Vietnamese Watercress and Ginger Broth (Canh Cresson)

One of the easiest Vietnamese soup recipes that I know of is this watercress and ginger broth.  It is served as an 'accompagnement' or side dish to a main meal.  The broth is usually added to rice to give it flavour and a different texture. It's a typical Vietnamese way of mixing different foods as we share our meals on the table.  This broth tastes amazingly good with the ginger.  It's also considered a great remedy for seasonal colds during the winter.

If you can't find any of Mama's homemade chicken soup, you can whip up this simple and soothing broth.   Zucchinis, spinach or any other leafy greens can be used instead of watercress.

Preparation time : 5 minutes, Cooking time : 15 minutes

Recipe "au pif":
1/2 lb pork loin or chicken breast
2 chunks of fresh ginger, cut about 2 inches
1 large onion, peeled and cut in half
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup fresh watercress, washed (or zucchinis, spinach, leafy greens)
6 cups boiling water


In a large sauce pan cook the pork or chicken with the fish sauce, onion and ginger in the boiling water for about 20 minutes.


Discard meat, onion and ginger.  


Turn off the heat and throw in the watercress (or other green vegetables of your choice) and let it sit for about 2 minutes.


Serve hot as a soup, or as a side dish

Serves 4 people.

Share and enjoy!

Spicy Zucchini with Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup - A Soothing Thought for Cold Weather

Being whipped by a wicked wind with a minus 22 degree Celcius temperature on this frigid day, most of us would only crave a soothing and comforting hot and spicy vegetable soup, especially when we're feeling under the weather.  I, myself, have been suffering from a head cold for the past 4 days.  I have yet to shake it all off.  Never, ever again will I step out of the house without my hat during winter time, even for a couple of minutes.    

Montreal's bizarre winter climate this year has burdened my health and many of my peers'.  Jumping from Spring-like weather to horrendous Arctic temperatures can make our entire body to feel so feeble that our sole desire is to stay home in bed and hibernate for the rest of the season.

Today, the only thought that crossed my mind was to snug myself into a warm wool blanket, watch a movie while sipping a hot and tasty homemade soup.   It requires very little effort.  Just let your cookware do the work. Sit back and enjoy.

Preparation: 5 minutes, Cooking time : 10-15 minutes

Recipe au "au pif" of Spicy Zucchini with Sweet Potato Soup:

3 large zucchinis

1 large sweet potato, washed, chopped and unpeeled

1 russet potato, washed, chopped and unpeeled

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

8 cups hot water

3 garlic cloves, peeled

3 tbsp grated fresh ginger (tip : freeze ginger will facilitate grating)

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp red hot chili paste

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

pinch of coarse sea salt

Chopped vegetables mixed with ginger and garlic

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large and deep sauce pan or a pressure-cooker, over medium high.

Stir in the zucchinis, sweet potato, russet potato, onions and garlic cloves for about 1 minute.

Add in the grated ginger, turmeric and paprika.  Give it a good stir.

Pour in the water.

If using a pressure-cooker, close the lid and let the vegetables cook for about 7-10 minutes.  If using a large sauce pan, let the vegetables cook for about 15 minutes, uncovered.

Remove from heat, wait until the pressure has lowered (from your pressure-cooker indicator).

Add in the red chili paste, salt and pepper and give it a good stir.

Blend with a hand blender until you reach a smooth and creamy texture.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Hot water added to the vegetable mix

Serve hot with toasted bread.

Serves 6-8 people.

Share and enjoy.

Another photo of the soup made a few months back.

Vietnamese Chicken Vermicelli Soup - Request from a Reader

Today, I received a request from a loyal reader of QlinArt to post the chicken vermicelli soup recipe from a previous installment from last year. It was a soup prepared by my mother at my parents' Bon Voyage party from January of 2010. As most of the foods my family and I eat are quick and simple to prepare, I'm very pleased to share this easy recipe of Vietnamese chicken soup. It's a great alternative to the traditional westernized chicken soup when used as a remedy to treat a cold. It's light and soothing, but most importantly very flavourful because of the fresh spices and fresh herbs used in the soup.

Preparation time: 20 minutes, cooking time: 1 hour maxThe broth can be prepared in the advance and frozen, to be taken out later for supper during a busy work week.

