The Cook Book

CD isn't in Denmark and he asked about places to find it in China.

Metro can be handy, if pretty expensive for imported stuff.  33 stores with an extra 40 on the drawing board!

Metro stocks fresh herbs, including mint and lemon grass.

Right.

They can be hard to find, though. In my local Metro, they're in the fresh fruit and veggie area. In one corner of that area, there is a small section with packaged organically-grown veggies (separate from the large bins with the common fruits and veggies. In that small "Green Food" section, they should have a hanging display case with small breathable-celophane packages of a large variety of fresh herbs. I have seen lemon grass, mint, basil, thai basil, oregano, dun dun. But I'm near Shanghai (the packaging indicates that they are imported through Shanghai). If you're further inland, YMMV.

I have never seen limes either.  Raoul (if my memory still works) did find some once in Suzhou.

If you haven't thrown the Dou fu away yet Eric I was just given a recipe for hot red curry dou fu, Indian style plus the recipe for Jia cai dou fu which is pretty popular here in Xi'an.

Nope, it's still in my fridge. PLease post recipes, I need to do something with it

I'll definately give it a go, Missi. I love pumpkin so much I buy them just to sit around and decorate the kitchen and to have on hand when I need another pot of soup.

Eric, I've already posted two silky dou fu friendly recipes. The red curry recipe is on the way.

Hey Eric: Here's the red-curry recipe:

4tblsps veg oil
1tblsp cummin seeds
1 tblsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground tum. powder
1/2tsp salt
1kg cauliflower or brocc, or cabbage
90g Greek-style yogurt
juice of half a lemon
7 large handfuls of cilantro (CORIANDER)

Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the cummin and mustard seeds. Cook tossing for 1 min. or until the seeds start to pop. Stir in the chilli, tumeric and salt.

Add the vegetable/s and toss to stir in the spice mix. Cover and reduce heat to med...to...low. Cook until vegs are done to your liking.

Heat the cubed silken dou fu in a serving bowl in the microwave or steam until hot.

Add lemon juice and cilantro (CORIANDER) to the sauce and turn over the dou fu.

AJ soup? I've never heard of pumpkin soup.  Pass on that recipe!  Please?

There are one million pumpkin soup recipes.  Based on cooking pumpkin first - butternuts if you want a sweeter soup, Q'ld blues if you want a stronger flavour. 

Peel and cut pumpkin, boil in as little water as possible until tender, mash (or blend in the blender with the pumpkin water) pumpkin, return to pumpkin water, add milk or yoghurt or cream depending on what strength, flavour or weight loss you want.  Add any type of seasoning you like - curry, honey mustard, ginger, spices etc etc etc.  Mix and heat slowly.  When finished heating, gently stir in a swirl of cream or yoghurt as a decoration.

Curl up under blanket or beside fire and enjoy.

My daughters used to have their favourite soups - one was bacon bone, another was pumpkin, the third potato.  So we made these frequently and every time they came home from uni or living away a tureen of soup was waiting for them - summer of winter.

I used to make a butternut squash soup that included canned pears...simmer with liquid and spices till soft, then puree. it was yummy

I'm going out for lunch, but I will make spicy tomato soup for dinner and watch some more X-files.  I have a pile of baby tomatoes that I need to do something with.

Pumpkin Soup.

I pumpkin skinned and cut into chunks.
1 cooking onion
1 red capsicum
3-4 cloves of garlic
a knuckle of fresh ginger
1 tblsp chicken stock powder
salt and black ground pepper
2 tblsps of cooking oil.
water

Heat the oil in a saucepan and sautee the garlic, ginger and finely chopped onion and capsicum. Add the pumpkin and enough water to just cover everything. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cook until the pumpkin is mushy.

Transfer to the blender and puree.

I have a cookbook back in Canada with just recipes for squash and pumpkins.  There are several recipes for soup in it.  Most are using western spices and are mild tasting.

I always toss loads of garlic and onion into soups whenever I make them as well.  But my favourite is the bacon bone soup.

Buy as many bacon rib bones as you can convince the butcher to let you have, plus a bacon hock. Lightly fry some chopped onion and garlic in a LARGE saucepan, add skinned hock and bones, cover with water or broth, add a couple of handfuls of died beans and pulses, plus whatever herbs you like most.  Bring to boil then simmer for 5-6 hours, drifting in to test the soup by nibbling on a bone every once in a while.  Top up broth if required. As the hock cooks, tease the meat from the bone.  Skim fat from surface occasionally.  About 20-30 minutes before you are ready to serve, add some chopped vegetables - carrots, potato etc. can be as thick as you like.

Serve soup and then nibble on the rib bones for afters.  Fantastic in winter.

Pea and Ham Soup

1 packet of split peas
1kg bacon bones
1 large brown onion
1 carrot
water
1 tsp of ground black pepper

Put the bacon bones in a large boiler and cook until tender. Allow to cool overnight.

Remove the solidified fat from the bacon broth.
Dice the onion and peel the carrot and place in the boiler with the washed split peas. Bring to the boil and simmer until the peas have liquefied. Take out the carrot and mash it and then return to the pot. Add the black pepper and stir and serve..

Nana's Recipe For Peppernuts   Makes a lot!  Good luck!
 
1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. molasses
1 c. applesauce
2 c. ground raisins
4 1/2 c. flour - plus about 1 1/2 c. more
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
Cream shortening, sugar & eggs, add honey, molasses & applesauce.
Raisins will be quite sticky, so I always mix them well into part of the flour before adding them. (Have to use hands for this.)
Add rest of ingredients and blend well.  The amount of flour varies, use only enough to handle dough, not too stiff.
Chill overnight.  Roll in snake like rolls, using flour, about 1 inch in diameter.  Cut into bite size pieces & bake.
350 degrees about 15 minutes
Need to watch.  They get too brown on the bottom easily.