Noodles and Vegetables with Honey Ginger Sauce

Am I the only one who crave for noodles when sick with cold and sore throat? I love this noodles with honey-ginger sauce and it is perfect to soothe my sore throat too. Honey and ginger are extensively used in Ayurvedic medicine to relieve cold, cough and sore throat. I got this sauce idea from one of the recipe books.

The twist here is..I'm using angel hair pasta as noodles.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 20-25 mins
Serves: 4 to 6 people

Ingredients:
Angel hair pasta or any other Chinese noodles: 1 lb or 500 grams
Salt: As needed
Oil: 2 tbsp + 1 tsp, divided use
Water: As needed to boil the pasta
Finely chopped green beans: 1/2 cup
Julienned carrots: 1/4 cup
Bell peppers: 3/4 cup, I used red and green here.
Finely chopped cabbage: 3 tbsp
Toasted sesame seeds: 2 tsp, for garnishing

For the sauce:
Honey: 3 tbsp
Grated ginger: 1 tbsp
Light soya sauce: 3 tbsp
Vinegar: 2 tbsp, refer notes
Oil: 1 tsp
Red chili paste/Sriracha: 1 tbsp, adjust according to your needs, refer the notes
Pepper powder: 1/4 tsp

Method: 
Combine together all the items mentioned for the sauce. Mix well and let it sit for 30-45 mins.

Add water to a broad sauce pan. When water starts boiling, add the salt, 1 tsp oil and the raw noodles.

Cook the noodles as per the package instructions. Stir the noodles occasionally. 
When the noodles are cooked, drain the water from the noodles and rinse the noodles in cold water immediately. 

Keep the noodles in the cold water until further use.
Heat oil in a broad wok/pan on a high heat. When oil is hot, add the finely chopped cabbage.  Saute it for couple of minutes. 

Next add the chopped beans and carrots. Saute it until they are cooked and yet firm. 

Follow it by bell peppers. Saute for a minute. 

Meantime, drain the noodles thoroughly and keep it ready.

Add the prepared sauce to the wok/pan and allow the sauce to boil. 

Mix in the noodles to the hot sauce. Adjust the seasoning and toss the noodles. Make sure that the sauce coats the noodles pretty well. 

Add the toasted sesame seeds and toss again. 

Serve the noodles hot. You won't need any side to go with this noodles. It tastes good as is.

Notes:

• Rinsing the noodles in cold water halts the further cooking of the noodles. We do not want the noodles to be sticky and mushy. They should be cooked, soft and separate.  
• Keep the heat medium-high when sauteing the vegetables.
• You could replace vinegar with lemon juice. 
• I didn't have red chili sauce, hence used Sriracha. Red chili sauce would be nicer to use. 
• I like my noodles sweet n spicy, hence I add 1 tbsp of chili sauce. You please adjust according to your needs.

Gobi Manchurian | Cauliflower manchurian : With step by step pictures!

Because of the terrible weather & wind chills, we are under house arrest. Hubby was working from home & my son is enjoying his extended holiday. Hope the weather gets better soon. To keep myself going & motivated, I am having a cooking marathon. Despite our diet, I cooked many unhealthy dishes. Good thing is that I made most of them during lunch & our dinner's are very simple even now.

Back to the recipe. Gobi Manchurian is a Indo-Chinese dish & a street food of India. Gobi manchurian can be served as a appetizer(dry version) or made like a gravy to go with Fried rice or other rice varieties. This post is a dry version & is served as a appetizer.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
For the manchurian:
Gobi | Cauliflower : 1 small cauliflower (about 25-30 florets)
Corn starch: 1/4 cup
AP flour/Maida: 1/2 cup
Pepper powder: 1 tsp
Water: As needed (I used 1 cup + 2 tbsp)
Salt: As needed
Oil: For deep frying

For the manchurian sauce:
Corn starch: 1 tbsp
Water: 1/2 cup
Tomato ketchup: 2 tbsp
Red chilli sauce or sriracha: 2 tsp
Soya sauce: 2 tbsp
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Finely chopped cabbage: 1/4 cup
Finely chopped onion: 1/4 cup
Bell peppers: 1/4 cup
Finely chopped green chillies: 1 tsp, more or less (I used 1/2 tsp of green chilli paste)
Salt: As needed (Be extra careful as all the sauces contain salt & in fact I do not add any extra salt)

For the garnish:
Spring onion greens: 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Method:
Wash the cauliflower florets & keep it aside.

