Jallie's Baked Beanz

With almost every dinner my mom cooks, soup accompanies the meal. Unlike the rest of the world, where soup is a "starter", we have soup along with our meal. Growing up, the broth served as our beverage, as my mom didn't allow us to have a drink (for fear we'd fill up on juice or soda and not eat our dinner).

Thai soup is thin broth based with bits of meat and veggies. Most of the time, it's so simple to make. A couple chicken or pork bones in a pot of water to infuse the base, some type of veggie (zucchini, squash, cabbage, mushrooms or your basic carrots/celery/onions) and some seasonings. My mom also adds some Knorr chicken broth, which makes it all really lovely.

I had poaching liquid I saved in the freezer from chicken I cooked a few months back (used for chicken & grape salad). I took out one of the containers (about a quart) and threw it in the pot. Once it came to a boil, I added a teaspoon of the Knorr chicken broth powder and my cut up squash. I added two eggs and swirled it around a few times (like egg drop soup). A few dashes of fish sauce and black pepper to finish it off.

No real recipe here (sorry!). It's soup. All you need is some broth, some veggies, maybe add a few bits of chicken. Season to taste.

Although a small bowl of soup is normally served on the side of a Thai dinner, one of my favorite preparations is to dish it up over a bowl of rice (as served above). Comfort food at its best!