Vietnamese Chicken and Pineapple Soup

It is freezing in the Western Cape at the moment. Yes, I know I proclaimed my love for winter just the other day, but it would be nice if the temperature could be dialed up to juuuust a notch above freezing. Just saying.

This month Joanne from Eats Well with Others chose Vietnam as the theme for the Regional Recipes event and when I saw that I did a silent "hell yeah!" in my head. Because you see, I  love asian food. Chinese take out (the greasier the better), all-you-can-eat buffets and tempting noodle-y dishes at our local Thai place, you name it, and I'll probably like it. Sad thing though: I tend to not cook a lot of asian food at home. Yes I do the odd stirfry, but that's where it stays. Mostly.

So this was the perfect opportunity for me to get out of my rut and into my kitchen. Except it was really cold yesterday. And while Asian foods are many things, comforting is not the first word that springs to mind. Or maybe I've just been ignorant so far?

Nevertheless I set off without fear or trepidation into the hallowed halls of the internet where I stumbled across a vast array of warming soups and even a curry or two. Comfort meal? Hells yeah! But one stood out. Vietnamese Chicken and Pineapple Soup. Yes, okay, the reason I was attracted to it, was because of the odd combination. Pineapple? In soup? Eh... 

But it works! Oh and does it ever. TheHusband and I slurped this motley crue of ingredients right up. And we want more. MOAR I say! Any volunteers for making me another batch?

I'm submitting this to Regional Recipes - Vietnam, hosted by Joanne from Eats Well with Others.

Vietnamese Chicken and Pineapple Soup

Adapted from Pots & Pearls

Serves 4

2 small pineapples

approx 8 cups water

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 - 2 tbsp dry red chilli flakes

3 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp fish sauce

1 lemongrass stalk

120g fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp black pepper

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts (approx 250g)

200g rice noodles, softened

1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

1. Peel and core pineapples, discarding only the peel. Chop the cores and puree with 1/2 cup of water in a blender. Strain using a sieve and pressing down on the solids to extract the most liquid. Discard the solids and set the juice aside. Chop the remaining pineapple pieces and set aside as well.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot, then fry the chillies and 2 tsp garlic for a minute or two until fragrant. Add 1/4 cup fish sauce and cook another 2 minutes to reduce.

3. Add enough water to the pineapple juice to make up 8 cups, then add to the pot with the lemongrass stalk.

4. Bring to the boil, then add mushrooms, tomatoes, reserved pineapple pieces and 1/2 tsp pepper. Return to the boil, then cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add rest of garlic, along with a pinch of chilli flakes and the remaining 2 tbsp of fish sauce. Cook 2 minutes or until reduced, then season chicken with 1/2 tsp pepper and add to the pan, frying briefly until just cooked.

6. Stir chicken into the soup and simmer for 1 minute.

7. Divide noodles amongst serving bowls, then ladle in the steaming hot soup. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 327.5, Total fat 8.8 g, Saturated fat 0.8 g, Polyunsaturated fat 4.9 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 33.8 mg, Sodium 2236.7 mg, Potassium 577.9 mg, Total carbohydrate 50 g, Dietary fiber 5.3 g, Sugars 24.4 g, Protein 16.3 g 

Good source of: Manganese 212.2 %, Vitamin C 80.0 %, Magnesium 23.8 %, Vitamin E 20.1 %

Sweet & Sour Prawn Stir Fry

Have you met my friend S.Tirfry? S is  a very versatile lady - you can dress her up or down, make her asian, spicy, vegetarian or fishy. Best of all, once all the chopping is done, you can whip up a nutritious meal in a matter of mere minutes. S is a clever lady indeed!

Now I've made quite a few chicken stirfries and beef stirfries and even vegetable-only stirfries, but never tried my hand at a seafood stirfry. Truth be told, I'm a little bit scared of seafood. I assume it's because we didn't grow up eating a lot of seafood, so whenever I'm confronted with a whole fish in the supermarket, I swiftly turn the other way. 

I've tried being brave - using crabmeat in a pita for example, or making a spicy calamari stew (not blogged, but delicious!), I've even bbq'ed some prawn skewers. But to add it to something I already know and love? That seemed a bit risky. What if it completely screwed up the taste of the stirfry? Turned it into a big pot of yuck? The opportunities for disaster seemed endless. But, my logical side reasoned - what if it turned out tremendously tasty? And you missed out on the awesome flavour because you were a scaredy-cat? That would be tragic.

And so, without further hesitation (okay there was a little bit of hesitation) I plunged ahead and came up with this: Sweet & Sour Prawn Stirfry. Was it good? Hell yeah. Would I make it again? Come on look at that photo again - do you even need to ask? Seafood-cautious hubby also gobbled it up which is testament to it's success. The sweet and sour sauce with just a bit of chilli complemented the prawns perfectly, as did the pineapple.

Special thanks goes to Danie for his impromptu photography lesson on Wednesday - I think it paid off handsomely! And if there are any South African brides-to-be reading this: go check out the supremely talented Danie's portfolio - he will ensure that your special day is perfectly framed. (Full disclosure: Danie did not pay or even ask me to say this)

Sweet & Sour Prawn Stirfry
Serves 4

500g frozen prawns
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red bellpepper, cubed
120g mangetout, halved
1 fresh pineapple, sliced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp dried chilli flakes (depending on your taste)

1. Defrost prawns under cold running water in a colander. Let rest while continuing with the rest of the stirfry.
2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a wok over high heat, add the onions and fry for 2 - 3 minutes, then add the bellpepper. Stir fry for 3 - 4 minutes, then add the mangetout and fry another minute. Remove from wok and set aside.
3. Using half the remaining oil, add the prawns to the wok and stir fry over high heat for a few minutes until cooked through. Prawns should be light pink and start to brown a little bit on the undersides. Remove from the wok and set aside.
4. Add the remaining oil to the wok, heat again over medium heat, then add the ginger, garlic, honey, soy sauce, lemon juice and chilli flakes. Cook for a few minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Add back the vegetables and prawns and cook, stirring for a minute or so until evenly coated. Serve immediately with freshly steamed rice.