Kao soi

Kao soi (sometimes spelled Khao soi) is a curried noodle and chicken soup from Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

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When I went to Thailand a few years ago as an undergraduate student to do water quality research, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Aside from the amazing research experience, I also met wonderful people and fell in love with the cuisine and culture. 

My absolute favorite new food was Kao soi. We would often eat it for lunch just after doing our morning field work in the rice paddies and before going to the lab. The first time I ate this dish, I was blown away. It seemed so simple - a big bowl of curried broth and noodles along with a chicken drumstick, but the flavors were anything but. And, as with much Thai food, there's a big plate of adornments to add on top: cilantro, thinly sliced onions, lime wedges, chili sauce, and soy bean paste.

A couple of years ago, my Thai friend came here to do a semester exchange, so I got to see her a lot. She brought along with her some special Thai yellow curry so that she could try to teach me to make Kao soi at home. 

Luckily, we have a substantial Asian population in our area, and lots of little Asian markets. So, after we visited a few of these, we gathered up suitable ingredients to attempt to make this dish. It was wonderful! While we were making it, I was making some mental notes and she was writing down a list of ingredients. Since then, I have not tried to replicate Kao soi on my own. Mainly because I felt like I'd be disappointed if I didn't get it "right" and also because I couldn't find the special yellow curry paste.

Recently, I received a copy of the cookbook Thai Food for my birthday. In it, there is a recipe for Kao soi. So I decided to give it a try again, this time all on my own. I went to an Asian grocery and asked if they had a Thai yellow curry paste, and they did - the writing was all in Thai and I never would have known that's what it was... I also found a package of fresh Asian style noodles. With those in hand, the rest of the ingredients are easily available at most large grocery stores. You can find Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste and it's pretty good. 

The result was a success - the smell made me so happy and the taste made me quite ecstatic. It was very close to my memory of eating Kao soi from a small noodle shop in Chaing Mai.

On the the recipe... This is a combination of the cookbook recipe, my friend's recipe, and my memory. Many of the measurements are not exact because of the heat/spice levels -- taste and adjust to your liking. This recipe will make about four servings.

 

Spinach-artichoke dip

Spinach-artichoke dip reminds me of being in high school or even early college... it's the appetizer we would get when my friends and I first starting eating out by ourselves (i.e., without parents around). It was really popular at every chain sit-down restaurant (and probably still is). I haven't had spinach-artichoke dip in years and I've never made it at home until now. I've looked at recipes for it over the years, but I always found them to be full of mayo and just not that appealing when it was broken down into its ingredients. But, I recently saw a recipe on the Smart Cookie's blog that inspired me to make some spinach-artichoke dip at home. I loved this recipe - it was soooo gooey and creamy, but it also had a lot of spinach flavor as well as a slight onion and garlic flavor. Underneath that layer of golden cheese is a ton of spinach. It was way better than any dip I remember eating in those restaurants back in the day.

Forgive my not-so-pretty dish -- I don't have that many broiler safe dishes. Also, there was no way we were waiting to eat this dip while I tried to get a great shot or transfer the dip to a different serving dish. You want it while it's hot and bubbling! Serve this dip with corn chips, celery sticks, and any other vegetable of your choice. Make it for your next gathering - it's perfect for a game night or while watching a movie. Everyone will be happy to dig in to this old favorite.

Hot and sour chicken, cabbage, and rice soup

We finally got our first real snow of the season here in western NY. It's crazy that it's a couple of weeks into January and we hadn't really had any measurable snow here yet. 

 

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It's very unusual and just didn't feel like winter. Now that we have a nice white covering, I'm officially into comfort food mode. For me, that includes a lot of soup. This soup was inspired by a recipe I read recently on The Kitchn. 

 

I read it and couldn't believe the amount of jalapeno, fresh ginger and garlic that were in this soup. I knew that my husband, who is a big fan of spice and heat, would be able to handle it like nothing....but I wasn't so sure about me with the heat. I did cut back a little...

I loved it (sure, it made me cough a little when all those pungent ingredients hit the heat!). When I ate it, the ginger hit me in the back of the throat and it did clear up my nose a little bit, but it was a good heat. It was warming and spicy and delicious - perfect for a winter evening. 

 

I would highly recommend it if you or a loved one has a cold or is stuffed up. If you are not a big fan of heat, you may want to cut down on the jalapeno or ginger. This is a very versatile recipe. Y

 

ou could cut out the chicken and add more mushrooms and other veggies for a vegetarian version. You could substitute rice noodles or soba noodles for the rice. Whatever you like. It's great to make if you have some leftover chicken. Plus, I am always looking for new ways to incorporate cabbage into our diet. This recipe will make about six servings. 

Cheddar broccoli soup

I was searching the internet for a cheddar broccoli soup - one that had a lot of cheddar flavor and one that contained a good amount of broccoli and carrots. I also was hoping to find a "copycat" recipe of Panera's cheddar broccoli soup. I love their cheddar broccoli soup, so I wanted to replicate it at home. 

 

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I found a copycat recipe all over the internet. I don't know where it originated or if it's really from there... I read all the copycat recipes and then made my own version below.

This soup was delicious, and like most soups, better for lunch the next day. I enjoyed it a lot - it was exactly what I was imagining. Perfect for a winter dinner (too bad it's been more like April around here lately). 

 

I bought these little bread bowls at my grocery's bakery because I thought it would be fun to serve the soup this way. You just need to carefully cut off the tops and pull out some of the bread until it's hollow enough to hold soup (freeze the extra bread for the next time you need to make breadcrumbs). It's completely optional though. 

 

You can also puree the soup if you like. This soup will make about 6 servings.

Sweet and spiced glazed mixed nuts

Sweet, salty, crunchy, with a touch of fresh herbs and warm spices, these glazed mixed nuts make a delicious holiday gift or party snack.