Hope you guys have had a good week and have exciting weekend plans ahead? We’ve spent the past weekend socialising with my brother and his girlfriend who were visiting. It was a lot of fun, even if the weather was a tad disappointing – we were walking around Bristol in strong wind and rain on Saturday, which is a shame as our guests have not been here before and a blue sky would have definitely left a better impression.
It was fun, nevertheless, even if we all overate (I put my hand up sheepishly…I am a feeder, you see!) to the point that we were looking forward to spending some time away from the table and getting back to our exercise routine once we part ways. We are planning to spend this weekend recharging our batteries so that we can socialise again the weekend after. I am attending a day pottery course on Saturday, which was my birthday present from Duncan and which I am looking forward to immensely and on Sunday, we plan to simply spend some relaxing time together. Although technically it is May, I find that the weather has been blowing hot and cold lately and I cannot quite dispense with putting the heating on just yet and I am still craving warming and comforting food. This is why I’ve decided to make a warming noodle soup today, it heroes my favourite flavours of lemongrass, coriander, ginger and lime leaves. It’s light and fragrant yet warming and filling thanks to all the beautiful trimmings that a soup like this usually calls for. I went for char-grilled tofu, noodles, pak choi, tenderstem broccoli and heaps of fresh coriander. I am very lucky as Bristol has a lot of stores that sell a plethora of Asian ingredients, from Chinese to Malay and I am all over that. Stepping into one of these stores, I am like a kid in a sweet shop – excited about what every single thing tastes like and what it is traditionally used for. There is so much to discover that I don’t think I will ever get bored of going there, reading up on all of these exotic ingredients and putting them to use in my own kitchen. If only I could do that for a living 😉 .
200 g / 7 oz vermicelli rice noodles 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 400 g / 14 oz favourite tofu (I like Japanese-style tofu fillets by Taifun)** 200 g / 7 oz tenderstem broccoli 100 g / 3.5 oz bok choi 1 large courgette, turned into ‘zoodles’ 1 spring onion, sliced finely, to garnish chilli oil or condiment like sambal oelek, to taste (optional) fresh coriander and mint, to garnish
**If using naked tofu, press it first, then marinate (4 tbsp tamari / soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sambal oelek, 2 tsp grated ginger, 1 grated garlic clove for example) for a few hours before grilling.
