Have you ever been to a destination wedding in Thailand? Because of its impecable service, Thailand has become the hotspot for Indian weddings. Find a friend who's Indian, and jump on board the wedding "plane."
During Thanksgiving break my family and I traveled to Hua Hin, Thailand (about a 3 hour drive from Bangkok) for my cousin's wedding. We indluged in three days of non-stop eating and dancing!
(I damaged my phone when my daughter pushed me in the pool on one of the days, so all the pictures you see here of the wedding are taken by my cousins).
This was the beautiful resort we stayed at for the wedding.
During our first afternoon here, we celebrated the "Mehndi" function, where women applied henna on their hands. This ceremony is the gateway into further wedding festivities.
The next afternoon, we danced to the beats of a renowned DJ, feasted on an elaborate lunch beside the pool, and pampered ourselves with Thai massages. There were various other activities stationed near the pool. Above all, my favorite part was the "rain dance," where family and friends danced together under a gazebo that sprinkled "rain."
The marriage decor was breathtaking. A beautiful chariot was built for the bride and groom to take their wedding vows.
The after-party, a musical evening with a famous Indian celebrity singer, was a perfect ending to an amzing wedding. Close friends and relatives danced till dusk until it was time for them to catch their early morning flights.
Upon returning to New York, I became so nostalgic for all the yummy food I ate there that I cooked up my own version of a Thai soup. Perfect for a winter night, this spicy, lemony soup is flavorful and hearty.
A few weeks ago, I made a Thai green curry paste to use in soups, stews, curries etc. and this was the perfect opportunity to utilize it. I don't have that recipe for you here, but you can find green curry paste in any Asian food store or International market. The next time I make another batch, I promise to post the recipe here.
Thai soups usually use palm sugar but I used sweet potato here instead to give it a natural sweetness. The sweet potato also adds color to the soup and gives it a different texture. I used lite coconut milk instead of regular, because as the name suggests, it makes the dish much lighter and easier to digest.
Thai green curry soup (vegan)
Serves 4 | Time required : about 30 minutes
Ingredients
4 cups vegetable broth
3 kaffir kime leaves
3 inch piece of galangal, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup green curry curry paste
1/2 package tofu (about 7oz.), cut into small cubes
1 cup cooked soba noodles
2 scallion stems,cut on a diagonal
1/2 cup sweet potato, medium diced
4-5 shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup light coconut milk
1 Tbsp toasted black and white sesame seeds
Few cilantro leaves for garnish
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Start by simmering kaffir lime leaves and galangal with vegetable stock for 20 mintes.
Meanwhile, prep the serving bowls with soba noodles, tofu cubes, scallions, shitake mushrroms and sesame seeds.
Strain out the galangal and lime leaves from the broth.
Add the green curry paste, coconut milk, half of the shitake mushrooms, diced sweet potato and white heads of the scallion to the broth. Reserve the green stems for garnish.
Let the soup simmer for few more minutes
6. Season the soup with salt and lemon juice, and then pour it into the prepped bowls.
7. Lastly, garnish the soup with some cilantro leaves and a splash of lemon juice before serving.