Singapore street noodles

This is an adaptation of the dish from Lao Schezwan, a really popular Chinese restaurant from China town, Chicago. It's one of my favorite dishes to order there. I don't know how the real street noodles in Singapore taste like, but this is a pretty good dish, none the less.

Rice noodles - 1 packet (10 oz)

Chicken/shrimp/tofu - 1/2 lb

Red pepper - 1

Jalapeno - 1

Onion - 1

Garlic - 2 cloves

Ginger - 1 inch

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Red chili powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Curry powder - 1 tbsp

Soak the rice noodles in water for 15 to 20 min (or according to instructions on the pack). Drain and reserve.

Slice thinly, the onions, jalapenos, ginger, garlic and red pepper. I used chicken here. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat the oil in a pan or a wok, and add the chicken, ginger and garlic. When the chicken is cooked, add the vegetables and cook till they are tender. Add the salt, and the turmeric, chili and curry powders. Stir well and add the noodles. Mix well, garnish with lemon and serve.

Breakfast sandwich

Eggs - 2
Bagels/Bread - 2 slices
Spinach - 2 cups
Crushed Garlic - 2 cloves
Tomatoes - 2
Onion - 1/2
Cream cheese/Any spreadable cheese - 2 tbsp
Salt and pepper - to taste
Oil/Non-stick spray

I use baby spinach here. If using regular spinach, just use the leafy part. Heat a pan and drizzle some oil or use some non-stick spray and add the crushed garlic and the spinach. Saute till the spinach is wilted. Season with some salt and pepper. Remove and set aside. Slice the tomatoes and in the same pan, spread the tomato slices in a single layer and sprinkle some salt and pepper on them. Cook about a minute on each side and remove. They should retain their shape. Now, break the eggs, season and cook till the eggs are set. Cook them the way you desire. Sunny side up, scrambled, poached. I like to break them on the pan, and cook on one side, flip and cook until the outside is set, but the inside is still gooey. When you cut into the egg, the yolk should be creamy and act like a sauce. Trust me, it's delicious. Toast the bread or bagels, smear the cream cheese and top with the sliced onions, sauteed spinach, tomatoes and egg. Serve open faced.

Bhindi Fry

Ladies Finger/Bhindi - 1 lb
Chopped Onion - 1/2
Chick pea flour - 1/2 cup
Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Amchur powder/lemon juice - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Wash and pat dry the bhindi. Cut both the ends, the stem and the tip. If the bhindi is long, cut into half.

Slit along one end, leaving the other side intact.

Mix all the ingredients except the oil with a few drops of water, to form a thick paste.

Stuff the paste into the slit bhindi.

In a shallow flat bottom pan, heat the oil and place the bhindis in a single layer. Cover and cook on a medium flame, turning them to avoid burning the bhindi. When the are soft and 3/4 cooked, open the lid and continue cooking. Serve with rice or rotis.

Simple homemade Cappuccino and Popcorn

Cappuccino is a coffee that's made with espresso, hot milk and topped with milk foam. This is a simple way to make something similar at home, without the fancy cappuccino maker.

Instant Coffee - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 1/2 tbsp
Hot water - Few drops
Milk - 1 cup

In a cup, add the instant coffee and the sugar. Add a few drops of hot water and mix. The mix should be like wet sand. With a whisk or a fork, start whisking the mixture. Eventually, this will start getting frothy and light in color. When the mixture becomes frothy and thick, add a cup of hot milk and mix well. Sprinkle some cocoa/coffee powder on top and enjoy hot.

Popcorn:

Dry corn - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Garlic powder - 1 tsp

In a pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the salt, chili and garlic powder. Add the corn, mix well and close the lid. The corn will start popping in about half a minute, and when the popping starts to subside, turn off the heat. Open after a few seconds, when the popping subsides. 

Mac and Cheese

My little darling wrote his first story. He made up a story about Tom & Jerry, and wrote it for me. It was simple and sweet. I was really thrilled and impressed with it, and decided to make him one of his favorite meals. I asked him to pick a dish, and to my surprise he chose Mac & cheese. Now, this is not one of the dishes he often eats, but it was his choice, so I had to make it. I had none of the ingredients that are needed to make the dish, but I did not want to disappoint him either. So I had to improvise. I had some egg noodles, American cheese singles and bread crumbs. I took a gamble and went with these, but the result was a really flavorful dish, and we did not miss any of the fancy cheeses or the macaroni.

 

Macaroni/ Egg noodles - 1 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp
Flour - 2 tbsp
Milk - 3/4 cup
Any grated Cheese - 3/4 cup (I used 3 American cheese singles)
Bread crumbs - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Garlic powder - 1 tsp

Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package (Usually in a pot of boiling salted water for 8 to 12 min). In a pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk well and cook this golden brown, and the raw smell is gone. Heat the milk in the microwave, and stir slowly into the flour and butter mixture. Whisk really well, in order to avoid any lumps. When the mixture is well incorporated, add the cheese, garlic powder and pepper. Mix well, till the cheese melts and add the pasta. If the mixture is too thick, thin it with some milk. Pour into an  oven safe dish, and top with the bread crumbs. Spray with some cooking spray or drizzle some oil on top, to help with the browning. Bake in a pre-heated 425F oven for 10 to 15 min, until the bread crumbs are golden brown on top. Serve hot.

Instant Rawa Idli

Sooji/Rawa - 2 cups
Curd/Yogurt - 1.5 cups
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Green chilis - 2
Red chilis - 2
Cilantro - 3 to 4 sprigs (leaves only)
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Cashews - 3 to 4
Chana daal - 1 tbsp
Carrot - 1
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add the chana daal, broken cashews and red chilis. Fry till golden brown. Add the chopped green chilis, curry leaves, chopped ginger and the rawa. Fry till it's fragrant and turns a light golden brown color. Remove and cool in a bowl. Peel and grate the carrot and add to the rawa. Add the chopped cilantro, salt and the curd. Mix well and set aside. The rawa will absorb all the moisture. Add water to the batter, to get it to the consistency or an idli batter. Set aside for 15 min.

Grease idli moulds and fill them with the batter. Steam in an idli steamer or a cooker for about 8 min. Remove and serve with chutney and sambar.

Yields about 16 idlis.

Note: I did not add baking soda during the process, but some recipes call for 1/3 tsp baking soda to yield softer idlis.

Recipe for Tomato chutney:  http://yumm-o.blogspot.com/2011/04/tangy-tomato-chutney.html

Shahi Gobi (Whole cauliflower cooked in spice mix)

This is one veggie dish that is very elegant to look at, and will serve as the show stopper at your next dinner party. It is also very simple to prepare. The trick is to try keeping the cauliflower whole, through the cooking process. I did not have much of a problem with this step. Also, I had a packet of Khana Khazana Murgh Makhani/ Paneer Butter masala mix, and I used that for the gravy. It is so simple, and tastes just like the restaurant ones. All you need to do is mix the powder with water and add the veggies and cook. Very simple, and great to have on hand for those last minute meals that need to be special too.

Small Cauliflower - 1
Gravy:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1
Green chilis - 2
Khazana Chicken Makhani masala - 1 pack
Water - 2 cups
Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
(or)
Refer to my Butter chicken recipe for the gravy

Marinade: (Optional)
Yogurt - 1/4 cup
Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Lemon - 1/2 squeezed

Cut the stem and leaves off the gobi. Remove as much as the stem as possible, leaving only the florets intact.
Fill a pot with water and when it starts boiling, add 2 to 3 tbsp salt and the gobi. Cook till 3/4th done, about 6 to 8 min. Remove and set aside.

Additional step (Optional) : Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and apply all over the gobi. Bake in a 425F preheated oven for about 20 min, until slightly browned on top. Not sure if this step adds any special flavor to this dish. Next time I plan to omit it.

In another pan, add a tbsp oil, and fry the chopped onions and chilis. Fry till soft. Mix the Khazana masala with 2 cups water and add to the pan with the tomato puree. Mix well.
Else, follow my recipe for the gravy from my Butter Chicken recipe.


Add the gobi to the pan, spoon some of thee gravy on top of the flower and close the lid. Cook on low heat for 10 to 15 min. Garnish and serve with naan, rotis or rice. Cut and serve table side.

This is a very beautiful dish and tastes really good.

I have used others mixes such as Tikka masala and chettinad chicken. They are really good.