Recipe "au pif":
1 lb chicken breasts,
1 large yellow onion, peeled
3 star anise pods
1 whole fresh ginger root (about 2 1/2 inch), rinsed and mashed in mortar
3L (12 cups) water
1 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1/2 lb rice vermicelli (can be found at a local Asian store, some supermarkets carry them as well)
small pinch of ground white pepper

Garnish and accompaniments:
1 cup bean sprouts
2 sprigs of scallions, sliced
2 finger-length red chilies, deseeded and sliced
2 limes, cut into wedges
sprigs of mint leaves
sprigs of coriander leaves
bottled chili sauce or chili paste

Preparing the chicken stock:
In a large pot, bring the water to a boil, and add the chicken breasts, skimming off any foam that floats to the surface. Add the ginger, onion and star anise. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 1 hour until the chicken is cooked. Remove from heat.

Remove the chicken stock from the stock. set aside. Strain the stock and return the clear soup to the pot. Season with the fish sauce and ground white pepper, and keep the soup hot over very low heat for about another half hour. Shred the chicken with your hands into small chicken strips.

Bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Add the rice vermicelli and let them sit in the boiling water for 2 minutes max. Remove and rinse with cold water, then drain.

Transfer the rice vermicelli to large soupe bowls and top with bean sprouts, onion and chicken strips . Pour the hot soup into each bowl.

Garnish with scallions, coriander and mint.

Serve hot with chili sauce, sliced chilis and a zest of lime juice.
Serves 4 to 6 people.

Bon Voyage Dinner Party - to Vietnam

Every year in January, my parents host a Bon Voyage dinner party before their departure for a 3 month escape from the harsh winters of Montreal to a warm and comfortable stay in the tropics of southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam. In Asia, they rediscover their roots and heritage from their travels in many Asian countries to explore and taste exotic foods that sometime bring back childhood memories. No one from our family stayed in Vietnam. Like my parents, most of my relatives have moved to Europe during the Vietnam war. In France, my parents attended university and made many friends who shared a common history - Vietnam. Once my parents and their friends obtained their university degrees, they all went their separate ways. Some moved to neighbouring countries, like Switzerland, Belgium...but stayed in Europe. Whereas my parents were the most adventurous ones, they decided to go to the land of opportunities - North America. Back then, in the 70s, Canada and the US were economically booming with a high employment rate. Because of my parents' French background and language, Montreal seemed to be the best choice for the family. So, on a plane we were, my parents, my brother and our nanny!...on our way to Canada.

Our nanny, who was French, was very attached to our family and was also curious to visit Canada. She loved Vietnamese food and ate almost everything that my mother could offer her, except for the very hot red chilli peppers. She would literally turn beet red and cough everything out! Nevertheless, she enjoyed eating with us and watching us eat. You probably noticed in restaurants when Asians eat, we often won't have a conversation while eating in a large group. We'd be quiet, or so to speak, and focus on slurping our noodles, or look at the next piece of food to pick from the center of the table. If we speak, it would be to blurt things out while waiting to be served or once finished eating. As my friend from LA would say, we love good "grub".

So this past weekend, we had Vietnamese food galore which my mother prepared. I didn't have to help out! Which was great because I felt incredibly lazy and tired from all the dinner parties during the holidays. When my mother cooks for the family, she cooks her best stuff : imperial rolls, vermicelli soups, mango and papaya salad.....and lots of fish dipping sauce.

Batch of imperial rolls (the best ones are made with rice paper)

I'm sure during their stay in Vietnam, they'll be sending us photos of their latest food trek in beautiful and colourful outdoor markets which I won't miss sharing with you all.

Rice vermicelli with minced pork and mushrooms

For now, I hope you enjoy these photos of some of the food served at my parents'.

Roasted spicy chicken wings

Have a great one.

Hearty Halibut and Scallops Soup

What a great idea to warm your stomach in this late fall cool weather....a nice, spicy and hearty seafood soup made of tender white fish and scallops. This recipe was shared by one of my foodie camarade, Maggie As she was describing the way she had concocted this savoury soup last weekend, my mouth was just salivating and I decided to try it out immediately. This soup is full of good stuff. In fact, you can put almost anything you want.

