When you are under the weather, there's nothing more comforting than a steaming hot pot of Ginger Honey Tea. My grandmother would add a pinch of Crushed Black Pepper to the drink. It would double the fun. With every sip, the pepper would beat against the throat, relaxing it. It would play the zumba in the nostrils, bringing instant relief from the common cold. She would have made it for me today.
And she would have cringed at the very thought of me making anything else instead, giving her simple time tested recipe a miss.
But, I guess, I needed a little more distraction and a lot more time in the kitchen, my therapy space, to fight the itch. So, I rustled up some delicious Pho.
I spent yesterday morning scouring through cookbooks and blogs looking for the perfect bowl of soup to soothe my sore throat and soul. And I didn't want Easy, I wanted to spend hours nursing the broth. The aromatic slow cooked Vietnamese Stew packed with Spices, Greens and Rice Noodles, said "Oh! Hello there, Phollow me" ... and "Pho Sure, I did".
Pho pronounced as Puh, kept me hooked to my little kitchen almost the entire day. It demanded attention and love. I submitted. I could just about manage to squeeze out time for my evening run. And as I was leaving home, the view from my living room, half fixed my ill health and spirit. Pho would tend to the other half at Dinner. It was a Date. I was looking forward to it.
Ingredients
For the broth
2tbs crushed ginger
2tbs crushed garlic
1 large onion chopped
2 crushed cloves
1 crushed cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 chopped carrots
For the dressing
1 cup Steamed Vietnamese Rice Noodles
1 chopped bok choy
1 chopped broccoli (steamed)
1 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce
1 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Method
1. Put all the ingredients listed for the broth in a huge pot with around 4 litres of water. Cover it and let it simmer for 3-4 hours or until it reduces to around 1/4th of the original. The fresh spices and vegetables cook in copious water for hours...pumping the most delicious aroma into the kitchen, the kind you'd want to bottle up for a cold winter day.
You can prepare the broth before hand. It can be sieved and refrigerated and it won't go bad for atleast a week.
2. When serving the Pho, bring the already prepared broth to a boil. Pour it in a soup bowl, add the steamed Vietnamese Rice Noodles and Broccoli, Sriracha sauce, Lemon, Bok Choy and lots of Coriander.
And she would have cringed at the very thought of me making anything else instead, giving her simple time tested recipe a miss.
But, I guess, I needed a little more distraction and a lot more time in the kitchen, my therapy space, to fight the itch. So, I rustled up some delicious Pho.
I spent yesterday morning scouring through cookbooks and blogs looking for the perfect bowl of soup to soothe my sore throat and soul. And I didn't want Easy, I wanted to spend hours nursing the broth. The aromatic slow cooked Vietnamese Stew packed with Spices, Greens and Rice Noodles, said "Oh! Hello there, Phollow me" ... and "Pho Sure, I did".
Pho pronounced as Puh, kept me hooked to my little kitchen almost the entire day. It demanded attention and love. I submitted. I could just about manage to squeeze out time for my evening run. And as I was leaving home, the view from my living room, half fixed my ill health and spirit. Pho would tend to the other half at Dinner. It was a Date. I was looking forward to it.
Ingredients
For the broth
2tbs crushed ginger
2tbs crushed garlic
1 large onion chopped
2 crushed cloves
1 crushed cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 chopped carrots
For the dressing
1 cup Steamed Vietnamese Rice Noodles
1 chopped bok choy
1 chopped broccoli (steamed)
1 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce
1 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Method
1. Put all the ingredients listed for the broth in a huge pot with around 4 litres of water. Cover it and let it simmer for 3-4 hours or until it reduces to around 1/4th of the original. The fresh spices and vegetables cook in copious water for hours...pumping the most delicious aroma into the kitchen, the kind you'd want to bottle up for a cold winter day.
You can prepare the broth before hand. It can be sieved and refrigerated and it won't go bad for atleast a week.
2. When serving the Pho, bring the already prepared broth to a boil. Pour it in a soup bowl, add the steamed Vietnamese Rice Noodles and Broccoli, Sriracha sauce, Lemon, Bok Choy and lots of Coriander.
