After discovering that the time police in my conscience decided not to alert me that it was 4am and that it was prime time to make really bad life decisions involving 35c beers on the streets of Hanoi on the weekend, bad things proceeded. The husband and I failed to realise that we needed to be awake in 3 hours to pack, check out, get to the airport, go through security, board and fly home.

One would think that 81 new cities in 4 years would leave us with travelling down packed. And while we do have an incredible ability to get what we want in airports, choose the best line, run through lazy people standing on the moving escalator thing, smash security clearance before they can say “any liq…” and nail hand luggage only, today was the day it all turned to shit.

We decided the only way it would be possible to survive the imminent hour of death would be to have Burger King, for breakfast. Needless to say Vietnam doesn’t do the best burgers and as the shame compounded, this dish was created. Think of this like a detox soup for the mind, body and soul (but mainly body). This is a super high alkalising soup, meaning it will help restore the acidic levels in your body. If that doesn’t interest you… it’s just really really really yum.

farmhouse lentil, root veg & kale soup

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
Half a butternut pumpkin, diced
1 potato, peeled & diced
2 cups chopped kale
1 can of lentil, drained & rinsed
1L chicken stock
Salt & pepper
Parsley & shaved parmesan to serve

Method

Heat a generous glug of oil in a large pot then saute the onion, garlic, carrot and celery over a low heat for 10 minutes.

Stir through the pumpkin, potato, kale, lentils and stock. Bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper then reduce to a simmer. Cook gently for 30-40 minutes.

Now, using a stick blender or food processor, you want to blend the soup in stages (this gives it the textural element it needs to don’t skip this bit). Transfer 1/3 of the soup into another big bowl and blend until almost smooth then add another third and blitz for a few seconds. Pour the pureed soup back into the pot and stir through with the remaining third.

Taste to see if it needs any more salt or pepper then stir through the parsley and serve with the shaved parmesan. Country goodness.