Monday, January 7, 2013

Thai-Style Carrot Soup with Chrysanthemum Leaves


I told myself that, with the onset of 2013, I was going to expand my horizons and begin to incorporate new, unfamiliar ingredients into my cooking and baking.  So, while paging through the new cookbook from Melissa’s Produce, 50 Best Plants on the Planet: The Most Nutrient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, in 150 Delicious Recipeshttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ollapodrid-20&l=as2&o=1&a=145210283X, I stumbled across an ingredient that really wowed me:  Tung Ho, a.k.a. Asian edible Chrysanthemum leaves.  High in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, they have a subtle but unique flavor, with floral and pine overtones.  Wonderful when tossed in salads, they also make an excellent, attractive, edible garnish.  For that reason I had to try the recipe on page 115 of the book, Thai-Style Carrot Soup with Chrysanthemum Leaves.  A lover of carrot soups, this one is my new favorite.  I did make a couple of small changes because I like complex, heat, and love Thai peanut sauce, so I added a ½ teaspoon of curry powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin, and tripled the amount of peanut butter.  Oh, boy, is this good!  I could hear someone moaning while I was eating my soup, and then realized it was me.  Delicious and healthy -- what a great way to start the year.

Here is the recipe straight from the book, but do buy the book, a world of exotic cooking awaits.


Available in April 2013 from Amazon

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6 comments:

  1. I've made the same vow, Pattie. Now hopefully I too will keep it, lol...Wishing you a Happy and Adventurous New Year!!! The soup sounds delightful!!!

    Thanks for sharing...

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  2. Good Afternoon Pattie, This is an interesting recipe. I have never made soup with evaporated milk, It is an interesting addition. I have decided to try this as I have all the ingredients apart from the evaporated milk, because if this soup made you moan, it is definitely one to make. Have a lovely day. Best Wishes Daphne

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  3. Hi Daphne. Thanks for the nice comment on the Thai-Inspired Carrot soup. If you don't have evaporated milk, don't buy it. I can't imagine that it would matter all that much. I cut the recipe in half for testing purposes and such a small amount went into it that I really couldn't tell the difference. If it needs thinning, just use a bit of whole milk.

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  4. I love those ideas! I actually just made carrot soup today a la Smitten Kitchen's recent recipe. Maybe I'll try something similar with squash or pumpkin.

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  5. I love Thai food. All of the flavors in this sound like they go together really well, although I can't say I've ever seen chrysanthemum leaves at my grocery store! I'm really in the mood for soup after seeing some of the recipes, like this one, at Foodie Friday.

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  6. This looks really good. I would like to try something different, too. Thanks so much for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday!" I hope you will be able to join us again this week. :-)

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Thank you so much for commenting, I love every one of them! I am, however, unable to respond to anonymous comments.