something coming soon.
When I can figure out how to get a list of the other posts in this category here, it will be. For now, just some pictures. =)
flickr stream.
The Thai Update.
First of all, let me say how crazy things are around here. We are hosting the Christmas Eve Dinner and we’re having a record number of guests for our tiny house. Should be exciting. Plus, there are a bunch of little home improvement things that I am trying to get done before Friday, when the cooking begins.
So today, Mom ( now, Grandma ) stopped by for a couple of reasons. The first was to bring the first wave of presents, since her car isn’t that large, and apparently some of the presents are. This made sense when she arrived with a Kaffir Lime tree and a 15-gallon terra cotta pot to put it in. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been wanting one of these, because the nearest reliable lime leaf source is a good 30-minute drive away. Anyway, the tree is gorgeous, the pot matches my other citrus pots, and I can’t wait to walk out and grab a couple of fresh leaves of the plant for some Thai cooking. Awesome. If I were more organized, I’d have a picture of the two limes on the plant for you. They look like little green brains. Apparently they aren’t used for cooking or eating because they are too sour, but I will taste one, just for the experience.
Then, Mom became the superhero of the house by peeling and cubing 5 cups of pumpkin for some sublime soup. I know you probably have the cookbook Hot Sour Salty Sweet, so I made the Silky Pumpkin Coconut Soup, page 51. If you don’t have this book, it is a great Mekong River travel / cookbook. Stories, pictures, and great recipes abound. And, it’s been at Costco lately for almost half-price. Anyway.
To make the soup, start by roasting a couple of shallots, I did mine in a dry cast-iron skillet. Get them nice and black. Then peel and cube to about 1/2 inch 5 cups of pumpkin. This was about 1/3rd of a 10-inch pumpkin. We roasted the rest to use for something else. Then take 2 cups of coconut milk, 2 cups of broth, and a handful of chopped cilantro, put it in a pot with the pumpkin and the shallots ( that you peeled and chopped roughly ) and bring to a boil. Watch that pot because the coconut milk will boil over easily.
Once boiling, add a pinch of salt, and turn your heat down to medium, and set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add 2 good squirts of Thai fish sauce ( about 2 tbsp ) and cook a few more minutes. Then turn off the heat. The book says you can, and will be rewarded, if you let the soup sit for an hour and then bring it back to heat, but we ate it right away. Ladle it into some bowls, give it some fresh ground pepper, and chopped scallions to garnish if you’re feeling fancy, and serve it up with some jasmine rice. The “Silky” in the title doesn’t quite do this soup justice. It is so smooth and tasty. I had an elaborate plan to make some spicy pickled cabbage to serve with this, but time got the best of me. I should have just spooned up some kim chee to contrast the sweet richness of the soup. Next time, or I should say Tomorrow when I eat the leftovers. =)
posted to In the Garden, at 02:16 PM. permalink
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