It’s easy to fall into a food rut — especially if, like me, you also get into a shopping rut. My family has eaten at home and together every evening since the pandemic started, and I’ve had to put conscious effort into varying meals.
Even though making a different dish each night comes naturally (I rarely use recipes, even though I probably should), too many of the meals I make tend to end up tasting of the same flavors. Trying to interest my family’s taste buds, I’ve been trying new techniques and dishes for which I have to expand my ingredient and herb vocabulary.
It started when my sister made delicious pho, and I’ve vowed to repeat this soup. The simple recipe included cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, an onion, fresh ginger, vegetable stock, water, tamari or soy sauce, rice noodles, oil, shiitake mushrooms and salt.
The recipe called for adding the cinnamon, cloves and star anise in a soup pot to release their fragrance before adding the onion, ginger, veggie stock, water and tamari/soy sauce. After bringing the mixture to a boil, the recipe called for letting it simmer for half an hour to release the flavors.
My sister cooked noodles and mushrooms (with salt) separately, and before adding to the soup, strained out the onions, ginger, and spices.
To serve, she ladled the soup into bowls, added the rice noodles and mushrooms, and garnished with a squeeze of lime and cilantro, with slices of green chili and green onions as optional toppings. Bean sprouts and fresh mint would also make delicious garnishes.
I loved this delicious soup because it was light — not like the usual vegetable stews with heavy dumplings I cook when making soup.
On a soup kick, but wanting to keep bringing new flavors to my family’s table, I made a yogurt soup — which turned out quite tasty. To start, I sautéed onions, carrots and garlic then simmered them in vegetable stock until tender. The soup
When I started cooking this meal, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to add. A recipe in a soup cookbook and some I’d perused online inspired me, but none quite fit the ingredients I had and what I wanted to make.
So midway through, I decided to use mild (not spicy) Indian flavors. To release their full potential, I heated curry seeds, black mustard seed and cardamom in a little oil, and then added to the softened vegetable while pureeing the combo.
Into the creamed mix I stirred in a good amount (probably about two cups) of homemade yogurt. To add texture I threw in some warmed frozen peas, and topped each bowl with fresh cilantro. On a hot day, I opted to serve at room temperature, which made for a lighter feeling meal than hot soup would have.
This dish had a totally different flavor profile than what I usually cook. The Indian spices balanced the sourness of the yogurt, and the peas and carrots added just enough sweetness.
Even though summer might not seem like soup weather (gazpacho aside), these two meals inspired me to delve further into the world of soups. If the pandemic doesn’t ease up soon, I might end up giving a whirl to the recipe I found for spicy coconut soup.
At a time when for many of us working from home, days blend together, we are aware of the importance of staying physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. I advocate for also staying culinarily stimulated and challenged.
ALDONA BIRD is a journalist, exploring possibilities of local productivity and sustainable living in Preston County.
