healthy

My souperinspiration: Spicy Salmon Miso Jjigae I am a huge fan of soups in particular Korean and Japanese ones. The spicy salmon miso jjigae is a Nabe X Jjigae, inspired by the very famous Ishikari from Hokkaido and the unforgettable Haemultang from Jeju island. Hokkaido Ishikari From the freshest catch of the sea to the vast […]

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My souperinspiration: Beef Bourguignon Julie & Julia Julie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina. The film contrasts the life of chef Julia Child in the early years of her culinary career with the life of young New […]

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My souperinspiration: Prawn Bitsque Meaning of Bitsque Every year, when we make this soup, we always have kind souls writing to me, informing me that we have accidentally spelled Bisque wrongly. I had to reply clarifying that our version is meant to be Bitsque, a bisque with bits. We wanted to make our bisque a little different, […]

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My Souperinspiration: Bhutanese Spicy Chicken Stew Bjasha Maroo The inspiration behind my Bhutanese spicy chicken stew. Bhutanese cuisine is simple beyond our conception. In 2014, this was the one of the first stew we learnt to make in the home of Ugyen’s brother, Kinzang. Our guide told us that most Bhutanese only eat meat once a week. […]

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My souperinspiration: Bhutanese inspired beef and barley soup Traditional Beef and barley soup This soup is one of the classic Western style comfort foods. It’s thick, hearty and delicious.It is nutritious as it’s packed full of vegetables, pearl barley and meat; perfect to keep your vitamin levels up during the cold season. Beef barley soup is […]

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My souperinspiration: Bhutanese Potato cheese chilli with buckwheat balls Kewa Datse Cheese is a favourite ingredient and in fact ema datse – chillies and cheese “ema” means “chili” and “datse” means “cheese” in the Dzongkha language, is among the most famous dishes in Bhutanese cuisine and is Bhutan’s ubiquitous national dish of green or red chilies, […]

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My souperinspiration A lasting first impression February 2014, was my first visit to Bhutan. Our very first lunch in Thimpu, the capital city of Bhutan, consists of a buffet spread at a modest restaurant, and one of the dishes that we were served was a beef broth style with cellophane noodles. It left a deep […]

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My souperinspiration: Roasted Vegetable Chilli Cheese Soup Ema datse Running a close second to Bhutan’s primary cliché are chillies. A largely rural society, the Bhutanese eat fresh, fruity, large and not particularly hot red and green chillies in impressive quantities most of the year, and use them dried daily. There is a lively piquancy to […]

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My souperinspiration:  Mixed Grain Dhal with Chicken In 2005, Ruth Reichl (then editor of Gourmet) was quoted as saying that the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan had, “the world’s worst cuisine”. Reichl’s proclamation is born of ignorance of the full depth and breadth of Bhutan’s cuisine. As a kingdom sandwiched between the Asian giants of India […]

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My souperinspiration Miso The protein-rich fermented soybean paste called miso is one of the world’s great flavour foundations adding a savory quality called umami to all sorts of dishes, including soups, salad dressings, vegetables, stews and marinades. According to the The Oxford Companion to Food, miso was first developed in China and the first written […]

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My souperinspiration Miso On this trip to Japan, in Matsumoto City, we met Hayashi san, the president and master shinshu miso maker at Marusho Jozo. Through our conversations, I found out he is 80 years old. But the man, does not look a day past 65 years old. The complexion of his skin, its tautness […]

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My Souper Inspiration Daio Wasabi Farm (3640 Hotaka, Azumino, Nagano Prefecture 399-8303, Japan) The global vogue for all things wasabi have seen products such as wasabi peas, wasabi popcorn, wasabi seaweed snacks, wasabi hummus and dips hit the shelves and becoming popular. My recent trip to Japan especially to Daio Wasabi farm made me jump on […]

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