May means hot steaming warming soup. And, here’s some Lao style soups to warm up the place.

Bamboo Soup

Ingredients

• bamboo shoots                 2 cans
• Green Leafy vegetables 500g
• Rice Paddy Herbs            1 bunch
• Red Chillie – fresh           2
• Sticky Rice                           ½ cup
• Seasonal Veges of 5 colours
• Zuccini                                    2
• Red Capsicum                     2
• Pumpkin                                2 cups
• Choko Vine tips                  1 bunch
• Wood eared fungus          2 tablespoons
• Kaffir lime leaves              ½ dozen
• soy sauce                              5 tablespoons

method

• Soak the sticky rice for 15 minutes. After it has soaked, drain the rice. Grind the rice to a flour in the motar and pestle with the whole chillies.
• Soak the wood eared fungus in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes.
• Drain the bamboo shoots and slice into strips.
• Put in a pot with water and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Drain the water and put the bamboo into the soup pot.
• Finely chop the rice paddy herb and set aside to use as a garnish.
• Chop the zuccini, pumpkin and red capsicum into chunks.
• Chop the choko vine tips into small pieces
• slice up the wood eared fungus.
• Blend the washed green leafy vegetables with some water. Strain the pulp and keep the juice. Put the juice into a soup pot.
• Cut the lemon grass into 2cm pieces, flatten it with the knife, and add to the soup pot.
• Add the kaffir lime leaves to the soup pot
• Add the pumpkin and wood eared fungus
• Add soy sauce
• Now bring the soup pot to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is cooked.
• Add the the capsicum, choko vine tips and zuccini.
• Bring to the boil, turn off the gas.
• Now add the ground sticky rice and rice paddy herb. Stir it in until it dissolves.
• Ready to serve.

Mee Ghathi (coconut noodle) Soup

ingredients

• Dry rice noodles                    2 x 375 gpackets (like Dragon Bowl brand)
• water                                          1.5 litres (for the noodles)
• dried split mung beans       1 x 375 packet
• coconut cream                       2 cans
• water for soup                       1 litre
• Red curry paste                    3 tablespoons (like maesri brand)
• fermented bean sauce       3 tablespoons
• onions                                      5
• carrots                                     2
• cucumber                               3
• lemon grass                           2 stalks
• kaffir lime                             ½ cup
• ground roast peanut        ½ cup
• fresh coriander                  ½ cup
• olive oil                                 5 tablespoons
• sugar                                      1 tablespoon
• soy sauce                              6 tablespoons

method

• soak the noodles for 30 minutes in cold water and drain when they are soft.
• Wash and soak the mung beans in a litre of water for 30 minutes. Soak them in the pot they will be cooked in.
• Grate the carrot and cucumber into shreds.
• Finely chop the onion
• In a fresh pot, add one can of coconut cream, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, red curry paste and onion and heat while stirring. Simmer and stir for 15 minutes.
• Then, add the sugar, soy sauce, fermented soy beans; bring to the boil and turn off the heat.
• Bring the mung beans to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Boil a pot of water and add the noodles, stir them in and quickly pour out the water. Add the oil to the noodles as well as the coriander and mix in and set aside. (do this now so that the noodles are still hot when the soup mix is ready).
• Pour the coconut cream curry mixture and the other can of coconut cream into the mung beans. Mix in.
• cook for 10 minutes
• Turn off.
• To serve
• put some grated carrot and cucumber into a soup bowl.
• Add some noodles on top
• ladle soup over the top, ready to eat.