I'm having beer cheese soup tonight. I'll update with the recipe later.

Never had that soup but it sounds interesting.

I am now on a mission!! I really want this tea, it just sounds amazing!!

Soup can be my go to lunch a lot of the time... its always an experiment for me, whats in the cupboard, what can I can I put together, how can I blend the flavors...

Recent successes have been ...
Pumpkin curry soup
Sausage and cilantro soup
Zucchini chicken soup

The tea is now on my holiday favorite list. I'll see if I can find it again!

I haven't visited for a while, but first up I want to say thanks to Sun for starting the thread and all the folks who have contributed so much yumminess! And drooling.

Now that I've moved and my new house has a nice big kitchen, one of my new year's resolutions is to cook once a week. The more manageable the resolution the more achievable right? And who knows, maybe I'll be able to crank that up to much more frequently.

I think cultural differences around food and the meanings associated are very interesting but also cooking techniques.

In Malaysia kitchens don't normally have running hot water. If you need it you boil it. In South Korea and Malaysia kitchens typically don't have an oven. And in both countries you buy a two-burner (usually two) gas bench-top cooker from the supermarket. In Korea the gas is supplied to each house. In Malaysia you buy a tank and then when it's empty, phone someone, they come around and swop the empty tank for a full one. It's not like the little squat tanks you use on a bbq.

The previous house I rented had a two-late induction cooker installed. I had bought an individual one previously. They're ok but you can only use pots and pans specifically designed for induction cookers. I prefer gas myself.

What else ... in older/typical houses in Malaysia there is a wet kitchen and a dry kitchen. In older houses the wet kitchen is just out the back door. It's for frying and other messy types of cooking - therefore easier to clean up. In my house the dry kitchen has the fridge, microwave and a sink. The wet kitchen, which was built on I'd say, has the gas cooker, a hood and a sink.

Of course I have a rice cooker, but it's monster size for when my ex lived with me. Not too sure how to use it for one now (anybody can tell me how to cook brown rice in it? water, etc?). If I were really into old school cooking, I'd have a mortar and pestle. My ex's mum could rock one of those when she was younger. Nowadays most women use a blender unless they're poor.

I'm no expert, but if you have any questions, fire away and I'll try and answer.

All the best for a new year of healthy (and sometimes not so healthy) yumminess!

Definitely not soup weather here, so it's funny that I was looking at a soup recipe online just last night!

I discovered that apparently the best pumpkin for soup is a Long Island Cheese pumpkin, which I'd never heard of before.
I can't bring the website up right now, but here is the URL:
www.plantwhateverbringsyoujoy.com/?p=7722

The technique is quite unusual so you might find it interesting!

Lusciouskiwi, have you tried cooking rice in the microwave? It's super easy, you just cover it and put it on high for 12 mins, check it, and then cook for a further few minutes if required. I go in 2 minute intervals unless it's very nearly done, in which case, 1 minute should do.

I liked your description of Malaysian kitchens - very interesting! So Western kitchens must be considered very well equipped, in comparison, I imagine! What do people do when they want to bake a cake, in the absence of an oven?

My favorite soup is clam chowder, overall. I do enjoy soups, in general, though.
Anyhow, today I made ceviche, and am impatiently waiting for it to be done, so that I can enjoy it. My recipe for that, I got from school, and is designed to be used as a chip dip, instead of as an entree.

I love Ceviche. Often I will serve it as an appetizer course.

I have a couple of times, I think once I made an avocado cucumber soup that we enjoyed.

Trouble is, Kris isn't much of a soup person, and even less of a chilled soup person... so I usually go for things that all 3 of us will eat, just for simplicity's sake.

Ooh, and my heirloom tomatoes are ripening right now too. Sounds like a perfect time to explore Gazpacho! Thanks for the idea Sun!