Mushrom Green Tea Soba Soup

I had never been tempted to order Soba whenever I ate out in Japanese restaurants, that is until my friend Mag who was visiting at that time persuaded me to share hers. The first experience was a bit wierd as I was not accustomed to eating cold noodle.

Now that Australia has grown its own buckwheat and produced its own soba noodles, there is no reason why we don't eat it more. I was so glad to find the much cheaper Australian's own Hakubaku organic soba noodles. The green tea variety that I used only cost $2.40 for 200g, which is much more cheaper than the Japanese made one. Soba is normally eaten cold, even in winter. The noodle is serve on an iced serving plate, and to eat it, you pick up the noodle with chopsticks and dip it in the dipping sauce. However, if you don't like the idea of eating cold noodle, you can try it with warm broth. And don't forget to slupr loudly as dictated by the correct Japanese etiquette of warm soba eating ;)

As I didn't have all the fancy ingredients suggested by most recipe (including one from Australian Gourmet Traveller that I would sure try next time), I used the recipe printed at the back of the soba packet, with a little modification. Not bad, I would say.



Ingredients:
1 packet (200g) organic green tea (cha) soba
3-4 pieces of dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup soya sauce
1/2 cup white wine (I replaced with mirin)
2 tbsp sugar (reduce if you use mirin, since it is sweet already)
Ginger root, peeled, grated
Spring (green) onion, chopped

Method:
Add the shiitake mushroom to 2 cups of boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.
Add soy sauce, white wine and sugar, cook at medium heat for 5 minutes.
Remove shiitake mushrooms, cut into small pieces and add back to the soup.
Cook the soba noodle in rapid boiling water for 6 minutes or until tender.
Drain, then rinse well with cold water, drain again and put into a bowl and top with the soup. Serve with finely grated ginger and chopped green onion.

Serves 3

Hearty Greek Bean Soup

A perfect soup for cold wintry night. Although it is a soup, it is substantial enough to be served as a main course. Instead of cannellini beans, butter beans can be used.



Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp oil
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
1 1/2 carrot, peeled and diced
1 1/2 stalks celery (leaves attached), sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
400g can chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup water
400g can cannellini beans, drains and rinsed.
salt & pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Saute onion for 2 minutes or until tender. Add carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
2. Blend in chopped tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat. Simmer gently for 40-45 minutes.
3. Stir in beans. Simmer for 5 minutes or until beans are heated through. Season to taste. Serve with crusty bread. Top with some grated parmesan if desired.
Serves 2

Wonton Soup

This is a wonton soup with a twist. The ginger gives it an interesting taste. A heart warming soup for cold winter day, a meal on its own.



Ingredients:
36 won ton wrappers (approximately)
Filling:
250g chicken mince or pork mince
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
Soup:
1 litre water
1 Knorr pork flavour cube
Green vegie / bean sprout
Tang chai
Fried garlic
Coriander leaves / spring onion (for garnish)

Method:
Mix the filling ingredients together. Wrap the wontons and set aside covered with tea towel to prevent the wonton from drying up. To make the soup, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the vegetable and reduce the fire to a simmer.
In another pot / wok, boil some water. Drop the wontons into the boiling water and wait for them to float to the service. Drain them and place into serving bowl, pour soup over, add a dash of white pepper and a few drops of sesame oil. Garnish as desired.

Serves 2

Easy Pasta Soup

A warming soup for winter days. I made use of the leftover roast chicken from last week. It takes a mere 5 minutes to prepare! You may either use prepared chicken stock or water + stock cubes. I use vegeta, which is vegetable stock powder.



Ingredients:
150g roast chicken
100g pasta (macaroni, shell etc)
100g potato, diced
50g carrot, diced
2 dsp vegeta
1 litre water

Method:
Put everything in a pot and boil until pasta is aldente and vegetables are soft. Serve with a dash of pepper and coriander or other herb of choice. If you are using Magic Jar, put everyting in the inner pot, bring it to the boil, then remove from fire. Insert the inner pot into outer pot, lock, and let it sit for about 20 minutes.

Serves 2

Tom Kar Gai

Thai Chicken with Galangal in Coconut Milk Soup. What more can I say? Although I normally prefer Tom Yam Soup, Tom Kar Gai is also another favourite of mine.



Ingredients:
400g chicken breast meat, thinly sliced
5 cups thick coconut milk
4 cm galangal, thinly sliced
2 stalks lemon grass, bruised, cut into 2cm lengths
1/4 tsp pepper
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp fish sauce
2 fresh coriander roots, finely chopped
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, sliced
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar

Garnish:
10 small chillies, finely chopped
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 stalk coriander, cut into 2 cm lengths
2 stalks spring onions, cut into 3 cm lengths

Method:
1. Bring the coconut milk to a boil together with galangal, lemon grass, pepper, coriander roots, shallots, garlic and fish sauce.
2. Add bamboo shoots and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.
3. Add chicken breast meat, stirring constantly till chicken is cooked. Add sugar and lemon juice to taste.
4. Before serving, add in crushed chillies, lemon leaves, coriander leaves and spring onions.

Serves 6