Instructions

1. In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic, grated ginger, sliced bell pepper, and Thai red chillies. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
3. Stir in the fish or light soy sauce, followed by the coconut milk and fish fillet and the stock. Now, bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Once the soup is simmering, add the lime zest and juice.
5. Next add the fish fillet to the pan along with salt to taste. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5-7 minutes until the fish is opaque and breaks into flakes easily with a fork.
6. Stir in the bok choy, green peas, bell pepper (if you are using any) and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
7. Ladle the coconut lime fish soup into individual bowls and serve immediately. Top with fresh cilantro and lime wedges on the side.

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in deep bottom pan over medium heat. Add the onion, green chillies along with the garlic and sauté for a minute or two, stirring frequently.
2. Now add the fresh, shelled peas, coconut milk, and the vegetable broth to the pan. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off from the heat to cool for a bit.
3. Use a hand blender to puree the soup, or you may transfer to a blender jar and blend until smooth.
4. Transfer the blended soup back to the pan and reheat it over low flame. Finish off by adding butter and season with salt and black pepper according to your taste. Serve hot.

Instructions

1. Boil 2 litres of water with ½ cup of rice vinegar and ½ tbsp of salt. Switch off the flame. Add the chicken with bone (and preferably with skin) along with the chicken bones. You may lightly bruise the bones if you like before adding to the water. Leave them in for 10 – 15 mins, before taking them out and washing them in cold water.
2. Char the onions and ginger over open flame to burn the skin. Place them over the flame for 2 minutes each side, undisturbed. The idea is to char them well as we want their flavour to seep into the broth. Once charred, peel off the skin and clean up.
3. Using a mortar and pestle lightly bruise and crush together the coriander roots, garlic cloves and peppercorns. Put them in a mesh bag or tie them in a muslin cloth and keep them ready to prepare the stock or the broth. You may roughly pulse grind the coriander roots, garlic and whole black peppercorns if you do not have a mortar – pestle readily at home.
4. Heat a pan over medium- low flame. Dry roast the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise. Frequently stir for about 5 mins or until they release their aroma. Cool them before transferring to a second mesh bag or tie them up in another muslin cloth ( make them into ‘potli’ ).
5. In a large deep bottom pan add 4 litres of water along with the chicken with bone (and skin) pieces, and the spare chicken bones as well.
6. Once the water starts boiling, add the grilled onions, ginger and shallots into the simmering stock. Add the quartered radish or carrots. I even added some celery too (both the stem and the leaves).
7. Next drop in the 2 mesh bags or ‘potlis’. First mesh bag containing crushed coriander roots, garlic cloves and peppercorns and the second one containing the dry roasted cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and star anise.
8. Now cover with a lid and reduce the flame to a sim. Simmer and cook the chicken stock for 45 mins. It is important to cook the chicken stock on very low and gentle flame. Remove the cover from time to time and Scoop off the scum (dirty form) that rises to the surface.
9. Strain the stock into a clean pan and remove the chicken pieces. You should be having a maximum of 2 litres of the clear chicken stock ready for your Pho.
10. Shred the chicken, discard the bones and the skin. Keep them aside and ready.
11. Put the stock back over a medium-low flame to keep it warm and season the chicken stock/broth with chicken powder or chicken stock cubes, some rock, sugar and fish sauce. Sugar in Vietnam is a much needed and an essential ingredient that is used to balance the taste. Taste and add salt as per your taste.
12. While your chicken stock was getting ready blanch the rice noodles, bean sprouts in boiling water and put them into a large soup bowl.
13. Assemble your Chicken Pho immediately by scooping a few ladle full of the chicken broth into your prepared soup bowl. Top it with sliced chicken meat, a generous helping of bean sprouts, chopped spring onion greens and a pinch of pepper powder.
14. Serve with mixed herbs, sliced red chillies and green jalapenos. Squeeze in some lemon juice from the top and add hoisin sauce and red chilli sauce according to your taste.

Instructions

• Heat a deep bottom pan with the oil. Once medium hot add the chopped garlic and fry over medium flame till golden brown. Next add the carrot. Broccoli (or cauliflower), beans, onions. Stir for a minute or two before adding the mushrooms, beans, snowpeas, chopped red chillies and pok choy. Keep stirring over medium high heat.
• Cook for a minute or two before adding the stock or water and the soya sauce. You may add the shredded chicken at this point, if you are using any.
• Let it come to boil, then lower the flame and let it simmer for 6 to 8 mins.
• Once done sprinkle black pepper and some salt as required. Serve piping hot!

Instructions

1. To a wok add half of the butter along with 1 tsp of vegetable so that the butter doesn’t burn.
2. Now saute the chopped onions along with the garlic for 2 mins or so, till the onions are translucent in colour and the garlic is aromatic. Add the diced carrots and saute for a couple of mins more, before finally adding the diced tomato, water and salt.
3. Transfer to a Pressure Cooker and cook for 5 – 6 whistle. Cool and churn in the blender. Sieve the mix you feel it’s lumpy.
4. Put it back on medium flame. Add remaining butter. Season with pepper and more salt if required. Serve hot.

Instructions

1. To a large wok heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion. Cook over low-medium heat for a few 3 – 4 minutes. The colour of the onions should be translucent.
2. Add chicken stock to the wok along with the rice, bay leaf and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender and stock is aromatic, about 20 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove and discard bay leaf.
3. Switch off flame and cool the wok along with the chicken stock and rice. Place a hand blender into the wok and blend for a few seconds.
4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, yolks, and lemon juice lightly until combined. Taste and season with extra salt, pepper and lemon juice if necessary.
5. To prevent the eggs from curdling or solidifying in the hot soup, we need to temper the eggs. This just means we need to pour in a good amount of the hot soup into the eggs ladle by ladle while simultaneously whisking the eggs. This slowly brings up the temperature of the eggs so they do not curdle once they are poured into the hot soup. 
6. Pour egg-stock mixture back into pot and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until soup is slightly thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shredded chicken (optional).
7. After this, do not simmer or bring to a boil as this will cause the soup to get gluey and the eggs might curdle. Serve immediately with sprigs of dill and some grated lemon zest for that extra lemony.