Ich bin ja, wie schonmal berichtet, nicht so die Fischfreundin. Das betrifft um so mehr solche Dinge wie Fischsauce, Garnelenpaste o.Ä., vor welchen ich ein leichtes Grausen habe.  Was wiederum bedeutet, daß mir fast alle Currypasten leider nicht ins Haus kommen. Da traf es sich gut, dass ich bei Cucina Piccina den Hinweis auf eine Herbaria Gewürzmischung namens „ Mild Wild Green Curry “ las. Gelesen, nach einiger Herumsucherei endlich gekauft und damit analog dem Green Curry mit Bohnen, Zuckerschoten und Belugalinsen ein eigenes Green Curry gebastelt:

Zutaten:

• 200 g Belugalinsen
• 1 Lorbeerblatt
• 250 g grüne Bohnen
• 5 kleine Kartoffeln
• 5 cm Ingwer
• 2 Zehen Knoblauch
• 1 Zwiebel
• 1.5 EL Mild Wild Green Curry Gewürzmischung*
• 2 EL Sonnenblumenöl
• 1 kleine Zucchini
• 5 (relativ große) Champignons
• 150 g Erbsen (TK)
• 375 ml Gemüsebrühe
• 1 Dose Kokosmilch
• Salz, Pfeffer
• Saft von 1/2 Zitrone (evtl. mehr, Limette ist sicher auch gut)

Linsen in reichlich Wasser aufsetzen, mit Lorbeerblatt 20-30 Minuten bißfest kochen.

Bohnen putzen und kleinschneiden. Kartoffeln schälen und würfeln. Zusammen in Salzwasser etwa 10 Minuten kochen.

Ingwer und Knoblauch schälen und kleinhacken. Zwiebel schälen und würfeln. Zucchini und Pilze ebenfalls kleinschneiden.

Sonnenblumenöl in einer großen Pfanne erhitzen, Ingwer kurz anbraten. Knoblauch und Zwiebel hinzufügen, einige Minuten anschwitzen. Gewürzmischung dazu, sehr kurz mitschwitzen lassen. Pilze hinzufügen, dann TK-Erbsen, dann Zucchini, unter Rühren weiterbraten. Mit Brühe ablöschen.

Bohnen und Kartoffeln zugeben, Kokosmilch zugießen. Curry nur noch erwärmen, nicht mehr kochen lassen.

Von abgegossenen Linsen Lorbeerblatt entfernen, die Linsen salzen und unter das Curry mischen. Noch kurz durchziehen lassen. Alles mit Salz, Pfeffer und Zitronensaft abschmecken.

Mit Reis servieren.

* eigentlich 2 EL, aber es sollte wegen kleiner Tischgenossen nicht zu scharf werden

here is another recipe inspired by chili and ciabatta. i made the vegetable soup with courgettes, with minor modifications. being warned that the amount of lentils in the original recipe was not enough to qualify for a lentil soup, i more than doubled the amount. i also added chick peas, baby peas and lemon juice. the soup is flavoured with a paste made of ginger, garlic, dates, chili and some other spices – which i find a very interesting (and tasty) take on seasoning.

ingredients:

paste:

• 6 dates (cored)
• 25 g fresh ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp pul biber (chili flakes), more to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds
• zest of one lemon

soup:

• 2 zucchini
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 15 small tomatoes
• 160 g red lentils
• a can of chick peas (340g)
• 80 g baby peas (frozen)
• 60 g couscous
• 1.6 l vegetable stock (yes, it makes a lot of soup. i cooked for 6 people.)
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, more to taste
• salt

to serve:

• olive oil

cut dates, ginger and garlic in small pieces (i used a mincing knife), then pestle with the remaining spices into a thick paste.

cut zucchini in little pieces, cut spring onions in small rings, quarter tomatoes.

in a large pot, cook the ginger-paste in olive oil for a few minutes on medium heat. add zucchini and cook for a few minutes. add 800 ml vegetable stock, then add red lentils and cook for about five minutes. add remaining vegetable stock, chick peas and baby peas. when the lentils are almost done, add couscous and cook for another five minutes. season with salt. finally add green onions and tomatoes and let it simmer at very low heat for two minutes. season with lemon juice, and more chili flakes to taste.

to serve, sprinkle with a bit olive oil. we had it together with barbari.

note: the soup was quite thick, i wanted it to be more like a stew. if you want it more “soupy” you could leave out the couscous or use less lentils.

this is the most elaborate carrot salad i ever made, and actually kind of an own invention (after browsing here and there). first roast 1.5 Tbsp sesame seed, set aside. cut 1/2 onion in tiny dices. mix juice of half a lemon with half a cup orange juice. finely grate a small piece of ginger (2cm?) into the juice. roast cinnamon, cilantro, cumin, black pepper (approximately 1/4 tsp each) and 1/2 tsp black onion seed for a few minutes. deglace with the juice. add 1 Tbsp honey. pour the mixture on the diced onion.  then add half a cup raisins and half a cup chopped cashew nuts. add 4 Tbsp sun flower oil, stir well. grate 3-4 large carrots into the dressing. season with some more black pepper and salt. add 1 Tbsp parsley and the roasted sesame seeds. let it stand for at least 30 minutes. the result of it was assessed to be the highlight of the month. ha.

and yes, i have noticed the stains but you please try out by yourself polishing a filled glass on the inside while a two year old is rampaging around the table.

a new asian food shop has recently opened in our neighbourhood and yesterday i went to check it out. i got fresh cilantro, ginger, 4 pak choi and noodles (3.50 – quite cheap i think) and got inspired by this post (in german) for the following “somehow asian” dish:

sweat finely chopped ginger, garlic and onion for a few minutes in sunflower oil, add diced sweet potatoe and a cup of vegetable stock, let it simmer for another few minutes. add small strips of a carrot and celery stalks, some cilantro, a tsp kurkuma and after yet another few minutes four more cups of vegetable stock. next comes a can (400 ml) of  coconut cream. then the white parts of the pak choi, sliced, and finally the green parts, also sliced.  season with 2 tsp sugar and salt to taste. served with asian instant noodles and fresh cilantro. some chili would have been nice, but was omitted since we had a little eater at the table. who liked it, by the way.

this is an incredibly delicious veggie soup, with a recipe i found here (in german).

first roast a tbsp of anise seed and a finely chopped piece of ginger (3cm +x) in some sun flower oil. add diced vegetables and stew for a few minutes. add 1.25l vegetable stock and simmer at medium heat for about 15 minutes. add 125ml orange juice and simmer again for 5-10 minutes. season with salt and pepper.

served with orange segments, smoked tofu that has been fried with some sesame seeds, chopped parsley, olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

it’s dead easy, and as long as you stick with the anise-ginger-orange part, it works with almost every combination of vegetables. for the soup pictured above we used a rather simple mix of 3 carrots, 3 potatoes, 100g baby peas and 1 zucchini. had an equally great result with carrots, parsnip, sweethart cabbage, peas, potatoes and leek.

more inspiration and photos here.