Veg Noodles and Chilly Chicken

A perfect weekend meal combo for us - Sweetcorn Chicken soup, Veggie Noodles and Chilly Chicken. Can it get any better for someone who loves Indo-Chinese food !

  

Recipe for Veg Noodles

Chinese Noodles - 3 nests

Carrot - 1, peeled and cut to thin strips

Capsicum - 1, cut to thin strips after discarding the seeds

Onion - 1, sliced fine

Minced garlic - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp

Chinese 5 spice shake - 1/4 tsp (optional)

Pepper powder - 3/4 tsp or more to suit your taste

Soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

1. Cook the noodles as per the pack instructions and drain to a colander. Keep it under running water for a few seconds and let it cool.

2. Heat oil in a wok or wide pan and add garlic followed by onion, carrots and capsicum. Saute for a couple of minutes, till they are crunchy.Add salt and pepper and mix well. Add soy sauce and spice shake and combine. 

3. Keep the stove on high, add the cooked noodles to the wok and toss well for a few minutes . 

Notes:  Use more veggies like green beans, cabbage and green peas.

Recipe for Chilly Chicken

For marination

Boneless Chicken - 500 gms, cut to strips or bite size pieces

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Corn flour - 2 tbsp

Soy sauce - 1.5 tbsp

Egg white (beaten) - of 1 egg

Chopped ginger and garlic - 1.5 tbsp each

Green chillies - 3 or 4

Salt to taste

For the sauce

Onions - 2, chopped

Green Capsicum - 1, diced

Finely chopped ginger and garlic - 1 tsp each

Kashmiri chilly powder or Paprika - 2 tsp mixed in a cup of water

Soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Tomato ketchup - 1 to 2 tbsp

Salt for the sauce

Oil for deep frying

Spring onions sliced - for garnishing

1. Grind together ginger garlic and green chillies with a little water to a smooth paste. Add all other ingredients for the marination to this paste and keep aside for minimum 1 hour.

2. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Fry the chicken pieces till golden brown, do not fry more as chicken gets dry and hard. Drain and keep aside.

3. Take 1 to 2 tbsp of oil used for frying and heat it in another pan. Add onions, capsicum and salt and saute for a couple of minutes. Add ginger and garlic and saute again for 2-3 mins. Pour the chilly powder mixed it water. If you have a little marinade left over, add it too.When it starts boiling add, soy sauce and tomato ketchup. Combine well and add the fried chicken. Simmer for few minutes, till gravy thickens and chicken is coated well with sauce. Garnish with spring onions. Serve hot.

Recipe source: Chilly chicken from Maria's Menu

Sending this to What's For Friday dinner

Meen Peera

One of my favourite seafood dish - Meen Peera, a speciality of Kerala. It is usually made with small fish like anchovies, netholi, chooda or small sardines.

Ingredients:

Anchovies or any other small fish - 500 gms

Curry leaves - a few

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Kudampuli or fish tamarind - 1 or 2 pieces

Salt to taste

To grind

Shredded coconut - 1 cup

Green chillies - 4 or 5

Ginger - a half inch piece

Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

1. Soak kudampuli in 1/2 cup warm water for 10-15 mins.

2. Remove the head and tail of the fish and clean it. No need to cut the fish as we use small fish for peera.Keep aside.

3. Grind the ingredients listed above to a coarse mix without adding water. Keep aside.

4. Heat oil in an earthern pot or pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add the ground paste and curry leaves and give it a mix. Now add fish, the tamarind along with the water used for soaking. Add enough salt and cover and cook till fish is done. You may either make it dry or a little runny.

Serve hot with kanji or rice.

Linking to Anyone can cook:Series 34 and  to The Kerala Kitchen hosted by Divya Kudua

Ulli Sambar

Ulli Sambar is my favourite type of sambar and I make it whenever I feel bored of the regular veggie Sambar. Ulli is the malayalam term for Onion and the onions used in this recipe are the small ones which are called sambar onions/shallots. I make two versions of this sambar. The easiest version is this recipe. The other one is my Amma's recipe in which the gravy is made with roast and ground coconut. Will post that sometime later...

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Small onion/Shallots peeled - 1 cup
Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves
Green chillies - 3, slit
Tomato - 1
Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 3/4 to 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp (dry roast the seeds and then powder)
Hing/Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind - a small lemon sized
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - a few

Note: You may substitute coriander and chilly powders with your regular sambar powder.

Preparation:

1. Pressure cook the toor dal with 2 cups of water for 1-2 whistles. The dal should be cooked but not mushy. Keep aside.
2. Soak the tamarind in warm water and extract the juice.
3. Peel the sambar onions. If onions are large, cut into 2. Otherwise use the whole onion. Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions till they are transparent. Add the green chillies and garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add coriander, chilly, turmeric and fenugreek powder and combine.
4. Add the cooked dal, tamarind juice, tomato, salt and enough water. Cook till onions are cooked and sambar thickens. Take care not to overcook as onions turn mushy. Add hing now.
5.Heat oil in a tadka pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add dry chillies and curry leaves and pour this seasoning to the sambar.

Serve hot with rice

Sending to Anyone can cook: Series 33 and  to The Kerala Kitchen hosted by Divya Kudua

Carrot Rice

Another Blog Hop Wednesday is here and this time I'm paired with Rajani of My Kitchen Trials. Her blog has a variety of simple and easy recipes. Carrot being my daughter's favourite, I decided to try the Carrot Rice. The picture of the colourful rice tempted me a lot and when I made it, my daughter loved it too..Carrot rice is perfect for a lunchbox.
So, here is the recipe. I didn't have paneer in stock, so I had to do without it. May be next time :-)

Ingredients:

Carrot finely grated - 1 cup
Cooked rice - 1.5 to 2 cups (Basmati or Sona Masoori or Ponni)
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 3/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Chilly powder - 3/4 tsp or more
Salt
Coriander leaves to garnish.
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add onions and salt saute  till they start turning light brown. Add ginger garlic paste and combine.
2. Add carrots and saute for a couple of minutes. Now add chilly powder and curry leaves and mix well. Add the cooked rice and fold in gently. Switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve warm...Raitha goes well with this rice.

Sending this to Blog Hop Wednesday an event initiated by Radhika and  to Anyone can cook: Series 33 and to Friday Potluck