Mix the corn starch, maida, pepper powder, salt in a medium bowl.

Add few tablespoons of water at a time & make a smooth batter. Whisk the batter well & ensure no lumps. Batter should be little thinner than the pakora batter or pancake batter. We want the batter to coat the cauliflower florets lightly.

Heat oil in a broad pan or kadai or deep fryer. When oil is hot, dip the cauliflower florets in the batter & deep fry the florets until lightly golden. Each batch takes about 3-5 mins.
Drain the deep fried cauliflower florets & place them on a paper towel.

For the Manchurian sauce:
Add the corn starch, water, tomato ketchup, red chilli sauce, soya sauce, vinegar to a small bowl & whisk well. Let the sauce mixture sit for 3-5 mins.
Heat oil in a wok. When oil is hot, add the finely chopped garlic & toss till garlic is golden brown. Follow garlic by onions & cabbage. Toss on high heat until the cabbage & onions are translucent, cooked & yet crunchy. It might take about 3-4 mins

Add the bell peppers, finely chopped green chillies & toss again.

Add the sauce mixture to the wok. Keep mixing until the sauce becomes thick.

Throw in the deep fried cauliflower florets & toss. Let the sauce coat the cauliflower florets.
Turn off the heat.

Garnish it with onion greens (I did not have them handy, so skipped adding!) & serve it immediately.

Notes:

• You should mix the sauce & the florets just before serving. The manchurian does not stay crisp if you soak it for a long time.
• If you plan to make it for a party, prepare the sauce & deep fry the florets in advance. Heat the sauce & toss in the florets just before serving.
• Other manchurian ideas. Instead of cauliflower, you could use mushroom, cabbage, baby corn or paneer (Indian cottage cheese).

Indo Chinese Tortilla | Tortilla Noodles | Masala Tortilla

I buy a pack of tortilla once a while to make the breakfast burritos or the cheese quesadilla. I pack the burritos to my hubby's lunch box too. Most of the times after making a couple of burritos, I forget about the remaining tortillas. They rot in the fridge for many days & one fine day, tortillas find its way to our tummies in the form of Tortilla noodles or this masala tortilla.
I couldn't think of a proper name to this recipe. Could you guys suggest me something? It is similar to the noodles but I cut the tortilla into bite sized pieces. I call it masala tortilla at home, but I haven't used any Indian spices. Request you guys to come up with an apt name.
If you like Indo Chinese recipes, you will love this for sure. For a healthier alternative, use whole wheat or multigrain tortilla.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Tortilla* : 3 nos, cut into bite sized pieces (about 1 inch long)
Oil: 2 tsp
Onion: 2 tbsp, chopped fine
Cabbage: 1/4th cup
Garlic: 1 pod, minced
Bell pepper: 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Vinegar**: 2 tsp
Soya sauce: 2 tsp
Chilli sauce: 2 tsp (I have used Sriracha sauce)
Salt: As needed
Pepper powder: a pinch

* I have used flour tortilla. Feel free to use any kind of tortilla you have at hand.
** I have used distilled white vinegar.

For the garnish:
Spring onion greens finely chopped (I did not have it & so skipped it)

Method:
Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add the onions. Saute the onions on a medium-high heat for 2 mins until the onions are slightly browned & crunchy.
Add the garlic & saute. Throw in the finely chopped cabbage & toss.
When cabbage is cooked, add in the bell peppers & toss. Always maintain the medium-high heat.
Add in the chopped tortilla, vinegar, soya sauce, chilli sauce, salt, pepper powder & toss until the sauces blend in. 
Turn off the heat & serve it hot.

Vegetable Fried Rice (Indo Chinese)

Chinese food(Actually Indianized version of Chinese food) is available as street food in most parts of Karnataka, India. We get veg noodles, fried rice, gobi manchurian just like the golgappe & churmuri by the roadside vendors.Those street vendors are very creative & to attract the crowd they make various & delicious versions of the normal fried rice.

