Green Curry Noodle Soup

I love experimenting with food ! This was the result of one such experiment, an amazing tasting soup! I had no plans to make soup for dinner it just went that way. It all came together when I was cleaning the refrigerator and came across a very small amount of leftover Thai green curry paste I made to use in a fish curry. I grew up in a home where my Mother put all the leftovers , no matter how small, in the refrigerator. Her logic is that some one will get hungry and need a little snack. Her logic was correct someone always ate the leftovers. Growing up like this thought me to not be wasteful and now in my own home I too put all the leftovers in the fridge - no matter how small. So being that the leftover curry paste was not enough to cook another curry or any other big meal I came up with the idea of adding it to or making a soup with it.

I don't know about you but I've never come across green curry soup. I quickly started picturing in my head how to use it as an additional flavor to a light soup to serve as an appetizer. I don't have exact measurements for you since it was just throwing in a little bit of this and a little bit of that, so I'll be giving you rough estimates. You can experiment with the ingredients to adjust it to your own taste, maybe less spicy or even spicier. I also had 4 small button mushrooms in the refrigerator so I added those too.


Your Ingredients:
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 TBS. soy sauce
1 TBS. fish sauce
Juice from 1 lime
1 tsp ground lemon grass
1 TBS. green curry paste
4 ginger slices
2-3 garlic cloves minced
4 fresh button mushrooms, sliced
Rice noodles, quick cooking
4 cups ( 1 liter) water

Garnish:
fresh cilantro
chopped scallions
lime wedges
sliced red chilies ,optional

1. Fry the garlic, onion and ginger first - once garlic is cooked add curry paste and fry another 3 minutes. Next add ginger and lemon grass powder, mix and cook another 3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes.
2. Add water , bouillon cube , soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir to combine/ mix ingredients well. Cook until the mushrooms are completely soft and cooked through about 15 minutes,Or longer to allow flavors to combine better.
3. Right before you are ready to serve the soup add the quick cooking noodles to the soup and boil until the noodles have cooked through 5-8 minutes. You could also cook the noodles separately and add them to the broth right before serving.

Serve with fresh chopped cilantro, lime slices , sliced chilies (optional) and chopped scallions.


The soup was tasted so so good it was both spicy and a bit tangy. But it also had a very fresh taste from the fresh cilantro, which I think also helped it feel lighter for warm spring weather. My recipe may sound a bit strange at first but trust me the soup was so good that the main course was ignored until all the soup was gone. I can't wait to make it again soon and I think it will be the main course instead of just an appetizer.

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Liberation Day Festival, V-E day

The 8Th of May is Liberation day and it is an official holiday that is celebrated by many countries across Europe. To Americans this day is also know as V-E day or Victory Europe day. This day or holiday commemorates May 8Th 1945 ,the day during World War 2 when the allies celebrated the defeat and surrender of the Nazis and the end of the Third Reich. Many people took to the streets to celebrate the end of this horrible war,and to this day it is a day that is still very much remembered by those few still alive and their descendants. This year marked the 65Th anniversary and across Prague, and many other cities across Europe, there were festivals and parades to remember the day. This year I grab my little point and shoot camera and headed to the festival. Here are my shots I hope you enjoy them and I apologize I didn't take more "foodie" shots, everyone was hungry and the lines were long and blocking the food stalls so not many photo opportunities :)

The Czech Flag

There was live traditional folkloric music and dances

Soldiers waiting for their lunch

Grilled Klobasa (sausage)

XXL Palacinky (crepes)

Wild boar

The poor dog was drooling over the Wild Boar

WW2 Field Kitchen ( Klobasa was on the menu)

Waiting for the parade to start

Russian troops marching in!

American MP (military police)

WW2 abacus and extra uniforms

Russian soldiers trying to keep warm

Rations and extra supplies from a Russian soldier's pack.

Pernik (gingerbread) sweets and an assortment of candies.

Z Lasky ( With love)

History is not my best subject to write to you about, even though it does interest me it has never been one of my strongest subjects. Having said that I feel very lucky to live in a place where there is so much history to see and learn. Merely walking out my door I am reminded of all that has happened in this land by the plaques dedicated to their fellow compatriots. It serves as a reminder of all that were shoot down during their struggles and fights against the occupying army. Going to the city center is a historian's paradise. If you are a history buff I highly recommend you make a trip to Prague, this Golden city will amaze you and fill your brain with so much knowledge. Even if you are not a history buff you'll love just looking at the beautiful architecture, enjoy a good hearty Czech meal, or a cold drink while you sit in the middle of Old Town square, or sitting in the historic theater where Mozart debuted Don Giovanni. This magical city of a thousand spires will have you wanting to come for another visit. I am very lucky indeed....

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