Colombian lentil and rice soup (sopa de lentejas y arroz)

A few days ago, my husband savored a brothy lentil and rice soup at a local Italian cafe. That inspired us to make another version of lentil and rice soup, and we tried this Colombian recipe: https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/vegetarian-lentil-and-rice-soup-sopa-de-lentejas-y-arroz/ Our modifications: first, we finely minced the 1/2 red bell pepper (seeded and quartered) and carrot (roughly cut… Continue reading Colombian lentil and rice soup (sopa de lentejas y arroz)

West African-style okra stew

I love okra and hoped to make a stew with a Ghanaian flavor profile (tomato-based, seasoned with onion, habanero, and ginger). We tried this recipe: https://honest-food.net/okra-stew-recipe/ Our modifications: first, we used only 1 habanero, which provided plenty of heat. Second, because we didn’t want a soupy stew, we reduced the liquid (no-salt chicken broth) to…… Continue reading West African-style okra stew

Split pea soup, Instant Pot version

We had a craving for split pea soup, and we wanted to give our new Instant Pot another spin. We tried this recipe: https://www.acouplecooks.com/instant-pot-split-pea-soup/ We followed the recipe closely, except that we tossed in a few sprigs of thyme along with the peas (picked over and rinsed), 1 tsp salt, and 8 cups broth. We…… Continue reading Split pea soup, Instant Pot version

Greek-style lemony fish and orzo soup

We love avgolemono (Greek lemony chicken soup), and we tried this version using cod and orzo: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023805-lemony-fish-and-orzo-soup?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share To our surprise, the recipe didn't call for any dill. We found the soup needed more brightness, so we added more lemon juice at the end (we ended up using one entire medium lemon for the entire recipe).… Continue reading Greek-style lemony fish and orzo soup

Mexican vegetable soup with chipotle (caldo tlalpeño)

We were in search of a plant-forward soup with Mexican flavors, so we tried this recipe: https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2023/01/mexican-vegetable-soup-with-chipotles.html We found the blogger's recipe frustratingly incomplete (for example, she called for "some chicken broth" but did not specify the amount). Regardless, this soup was very tasty. Note: this recipe easily could be vegetarian if you use vegetable… Continue reading Mexican vegetable soup with chipotle (caldo tlalpeño)

Chinese congee with smoked fish and spinach

We were craving a light, broth based soup with rice, so we tried this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/chinese-rice-soup/ This was a quick and easy pantry recipe that yielded surprisingly complex flavors. Our modifications: first, for the protein we used 4 oz Trader Joe's smoked trout (i.e., 1 fillet), which we soaked in water for about 20 mins… Continue reading Chinese congee with smoked fish and spinach

Japanese cellophane noodle soup (harusame)

We returned home, but haven't gone food shopping yet. Relying on pantry ingredients, we tried this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-glass-noodle-soup/ Our modifications: first, we made 1.5x the recipe (to yield 6 cups broth). This means: 3 eggs, 3 scallions, 3 Tbsp dried wakame, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, and 6 cups liquid (4 cups no salt chicken… Continue reading Japanese cellophane noodle soup (harusame)

Korean curry by Maangchi

I grew up eating S&B Japanese curry, but in the past year I learned about Ottogi Korean curry, which is a cut above. We made this recipe while on vacation: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/curry-rice In this recipe, Maangchi calls for 100 g of Korean curry powder, which is the standard packet size for Ottogi curry powder. We used… Continue reading Korean curry by Maangchi