Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts

Thursday, 6 December 2012

Yorkshire Provender Soup Giveaway

Winter, my favourite season, is upon us. No, I don't like being cold, nor am I a much of a fan of the fact  that the moment the first snowflake hits the ground in the South of England, everyone panics, drives like eejits to the nearest shop and buys all the bread and milk, but I still think it's the most beautiful season of them all. I love the crisp air, frost on windows, snow-covered countryside and icicles in doorways. I live for keep-warm moments like putting on socks straight from the tumble dryer, fluffy jumpers, warming up cold feet on a loved one (the Husband is less of fond of that one, to be honest) and hugging a bowl of hot soup.


The wonderful people at Yorkshire Provender have given me some gluten free soups from their winter soup range to share with you! So, if you like the sound of the sweet, earthy and gently spicy beetroot soup with parsnip, horseradish and ginger; a rich and filling tomato and red pepper soup with wensleydale cheese and rosemary, or vibrantly green pea and fresh spinach, there's a warming soup with your name on it! 


To win a selection of these soups to keep you and your Thermos toasty and satisfied this winter, just tell me what your favourite thing about winter is. The competition closes at noon on Monday the 10th December and only UK entrants will be eligible to win. Leave your comment below, or , and remember to to tell me your name - don't be anonymous, I'll need to contact you if you win! - and your home town. Good luck!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Helen from Milton Keynes whose email entry won her the selection of soup. She said "I love nothing better than snuggling up in my warmest pjs with a mug of tea and watching winter work its magic outside. It's the most beautiful season of the year."

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Chinese Food Recipe Round-Up

I've said it before, I miss Chinese food. All the soy sauce and wheat-y noodles and sauces make it a no-go area for most Coeliacs, especially since the risk of cross contamination in restaurant kitchens is pretty high. So, I tend to opt for making my own. Here are my favourite recipes to hopefully inspire you.


Pot stickers (and steamed dumplings): It's easier than you think to make dumpling wrappers and, once you've got the knack the world is your oyster! You can use the same recipe to make wontons, pot stickers, spring rolls and even pancakes to go with duck!

Photo from glutendairyfree.co.uk

Pak Choi-Wrapped Fish: Grace at Gluten Dairy Free shares this beautifully versatile recipe that has all the flavour you'd expect from Chinese food. It's a light and fresh dish that you'll make again and again.

Fortune Cookies: I've mentioned this recipe before and I'll probably do it again because I love it so much! Saara at The Gluten Free Student Cookbook came up with a recipe for gluten free fortune cookies, perfect for when you have friends over for a Chinese feast.

Photo from jenncuisine.com

Spring Rolls: Jenn at Jenn Cuisine uses rice paper wrappers to make her spring rolls and the result is both stunning to look at and fantastic to eat. You'll find rice paper wrappers in some suoermarkets (I've bought them in Morrison's) and Chinese supermarkets.

Tempura Prawns: Technically this is Japanese, but the this batter recipe would be equally as good as banana or pineapple fritters. To make the caramel sauce just put 1 cup of caster sugar, 1/4 cup of water and 2 tbsp sesame seeds in a saucepan and bring to the boil without stirring. Leave to simmer until you have lightly golden syrup and dip your cooked fritters in just before serving.


Hot and Sour Soup: Super quick and easy to make, it's satisfying and delicious and a bit of a staple in my house.

If you don't have a Chinese supermarket near you (I don't, and there's only so much I can transport back from Glasgow when I visit my parents!) then Asian Cookshop is a fabulous resource and they'll deliver orders over £24.99 for free.

So, what are your favourite Chinese food recipes? I'd love to know!

Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Hot and Sour Soup

I love Chinese food.  I love the well-balanced aromatic flavours.  I love the freshness of the ingredients.  I love the ritual of the Chinese takeaway, opening the boxes to release the inviting aromas, eating with chopsticks, giving up half-way through and using a fork!  It's one of the cuisines I have missed the most since being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease.  I have yet to find a restaurant or takeaway that I am confident enough in to serve gluten free offerings.  Mostly, due to Chinese cookery making use of soy sauce as a seasoning, I worry about cross contamination.  I do make it at home from time to time and I am always on the look-out for recipes that can easily be converted to gluten free and still taste convincing.  For some time, I have been trying to find a light soy sauce alternative, as generally gluten free tamari tends to be more like dark soy, but I search no more!  Kikkoman gluten free tamari is a great light soy sauce substitute and it is now available in Sainsburys.


