Thai cuisine can be spicy but tasty at the same time. Tamarind is one of the ingredients that gives Thai cuisine its special sweet and sour flavor. This hot and sour mushroom soup is very easy to make and is excellent for a starter meal.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 4 red Thai chilli, very finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2.5 cm piece Thai ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar or caster sugar
• 8 lime leaves, roughly torn
• 1.2 liters vegetable stock
• 100 g carrots, very thinly sliced
• 225 g button mushrooms, halved
• 350 g shredded white cabbage
• 100 g fine green beans, halved
• 3 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 100 g cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Place the tamarind paste, chilli, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, lime leaves and stock in a large preheated wok. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.
2. Reduce the heat and add the carrots, mushrooms, cabbage and green beans. Leave the soup to simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.
3. Stir the coriander and cherry tomatoes into the mixture in the wok and heat through for 5 minutes.
4. Transfer the soup to warm bowls and serve hot.

“Instead of the white cabbage, try using Chinese leaves for a sweeter flavor. Add the Chinese leaves with the coriander and cherry tomatoes in step 3.”

Mocha Swirl Mousse make a delicious dessert which is basically made up of creme fraiche and a combination of chocolate and coffee flavor. Traditional creme fraiche is soured cream and has a fat content of around 40%. It is thick and has a slightly sour and nutty flavor. Lower fat versions have a reduced fat content and are slightly looser in texture, but they should be used in a low fat diet only occasionally. If you want to use a lower fat alternative, a reduced fat, unsweetened yogurt or fromage frais would be more suitable.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 tbsp coffee and chicory essence
• 2 tsp cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp low fat drinking chocolate powder
• 150 ml half-fat creme fraiche, plus 4 tsp to serve
• 2 tsp powdered gelatin
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 chocolate coffee beans, to serve

1. Place the coffee and chicory essence in one bowl, and 2 tsp cocoa powder and the drinking chocolate in another bowl. Divide the creme fraiche between the 2 bowls and mix both until well combined.
2. Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water and set aside. In a grease free bowl, whisk the egg whites and sigar until stiff and divide this mixture evenly between the coffee and chocolate mixtures.
3. Divide the dissolved gelatin between the 2 mixtures and, using a large metal spoon, gently fold until well mixed.
4. Spoon small amounts of the 2 mousses alternately into 4 serving glasses and swirl together gently. Chill for 1 hour or until set.
5. To serve, top each mousse with 1 tbsp of creme fraiche, a chocolate coffee bean and a light dusting of cocoa powder.

Burgers are favorites by many of us. We have all sorts of burgers, but if you need something extra healthy then tofu and chickpea burger is definitely the right choice for you. You can include this recipe if you are trying to incorporate the vegetarian diet into your lifestyle because it’s definitely fun to make and quite yummy!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 small red onion, chopped finely
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 425 g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 75 g soft silken tofu (bean curd), drained
• 115 g cooked potato, diced
• 4 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
• 75 g dry brown breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 burger buns, split in half
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• salt and pepper

Relish

• 1 tsp tahini (sesame seed) paste
• 4 tbsp low fat natural fromage frais
• 2.5 cm piece cucumber, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped, fresh coriander
• garlic salt, to season

1. Place the onion, garlic, spices and lemon juice in a pan, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes until softened.
2. Place the chickpeas, tofu and potato in a bowl and mash well. Stir in the onion mixture, coriander and seasoning and mix. Divide into 4 equal portions and form into patties 10 cm across.
3. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on to a plate and press the burgers into the crumbs to coat.
4. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the burgers for 5 minutes on each side until cooked and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
5. Mix all of the relish ingredients together in a bowl and leave to chill.
6. Line the bottom half of the buns with tomato and carrot and top each with a burger. Spoon the relish over the burger and place the top half of the bun on top.