You just need to play with the spices, if you're an experienced cook. If you're just starting to cook and would love to learn, you can follow this recipe to the tee or experiment as you go. For instance, Maggie would use thyme and bay leaf to enhance the aroma, and used clams and haddock as the main ingredients. Since I didn't have any of these, except for the bay leaf, I used the aromatic herbs: tarragon and mint, and my favorite fish halibut. I even thought I had some frozen shrimps left in my freezer, but ended up using frozen scallops. Since it's a seafood dish, it really is up to you to use the seafood mix of your choice. Although I love salmon, I wouldn't use it for this dish. Its texture and prominent flavour will not blend in the seafood mix. If you feel adventurous, please do feel free to use salmon. I would love to hear from you on how it turned out and which herb and spice mixes you used to balance out the flavours.

Everyone loved it and it's incredibly easy to make.

Preparation: 15 minutes, Cooking time : 10-12 minutes
Recipe "au pif":2 large fillets of halibut (or any white fish of your choice will do)
1/2 lb small to medium sized scallops (either frozen or fresh)
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
1 tsp red chili paste
2 cups chopped leek
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp freshly minced ginger
2 tomatoes, diced
1 russet potato, diced
1 small pinch of safran
2 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
ground black pepper to taste
a handful of coarsely chopped mint, to garnish
a handful of coarsely chopped tarragon, to garnish
1 tbsp olive oil

*if using frozen scallops, let them thaw in warm water and strain - pat dry. For added flavour sear scallops in a small frying pan with a little bit of olive oil until all sides are slightly golden - set aside*

In a large sauce pan, heat oil on medium high heat for about 1 minutes.

Add in the leek and stir for about 2 minutes. Then stir in the garlic, ginger, and potatoes for about 2 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly golden on the outside.

Add in the cury paste and stir for another 1 minutes. Throw in the tomatoes, safran and slowly add the chicken/vegetable stock.

Add in the fish and seared scallops.

Add in the fresh herbs (mint and tarragon), black pepper and cover.

Lower heat to medium-low and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

The fish is cooked when it is white and can easily break apart with the prick of fork.

Serve hot as a main meal or with rice.
Serves 4 people.

Share and enjoy!

Creamy All Spiced Red Lentil Soup

I only started learning how to use and eat lentils this summer after trying out Su’s curry lentil recipe . Today, I am determined to find more lentil recipes as I find them so tasty and satisfying.
I have to thank my friend Cathy for sharing this out-of-this-world red lentil soup recipe with me. Cathy, whom I met in Boston a couple of years ago, is a fabulous cook. She is not a professional Chef, but is not far from earning that title. Like me, she is a passionate cook and is eager to learn anything new about food. As she was flipping through magazines, she came across this fantastic soup recipe. I had never used red lentils before and was interested to know how to cook them. This was it. I fell in love with this recipe just by going through the ingredients in Cathy’s email. Exotic ingredients such as saffron, cardamom and red lentils awakened my senses just to imagine the vibrant colour and intense aroma of this soup. My intuition couldn’t be more right on the dot. This dish had everything any “gourmand” wishes for in a good soup: intense (but not overpowering) flavour, spiciness and creaminess.

The spice blend makes all the difference in the flavour of this soup. Combine them with coconut milk and you have a fusion between Indian and Thai.

I wouldn’t change a thing in this recipe. It’s absolutely divine.

Preparation time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes

Red lentils cook quickly and are great for soups, stews and rice dishes.

*

Recipe "au pif":
1 cup red lentils
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic glove, chopped coarsely
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 recipe spice blend *
7 dried apricots, chopped coarsely
1 large tomato, chopped coarsely
1 red hot chili, finely minced
6 cups boiling water
2 ½ tbsp concentrated chicken or vegetable chicken stock, or 1 ½ cube chicken/vegetable stock
1 tbsp good quality curry powder
1 can (400ml) good quality coconut milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
* Spice blend recipe:
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp ground tumeric
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp crushed cardamom seeds (shells discarded)
½ tsp dried chili flakes
5 cloves
A pinch of saffron

Mix all spices in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large cooking pot, heat oil on medium high heat and add onions, ginger and garlic. Stir for about 2 minutes until ingredients turn golden brown.

