I decided that since it was relatively cool (at least in the house), that I would make SOUP. I love soup. As long as there isn't too much broth. I've discovered that I really like Stoop. Which is soup, with a little broth, so it's more like a stew... But whatever you call it, I wanted to make it. I found a really tasty looking recipe on Pinterest (What did we EVER do without Pinterest????) that led me here to an amazingly tasty looking blog. Spicy Thai Coconut Soup with Ginger, Lime and Vermicelli sounded AMAZING!!!! And I had all of the ingredients for it, and had just been wondering what I would do with my firm (not extra firm, not soft/silken) tofu that was waiting in the fridge to be made into something (hopefully) wonderful! Super simple recipe, though using a LARGE saucepan is a must... I meant to halve the recipe, but ended up only halving some of the ingredients, which meant I had to go back later and fix it.... and pour everything into a larger sauce pan when I realized there was no way the noodles would fit in the one I started with... That would be one version of "Pulling a Sarah". I also realized halfway through that I should take some pictures, as I much prefer blogs with pictures... And just like taking pictures!! So here are some:
This is when I realized I needed a larger pot... And had the line from "Calendar Girls" pop into my head, "I think we're going to need significantly bigger buns" (in a British accent....), but I digress.
I added the edamame (I LOVE THESE LITTLE GREEN MONSTERS!!!!) and the sliced bell pepper and tried to stir... Um, why no, there is a scant half inch from the lip of the pot. How are you going to add noodles to this??? Much less stir to combine? And so went the search for a bigger pot... Which was successful, once I realized that I had to think like Chris, since he puts most of the dishes away...
This pot was much better. I could actually stir and bring things to a boil. I taste-tested and realized that I needed to add salt. The original recipe had optional fish sauce in it, which of course was not an option for me. But previous thai cooking left me very aware of how salty fish sauce is. So in went some salt. And life was better. And far more flavorful!!
In went the noodles. I realized that I hadn't actually bought the vermicelli noodles at the store. I had picked them up, gotten distracted, and put them back. Hopefully that distractability will diminish soon? Or at least I will remember to actually take my darn grocery list with me... Anyway, I had "Rice Sticks" and used those. They don't take long at all to cook. And pick up flavor like nobody's business!! Just like the tofu.
Some freshly chopped cilantro finished up the soup and added some extra freshness (I think I'll add some extra lime juice and zest, or use a larger lime) and I was ready to eat!!! SOOOOOO excited and HUNGRY!!!!
Here's my bowl of goodness!!!! My first taste was delightful (and hot) and I think that tomorrow it will taste even better, after the tofu and noodles soak in that amazing broth. Yummmmmmm!!
Now, while I was making this soup, I couldn't just focus on the soup (and listening to an audiobook and doing some dishes...), so I decided to make some Chai concentrate so that I could have a quick cup of chai in the morning on my way to the last week of ESY. I like the boxed stuff, but want less sugar. So I toasted up some spices, added water and ginger and half a lime (hey, why not?) and simmered it for awhile. It looked terrible... But smelled heavenly!!! For my Chai I used the following spices: Cardamom in the pod, star anise (of undetermined age, from my mom's spice cupboard), cloves, black peppercorns, allspice, a cinnamon stick, and a few coriander seeds (also from my mom's cupboard...). After toasting those briefly in the pan, I added water and ginger (I meant to add the fibrous remains left over from grating the ginger for the soup... Instead, I grabbed some of the grated ginger that I intended to USE for the soup.... Which meant that I had the opportunity to grate some more ginger... I'm guessing this batch of chai will be extra gingery. Which is fine. It's good for inflammation. Anyway, then I added a little nutmeg and some cardamom powder (I'm a Swede. We love cardamom). I brought it all to a boil and it looked like this:
Gross. I know. Like something scummy just waiting to be washed out. (That's partly to do with the grated ginger that is all over the place....). Then I added black tea leaves, brought it back to a gentle boil, and then turned off the heat. It is still in the pan, steeping and getting all strong and flavorful. I will strain it into a jar later, adding some vanilla extract, and look forward to a cool, caffeinated beverage this week! I'll post a picture of it all strained out later... I want to enjoy my soup now!! It's super yummy. I think next time, I'll add broccoli to boost the veggie count, and to balance out the fact that I don't really like cooked bell peppers...
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