Though I am not a great fan of this Indian version of the Chinese food, my hubby just loves to eat them. He craves for the gobi manchurian & other Chinese food too.  BTW, Chinese food served in Singapore is completely different than what we used to taste back in India.

Today I'm presenting Sush's version of Chinese fried rice. I have tried many versions & found this version suiting our taste buds. So, I always stick to this now.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 3 cups (Other long grain rice should also be fine)
Water: 6 cups
Vegetables of your choice: 1 cup (I have used carrots, peas, snowpeas,  sweet corn, beans, paneer(cottage cheese))
Cabbage: 1/2 cup (shredded)
Spring onion: 2 tbsp (finely chopped white portion)
Garlic: 3 pods (minced)
Light soy sauce: 2 tbsp
Tomato ketchup: 1 tbsp
Green chilli sauce: 1 tbsp (adjust according to your family needs)
Vinegar: 1 tbsp
Ajinomoto/MSG: A small pinch (optional)
Salt: According to taste
Green chilli: 2 nos (finely chopped)
Oil: 1.5 tbsp

For garnishing:
Parsley: 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Spring onion greens: 2 tbsp (finely chopped)

Method:

• Cook the rice & allow it to cool. Gently scoop out the rice & spread it for the rice to cool.
• Meantime, chop the carrots & snowpeas lengthwise. Cook the vegetables, peas, sweet corn for 2-3 minutes until a little soft & crunchy. Drain the water
• Heat oil in a broad wok. When oil is hot, add garlic & saute till they turn golden. Then add spring onion whites & fry till they are soft. Follow spring onion whites by green chilli, cabbage & saute the cabbage until it is soft & yet firm (It would take around 2-3 minutes). Add the cooked vegetables & paneer & saute for 30secs.
• Add the rice, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, vinegar, green chilli sauce, salt, MSG & mix them well. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Finally garnish it with parsley & spring onion greens. Mix & serve it hot.

Tips:

• Few people prefer to eat it with chilli sauce or with tomato sauce. So, feel free to serve it with whatever your loved ones prefer. I love to eat it as is. 
• Feel free to add vegetables of your choice. Some other vegetables that go well are cauliflower, mushroom, tofu & baby corn.

Veg Noodles

My favorite cuisine included Chinese..., until I had it outside India.Has anybody tried eating Chinese food outside India? It is totally disparate & disappointing(for me, at least).You will not get the taste similar to what you used to get in India. Now, I understand that what we get in India is not authentic Chinese but Indianized version of the same...

My taste buds have ceased to function since I moved out of India. I get very easily bored of eating my own cooked food. I'm very fussy in eating unlike my hubby, who is fine with any food (as long as it is vegetarian). I am wanting to eat roadside pani-puri(gol-gappe), churmuri, gobi manchurian..., aha.., I'm drooling. Eagerly waiting to eat all these.....:))

OK, I understand that by consuming so much disk space filled with my blabbering, I will not get to eat these wonderful dishes..I guess, most of us who have moved out of India, will be having similar wishes.

We were in mouna vratha ( as usual some disagreement) before having our dinner.., so didn't get his comments about the noodles.., but the bowl indicated a lot. The noodles was all finished & nothing left!!



Ingredients:
500gms noodles (I took normal yellow noodles, you can prepare with flat noodles also.., if you wish like)

1 cup green, yellow, red capsicum (slit lengthwise)
1 small carrot (slit lengthwise)
1/2 cup shred cabbage
1/2 cup spring onions chopped
1 big pod of garlic(crushed & cut into very small pieces)
1 & 1/2 teaspoon black soya sauce
1 tablespoon tomato sauce.
2 tablespoons olive oil ( tastes better with this oil., other cooking oil can also be used)
1 tsp vinegar
salt according to taste

Method:

• Cook the noodles & allow it to cool
• In a broad pan, add the oil
• When oil is hot, add garlic & spring onions
• Once the garlic becomes golden brown in color, add the remaining vegetables (capsicum, shred cabbage and carrots)
• Allow the vegetables to be cooked in oil for 2-3 minutes
• Add the noodles, salt, soya sauce, tomato sauce, vinegar, salt and mix the whole thing, well
• Cook whole mixture on a slow flame for 2 minutes
• Garnish it with coriander leaves

PS: I have not added ajinomoto. If you wish to add, you may do so.