Chowmein Noodles

Hi All,

I know its been really long since I last updated my blog. Have been busy being a Soccer mom to my now 6 year old. Almost forgot I had ever created this blog :-)
This year we've had a lot of rain in California. I'm not complaining coz we've had a drought past few years & we needed all that rain. Grateful to God that he answered our prayers and sent us all the rain we needed to end the drought.
So this morning when I got to know we were expecting a storm heading to the Bay, I thought why not make something hearty

to beat the dull gloomy weather. Checked my pantry and zeroed in on noodles as I had everything possible needed to prepare it.

Here's the recipe for my Chowmein Noodles

Ingredients:-

1/2 large Onion Finely sliced ( I used a red onion)

1 tsp Garlic minced

1/2 cup carrots cut into juliennes

1/2 cup finely chopped green beans (chopped diagonally)

1 red bell pepper cut into juliennes

1 green/yellow bell pepper cut into juliennes

Red chili sauce as per taste 

Green chilly sauce as per taste 

Red wine vinegar as per taste 

Ketchup as per taste 

Soya sauce as per taste 

Oyster Sauce as per taste 

1 packet of noodles ( I used Pancit Canton you cud use any egg Hakka noodles)

1 bunch scallions finely chopped

Oil

3 eggs

Dash of Milk for the eggs.

Shredded rotisserie /Roast chicken

Hot links- beef or chicken, cut into medium size pieces.

In a big pot heat water till it comes to a rolling boil. Season it with some salt. Then add the noodles and let it boil till 3/4th done. Now add some oil to the water to prevent noodles from sticking to each other. Drain in a bowl and add some cold water to it to stop the cooking process.

In a bowl break n beat the eggs, now add a dash of milk( milk helps make the eggs fluffy), with some salt & pepper. Heat a large frying pan with oil & fry the egg. Flip & cook on the other side. Then glide into a plate or board & cut into strips.

In the same pan heat some more oil if required and lightly fry the chopped Hot links. Once done set them aside to use later.

Now in a wok heat some oil . Now stir fry all the veggies in the hot oil on high flame , starting with the sliced onions along with the bulbs of the scallions ( Save the green part of the scallions, we will use them towards the end). Once they get a little soft add the garlic, followed by the carrots & the green beans. Drizzle some vinegar. Now drain the cold water from the noodles and add it followed by all the sauces one at a time, first the red, then the green, soya sauce, Oyster sauce & lastly the ketchup. Now add your meats , the shredded chicken and the fried links. Once everything is incorporated add the Red & yellow bell peppers. I like some crunch to the noodles so like to add the bell peppers at last so they don’t get soggy. They just cook in the steam of the noodles. Then add the egg strips followed by the tops of the scallions. Serve hot & enjoy!

Dabeli - Street food

Dabeli

Back home I had eaten Dabeli just once but tried it at a friends place recently and it brought back  memories so I thought I need to give it a try some day.

Surefed online to find a few recipes n came up with my own version of it. It was pretty simple to make as I had most ingredient easily available in my home kitchen itself.

Ingredients:-

Oil
Boiled potatoes
Dabeli Masala - I used Badshah Dabeli masala
Finely chopped onions
Spicy roasted peanuts
Pomegranate seeds
Grapes halved (Optional)
Tamarind and date chutney (I used the Deep tamarind and date chutney)
Garlic chutney (I used Deep garlic chutney)
Bhel sev ( I used garvi gujrat Bhel sev)
Finely chopped cilantro for garnish (Optional)
Pav bread

Method:- 

Mash boiled potatoes in a bowl. Now in a pan heat a little oil. To that add some finely chopped onions.Once the onions get translucent then add the mashed potatoes mix well. To this now add the date & tamarind chutney. Then add a hint of the garlic chutney. Mix well then transfer the mixture to a flat class bowl ( I used a pirex rectangle bowl with lid) Now flatten it in the bowl. Now sprinkle some spicy peanuts, pomegranate seeds , halved grapes, bhel sev & finely chopped cilantro.

Now cut pav & spread a little date n tamarind chutney on one side n some garlic chutney on the other. Now cut a slab of the potato mixture & place it in the pav. Top with some chopped onions & serve.

Homemade Mango Icecream

I love mangoes. I recently bought a can of Alphonso Mangoes from the store n decided I shud use it to make some Mango ice cream. Here's my version of a quick n simple recipe for yummy Mango Ice cream.

Quick n easy 4 ingredient Mango Ice cream recipe

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2 cups + 2 Tbsp sweetened Mango Puree

1/2 cup condensed milk

2 cups or 1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 - 2 tbsp lime/Lemon juice

Chill all ingredients n mix together. Pour in an Ice cream maker. I use the Kitchen Aid Ice cream bowl attachment. Follow the instruction by the manufacturer. 

Once done set in a Freezer safe container. I used Pirex glass bowl with lids to store them in the freezer.

