Thai Style Pumpkin Soup

There is no other time I would eat pumpkin so often except in winter!  I bake it with vegetable in roast, putting it as topping for pizza or as a filling for tart...and my favourite is pumpkin soup!  There are many recipes for different pumpkin soup putting in bacon, curry or turmeric powder, adding sweet potato etc.  And this Thai Style is my new favourite.  I had this recipe last year from a magazine and finally got the chance to make it.  The coconut milk makes such a difference and I love the spice from the curry paste.  The original recipe require blending pesto with coriander roots, lemon zest and juice but I have omitted this process by adding coriander powder instead.  That's the way to do it when you don't want to get out to the garden on a cold night to pick up the coriander root!

Thai Style Pumpkin Soup
(serve 2-4)

1 cereal bowl of cut pumpkin
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp Thai red curry paste (put less if you don't want it too spicy)
1 cup water
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
coriander to garnish

Method:

1. Heat a little oil in the saucepan, saute onion and stir for a minute.  Add ginger, coriander powder and curry paste, stir through.  
2. Add in pumpkin and water, reduce heat and let it simmer till pumpkin is cooked.  Cool slightly.
3. Blend the pumpkin mixture till smooth in a blender.  Return to pan and add coconut milk and lemon juice then warm through.  Seasoned with salt and garnish with coriander leaves.  

Food for the Gods

My son has been learning Ancient Egypt at school.  They have an archaeological dig at the school ground digging up some old cup and saucers, broken metal and materials that are buried by the teachers.  Then they visit the museum looking at the mummy and some Egyptian artefact followed by writing reports on what they find and what the life's liked during the ancient period.  That is a fun way to learn about history rather than reading and try to remember the fact like what I used to.  As they had been learning Ancient Greek and Roman before and I didn't know much about ancient history except the Chinese's.  So I borrow some books from the library on ancient history about the Egyptian, the Greeks, the Romans and the Vikings.  I am just amazed how the ancient time influences what we are today particularly in heath and medicine, and in art and architecture.  As the world is becoming globalized and you just wonder where things actually originally come from.  There is never too old to learn new things. (even history is old thing)

I went to the biggest morning tea, a fundraising for the caner council yesterday and I baked this cake to share with the ladies.  A lady came to me and ask for the recipe straight away.  I couldn't find out the meaning for the name of this cake and I assume that there are many Gods an Goddess in the ancient time and sugar is very precious.  The Egyptian uses grape and date to make wine and I just assume that they also use date and honey to make cake to pray for their Gods.  Or I think the cake just taste liked heaven to me!

I got the recipe from ping's picking and I have slightly changed some of the ingredient.  Please check out Ping's blog as she has many amazing recipes to offer.


Food for the Gods (Date & Walnuts Slice)


Ingredients
1 1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
225g butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup walnut, chopped
1 cup pitted dates, chopped

Method

1. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add in eggs one at a time and mix well.
2. Add sifted flour, baking powder, soda, salt, golden syrup, honey, vanilla, nuts and dates to the mixture and mix well.
3. Pour mixture into a paper lined lamington pan and bake for 20 min at 170c.
4. Cool cake in pan and cut into slices.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Winter finally arrived! My kids love tin soup as it is very convenience to heat up some soup for a quick meal.  It is actually not that hard to make homemade soup such as pumpkin soup and pea and ham soup as you can make a big pot and freeze the leftover for later for those who have a busy life.  Broccoli is my kids favourite vegetable and it has lots of nutrient from the little trees.  This soup is great for all ages from toddlers to growing kids and elder people.  And if you brought too much broccoli and the florets starts to turn yellow, this is best ideas to use up the vegetable into soup!  I also learned from a Low GI cookbook that baby potatoes are low GI and I have been using baby washed baby potatoes for my cooking ever since.

Cream of Broccoli Soup
(serve 2-4)

1 small broccoli
3-4 small washed baby potatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon of grated cheese
1 tablespoon evaporated milk
1/2 cup or more milk
salt and pepper

Method:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces.  Cover with 1 cup water with a little salt and boil until potatoes are cooked.
2. Cut the florets from the broccoli, put the broccoli and onion with the potatoes when the potatoes started to soften and cook till both vegetable are well cooked.  Reserve 1/2 of the water and blend the vegetable into the blender till thick and smooth.
3. Return the vegetable mixture into the pan, add the onion, 1/2 cup milk and the remaining reserved water to thinning the soup.  Add a bit more of milk and water if needed.
4. Let the soup simmer for a few minutes, add the cheese and evaporated milk to enhance the flavour and seasoned with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives if you wish.