Recently, I had a craving for my old takeaway favourite, hot and sour soup.  It's a brilliantly spicy, comforting soup, packed with flavour and a delicious sour element from rice vinegar.  I used to have it as a starter, but with the addition of noodles it becomes a thoroughly satisfying meal.  I have a quick and not particularly authentic version that I often whip up as a speedy snack but, I wanted something more like the soup I used to get from my local Chinese restaurant.

Whenever I feel the urge to cook Chinese food there are two chefs I check out: Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang.  Ken Hom is the Godfather of Chinese cookery in my opinion, and has been cooking on TV for almost as long as I have been alive.  Ching-He Huang uses fresh and simple ingredients to reinvent traditional dishes, and between the two of them I am guaranteed to find a fantastic recipe that I love.



Hot and Sour Soup
As far as I can tell, the basic elements of this soup are, Chinese mushrooms, stock, bean curd, shredded lean meat, white pepper, soy sauce, Chinese vinegar, spring onion, cornflour, egg and coriander, everything else is probably optional and depend on your own preferences.  My version doesn't include bean curd for the simple reason that I don't really like it!  If you do, feel free to add it.

1 tsp ginger root, grated
a large handful of mushrooms (I used frozen mixed mushrooms)
2 spring onions, sliced
1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (Waitrose Ingredients have one, but if you can't find it balsamic vinegar works just as well)
1 tbsp gluten free tamari
1l vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
300g cooked chicken, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water
100g bamboo shoots, sliced into thin sticks
100g baby corn, quartered lengthwise
50g mange tout
10g coriander leaf, roughly chopped

  • In a little vegetable oil, gently fry the ginger and mushrooms to soften.  Add the white part of the spring onion and fry for a further minute.
  • Add the vinegar and tamari and combine well, then add the stock, white pepper and shredded chicken.  Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
  • Combine the egg and sesame oil and trickle the mixture into the soup, stirring gently to produce ribbon-like pieces of egg.  Add the cornflour slurry and stir gently as the soup thickens.
  • Add bamboo shoots, baby corn and mange tout and leave soup to simmer for 2-3 minutes to heat the vegetables but do not allow them to soften (you want them to have crunch).
  • Serve soup scattered with chopped coriander and the green parts of the spring onion.



Here are the original recipes if you'd rather make one of those.
Ken Hom's Hot and Sour Soup
Ching-He Huang's Hot and Sour Soup

(Oh, and those fortune cookies are not gluten free - alas - but Saara at The Gluten Free Student Cookbook has a recipe that you can try out.)


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Sunday, 30 October 2011

Pumpkin Soup

It's been a weird old week.  I've been a bit off my game recently - I don't know if I'm just super tired, of if the pain and painkillers are getting to me.  My brain is behaving like an old car engine on a cold morning.  On Monday I confused Maidstone with Maidenhead and things went downhill from there...

Happily, however, the world of low-residue eating has proved itself to be less dull than I was expecting.  Risottos, soups and stews are perfect, assuming that the vegetables are finely chopped. And since it's almost Hallowe'en, I decided to have a go at pumpkin soup.  

Pumpkin and squash are brilliant sources of vitamin A (something Crohn's Disease can cause deficiency in) and are lovely soluble fibre so are ideal for the ol' low residue diet.  Most importantly, they taste great!

Pumpkin Soup
This easy-peasy soup is perfect for using up the scoopings from your Hallowe'en pumpkin.
1 medium pumpkin (or any squash), de-seeded, peeled and cut into chunks
1 small onion, finely chopped
1tbsp garam masala
1tbsp rapeseed oil
500ml vegetable stock
150ml natural yogurt
salt, to taste.

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion and pumpkin.  Saute until the onion is soft, add the garam masala and fry for a further minute.
  • Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender.
  • Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. 
  • Return to the pan and reheat - add salt if needed.
  • Serve with a swirl of yogurt. 
(If you haven't carved your pumpkin you could always serve your soup in the hollowed out shell.)
Happy Hallowe'en!

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