oil separates from paste, add kaffir lime leaves, coconut cream, sugar, and salt mix well, bring to boil. You may add water to dilute the soup.

In a separate pan stir fry tofu till they are golden brown, set aside.

Blanch aubergine, by boiling water in a sauce pan, when water is boiling add salt and aubergine; boil for 3-4 minutes. When aubergine is soft and skin colour is brightened drain them using slotted spoon, set aside.

When soup is simmering, turn off heat and add lime juice. Add cooked tofu and aubergine to soup stir well.

Ladle soup into bowls with cooked rice and lime wedges. 

Spiced Squash Noodle Soup- Moroccan

This full-flavoured soup, or chorba, is the daily dish in many Moroccan households. You can puree the soup, if you prefer, but here it is left chunky and you may finish with a swirl of yoghurt and finely chopped coriander. Garlic lovers may like to add a crushed garlic clove and a little salt to the yoghurt.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

½ butternut squash- peeled and diced

100g ripe tomatoes chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 onion chopped

1 celery stick chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp tomato puree

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 vegetable stock cube

200g noodles of your preference

Salt n pepper to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method

Heat oil in a pan add garlic ginger paste, onions, tomatoes, butternut, celery, salt and carrots, stir fry for 3-4 minutes.  Add soup cube, 1 bowl of water, turmeric, tomato puree cook for 5 minutes.

Separately, boil water in a sauce pan, when water starts boiling add salt, noodles cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside.

When soup is simmering and vegetables are cooked add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve soup up to ½ level in bowl. Add noodles, serve another spoon full of soup on top of noodles. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Deviled Chick Peas

Sri Lankan dish - eaten as snack or side dish with cocktails

Serves 2-3

100g chickpeas can or boiled (wash and soak them in water overnight, boil in salted water for 45 minutes)

100g sweet corn de-froze

1 tspn mustard seeds

1 tspn fennel seeds

1 onion chopped

1 sprig curry leaves

1 riped tomato chopped

1 tspn chili flakes

1 tspn curry powder

1 tspn chili powder

1 tspn lemon juice

Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add onion, tomatoes sauté till it’s soft. Add mustard, fennel curry leaves, curry powder, chili powder stir well for few minutes.

Add chickpeas mix well, add chili flakes, sweet corn and salt to taste.

Turn off heat sprinkle lemon juice.

Tofu Soup with Mushrooms and Tomato

This light, clear Thai soup relies on an aromatic broth. The tofu and mushrooms absorb all the delicious flavours.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

50g Shitake mushrooms thinly sliced

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 onion sliced

2 fresh red chilli sliced

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

100g tofu cut into to cube size

2 tomatoes diced

1 vegetable soup cube

1 celery stalk sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Method

Heat oil in a large pan, sauté tofu and mushrooms adding soy sauce, until tofu and mushroom changes into golden brown. Set them aside.

In the same pan add 1 tbsp oil sauté onion, red chilli and garlic ginger for 2 minutes. Add tomato, soup cube, and celery mix well for 2 more minutes. Add one bowl of water bring to boil for about 5-10 minutes.

When soup starts simmering add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat mix tofu and mushroom with the soup.

Ladle soup in bowls garnish with chopped coriander and red chilli.

Curried Lentil Soup

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

1 tbsp garlic ginger

2 tbsp curry powder

½ tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 vegetable soup cube

100g red or green lentils washed

1 small head broccoli, broken into florets

1 carrot chopped

1 stalk celery chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsely for garnishing

Method

Heat oil in a large pan, sauté onion, garlic ginger for 2 minutes. Add curry powder, tomato puree, cumin powder and mix well. Add soup cube one bowl of water, lentils and bring to boil for about 30 minutes until lentils are soft.

When lentils are soft, if water is evaporated, add ½ bowl of water, carrot and celery, boil for 5 more minutes. Finally add broccoli, stir well and boil for 2 minutes. When broccoli colour is brightened turn off heat add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle soup in bowls sprinkle chopped parsley.

Eggplant Curry (Roasted Eggplant Chips in Hot and Sour Curry Sauce)

This popular dish is served in all Sri Lankan celebrations. Fried eggplant in hot and sour spicy gravy goes well with rice, but it can also be served with rotis or similar breads. Another similar dish called Brinjal Moju (pickle) is also popular. It’s made with fried eggplant, fried onion and chilies tossed in spicy vinegar dressing.

Spiced Red Lentil Soup

In this Turkish recipe the garnishes are vital, onion, parsley and lemon may be placed in a separate bowl for adding as required.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion finely chopped

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 fresh red chili chopped

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 carrot finely chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp tomato puree

100g split red lentils  - washed

1 vegetable stock cube

Ground black pepper

Salt to taste

For garnishing

1 small red onion finely chopped

Bunch of parsley finely chopped

1 fresh red chili finely chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion, red chilli and garlic ginger for 2 minutes. Add red lentils, soup cube, tomato puree, 1 bowl of water stir well and bring to boil till lentils are soft.

Separately in a mortar grind cumin and coriander to powder. Add ground mixture and carrots to simmering soup and mix well.

When lentils are cooked, add sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup in bowls garnish with chopped onion, red chilli, parsley, and sprinkle lemon juice.

Chunky Bean, Leek and Cabbage Soup

There are lots of versions of this wonderful Italian soup from Tuscany. This one uses cannellini beans, leeks, cabbage and good olive oil.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 leeks, roughly chopped

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 vegetable stock cube

200g cannellini beans can or boiled

100g cabbage thinly sliced

1 tomato chopped

1 celery stick thinly diced

Few parsley chopped

1 tspn dried oregano

Shaved parmesan cheese for garnishing

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion, leeks and garlic ginger for 4-5 minutes. When onion and leeks are soft and changes colour add cabbage, celery, tomato, dried oregano and soup cube sauté for 2 minutes.

Add one bowl of water bring to boil for 5 minutes. When it starts simmering add cannellini beans and boil for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls garnish with parmesan and parsley.