I made this recipe in the week the cover shoot was made for my book. It was very exciting for me, because not many people are easily satisfied with pictures of themselves and I'm no exception in that department. In the end, I think they turned out great and I'm very happy with the picture we chose for the cover, don't you agree?
Having a professional photo shoot done was terifying yet it's something I can recommend to everyone who looks in the mirror and occasionally spots something they don't like. It's not only nice to have pretty pictures of yourself but it helps you look at yourself in a different light, quite litterally, and it's refreshing.
Sjoerd was also really excited about the pictures and to top it off I made him even happier because this weeks dish was right up his alley. The spicy Thai peanutsoup turned out great and because it's so easy to make we had it several times that week.
Spicy Thai Peanutsoup
3 servings
2 red onions, diced 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 4 cm of ginger root, chopped 1 red pepper, chopped 2 sticks of lemongrass, cut in smaller chunks 1 liter of vegetable stock 2 small red bell peppers, about 250 grams, diced 190 grams peanut butter (preferably one with just peanuts) 115 grams tomato paste 1 tbsp sambal (red pepper paste)* 1/3 cucumber, sliced and cut in half a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped 2 tbsp (unsalted) peanuts*This recipe is pretty spicy, but if you don't like that just skip the sambal
Gently bruise the lemongrass with the side of a large knife. Add the onion, garlic, ginger red pepper and lemon grass to boiling vegetable stock and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add the peanutbutter and tomatopaste to a small sauce pan and mix in one tablespoon of the stock. Mix until there are no more lumps and add the mixture to the rest of the soup. Then add the bell peppers and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. Your soup should have thickened by now. Turn off the stove and mix in the sambal. Serve the soup with the half slices of cucumber, the cilantro and some peanuts. This soup is pretty filling, but if you like you can serve it with some bread or rice.
