Pad thai noodles and veg thai soup

Am back to blogging after a long long time...so sorry that this post might not be written in a super awesome way, but these recipe absolutely are....so don't focus on the writing this time...its going to take me a while to get used to pen things in an interesting way...but i do want to write more, and while i haven't been blogging i have been saving a lot of recipes i have been wanting to share.

this is my second pad thai recipe...the difference in this recipe is that I am going to tell you pad thai sauce recipe...well that sounds pompous...am not really making a sauce from scratch, just mixing some sauce to make the pad thai sauce. If you are lover of chinese/ thai food you would have most of these sauces at home, so you can spare from buying one more "pad thai noodle sauce"
I also tried making thai beg soup from scratch, and this is indeed an awesome soup...super tasty and excellent addition to any noodle or rice dish.

Pad Thai Noodle:
for the sauce:

1. 1/2 cup water
2. 3 tsp chilly sauce (i used sriracha)
3. 3 tsp soy sauce
4. 3 tsp honey
5. 2 tsp vinegar/lime juice
6. 1 tsp sweet and sour sauce
7. 2 tbsp peanut butter

for the noodles:

1. 1/2 packet thai noodles
2. 1/2 onion chopped lengthwise
3. 1/2 bell pepper chopped lengthwise
4. 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
5. 1 tbsp ginger paste
6. 5-6 mushrooms 
7. 1/2 packet tofu (optional)
8. 4-5 florets broccoli
9. oil to sauté
10. salt to taste

Method:

1. in a bowl mix all the sauces together
2. in a wok saute onion, after a min or so add ginger and garlic paste
3. then add bell pepper and salt
4. once bell peppers are tender add mushrooms, broccoli and tofu..
5. make the noodles as per instructions on the packet
6. once the veggies are semi-cooked add the sauce mix and let it simmer for a min.
7. add the noodles and toss everything well together.

You can mix and match veggies as per what you have in your home, you can add snap peas, beans etc. you can also use the asian veggie mix that is routinely available in the grocery store..you can add 1/2 tbsp of brown sugar to the sauce mix if you like it sweeter..

Now, lets begin with the soup..this is a super easy soup that needs the same veggies as the pad thai noodles, thats why i like to make it together :) also the other good part about this soup is that the spices used are indian so we have them in our kitchen all the time :) :)

Ingredients for the soup:

1. 1/2 onion chopped lengthwise
2. 1/2 bell pepper chopped lengthwise
3. 4-5 mushrooms
4. 4-5 florets broccoli
5. 1 tbsp ginger paste
6. 1 tbsp garlic paster
7. 6-7 cups vegetable stock/ water
8. 1 can coconut milk (500 ml)
9. 1/2 packet tofu (optional)
10. salt to taste
11. oil to sauté 
12. cilantro to garnish

spices/ flavouring for the soup:

1. 2 tsp soy sauce
2. 1tbsp peanut butter
3. 1/2+1/4 chilly powder
4. 1/4 turmeric powder
5. 1 tsp cumin coriander powder
6. 1 tsp sweet and sour sauce
7. 1 tsp vinegar/lime juice

Method:

• Saute onion, garlic and ginger..
• Add bell-pepper, mushrooms and broccoli..
• once you they cook for a minute or two add the vegetable stock and coconut milk
• add all the spices, simmer for 5-10 minutes, you can bring to to boil before taking it off the flame.
• garnish with cilantro.
• add the lime juice once you take it off the flame

Notes: if you feel the soup is too creamy you can add 1 cup of water or vegetable stock..you may add little sugar (1-2 tsp) if you like..you can add more or less chilly powder per taste..the amount in the recipe doesn't make the soup spicy at all...if you are adding cumin-coriander powder separately, then add 1/4 of cumin and 3/4 coriander powder..you may add tofu to the soup as well.

The best part of this recipe is you can make this simultaneously as you make the noodles, and its all out together real quick..

Enjoy your thai dinner :)