Fusion Lyon and Thai Soup with Quenelles Giraudet

Do you know what is the most exciting when you are cooking? Creativity! 

Cooking and wines are the only 2 things I will never get bored about because they are an endless source of creativity and personal experience. 

You can also apply it to music or art. 

Though for me, the combination of mixing ingredients, flavors and then tasting them, it is probably one of the most important and essential task I work on. 

Sharing with others my experience is probably the final point to the whole process. This is the soul of Appetit Voyage since 2008!


I am extremely excited to share with you this recipe that deeply link my roots from Lyon's region and my fascination for Asia.

I am totally addicted to Asian flavors and cooking (just check Asian inspiration chapter on this blog), filling up my body and my senses as no other cuisine do. It is quite difficult though to find all my favorite ingredients in France.

Then, I always try to make people discover my traditional cuisine here in Lyon. It is not always easy to bring together all these experiences. 

This recipe is made from one of the most institutional specialty here Quenelles. I did not prepare them myself, but exceptionally, bought them at the best producer I know: Giraudet. This brand, born in my home city - Bourg-en-Bresse-, is also the best quality I know. In the past 10 years, they also managed to innovate and come back in fashion thanks to high quality products, marketing and innovation! So I only can praise and recommend their products! (and you know it is not something I do easily on this blog! ;-))

Back to my recipe's soup, it is also highly inspired from Asia, but the trigger had been my Romanian friends! What a mess, you may think! ;-)

Well, not totally... Let me explain you how the creativity process happened.

Quenelles are a quite weird recipe if you think about it. And I made some research in several occasions to understand where this dish was coming from. And this is what I found out: if you never heard about quenelles, perhaps, Knoedels or Knodels will ring a bell if you are form Eastern Europe. Indeed, this is a very typical and traditional recipe in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic but also Romania or even in Scandinavia. This is where the French quenelles recipe come from. Knoedels are dumplings and you can find all kind of recipes spread all over Europe.

Do you start to connect the threads? My Romanian friends cooked a delicious soup for me last time in Amsterdam,... with dumplings. A clear veggies stock and dumplings.
I had my starting point! Then, I only had to connect it with my craving for Asian flavors, and then here it was.

The story behind this recipe seems long, but it was really important to me to share it. First because, this soup is soooo delicious, I find amazing you get the whole story. 

And I also want you to always remember to be creative and try! Cooking is not only about reading recipe books, it is also to put your hands and your mind on something different, new, exciting! Cook, and you will forget about your long and stressful day! Cook, and you will feed your body and your soul.

Now, it is enough of blablabla... let's go!
  
    

Ingredients for 4 persons

For 2 liters of Thai Stock:

- 1 Fresh lemongrass

- 1 Thumb of fresh ginger

- 2 Garlic cloves

- 1 Shallot

- 1 Carrot

- 2 Tbsp. of coconut oil

- 1 Lime kaffe leave

- 1 Fresh red chili

- 1 Tsp. of shrimp paste

- 8 Raw tiger prawns 
- Salt, black and Madagascar peppers

1/ In a large pan, first put together the coconut oil, crushed ginger and garlic, thinly sliced shallot, sliced carrot and lemongrass at medium heat. Stir constantly till the ingredients starts to get golden and deliver their flavors.

2/ Then add the shrimp paste, stir to mix it, and right after the fresh prawns. Let them color slowly to their beautiful pink dresses, and now you can add the 2 liters of water, the lime leave and the sliced fresh chili. 

3/ Bring to boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Check salt and peppers and add them at that moment.

4/ You can easily have it ready in advance and just boil it again when you want to serve it.

5/ Service:

- 4 Giraudet quenelles of pike and gambas

- Fresh coriander

- Fresh sliced lemongrass

- 1 fresh chili

- Thinly sliced spring onion
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Some fresh lemon or lime
- Optional: Nuoc Nam sauce

6/ When your Thai stock is hot and ready, add the 4 quenelles sliced roughly. In a couple of minutes, they will pop up on the surface and be ready to eat! It is like fresh pasta!

7/ Serve the soup in large bowls with 1 tiger prawn per person and the quenelles. Top or let your guest top with fresh coriander, sliced lemongrass, red chili and spring onion. Finish with a slight drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.

If you refer to the traditional way to taste quenelles, you will get an ovened heavy creamy sauce called Nantua. It is amazing during the winter, but we all not crave  for so much heavy cream, and not all year long! This Thai soup is perfect for a hot day as well as winter! 

Now, I hope, I triggered your creativity in the kitchen. What would be your own fusion recipe made from one of your own traditional dish. Thank you in advance for sharing and help all of us to keep on creating amazing and fulfilling recipes!

a ppetit voyage is much more than reviews and recipes!

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