Thai red curry with shrimp & noodles

Have you ever wondered how your imagination can write the most fascinating, yet somewhat bizarre scenarios?  My mind, in any case, seems very prone to coming up with the craziest ideas.  One thought I'm often puzzled by, for example, is what would the world look like if everybody had the same personality, talents and flaws as me.  I'm not talking about looks, educational choices, or even interests.  Just hard skills & character = what you are born with.

Imagine all the plumbers, architects, athletes, policemen, doctors and taxi drivers would have your take on life (optimistic or pessimistic), your enthousiasm (or the lack of it), your ability to learn (slowly or quickly), to tackle problems and face challenges, your dedication or your laziness, as well as your social skills.  

It's a funny exercise for your mind and I recommend you have a go at it and see what kind of world you would come up with.  All you need to do is think of yourself in every possible social scenario and profession -- and assume you have full power to do things your way.  After all -- the only person who could stop you would be you.

You don't need to dig deep when playing this game and keep it simple.  Think about things you are good at / not good at.  Maybe with your skills there would be a cure for cancer by now?  Or maybe we wouldn't have even made it to the Moon?  What would the buildings designed by you look like (IOW: what is your style?)?  How would cities and road networks be planned (IOW: do you have a decent spatial intelligence and can you predict social needs or technological developments?)?  What would you find on the shelves of an ordinary supermarket: more types of yoghurt? more exotic fruit? less meat?  Would the Air Force One have a SPA on board?  Would there be different TV channels? 

If you do wish to dig a bit deeper -- focus on the more fundamental issues.  Would the world be a cleaner, safer and more peaceful place?  Think carefully!  The fact that now you are against war does not mean much.  You probably live a nice, cheerful life in a safe country, have a decent job and never go hungry (except when on a diet :P ).  But would you still be against war if you were born poor, in a third world country, and some guys sent by a ruthless dictator threatened your family?  Would you fight -- or still choose peace?

But enough of this philosophizing: let's get to the food :D  This Thai red curry is really one of the best things I ever ate!  Spicy, creamy, and with a perfect balance of flavors and textures.  I love curries in general, but used to be more familiar with the Indian ones, rather than the Thai, which I discovered quite late.  I love their exotic taste: the blend of heat, sweetness and zingy freshness, combined the lovely smoothness of coconut milk.

Once you get a grasp of the basics and are able to make this amazing red sauce, you can throw in almost any ingredients you like.  You don't need to go for shrimp -- try using meaty fish, chicken or veal instead, if that's more to your liking.  Also various types of veg go very well with this.  Based on the original recipe you should add bamboo shoots and soft green peppercorns -- but baby corn or red peppers are great too.  Enjoy!

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Bon appetit!

Lentil, pumpkin & curry soup

There are two kinds of people when it comes to food.  Those who always order the same dish -- because they find it delicious, go to the same restaurant - because it's their favorite, or use the same recipes -- because they were tested out a million times, can't go wrong and taste great.  Monotonous, but safe - you always get want you want and hit the bullseye.  But there are also those who decide to go for new things -- exploring new dishes and restaurants in the hopes of discovering something extraordinary. Adventurous, but risky.

I'm definitely the second kind.  I rarely order the same thing twice, and love hunting for new dishes and places.  Can't remember how many times that attitude backfired!  When I just had to order this blanched spinach salad, while I knew this was risky, and could have been having the good old tested out tortellini.  Result: staring sadly at the disgusting mush on my plate instead of enjoying my meal.  But you have to be prepared to loose, if you want to win.  And there have been plenty of time when the gamble payed off :-)

This soup is a good example that experimenting is totally worth it.  I have been making this dish for a few years, after I got the recipe from my friend Julia.  The soup always turned out perfectly -- it was literally the best soup I ever had.  And you can't improve perfection, can you?  Well it turns out you can :-)  

I decided to experiment a bit, and replaced one of the key ingredients (sweet potatoes) with pumpkin.  I was a bit afraid it would ruin it all -- but took the risk.  Result: perfection improved! 

This soup is creamy and rich, with the earthy taste of lentils, sweetness of the pumpkin and heat of curry.  Finished off with smooth coconut milk, a touch of lime juice and the defined taste of fresh coriander.  I am not kidding people -- THIS REALLY IS THE BEST SOUP EVER!  A must-have during these cold and gray winter evenings.

