I get asked quite often why I like to cook. The first reason I give is normally because I like to eat. I am Thai and food is a big factor in our culture. We greet each other with hello followed by 'have you eaten? When guests turn up at your house it's safe to assume that they will expect to be fed.

The second reason is that as I grew up in the Northeastern part of Thailand, the poorest region, food was always hard to come by. We weren't hungry as there was always rice, but it was difficult finding something to go with rice. Now I do have ingredients to go with rice, I want to cook!

Sunday 1 May 2016

Lentil, Chicken and Ginger Soup.


Lentil, Chicken and Ginger Soup.

This soup is fresh and healthy. The lentils are deliciously nutty, earthy and low in calories. This is health food so I eat plenty of it.

Serves 2.

Preparation:
In a large bowl, put in
-200g dry lentils,
-plenty of cold water.
Leave to soak, around 1 hour.

Rinse well under running water.
Boil the lentils for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
Drain and leave aside.

In a large stock pot, put in
-1.2litres water,
-3cm thickly sliced ginger,
-1 stalk celery, cut into chunks,
-1 carrots, cut into chunks,
-1 onion, quartered,
-1tsp salt and pepper,
-2tbsp soy sauce,
-2 free range chicken thigh fillet.
Bring it up to a gentle simmer and leave to cook on low heat for around 30 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the chicken to cool in the stock for around 10 minutes.
Drain through a sieve into a large heatproof bowl. 

Pour the stock back into the saucepan, add
-cooked lentils.
Leave to simmer whilst you shred the chicken (around 5 minutes).
Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Spoon into serving bowls, add
-shredded chicken, with
-a few ginger and spring onions strips for added freshness.




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