Chicken Pho Soup

Vietnamese Pho (pronounced fur) is one of my all time favourite recipes.

 It is a bowl of ultimate goodness in my books - with a healthy broth and punchy kick!

 I love that you can wing it with the ingredients and can never get it wrong! Its my go to hangover cure, cold buster, and just so tasty every time.  To make it even healthier you can make it with courgetti (courgette noodles) instead of rice noodles (flat or vermicelli).  

Remember fresh herbs are a must, as is the fresh chilli, whether you make your own broth or use a pre made stock its always sure to be a recipe staple you will make again and again.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 4-6 chicken tenderloins
• 1- 1.5 litres of water
• 1 clove of star anise
• 1 Knox chicken stock cube
• 1 tspn ginger, chopped
• 1 tspn (or small lug) of light soya sauce (you don't want the broth turning dark brown)
• 1/2 - 1 red chilli, sliced 
• 1/2-1 tbspn fish sauce (more to taste at the end)
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 handful of fresh mint and coriander
• 1 handful of fresh bean sprouts
• 1 segment of rice noodles or 1 courgette (spiralled) or both
• 1 lime, halved

METHOD

• Add the stock cube to the water and pour into a pot
• Add the star anise, 1/4 sliced spring onions, ginger, 1/2 the chilli, soya sauce, and squeeze in one half of the lime (leave this in the broth) 
• Feel free to taste the broth and add more water if it is not to your taste
• Place the chicken in the water and bring to the boil, then a simmer until the chicken is cooked through (they cook surprisingly fast - max five minutes once the water has boiled)
• Once the chicken is cooked, taste the broth again and even add some fresh herbs if you like! 
• Remove the cooked chicken and cut into small slithers (so it is easy to pick up with chopsticks)
• Add the rice noodles to the broth and cook for a further couple of minutes (if using courgetti add this last and only cook for a minute - if you over cook they will be mushy noodles!)
• Serve the broth and noodles into large bowls, top with the chicken, fresh herbs, spring onions, chilli, bean sprouts and extra lime and fish sauce to taste.

Seriously, seriously good!!!

LoveBites Thai Beef Salad

Thai Beef Salad is one of my all time favourite dishes. There are so many variations with this salad that I always seem to do it a different way. When I went to my LoveBites Asian Inspired Beef Salad original post recently, I realised that I don't really make my Thai Beef Salad's like this anymore.
So it's time for an update: a new recipe, something easier to follow and quicker to make = perfect LoveBites standards!

Feeds 2

 Ingredients

• 300g Rump Steak
• 2Tbspns Soya Sauce
• 1Tbspn Fish Sauce
• 1/3Cup Sweet Chilli Sauce
• 1 Clove Garlic, crushed
• 1 Red Chilli, de-seeded and diced
• Juice of1/2 a Lime, other 1/2 slice into wedges
• Handful of fresh Coriander, roughly chopped (save some leaves for garnish)
• 1/2 Red and Yellow Capsicum, sliced thinly
• 1/2 Cucumber, peeled lengthwise
• 1/2 Large Red Onion sliced thinly (can also use x2 Spring Onions sliced thinly)
• x2 Packets individually packed Vermicelli Noodles (optional)
• 1 Cup Sugar snap Peas sliced (optional)

Method

• Combine Soya, Sweet Thai Chilli, Fish sauce, 1/2 the fresh Chilli, and 1/2 the lime juice in a small mixing bowl or jar
• Crush the garlic and press into the beef in a dish and pour over half the sauce mixture, set aside
• Chop the salad ingredients and combine in a large bowl, boil the jug
• Place the noodles in a bowl of boiled water, cover and set aside
• Sear the steak for approximately 2 minutes per side, remove from the pan and once slightly cooled, slice in 1cm thick slices
• Drain the noodles and combine with the salad, mixing well with your hands
• Scoop into individual bowls or plates, arrange the steak slices on top and sprinkle with the remainder sauce, lime slices and garnish with the rest of the coriander.

The picture used for this recipe did not have noodles. If you are not using noodles I would recommend using more herbs and rip them up in your hands so they are still quite large rather than dicing them. Capsicums (peppers) can be any colour, orange was used for this pic.

I also made a bit of a dressing to go with this version : combine soya and fish sauces, sweet chilli, lime, coriander and chilli and pour over the dish. This recipe is a great backbone so make it as you so desire!

LoveBites Asian Baked Salmon

INGREDIENTS

Salmon

• 2 Salmon Fillets (boned and skinned)
• 2 Spring onions, sliced
• 1 Red chilli, de-seeded and sliced
• 1cm cube of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 Tablespoon coriander, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Soya Sauce

Sides

• Seaseme oil
• Pak choi
• Sugar snaps
• Green beans
• Basmati rice
• Chopped coriander to garnish

METHOD

• Place the salmon on a large piece of aluminium foil (big enough to wrap the salmon in afterwards)
• Sprinkle the chilli, onion and coriander over the salmon
• Combine the teriyaki and soya sauce with the ginger and pour over the salmon
• Fold the foil over the salmon and place in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes
• Whilst the salmon is cooking, cook the rice  stir fry the pak choi and sugar snaps in a small amount of seaseme oil
• Cook the beans with a small amount of water, cover in cling wrap and cook in the microwave for 3 minutes
• The salmon is cooked when the flesh has turned a milky pink
• Combine the veges, rice and salmon on a plate and pour the rest of the marinade over the salmon and rice
• Garnish with a sprinkle of coriander

LoveBites Asian Inspired Beef Salad

 

Ingredients

Marinade
• 2 tablespoons of soya sauce
• 1/3 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed

•  500g rump steak
•  Oil to cook
•  1 red capsicum, deseeded and thinly sliced lengthways

• ½ cucumber, halved, sliced lengthways

•  1 large red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
•  1 carrot, peeled
•  1 red chili, finely chopped
•  1 tablespoon diced fresh mint
•  1 tablespoon diced fresh coriander
•  Mesculin, washed and dried
•  1 fresh lime

To Make

o   Mix the rump steak in a glass bowl with one crushed clove of garlic, soya sauce, half sweet Thai chili sauce and half of the fish sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or as long as possible

o   Add the remaining ingredients in a jar and shake to combine
o   Heat oil in a pan over a medium-high heat, add steak and cook for 2-3 minutes each side
o   Combine salad ingredients in a mixing bowl, and toss
o   Remove steak from heat and leave to cool for a couple of minutes
o   Serve salad mixture on plates
o   Slice meat and add to the top of the salad
o   Drizzle with the rest of the sauce in jar
o   Garnish with lime wedges and extra coriander if necessary.

 Variations

•  Serve beef salad on top of rice (vermicelli) noodles, cooked as per packet instructions, instead of using salad leaves

·  Use both mesculin and noodles by combining salad ingredients with noodles and serve on top of mesculin

•  Instead of rice noodles, cook a small amount of fragrant rice, and have this on the side
•  Add halved cherry tomatoes for a summer option.