Lime/Lemon juice acts as a secret ingredient. It helps bring out the Mango flavor in it.

U can substitute Mango puree for any other fruit of ur choice.

Kheema - Ground Mince

Ingredients:-

1 lb ground meat (Beef or goat)
1/4 cup frozen petite peas
1/2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp finel chopped garlic
1 1/2 tbsp Shaan Kheema Masala
1/2 large onion minced
1-2 nos. Thai green Chilie pepper finely chopped
salt to taste
1 no. medium size tomato
1/2 cup washed and finely chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 sour lime
1 tbsp cooking oil (I used canola)
Optional - 1 large potato diced into 1" pieces

Method-

In a pressure cooker heat oil , then to it add the minced Thai Chillie peppers, fry for 1 min then add the minced onions, fry with a hint of salt till onions turn translucent , then add the ginger,garlic , followed by the tomatoes & let it cook till the tomatoes soften. Now add the Shaan Kheema Masala. Let this mixture fry well for a 3-4 of minutes then add the washed n drained mince to the mixture along with the diced potatoes.Fry on high heat for couple of minutes & keep stirring continuously. Now add salt as per your taste (but keep in mind that the Shaan masalas already have some salt in them). Cover n cook for 8mins. Once done release the steam & open the cooker. Now add 1/4 cup of Frozen peas. I use petite frozen peas which do not take long to cook n hence cook in the steam of the mince itself. Lastly garnish with chopped Cilantro n Lime juice. Can be eaten with naan, roti , chapati or loaf (pav).

Drunken Shrimp Pasta

Drunken Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients:-

12 Shrimps with Head

1 slice of smoked ham diced into small cubes

Pepper corns 8-10

Crushed Red Pepper flakes - 1/2 tsp or as per taste

1 Jar of store bought Marinara Sauce

2 spring of fresh parsley / herb of your choice

8-10 button mushrooms washed & sliced

1 box of Angel Hair Pasta

1/2 Bunch of spring onions sliced into rings

1/2 cup White Wine (I used Sherry)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Crushed pepper

1/2 yellow onion finely chopped.

6 cloves of Garlic thinly sliced

3 tbsp for sauce +1 tbsp Olive oil to use when boiling pasta.

1/2 cup shrimp Broth

Method:-

Preparing Shrimp Broth:-

First separate the heads off the shrimp. Peel the skin of the shrimp leaving the tail then devein it. Do not discard the head & skin off the shrimp. Put it in a small sauce pot with water, pepper cloves, 1 spring parsley & 2 cloves of sliced garlic to boil. After it has boiled, strain & save the broth to use later when preparing the Pasta sauce.

Preparing Pasta:-

Follow the instructions on the box & add 1 tbsp of Olive oil to the water when boiling to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other.

Preparing the Pasta Sauce:-

In a wide nonstick pan heat the remaining olive, then add to it the garlic flakes, when it starts getting fragrant & sizzles. Now add to it the crushed pepper , then add the bulbs of the spring onions sliced along with some finely diced onion.Once the onions get translucent add the mushrooms & saute on medium high. Now add the red wine to it & let it cook for 5mins. Then add the Marinara sauce to it along with the shrimp Broth.Sprinkle some crushed pepper, cover & let it simmer till the sauce comes to a boil & all the ingredients blend. Lastly add the shrimps to the sauce , (do not stir) let the shrimp cook for 4-5mins & add the diced ham & some chopped parsley. Now give a light stir & take it off the flame. 

In a serving dish spread some pasta & top it with the pasta sauce, garnish with spring onions. 

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:
2 nos. Boneless Chicken Breast/Thighs cut into bite sized pieces
1 small onion finely chopped
Salt to Taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Chings Green Chillie sauce as desired
freshly crushed pepper
minced garlic 2 tbsp
1tbsp oil.

Method:-

Season the chicken cubes with salt & keep aside. Then in a pan heat some oil , now add the onions & let it cook till the get soft & transparent. Now add the chicken, some salt & let it cook. When the chicken is almost done add the green chillie sauce , minced garlic , crushed pepper & lemon juice. Serve hot.

Popcorn Chicken

Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients:-
2 nos. Boneless Chicken Breast/ Thighs cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt to taste
Crushed Pepper as per taste
Paprika/ Chillie Powder 2-tbsp (Mix 1tbsp with Chicken & 1tbsp with flour)
Oil for deep Frying
1 cup All purpose flour / Maida
1-2 egg whites
1 cup milk
Panko Bread crumbs for coating

Method:-

Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper & Chillie powder. In another bowl whisk the milk & egg whites. In a third bowl mix the all purpose flour, crushed pepper, salt, & paprika powder. Now add the marinated chicken into the milk & egg mixture & then drain & transfer it into the flour mixture. Then soak the chicken cubes back into the milk & egg mixture & thereafter coat them into bread crumbs. Once done deep fry them on medium heat & serve hot with chillie sauce or chutney.