Don’t miss the give-away at the end of the post!
A number of days ago, I was invited for a try-out ina new restaurant in Rotterdam, Freshii. Freshii already exists in 15 countries and 75 cities al over the world but this one, is the first in the Netherlands. Freshii wants to offer a healthy alternative for a snack, lunch or dinner when on the run. Eat and get energized is the Northstarin their green philosophy. And the real good news is, the menus are suitable for everyone – carnivores, vegetarians and vegans. You can completely customize your own dish. Wow!
One of the best dishes we had was afantastic soup, the Spicy lemongrass. Bold taste, real spicy, warmingand with so much goodies in. I immediately fell in love! Actually, I loved it so much that I had to make it again once home. Unfortunately I don’t live close enough to Freshii to go there on a regular basis. Nothing else to do then to play the copycat. Of course with a twist of my own tongue. To balance the heat, I decided to add some apple and just a few drips of agave to the ready-made dish. This is of course optional depending on how strict you are with the carbs but it really adds an extra dimension to it.
A small introduction to two maybe new ingredients:
Sriracha is famous chili sauce from Thailand. Ithas a spicy, almost smokeytaste and is very important to get the right richnessin this soup.
Tamarind paste is made of the pod-like fruit with the same name. The fruit can also be bought and eaten fresh but the paste is much more convenient to work with due to the hustle with small pits. The fruit is used in many kitchens all over the world andgivesa sweet-sour taste to thedish. In western kitchen, you can find it Worcestershire sauce.
If you happened to be close to a Freshii (wherever in the world), try it out. It is a really nice alternative with food that actually is good for you!
Are you living in the Netherlands and want to try Freshii for free? Like Freshii (freshiinederland) on Instagram or Facebookand then write a comment below this post why YOU should win a meal for two for free at Freshii in Rotterdam.
Winner will be announced the 6th of february 2016 via the blog and my Instagram account. Go get it!
Let’s get to work!
Copycat Spicy lemongrass soup my way
2 persons
Ingredients
Broth:
1 l/ 1000 ml water
1 tsp dark miso (gluten-free)
1 lemongrass
1/2 fresh chili (see how strong you prefer it)
2 cm fresh ginger
10 gram dried shiitake
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
To add to the soup:
200 gram daikon
50 gram cavalo nero cabbage or green kale
30 gram red cabbage
2 big tomatoes
10 mushrooms
1/4 of an apple, peeled (optional)
a handful fresh cilantro
Sriracha (as much as you can handle, it pretty hot!)
a few drips of agave (optional)
How do I do it?
1.Addwaterto a pan. Let is cometo a boil.
2. Addthemiso paste and shiitake to the water. Crush the lemongrass slightly with the end of knife. This is to open up for al the taste inside. Cut it in smaller pieces to fit the pan.
3. Slice the red chili, peel the ginger and cut in smaller pieces and add all to the soup. Let is simmer for about 10 minutes.Stir every now and then with a wooden spatula.
4.Add water to another pan and let it come to a boil. Cut a cross on top of the tomatoes and place them in the boiling water for 1 minute or when you see the skin starting to come loose. After blanching them, rinse them in cold water. Peel the skin off, cut them in half and take out the seeds. Cut the tomatoes in smaller pieces and set aside until serving.
5. Meanwhile the broth is simmering, slice the vegetables in thin slices. Add the daikon and kaleto the soup. Keep some apart for decoration.
6. Letis carefully simmer for another 5 minutes.Check the seasoning before serving.
7. Add all vegetables to your serving bowls. Pourthe broth on top.AddSriracha and maybe a few drips of agave to each bowl.
8. Finally, sprinklefresh cilantroon top and serve steaming hot.
Enjoy!
This soup is free from gluten, sugar (if you skip the agave!) and lactose. It is suitable for vegans, vegetarians and paleo diet. It also works perfect for LCHFbut combine it then with a herb oil, some baked pork or another side dish with more fat to make itcomplete.