Stir in the spice blend and stir for about 1 minute.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the coconut milk, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 20 minutes, when the lentils are soft. Stir occasionally.

Remove pot from heat and stir in the coconut milk. Mix well and let it cool for a few minutes.

Use a hand blender to purée the mixture until smooth and velvety. Strain through a sieve.

Serve hot and garnish with fresh coriander.
Serves 4 people.

Enjoy.

Spicy, Comforting and Soothing Fish Soup with Vermicelli and Dill

I’ve been trying to fight off this stubborn virus the past two weeks. My sleepless nights have been filled with uncontrollable and annoying coughs, I felt like I was dying. My body felt the fatigue and my motivation to cook or even eat anything was gone. I haven't been this sick since college. At long last this week, I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Although my coughing hasn’t completely ceased, my appetite is slowly coming back and I am inspired to cook again. But with the little energy I have, my body is aching for a quick remedy.

There is nothing more comforting than a hot and spicy soup that will make my nose run and warm up my body, especially during flu season. These past few days were absolutely ideal to whip up a nice and warm broth, as soon as I come home from work. The cooler weather also makes me feel like snuggling into my PJs and savour a spicy soup in the comfort of my own home.

It’s very similar to the Hot Seafood Broth I had posted a few weeks ago, except for the rice vermicelli which gives the soup a homey “chicken and noodle soup” consistency.

Although it is a fish soup, you can replace the fish with mushrooms if you wish. Add a touch of fresh dill or coriander and you’re all set to slowly sip this wonderful bouillon while watching tv, reading a good book, or simply savoring it in the moment.

Preparation: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 10 minutes

Recipe "au pif":1 large fillet of fresh white fish (Tilapia, Bass, Seabream...)
1 tsp fresh minced ginger and lemongrass (grinded together in mortar)
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
3-4 tbsp fish sauce (more or less to taste)
2 tomatoes, chopped in medium sized cubes
50 g (1/2 small package) dried rice vermicelli
4 cups water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fresh chopped dill

In a large sauce pan, heat oil. Add minced ginger and lemongrass and stir for about 30 seconds.

Add in the curry paste and give it a stir and add in the tomatoes and stir for about 1 minute.

Add in the water, and stir.

Stir in the fish sauce let the broth boil on medium-high for about 1 minute.

Add in the dried rice vermicelli. Stir for a couple of minutes.

Add in the fillets. Let the fish cook slowly for about 1-2 minutes.

Stir in the dill.

After 2-3 minutes, turn off heat, remove lid.

Serve in bowls and garnish with fresh coriander.

Serves 6 people.

Enjoy.

Hot Seafood Broth

There is nothing more comforting than a hot and spicy soup when you're feeling that cold weather is just around the corner. We, Montrealers, are appreciating what nature has to offer us these last few days in mid-October, the colours and warmth of Indian Summer. Indian summer peaks right after the first frost has hit the ground in Montreal. Most of us walk around with light jackets or even just a simple jersey to enjoy the breathtaking colours of North American fall season.

These colours are just as vibrant as the fresh ingredients of this seafood broth. The inspiration of this soup came from a traditional vietnamese soup called Canh cà chua which consists of tomatoes, fish sauce, tofu and scallions. To make it more interesting with a gourmet touch, yet keeping it simple without overkilling it with ingredients, I added fish and a few mussels (opional). The result, a healthy and heart-warming broth that can be eaten as a main course or as a sidedish with rice.

This is a soup that I love to make when I'm in the mood to make something quick, with an exotic touch. If you don't have fresh mussels, you can always use frozen shrimps that have been deveined and with shells removed. If you don't feel like adding any crustaceans, the fish on its own will still make an excellent tasting soup.

