Well it has been quite some time since I have posted, my sincerest apologies. 2017 has been a very exciting and busy year, from becoming engaged, planning a wedding, getting married and then honeymooning! It has been the best, but I have missed being in the kitchen and connecting with all my dear followers, but now I am back. 🙂

I promise 2018 will bring lots of new things and I will post an update soon on all the fun we have been having, but in the meantime, I am finding inspiration again in the kitchen and wanted to share. Even though, there was some debate in my head on whether to post with pictures or without as my camera is donezo and these photo’s aren’t great, but this dish is too good not to share.

For the month of October, we were away in Bali, enjoying all the honeymoon bliss and boy, were we ever inspired with all the delicious food and drinks that were had. We were absolutely blown away in every way. From their local Indonesian fare to some of the best Italian food we have ever had, the food in Bali was incredible. Wow wow wow! Not to mention all the local and plant based food they served; it really inspired me to pay more attention to my food consumption and habits.

Last week, we were hit with a cold spell in the city and I was craving warm and spicy dishes to warm the soul. I decided to finally give one of my favourite Thai dishes, a try. Tom Yum,  was super easy to make and turned out amazing that I found myself going back for seconds and could have gone back for thirds. This is definitely becoming part of our weekly rotation.

The ingredients in this soup easily blend together for some amazing flavour. One thing to note is do taste test as you go, add a little bit of this and a little bit of that if you need, don’t be shy here, this is how I developed such an amazing soup. If you want it more spicy add in more chilli, prefer it less creamy skip a can of coconut milk, if it is too sour add in more sugar. The great thing about this dish, is once you get the broth portion to your liking, you can add in whatever you like in terms of veg or protein. Don’t be scared off by the number of ingredients, it is SO GOOD!! I also chose to make mine extra brothy, so feel free to add more veg or less liquid if you prefer.

Tom Yum (yields 6-8 servings)

• 1400 ml no salt added vegetable broth
• 2 cans coconut milk (1 regular and 1 light)
• 1 tsp of sugar (your choice, I used cane)
• 3 tbsp tom yum paste
• 1 tbsp lemongrass paste or the lower third of lemongrass stalk cut into matchsticks
• 1 tbsp ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp chilli garlic sauce
• 1 tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 2-4 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 small bunch of green onions, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced into half mooons
• half a cup of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 8-10  mushrooms, sliced
• Thai rice noodles
• 2 cups of shrimp, I used cooked but raw would be best
• handful of cilantro

1. Pour broth and coconut milk into a large saucepan and set over medium. Whisk in sugar, tom yum paste, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and chilli-garlic sauce.  Cover and bring to a boil
2. Add onion, pepper, wait 5 minutes then add carrot, zucchini,  mushrooms, tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until veg is cooked through, about 7-10 min
   

   

   

   

   

   

   
3. Stir in lime juice, fish sauce and salt
4. While the above is cooking, boil rice noodles in a separate pot for 5 minutes (according to package but not to fully soft), drain and rinse
5. Stir in cilantro, rice noodles and shrimp, cook for 3 minutes
6. Serve topped with fresh cilantro, and enjoy!

Keep Cozy! xx