 

Makes 4 (small) portions

Ingredients:

• 400 g of pumpkin
• 1,5 cup of dry lentils (I used green ones)
• 2 potatoes
• 1 large onion or two medium ones 
• 2 garlic cloves
• Can of coconut milk
• 1/2-1 lime
• Curry powder (mild or hot depending on how spicy you like your food)
• Fresh cilantro (unfortunately I only had basil, but that works too -- though cilantro is much better) 
• Olive oil
• Bouillon powder/cubes (I used bio & vegetarian)
• Salt
• Goat's milk yoghurt (optional)

 

Directions:

• Peel the onion(s) and garlic cloves, and roughly chop them.  Put in a bit pan with some olive oil, and fry until golden.  Add 2-3 teaspoons of curry powder and keep on frying for a minute -- watch out as the curry likes to burn, so you have to keep stirring.
• Add the dry lentils (I rarely let them soak beforehand, just because I'm lazy) and about 600 ml of boiling water.  Season with bouillon powder (follow package instructions for the amount of water you used).  Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
• Peel the pumpkin and potatoes and roughly chop them.  Add to the lentils (you may need to add some water, so that all veggies are covered), and boil until everything is soft.
• Take the pan off the heat and blend with a hand blender until you get a smooth, but thick texture (you can leave some small chunks if you like).
• Bring back to the heat (very low heat though), add coconut milk and season with lime juice, salt, bouillon powder or curry, to taste.
• Serve with chopped cilantro, lime wedges and (optionally) a dollop of goat's milk yoghurt.

 

Bon appetit!
 

 

Grilled halloumi & co.

Good things take time, great things happen all at once.  This dish is a perfect example of that.  It came together by accident -- without previous planning, without previous inspiration, even without a special occasion.  Yet the result is really good and I would definitely serve it during fancy-ish dinner parties.  The ingredients go very well together: they have such different flavors and textures that they complement each other perfectly. 

 

"So what is exactly in the dish?" you impatiently ask?  Well, let me tell at once: grilled halloumi cheese, roasted butternut squash and sweet red pepper, sprouts (chickpea, soy, lentil, mung bean and other bean) in curry.  Sprinkled with roasted pine nuts and served with a dollop of lime hummus. 

The halloumi is salty and chewy, the grilled veggies -- sweet and soft, the curry sprouts -- spicy.  Lime hummus adds freshness and the toasted pine nuts -- crunch and nuttiness.  A perfect polygamous marriage :-)

Halloumi has always been one of my favorite cheeses -- I used to love it as a kid, and have not grown out of it.  It's great in salads, with grilled vegetables, or simply on a pita bread, with a cucumber-tomato salad and some hummus on the side.  Butternut squash, on the other hand, is a recent addition to my cooking.  I started experimenting with it last Fall, and plan to incorporate it even more in my cooking.  It's great roasted or in soups (for example with lentils, curry and coconut milk).

This dish showcases both perfectly.  Have it with a glass of good red wine and your dinner is complete.  The avid meat-eaters among you won't even notice this is a fully vegetarian dish.  Enjoy!

Serves 2 hungry people

Ingredients:

• 1 package (250 g) of halloumi cheese
• 1 medium butternut squash
• 2 sweet red peppers (mine were long, but sweet)
• 1 package (around 300 g) of mixed bean sprouts (chickpea, lentils, soy, mung beans - whatever you have)
• A small hand full of pine nuts
• Hummus (preferably homemade, but bought is perfectly fine)
• 1/2 lime
• Curry powder (mild or hot depending on how spicy you like your food)
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC.  Cut the butternut squash and peppers in half, get rid of the seeds using a big spoon.  Cut the vegetables in chunks, put in a bowl with some olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss until covered with oil.  Line a baking tray with parchment paper, put squash on tray and roast for around 25 minutes until fork-tender.  Add the peppers after 10-15 minutes (the peppers need less time to cook).
• Cut halloumi in relatively thick slices, and grill on a grill pan until golden (not need to add oil).
• Heat some olive oil in a pan, add sprouts and 3 tsps of curry powder (I added more, because I like my food quite spicy).  Stir-fry for around 10 minutes.
• Toast pine nuts in the oven or a dry pan (no oil) until golden brown.  Watch out they don't burn.
• Squeeze some lime juice into the hummus, mix.
• Combine all parts of the puzzle into the dish.

Bon appetit!