Preparation: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 10 minutes

Recipe "au pif":
1 large fillet of fresh white fish (Tilapia, Bass, Seabream...)
12 fresh mussels (optional)
1 tsp fresh minced ginger and lemongrass (grinded together in mortar)
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
3-4 tbsp fish sauce (more or less to taste)
2 tomatoes, chopped in medium sized cubes
4 cups water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Fresh coriander to garnish

In a large sauce pan, heat oil. Add minced ginger and lemongrass and stir for about 30 seconds.
Add in the curry paste and give it a stir and add in the tomatoes and stir for about 1 minute.
Add in the water, and stir.
Stir in the fish sauce let the broth boil on medium-high for about 1 minute.
Add in the fillets. Let the fish cook slowly for about 1-2 minutes.
Then add the mussels (optional). Cover with lid and shake the pan a little for the mussels to open up.
After 2-3 minutes, turn off heat, remove lid.

Serve in bowls and garnish with fresh coriander.

Serves 6 people.

Enjoy.

So Little Time, So Much To Learn About Food and Cooking!

Healthy, yet very tasty ginger broth with asian greens

"Learning is a kind of natural food for the mind."

Latin version: "Doctrina est ingenii naturale quoddam pabulum"

The day I stop learning is the day I die.

There are endless of fantastic recipes out there of any kinds of food that our world can offer. They can range from very complex gourmet recipes to so simple (still taste gourmet) appetizing recipes, like for this very easy 10 minute vietnamese ginger broth with asian greens.

Preparation: 5 minutes, Cooking time: 5 minutes

Recipe "au pif":
2 cups chopped fresh asian greens (Kai lan, watercress, even zucchinis...any greens you can find in your fridge)
1 large white onion, peeled
1/2 lb ground pork (or boneless pork chop with fat trimmed off)
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tbsp fish sauce (or to taste)
6 cups of water

Boil water on high heat in large saucepan.

Add in the whole peeled onion, ginger, ground pork and fish sauce. Lower heat to medium high and let simmer until the pork is cooked, for about 5 minutes.

Remove onion, ginger, pork and ginger with a collapsible hand mesh strainer.

Turn off heat and stir in the asian greens. Let it sit for another 5 minutes.

Serve hot as a sidedish.

Serves 4 people.

Beef Tonkinese Soup (Pho Bo) Made Easy

Despite the old rumours that beef Tonkinese soup (Pho Bo) is time-consuming and complicated to make, it's actually very easy. In fact, the longest part and the best part in making Pho Bo is the broth. Being vietnamese, I have to admit that I've become incredibly picky when it comes to eating the tasty and deliciously aromatic soup. I have my share of favourite spots to savour Pho Bo one of which is Pho Zen (near my place) on which I had written a short article last November. That post received numerous hits that I got myself to finally post the recipe of the most popular soup eaten and served around the world.

The recipe normally calls for hours of simmering the soup, but I'm going to cheat a little by giving you a short-cut to the highly-seeked recipe, which will still result in an authentic tasting Pho Bo. The short-cut....

... the Pho Bo broth cube...

This cube will cut the simmering time in half. It's a time saver for those who don't want to spend time cutting different types of beef parts and bones, like me!

This little fellow can be found in any asian grocery stores.

The rest is easy, sliced sirloin or flank steak on the left, and cooked and sliced round beef/brisket.




Clockwise starting from top left, to make the broth:

Star Anise pods, fish sauce, yellow onion and ginger. And again, the Pho Bo flavoured cube.


Dried string-like rice noodles

Coriander and scallions to garnish

Preparation time: 30 minutes, cooking time: 1 h 30 minutes

The broth can be prepared during the weekend to be served during the upcoming busy week. It can also be frozen for later cravings.

Recipe "au pif":

1 lb round beef or beef brisket

1 lb flank steak or raw beef sirloin, thinly sliced

1 large yellow onion, peeled

1 cube Tonkinese soup broth (Pho bo flavoured cube)

3 star anise pods

1 whole fresh ginger root (about 2 1/2 inch), rinsed and mashed in mortar

3L (12 cups) water

1 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam)

1/2 lb string-like rice noodles (bun)

small pinch of ground white pepper

Garnish and accompaniments:

1 cup bean sprouts

2 sprigs of scallions, sliced

2 finger-length red chilies, deseeded and sliced

2 limes, cut into wedges

sprigs of mint leaves

sprigs of coriander leaves

bottled chili sauce or chili paste

Clean round beef/brisket with 2 tsp salt

In a large pot, bring the water, round beef/brisket to a boil, skimming off any foam that floats to the surface. Add the ginger, onion, star anise and the "pho bo" cube. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 1 hour until the beef is tender. Remove from heat.

