There is still a bit of a nip in the air, so this week’s recipes are two tasty and warming soups both with an Asian influence – the perfect dishes to liven up your lunch time meals on a cold winter’s day.

Last week after Valentine’s, I had a small piece of fish leftover, not enough to make a dish for the family, so I made a delicious coconut and fish soup which was super tasty, relatively healthy and very filling.

The Salmon and Miso soup is a staple lunchtime snack from the ITSU Japanese fast–food brand, again tasty, filling and healthy. Soup is a great way to introduce fish to kids if they’re fussy eaters as you can simply flake it up and disguise it within the broth. Enjoy.

 Coconut and Fish Soup (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 lemongrass stalks, bruised

5 coriander stems and leaves

8 lime leaves

1 onion peeled, chopped in half

12cm ginger thinly sliced

400ml tin coconut milk

2 tbsp fish sauce

400g skinless white fish, any fish will be suitable, sliced into four

500g tenderstem broccoli, sliced in half

300g brown rice

2 green chilies, deseeded and sliced thinly

Coriander to garnish, leaves only

2 limes, halved to garnish

Method:

Place lemongrass, lime and coriander leaves, ginger, onion, and coconut milk into a pan with 1.2 litres of water and place onto hob on medium heat. Add in the fish sauce, season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on top and cook for 20 minutes.

Sieve the liquid into a clean pan, placing the liquid back into the saucepan onto heat.

Place the lid back on, add in the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes. Add the fish and cook for another 2–3 minutes.

In a separate pot boil rice until soft. Place rice in the bottom of a serving dish and top up with the soup, tenderstem broccoli and a piece of the fish. Garnish with chilli, coriander leaves and wedge of lime.

Salmon and Miso Soup (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 fillets of salmon

2 tbsp soy sauce

6 tbsp brown miso paste

3 inches ginger, peeled and grated

2 carrots, sliced into ribbons

4 spring onions, finely sliced

10 button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 pak choi, cleaned and quartered

Handful sesame seeds, toasted on dry pan

Method:

Brush the fillets of salmon with the soy sauce. Place a litre of water onto the hob and boil, add the salmon fillets and poach until cooked through. This should take 7 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside and flake for the soup later on.

Add the miso paste and ginger to the water and stir well, adding in an extra 500ml of water and bringing back to the boil. Add in the spring onions, carrots, mushrooms and pak choi, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook out for 5 minutes.

Ladle the broth into a bowl and top with the flakes of salmon. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds.