Sunday, December 21, 2008

Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice & Sweet and Sour Vegetable




Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice with Sweet & Sour Vegetables

This week was chinese food week at my place..We so very much wanted to eat our "Indian Chinese" specialities and I landed up making some of them..Here is a very easy version of this rice.
Chinese vegetable fried rice
1 cup long grain basmati or 1 cup jasmine rice I(I have used Jasmine rice here for added flavour)
1/4cup peas
1/4 cup finally chopped carrots
1/4 cup string beans chopped at an angle
1/4 cup corn (optional)
1 pack coleslaw (I have used the slaw with shredded cabbage, brocolli stems, brocolli florets)
Use any vegetables you have
bean sprouts (optional)
ginger juliennes 1tbsp
garlic finely chopped 1tbsp
1 bunch spring onions
1tsps soy sauce
2tsp red chilly sauce
1tsp green chily sauce
1tbps tomato ketchup
salt to taste
1tsp sugar
1tbsp oil

Method
First boil rice separately and allow it to cool..
In a big wok, add oil till it smokes, to this add ginger first and then garlic, keep stirring continously so that it wont burn. To this add the while onion portion of spring onions and mix well. Now add all the vegetables and fry for 3minutes in high heat. Add all the sauces, sat to taste and fry again till the veggies get a little tender..Adjust spice and salt to taste and mix rice well and fry again for 2minutes till everything mixes together..Garnish with spring onions..Serve this with Sweet and Sour vegetables..

Sweet and Sour Vegetables
This is my favourite chinese veggie dish. I always made it a point to eat this in shanti sagar whenever I visit Bangalore. Here is how you make it..

Ingredients:
1 bell pepper--chopped to big chunks
1 onion- chopped into big chunks
1 cup pineapple chunks (you can also use half a can of mixed fruits)
For sauce
1tbsp corn starch
1tsp ginger chopped
2tsp ketchup
1 cup water
2tsp soy sauce
salt to taste
1bunch scallions chopped for garnishing

Method: microwave all the vegetables and fruits for a few minutes till they r soft..
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. In a pan, head a tsp of olive oil. add the sauce mix and mix well. When the sauce starts thickening, add the boiled veggies. Adjust the consistency with the boiled water. Mix well..Garnish with scallions and serve with fried rice or noodles...

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Menthya-Palak Thovve/Methi Palak Dal/Menthya-Palak Pappu


Menthya-Palak Thovve


Menthya-Palak Thovve/Methi-Palak Dal
This is a very quick and easy recipe with loads of iron, fibre and protein..Try it when you need something very filling quickly..


Ingredients:
1bunch fresh Methi leaves
1bunch fresh baby spinach or regular spinach
3green chillies slit vertically
1/2cup toor dal
1/4 cup moong dal
1/2tsp red chillie flakes
1tsp turmeric
1clove garlic(optional)
1/2tsp amchur/1tsp tamarind pulp


To season
2tsps ghee, 1tsp mustard, hind, 1tsp jeera, 1/4 tsp methi seeds,

To Make


In a pan, roast the dals for a minute till a nice aroma comes. Pressure cook the dals with just enough water to cover them adding turmeric.
In another pan, add the seasonings and garlic. When mustard stops spluttering, add the green chillies and mix well. Now add the cleaned greens and mix well. Cover the pan for 2minutes. The greens wilt at this poin and leaves out water. Now add salt and cover for another 2minutes till the greens cook well.
To this, add the pressure cooked dals and mix everything well. Add little water for desired consistency. Finally add the chillie flakes and mix everything well for another minute and serve hot.
This can be eaten with white rice and ghee, or with rotis..