Spinach Rice

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Spinach leaves - 4 to 5 cups (Tightly packed)
Green chilis - 4
Salt - to taste
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1
(Whole masalas - 2 Cardamom, 2 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 star anise)
Oil/Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cilantro/Mint leaves - handful
Saunf/Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 cups

Puree half the spinach leaves and finely chop the rest of the spinach, mint and coriander leaves.
Wash the rice and soak in the water for 10 to 15 min.
In a pan with a tight lid, heat the oil and splutter the saunf.
Add the whole masalas, followed by the sliced onions and chilis.
Fry till soft and add the chopped leaves and ginger garlic paste.
Fry till fragrant and add the pureed spinach. Add the rice with the water and check for salt.
Turn up the heat and when the water starts boiling, close the lid and reduce the flame to really low.
Cook for about 20 to 30 min, until a nice aroma fills the kitchen.
Open and check for doneness of the rice.

Serve with raita or side of your choice.

Farinata - Chickpea flour cake

It's an Italian dish made with chickpea flour. I of course Indianized it. I was not really sure if this would work, so went with minimal toppings. Feel free to use any toppings that you would use on a pizza.

Chickpea flour/Besan - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Green chutney - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1
Red pepper - 1
Mozzarella cheese - 1/4 cup

Mix the chickpea flour, water, salt and cumin seeds. Whisk well and let it rest. I did not do this step, so I don't know how much of a difference it makes.
Heat a skilled or a non-stick pan. A skillet is traditionally used for this. Drizzle some olive oil, and pour the batter into the pan. Cook till crisp at the bottom, and turn once. Cook till the other side is cooked through.
Spread some green chutney, and veggies of your choice and cheese.
Pop under a broiler or in a 400F pre-heated oven, till the cheese melts.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Daal Makhani

I used the 16 Bean Usal mix for this recipe. Very nutritious and also very easy to prepare. I did not pre-soak the beans, and just pressure cooked them for 10 to 12 whistles. Since there were different kinds of beans, some of them cooked rather soft ans some remained intact. This gave the dish a creamy texture, without any added butter or cream.

16 Bean mix (Or any mixture of beans on hand) - 1 cup

Onion - 1 big

Green chilis - 2

Tomatoes - 2 big

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Red chili powder - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Saunf - 1 tsp

The beans I used were a mix of Red kidney beans, Chickpeas, dried black chana daal, black eyed peas, dried geen peas, green mung beans and others. The smaller ones cook up much faster, so they cook up really soft. 

In a pressure cooker, add the beans and cover with 3 to 3 1/2 cups water. Cook for about 10 whistles, since they have not been pre-soaked. If soaking in advance, reduce the cook time. Turn off and let them cool.

Chop the onions, chilis and tomatoes.

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter the saunf and add the onion and chilis. When they are soft, add the tomatoes and cook till well cooked.

Add the masalas and salt.

Open the lid of the cooker and add the cooked mixture into the beans.

Mix and add more water if required. 

Close lid and cook for 2 more whistles.

Open and garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or rotis.

Note: If the beans seem under cooked, increase the number of whistles the second time.

Masala Chaas/Spiced Buttermilk

An absolute necessity to have on hand, growing up in the hot summer months in India. Any big household, with kids running around and adults returning home in the scorching summer heat absolutely thrived on chaas. Also, every old hindi movie had a scene with visitors being offered chaas to refresh themselves. Ok, so that is a lot of rambling for such a simple dish, but I tasted this after a long time and was taken back to those summers growing up and those awesome weddings where the guests could have unlimited glasses of this thirst quencher.

Curd/Yogurt - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Curry leaves - 2 to 3
Cilantro - 3 sprigs
Ginger - 1 inch
Green chili - 1
Crushed cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Chop the cilantro leaves, curry leaves, ginger and green chili into really tiny pieces. Whisk the curd/yogurt really smooth and add the chopped ingredients with the salt, cumin and water.
Whisk well and serve chilled. Mix everytime you serve this, as the curd tends to settle to the bottom.

Desi mexican thin crust pizza

I used leftover paneer filling and enchilada sauce from the enchiladas I made earlier. The paneer gives it a familiar desi taste and the rest of the ingredients make it mexican. A pretty good dish, and I have to say, my best homemade pizza till date.

Pizza base - Refer to my previous pizza posts
Paneer/chicken filling - 1 1/2 cups - Refer to my enchilada recipe
Enchilada/Pizza sauce - 1 cup - Refer to my enchilada recipe
Olives - 1/2 cup
Red onion - 1 diced
Grated cheese - 1 cup (I used mexican blend)

Roll out the pizza base really thin. I used store bought fresh whole wheat base here.
Spread the sauce on the base. Top with paneer filling. I used the chicken filling recipe here, and substituted chicken with the paneer. The rest of the process is the same.
Top with olives, onions and cheese.

