Chickpea salad with Kebab skews

serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

* 500 grams minced beef

* 1 red onion

* Kebab/Köfte herbs ( can be found in Middle-Eastern supermarkets)

* 800 grams chickpeas, cooked

* 1 red paprika

* 1 yellow paprika

* 1 cucumber

* a handful of flat parsley

* 2 garlic cloves

* 250 gram cherry tomatoes

* zest and juice of 3 lemons

* a handful of fresh mint

* 5 spring onions

* 100 gram feta

* 2 spoons of olive oil

* salt to taste

* black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Finely chop the onion, and the garlic. Keep one garlic clove for the salad, and one for the kebab.
In a bowl, mix the herbs with the kebab, onion and garlic. You can also add a bit of parsley if you like. Leave alone for now.

Cut the paprika's and cucumber in cubes and cut the spring onion in slices. Halve the cherry tomatoes and add them to a bowl. Add the chickpeas too.

Use a rasp and take the zest from the lemon, straight to the salad bowl and finely cut the parsley and mint. Add them to the bowl with the remaining garlic.

Now take the juice from the lemon and put it straight to the bowl with the olive oil, and mix.
Break the feta with your hands in pieces to your preference and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste, and your salad is done.

Now use skews  and put the meat on them, in amounts you prefer. I made 4 skews out of the meat.
Heat up a grill pan and put a drop of oil. Take a paper towel and spread the oil over the pan.

Add the skews, and turn them once one side is done. If you like medium raw, count 3 minutes for each side, like I did, else keep them longer. Be sure that the outside is cooked thoroughly before serving!

Once the skews are done, serve next to the salad and enjoy your meal!

Mike & Leda

Tom Kha Goong

serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:

* 1 kg prawns, cleaned (or 500 g chicken for Tom Kha Kai)

* 1 can of bamboo shoots

* 1 thumb sized chunk of galangal

* 3 stalks of lemongrass

* 1 big onion

* 500 g mushrooms (I used oyster mushrooms)

* 5 Thai chilies

* 6 kaffir lime leaves

* 2 liters coconut milk

* 1 liter water

* Lime juice to taste

* Salt to taste ( or Thai fish sauce)

* Coriander to taste (chopped)

Preparation:

Cut the stem off the galangal and cut the galangal in slices of about 0.5 cm thick. Slice the bottom off the lemongrass and cut them diagonally in about 1,5 cm strips. Put 1 liter of coconut milk in a pan with half a liter of water and start boiling it. Immediately put in the galangal and lemongrass, and turn the heat to medium. You don't want to make it boil, but rather to the boiling point.

Optional part:
Now if you are using chicken, cut them in medium size pieces and wait for the coconut milk to come to the boiling point. This is the time to put the chicken. 

After that add the rest of the coconut milk and water, and stir to blend. Keep in mind you only stir in one direction always!

Take the stems off the chilies and cut them diagonally in thin slices and add them to the soup. Now add the prawns, if you are not using chicken. Give the soup a quick stir. Now cut the mushrooms in however size you prefer. I used oyster mushrooms so some of them were rather big, so I cut them down a bit. Add them to the soup and softly stir, again, only in one direction! 

If your soup is boiling, turn the heat down a little, we should use a medium heat so it slowly warms up, but not boil. Add the bamboo shoots.

Now peel the onion and cut it in half, and then make wedges. Add them directly to the soup. Cut the tomatoes the same way. Again wait for the soup to almost boil, then add the tomatoes.

Take the lime leaves and break them with your hand so it releases the flavor better. Add to the soup and give a quick stir.

We can start adding the salt (or fish sauce if you prefer!) now. Be sure to taste every now and then so we don't overdo it. For 5 to 10 minutes softly boil the soup while calmly stirring occasionally. We want the ingredients to be cooked, but not overcook the soup. Turn the heat off once it is ready.

If you are a fan, you can add the chopped coriander to the soup now, and stir.

For the final ingredient, it is time to add the lime juice. Add a bit, stir and taste until you are satisfied. If not, add more, but be sure to taste!

Once you are satisfied, 

Serve your Tom Kha Goong/Kai and enjoy the interesting combination of sweet, sour and salt of the amazing Thai kitchen.

Enjoy your dinner!

Mike & Leda