Green Thai soup with red lentils. December 10, 2014

 

 

Since when does someone find something on Pinterest that looks so amazing that they DONT pin it. Never. That never happens, except for last week. I saw this recipe, looked at the ingredients decided that I HAD to make it, which even prompted me to go out and buy the ingredients I didn’t have.  But I didn’t pin it.

Well, like a wayward chef, I went on a food adventure last night because this soup sounded so good, nice and warm and easy. I made it my way, with my ingredients, only knowing that the lost recipe had coconut milk and lentils in it. BUT, it was F$%#ing amazing! I couldn’t stop eating it! I would have ate the whole pot if I didn’t want some for today’s lunch!

The best part is: when I put it in MyFitness Pal to get the calories etc. it was less than 200 cal per serving, about 8g of fat, but there was about 700g of sodium, so next time  I would suggest a low sodium chicken stock or veggie stock if you want to make it vegan.

So here’s my version and obviously you can make it your recipe. Alot of this is to taste, so keep tasting while you make.

Ingredients: Makes 2 full-meal portions or about 3-4 cups 

• 1 Cup chicken stock/ vegetable stock.
• 1/2+ can of thai light coconut milk(right)
• Cup+ water
• 3-4 basil leaves for soaking (I had some fresh frozen, whole leaves, they will be removed close to the end of the cooking
• 1/2 Cup red lentils
• 1 carrot
• Handful of spinach
• aprox. 2 tbsp Green curry paste (right)
• Garlic clove diced (I have a garlic press from the $ store that is magical)
• Inch of ginger, grated. Sub with ginger powder.
• A couple dashes of hot sauce.
• S&P to taste
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (this is optional, but I am in love).

Directions:

1. Add the water, chicken stock, coconut milk & basil leaves to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
2. Add the lentils, curry paste and spices (incl. garlic and ginger) Stirring throughout.
3. Chop the carrot  into bite-sized slices & add them to the soup. Turn the heat down to low-med.
4. Cook until the lentils are soft,
5. Remove the basil leaves and add the spinach. Make sure you’re tasting!
6. Keep on a low heat until the spinach becomes soft.

When you’re ready, dish up and enjoy!

Mazo ball soup for EVERYBODY! October 11, 2010

Mazo Ball soup

 

The first time I ever even heard of Mazo ball soup was when I took a three day trip to LA and my Father-in-law took my husband and I to Nate ‘n’ Al’s delicatessen. They kept talking about how good the Mazo (which to me is pronounced ‘maht-za’) ball soup was. I hesitantly asked what was in it and they described it as ‘a bowl of broth with a ball of ‘maht-za’ in it’.

“Like a big ball of cheese?” I asked, thinking ‘maht-za’ was short for Mozzarella. Even though this was probably a silly question, my mouth was salivating at the thought of a fresh ball of cheese in broth but torn at the thought that it could potentially be a melting ball of heart attack in a bowl.

Finally they described it as a boiled bread and the flour used to make it was called Matzo. I was relieved and intrigued. I ordered one–with vegetables (an option you have when you go to Nate ‘n’ Al’s). Ever since then I was hooked. Pretty much all Mazo ball soups taste the same to me, but Nate ‘N’ Al’s is always better.

Manischewitz Mazo ball soup Mix

At the grocery store in the ‘specialty/international’ section, they have mixes for this soup. like Manischewitz’s and  I’ve always been hesitant to buy one thinking that the Mazo balls would be hard to make. Finally a friend bought one and I inquired with her. Once feeling confident I could too achieve this Jewish delight, I bought two. They’re cheap as chips, therefore a very cost-wise meal.

In an effort to make the soup a little more hearty, I added some veggies to the  broth–also because that’s what Nate ‘n’ Al do.

The box comes with two packages–as long as you buy the ‘Mazo Ball AND soup mix’ (yes, there is one that is just the matzo balls) and then all you need is

• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp of oil (olive or canola or vegetable or soy etc. etc.)
• 2 1/2 Quarts, aka. 10 Cups of water
• 1-2 Normal Sized Carrots- sliced into 1/2″ or less pieces.
• 1-2 stalks of celery- sliced the same as the carrots (see the first picture above)
• A mouth.

If you do happen to only pick up the Mazo Ball mix, the broth is essentially just chicken stock, so if you have some of that lying around, you can use it (but use it as a concentrate and make half of your amount ( 5 cups) water).

Directions: Are on the package, but I’ll lay them out here:

1. Since you have to let the Mazo ball batter sit for about 15 minutes I make that first. In a bowl big enough to hold about 4-5 cups, whisk the eggs and oil together.
2. Add the package for the Mazo Balls to the oil and the eggs (I added a  bit of S&P, but I don’t think it’s necessary). Mix thoroughly and stick it in the fridge for a few minutes.
3. Slice up your carrots and celery.
4. In a humongous pot (that has a lid)–remember it has to hold 10 cups of water at least– add the soup package to the 10 cups of water.
5. Add the veggies, and bring to a boil.
6. If the water is boiling and the Mazo mix has been in the fridge for about 15 minutes, take it out; it’s time to make the mazo into balls!
7. The package says to wet your hands when making the mazo into balls, and unless you have a shortage of water–do it–trust me, this stuff is sticky!
8. The package also says to make the balls about 1-1 1/2 inches. I made them about 2+ inches because I thought they would be too small and I didn’t know they were going to swell up like  hot air balloon; ie. about 3-3 1/2 inches.
9. You have to boil everything for about 20 minutes. This is a good amount of time; the veggies soften and the Mazo boils.

This makes enough for about 3 hungry people or 4-5 as a side dish. It’s very filling and oh-so-tasty! I was reading the ingredients for the Mazo balls and I think if you wanted to make this from scratch, all you would need is Mazo flour, oil, egg and some salt and pepper, along with the chicken stock and water for a broth. But don’t quote me on that– I only married into a Jewish family.

Don’t forget to sprinkle it with love and enjoy

Kristi