Remove the beef from the stock. Slice the beef brisket into thin slices and set aside. Strain the stock and return the clear soup to the pot. Season with the fish sauce and ground white pepper, and keep the soup hot over very low heat for about another half hour.

Bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and boil until soft, about 5 minutes or longer as needed. Remove and rinse with cold water, then drain.

Transfer the rice noodles to large soupe bowls and top with bean sprouts, onion, beef brisket slices and the raw sirloin/flank steak slices. Pour the hot soup into each bowl. The flank steak will partially cook (best when medium rare - a bit red/pink) in the hot stock. Garnis with scallions, coriander and mint.

Serve hot with chili sauce, sliced chilis and a zest of lime juice.

Serves 4 to 6 people.

Savoury Tonkinese Soup with Beef (Pho Bo) at Pho Zen restaurant

I can't seem to find anyone who doesn't like Vietnamese Tonkinese soup "Pho". The most popular "Pho" and my favourite is the "Pho Bo Tai", the soup with beef broth and medium rare flanc steak. This past weekend, I couldn't find a better way to reward myself with this warm and gratifying treat at a sleek nearby Pho restaurant called Pho Zen, after a nasty cold that merely made my week miserable and my exam writing arduous. But I made it through! I was glad to go out for dinner and slurp the savory broth directly from the bowl.


I have a message to most of my non-asian friends, and to all non-asians out there. Please don't be shy to slurp your noodles and the broth directly from the bowl when you are enjoying this wonderful soup, especially in the company of asian friends or when you are savoring this soup in a vietnamese restaurant where the majority of the customers are asian! Make yourself at home. You may not feel comfortable at first, because most probably it is very unliky that you are used to such table manners, perceived as rude and embarrassing by most westerners, but it's fun and you get the most out of your experience in eating this truly vietnamese delight.

It is very difficult to make a perfectly tasty "Pho". The right blends of ingredients and the long process (8 hours) of cooking the broth are key to a star-rated "Pho". Being vietnamese, I have picked up my parent's fussiness when it comes to finding a restaurant serving the right tasting "Pho", which shouldn't be too salty or bland, but have the right concoction of flavours released from the herbs, spices and the beef.

Since the original recipe is very time consuming, which is not the aim of my blog but to share easy and simple recipes, I am planning to post a simplified recipe of the famous "Pho" soup very soon, by...hushhh...cheating a little. And believe me, it tastes just as good.

Overall, Pho Zen restaurant is worth a dining experience, not only for it's sleek design and cleanliness (you won't have to wipe your chopsticks and spoons twice before using them, like other places) but for it's truly authentic and flavourful authentic Vietnamese Tonkinese soups.

Potage aux Cressons et Courgettes (Watercress and Zucchini soup)

Today was the first day of fall to start wearing a warm sweater and a scarf in this damp and cool weather. I just came back from a promenade in the woods with my friend SAB, whom I haven't seen in eons, taking pictures of the outdoors and especially of ourselves joking around like kids! Here are some of the pics we took today.

It was also a great day to make a nice, warm and savoury soup. This is a very simple recipe which takes 5 minutes to prepare and literally 5 minutes to cook (in a pressure cooker).

Recipe "au pif":
2 medium sized green zucchini, cut in thin slices
1 large baking potato, diced
2 cups of fresh watercress
1 onion, quartered
2 medium garlic cloves, mashed
6 cups water
1/2 cube of chicken or vegetable bouillon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
some ground black pepper
some chili paste (optional)
1/4 tsp butter (optional)
some olive oil

Heat oil in large pressure cooker. Add in garlic, onions and potatoes and stir until potato edges are slightly browned.

Throw in the zucchinis and watercress. Stir.

Add salt, curry powder and pepper.

Pour in water and stir all ingredients.

Cover, tighten lid and pressure cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Wait until there is no more pressure in the pot and remove the lid.

Use a hand blender to purée the vegetables until you reach a smooth a velvety texture.

Add in more salt to taste, if desired.

Add in butter for more buttery flavour, if desired.

Add in chili paste for more heat, if desired.

Serves 6 people.