Tom Yum Goong - Thai soup

Since I moved here, I visited a Chinese supermarket, so excited, I found some lime leaves, that is why today I would like to make some Tom Yum soup :)

I like spicy food, this soup is just very delicious and easy to make. Whenever we have guests, I like making it to them and they like it :)

Ingredients:
4-6cups chicken stock
1 stalk lemongrass, remove head and leaves
3-4 lime leaves, torn into half
8 slices Galangal
Big sliced of 2 red chilies - according to your tolerance of spicy taste

Sliced Shiitake mushrooms - can be replaced by any Asian mushroom you like

Raw shrimp (shells removed)

1/2 cup lime juice
3tbsp fish sauce
3tbsp chili paste
1-2tsp sugar

fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions:
1. Boil stock in a pot
Use the back of the knife smash the lemongrass

2. Add lemongrass, lime leaves and sliced chili and boil for 2 mins
Add mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 2 mins

3. Add shrimp. Simmer 3-4mins until shrimp is pink

4. Turn the heat down to medium low, add fish sauce, chili paste and lime juice.
Stir well and let it simmer until hot.

5. Test the soup -
If too sour, add more sugar
If too salty, add more lime juice

6. Serve with fresh coriander and serve hot

Enjoy!

Move to a mussel & chocolate country

Happy new year to all!

I was very busy at the end of year 2014 and beginning of year 2015, because we left a cheese & wine country to a mussel & chocolate country!!

I now live in a small town with a beautiful church, my home can see the tower of this church and I can also hear the bell rings everyday!

Unpacking things make me feel exhausted, I'm glad most of the boxes are unpacked, things are getting more and more organized. Super good news that I just had internet yesterday, that is why I am able to write a post here! Internet is too important nowadays!

One of the most exciting things for me is that I have a well equipped kitchen :) though it's an open kitchen, my cats are celebrating between themselves... :( I have a standard oven - yay! I can keep baking :)

I will try to find some new recipes and share with you all (may be some mussels dishes??)... For the moment we just found that we can always find Italian restaurant here... which is a bit weird... and the portion is very big.

Stay tune!

Gingerbread cookies

Happy new year!
Sorry I am a bit retarded... holiday just makes my brain works slower... I thought I posted the recipe of gingerbread but actually not... oh no... sorry it comes late :( but I still make a batch today haha! I don't care, it's too delicious :)

I remembered the first time I made gingerbread was in Finland, we can buy ready dough in the supermarket to make the cookies, the smell of cinnamon is very good. I hated it when I was a child but now I love it.
This Christmas I wanted to make some gingerbread cookies with my niece and nephew, as we spent the Christmas together. They really enjoyed cutting the dough and they loved the taste too!

This recipe is quite good, so here you go:

Ingredients:
100g butter at room temperature
50g cane sugar
1g salt
1 egg

75g honey

300g flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1tsp cinnamon
2tsp ginger powder

Instructions:
1. Mix butter, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl, then add egg and mix well

2. Add honey, mix well.
Add in baking powder, flour, cinnamon and ginger powder, mix well

3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 30mins

4. Preheat the oven at 180°c
Roll out the dough to 0.5cm thickness - I prefer a bit thinner than too thick, use cookie cutter to cut out the cookie form
Place them on a tray lined with a baking sheet

5. Put the tray into the oven and bake for 15mins

Enjoy!