Soup knows no boundaries. From appetizer to dessert, nearly every country and every
cuisine enjoys some form of soup. Some are clear and thin, some are so thick your spoon
stands upright. While most are served steaming, some are tongue-numbing cold. Around the
world, soup is prized for its ability to to nourish many with few - usually inexpensive -
ingredients.
Asia
The ingredients may sound strange, and the smells may seem exotic, but the flavors will
hook you forever.
The taste of the Orient becomes all at once simple and intense when presented as a bowl
of soup. Simple because the base usually is a light broth, and the meats and vegetables
usually are cut into small or thin pieces that cook quickly. Intense because of
ingredients such as kim chee, ginger, coconut milk and lemon grass. The five Asian recipes
presented here are a meager sampling of the myriad of soups the Orient has to offer. Most
of the ingredients listed in the recipes can be found in the produce and ethnic food
sections of Mid-Columbia supermarkets or Asian grocery stores.
In the Miso-flavored Pork and Potato Soup or Satsuma-jiru of Japan are the flavors of a
simple soup base made of boiled kelp and the almost perfect food, miso. Miso is a paste
made of soybeans and fermented grain, and it is used extensively in Japanese cooking. Many
Japanese families begin their day with a bowl of miso soup. The important thing to
remember when cooking with miso is not to boil it. Extremely high heat will cause the miso
to curdle, which doesn't affect the flavor, but curdled miso doesn't make the dish as
pleasing to the eye. Miso will last indefinitely in the refrigerator, which is good
because it is an acquired taste and may take awhile to use it up.
Tom Kha Gai Soup from Thailand is a rich and hearty soup featuring the wonderful
flavors of coconut milk, lemon grass and ginger. The recipe calls for galangal, a Thai
ginger, but don't despair if you can't find it - just substitute the common ginger readily
available in the produce department and your soup still will be delicious. And don't
forget, sprinkle a little red chili on top of each bowl to give it the wonderful zip we've
all come to love in many Thai dishes.
Kimchi is a spicy Korean condiment whose main ingredients are pickled cabbage, peppers
and garlic. Everyone loves a good noodle soup, and Noodle Soup with Kimchi won't leave you
disappointed. Along with the kim chee, enjoy the woodsy flavor of black mushrooms and hint
of nuts from the sesame oil. Sliver barbecued pork, and offer it to guests to add to their
soup if they desire. This soup will have your tongue doing flips for the way the flavors
interweave and dance in harmony.
The secret of the simple Misua from the Philippines is the sautéed garlic. Eggs and
rice vermicelli make this a filling and satisfying meal - fast and easy enough to whip up
on your lunch hour.
Two flavors you may not have previously put together are coconut and curry, but with
one bite of this soup, you'll agree it's a marriage of flavors that had to be. Curry is a
seasoning created from a blend of herbs and spices, as in the Coconut Curry Soup with Rice
Noodles. The cook produces the curry flavor with the combination of ginger, paprika,
cayenne and turmeric, and the cook wields the power of how hot to make the curry with a
shake of the cayenne can.
Most of these recipes were among the hundreds gleaned from just a couple of simple
inquiries on the Internet. There also were recipes from China and Indonesia.
And if you start surfing the 'Net, don't forget to try the flavors of other corners of
the world. Many versions of the wonderful tomato, avocado and buttermilk soup from South
Africa are just a keystroke away, as are Brazilian corn soup and a rich beetroot soup with
spices and honey from Canada.
By LORETTO HULSE, SHERRY EMERY AND ANDY PERDUE
Herald staff writers, Excerpted from: "Good soup is all over the
map" http://archive.tri-cityherald.com/recipes/global/global6.html
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