Bake in a preheated 400F oven for about 12 min, until the base is crispy and cheese melts.

Remove, top with chopped cilantro, slice and serve.

Aloo Gobi Paratha - Simplified

The best part of a paratha is the filling. So, the more filling the better. Right? The problem with excess filling is, when we try to roll the parathas, it starts to come out and it becomes very hard to roll them. Also gets messy. I tried this different method, where instead of rolling the parathas before they go on the tawa, I used a flat bottomed spatula to spread the parathas right on the tawa. This ensured that there was a lot of filling in each of the parathas, and also saved me the trouble of having to roll them. I am making these a lot more, now that I found this simple technique.

Potatoes - 2 medium
Cauliflower - 1/2 small
Onion - 1/2 Red chopped fine
Ginger grated - 1 tsp
Green chili - 2 chopped fine
Citantro - few sprigs chopped
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Amchur powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Shajeera - 1 tsp
Regular roti dough

Boil the potatoes until soft, peel and mash. Chop the cauliflower into small pieces.
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, add shajeera, and the onions. Cook till soft, add the cauliflower and cook till soft, and it falls apart. Mix the rest of the masalas, salt and the potatoes. Add the cilantro and cool.
Take some dough, roll into a ball, and make with your hands, make it into a small bowl and fill with the filling. Close the ends and seal the ball. Make the rest of the balls this way.
With your hands, flatten the dough ball with the filling.

Heat a tawa and place the flattened dough ball with the stuffing on the tawa. Spray the back of a flat spatula with some non-stick spray or add a few drops of oil and spread it well. Press the spatula on the dough, and press until it expands. Continue to do this until it forms into a paratha. This is a very simple step, and gets done in seconds.






Cook on one side, turn and cook till the other side is lightly brown. Drizzle some oil at this point if you wish.
Remove and serve with pickle and yogurt.

Chicken Wrap

I used the chicken tenders and corn from my previous post, to make chicken wraps for the adults.

Chicken tenders - 3

Corn - 1/2 cup

Shredded Lettuce - 1 cup

Sliced onion - 1/2

Sliced tomato - 1

Hummus or Ranch sauce - 2 tbsp

Ketchup/Hot sauce - to taste

Tortillas/Wraps - 2

Heat the wrap on a griddle till lightly browned. Add egg on one side if you like.

Spread the hummus on one side, add the lettuce, onion, corn, tomato, sliced chicken, and drizzle with some hot sauce.

Roll the wrap in an aluminium foil and serve.

Kids Meal - Chicken tenders and Corn

Every kid loves chicken nuggets. Have yet to meet a kid who does not. I never tried making them at home, but I have to admit, they are as easy as reheating the frozen ones. Also a lot healthier, since we know the chicken that we are using and they are not fried.

Chicken breast tenders - 1 lb

Seasoned bread crumbs - 1 cup

Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup (optional)

Eggs - 2

Salt - to taste

Pepper - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp

Clean and pat dry the chicken tenders. If you do not find tenders in your grocery store, just cut the chicken breasts lengthwise, into 1 inch thick tenders.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with salt and pepper. In a plate, mix the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. 

Dip the tenders in the egg, remove and dip them in the bread crumbs. Coat well.

Take a griddle or a flat bottom pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Add the tenders and fry till crisp on one saide.

Turn and cook till crisp on the other side.

Chicken breast cooks really fast. 3 min on each side will cook the chicken through. If in doubt, just slit with a knife and check for doneness.

Else, bake in a preheated 400F oven for an additional 5 to 6 min.

I served the tenders with corn. I just sauteed frozen corn with a dab of butter, salt and pepper till soft.

Tomato Bisque

Tomato puree - 1 1/2 cups
Jalapeno - 1
Onion - 1
Carrots - 2
Celery - 1 stalk
Half and half (Fat free) - 1/4 cup
Chicken/Vegetable stock - 2 cups
Salt - to taste
Butter - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Black pepper - 1 tsp + more to taste
Curry powder/Garam masala - 1 tsp

Dice all the vegetables. In a pan, melt the butter and add all the diced vegetables (Onions, jalapeno, carrots, celery and garlic). Saute till they are soft. Add the tomato puree, salt, pepper and curry powder. Stir and remove from heat. Cool and blend into a fine puree. Return to the pan, add the stock and half and half.

Simmer till thick and transfer to serving bowls.

Serve with additional cream, pepper and croutons.