I rather like cooking. I am not a very instinctive cook. I can't really conjure up cordon bleu fare from just a handful of ingredients and no recipe. I really need some guidance and have come to the conclusion that the recipe books I love most are written by cooks that give me some leeway, that give me just a little wriggle room to improvise and make slight amendments. The writers who start me off and then let me roam the fridge and store cupboard are the best 'in my recipe books'.
One of my family's favourites is a coconut fish soup or chowder to which I can add whatever I like or have in the cupboard or freezer. The idea came from a Rachel Allen recipe which I have run with for quite a few years and to which I occasionally return to to set me back on the straight and narrow if I run too far from the tasty path.
The base is a stock of finely cut onions - actually who can or indeed has the patience to cut onions really finely? The base is a stock of onions whichever way you want to cut them (sometimes I don't even add the onions), garlic, a bit of ginger if you have it, a bit of lemon grass if you have it, a tin of coconut milk, some stock and then add whatever you have. We had it yesterday with prawns, scallops, spring onions, mangetout but you can add a tin of tuna or crabmeat or broccoli or green beans or pak choi. Add some noodles and a splash of fish sauce - actually it's just occurred to me that yesterday I forgot the noodles. Every time it's slightly different but every time fab. Then when it's in your bowl add a splash of sweet chilli sauce if you like. And on the table in less than 20 minutes.
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