This colorful and refreshing soup from Jakarta, Indonesia is rich in vegetables with more than a hint of sharpness.

Tamarind Soup with Peanuts and Vegetables Ingredients

For the Spice Paste:

5 shallots or 1 medium red onion, sliced
1/4 cup raw peanuts
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 in cube shrimp paste, prepared
1 in galangal, peeled and sliced
1-2 fresh red chillies, seeded and sliced
1-2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/2-3/4 cup salted peanuts, crushed lightly
5 cups well-flavored stock
1 tsp tamarind pulp, soaked in 5 tbsp warm water for 15 minutes
salt

For the Vegetables:

3/4 cup green beans, trimmed and sliced finely
1 chayote, peeled thinly, seeded, and flesh finely sliced
1/3 cup corn kernels (optional)
a handful of either watercress, rocket (aragula) or Chinese leaves (Chinese cabbage), shredded finely
1 fresh green chilli, sliced for garnish

Tamarind Soup with Peanuts and Vegetables Cooking Instructions:

1. Prepare the spice paste by grinding the shallots or onion, garlic, galangal, chillies, raw peanuts and shrimp paste to a paste in a food processor or with mortar and pestle.

2. Pour in some of the stock to moisten. Pour the mixture into a pan or wok, adding the rest of the stock. Cook for 15 minutes with the lightly crushed peanuts and sugar.

3. Strain the tamarind. Discard the seeds and reserve the juice.

4. About 5 minutes before serving, add the chayote slices, beans and corn, if using, to the soup and cook fairly rapidly. Add the green leaves and salt to taste at the last minute.

5. Add the tamarind juice and taste for seasoning. Serve, garnished with slices of green chilli.

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Taste this delicious gazpacho with the addition of chilli and tabasco. Its flavors are echoed in the salsa.

Serves 4

Gazpacho with Avocado Salsa Ingredients:

1 cucumber
2 slices of day-old bread
1 red (bell) pepper, seeded and chopped
1 kg tomatoes
2 1/2 cups chilled water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 fresh green chilli, seeded and chopped
8 ice cubes, to serve
salt
ground black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon
a few drops of Tabasco sauce
basil leaves, to ganish

For the croutons

2 slices of day-old bread, remove crusts
1 clove of garlic, halved
1 tbsp olive oil

For the avocado salsa

1 ripe avocado
1 in piece of diced cucumber
1/2 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice

Gazpacho with Avocado Salsa Preparation Procedure:

1. Soak the bread in a 2/3 cup of the chilled water for 5 minutes. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for about 30 seconds then peel, seed and chop the flesh.

2. Peel the cucumber thinly then cut into half lengthwise then scoop out the seeds using a teaspoon. Discard seeds and chop the flesh.

3. Drain the bread and place it in a food processor or blender. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, chilli, garlic, olive oil, citrus juices and Tabasco the pour in the remaining scant 2 cups of chilled water. Blend until well combined but still chunky. Season to taste. Pour into a bowl and chill in for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

4. For the croutons. Rub the slices of bread with the garlic clove then cut the bread into cubes and place in a plastic bag with the olive oil. Seal the bag and shake until the bread cubes are evenly coated. Heat a large non-stick frying pan and fry the croutons over a medium heat until crisp and golden.

5. Make the salsa before serving by cutting the avocado in half, remove the stone (pit), then peel and dice the flesh. In a small bowl, put the diced avocado and add the lemon juice. Toss to prevent browning then mix with the cucumber and chilli.

6. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls and add the ice cubes. Top each portion with a spoonful of the avocado salsa. Garnish with the basil leaves and hand round the croutons separately.

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Hot and sour soup is China’s most popular soups, which is famed for its balance of flavors. The “hot” comes from the pepper and the “sour” from the vinegar.

Serves 6

Hot and Sour Soup Ingredients:

115g pork fillet, cut into fine strips
406 Chinese dried mushrooms
2-3 small pieces of wood ear and a few golden needles (lily buds, optional)
3 tbsp cornflour
2/3 cup water
1-2 tbsp sunflower oil
4 tbsp rice vinegar
1 small onion, chopped finely
6 1/4 cups good quality beef or chicken stock
150g drained fresh firm beancurd (tofu), diced
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
salt
ground white or black pepper
2-3 spring onions, shredded to garnish

Hot and Sour Soup Cooking Instructions:

1. In a bowl, place the dried mushrooms with the pieces of wood ear and the golden needles (lily buds), if using. Add sufficient warm water to cover and leave to soak for about 30 minutes.

2. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking water. Cut off and discard the mushroom stems and slice the caps finely. Trim away any tough stem from the wood ears, then chop them finely. Tie the golden needles into a bundle using kitchen string.

3. Dust lightly the strips of pork fillet with some of the cornflour. Mix the remaining cornflour to a smooth paste with the measured water.

4. In a wok or saucepan, heat the oil and fry the onion until soft. Increase the heat and fry the pork until it changes color then add the stock, mushrooms, soaking water, wood ears and golden needles, if using. Bring to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Lower the heat and discard the golden needles then stir in the cornflour paste to thicken. Add the beancurd, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and pepper.

6. Bring the soup to just below boiling point the drizzle in the beaten egg by letting it drop from a whisk so that it forms threads in the soup. Stir in the sesame oil. Serve at once, garnished with spring onion shreds.

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