One doesn’t usually associate pineapple with soup, but in southern Vietnam, Canh Chua is a popular soup that incorporates fish or shrimp. I associate it with winding bus trips down the mountains through the towns on the way to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It’s been more than a decade since I’ve had it, but with the healthy recipe challenge to use pineapple and greens, I … Continue reading Vietnamese Shrimp and Pineapple Sour Soup
Fend off mid-winter’s chill with a steaming bowl of Sesame Ginger Black Bean Soup. Ginger adds flare, while sesame oil brings a distinctive layer of richness that blends everything together harmoniously. After tasting your first spoonful, you will need to rethink your concept of black bean soup. Because it is out with the cumin, and in with the ginger this time. I happen to like black bean … Continue reading Sesame Ginger Black Bean Soup
If I’m keeping things simple, I’ll turn leftover chicken into a soup with rice and vegetables. With this soup recipe, I’ve added the classic Indian spices along with sweet butternut squash. The squash blends beautifully with the other flavours. With apple season wrapping up, there’s no reason not to try a fresh spin on this classic soup by adding a touch of butternut. Soup is also an optimal way … Continue reading Mulligatawny Soup with Butternut Squash
Watermelon rind takes an unexpected starring role in this savoury soup that revels in an aromatic yet light Chinese-style broth. Wasting food really irks me. But it was not until a number of years back that I had any idea that watermelon rinds could be made useful. It was when my late grandmother mentioned making pickles out of them. That notion stuck with me years … Continue reading Watermelon Rind Soup with Ginger and Star Anise
Spring rains have finally settled the dust on the streets; puddles lie everywhere. Grey skies and a slight chill in the air make me want to stay inside and make soup. Not something from a can with long list of ingredients, but slowly simmered, freshly cut mushroom soup, with plenty of onion and some diced shallot thrown in for good measure. I’ve made fresh mushroom … Continue reading Creamy Mushroom Soup with Cashew Milk
Taste the flavours of Tuscan cooking with a minimum of fuss. You can blend, heat, and serve this hearty Italian-style tomato soup in 10 minutes or less. From my mother I inherited a penchant for soups. She is a soup artisan, crafting homemade soups like Pasta y Fagioli on a regular basis. Her friends are often the ones who benefit from the big batches she cooks. We tasted … Continue reading 10-Minute Tomato and White Bean Soup
Swirls and Spice 