Spicy Noodles (South east Asia) - Mamak Mee Goreng

Mamak Mee Goreng - A spicy Noodle treat

Since childhood the only for of noodles I have been having is Hakka or anything to do with Chinese variation. Though Chinese is my second love in comfort food (first being Italian) i did want to try something new over the weekend and one night saw a food show on spicy noodles. While searching online I came across many interesting reads of spicy noodles and here is what i pulled out and created my own version of Mamak Mee Goreng

Yields for 3-4   Cooking time - 45min

What goes in?

1 capsicum finely chopped

1 carrot finely chopped

1/2 medium onion finely chopped

1 egg

1 pack egg noodles

Soy sauce as per taste

1tbs tomato sauce

Chilli sauce/ Schewan sauce - optional for spicier version

Oil

Salt

For the Sambal paste

1/2 medium onion red/white

3 green chilies

1 tsp  of garlic

1/2 tsp of ginger

1 inch lemon grass finely sliced or 1 lemon rind grated

5 dried red chillies soaked in warm water for 10 min or chili powder

1/4th tsp turmeric powder

1 medium tomato

1tsp tamarind juice - optional

salt

Method

Remove the seeds from red chilies. Put all the ingredients for the paste in a mixer with little water and grid as we want a thick paste. Pour oil the wok add chopped onions, capsicum, carrot fry on high heat for 3-4 min. Add sambal paste and cook till oil separates this should take 6-10 min, crack the egg in one corner of the wok and scramble it. Boil the noodles, once done strain and run them through cold water to avoid sticking together and spread them on a tray, drizzle some oil. Mix the noodles with the paste in the wok drizzle soy sauce, salt,tomato sauce, if you want it spicier then add chili or schezwan sauce and mix well. You have a spicy meal ready!

Please share your comments/suggestions!!

Caramel Custard - Dessert Microvawe

Caramel Custard

This recipe is dedicated to my dearest friend Eesha who has constantly been a sport in participating with my experiments. This dessert is her favorite and had made it shortly before her wedding as a farewell treat :)

What goes in?

For the caramel

sugar 1/4th cup

Water - 4 tbs

For the Custard

Sugar -1/3rd cup if you have a sweet tooth then 1/2 cup

Cornflour - 2tsp

Milk - 2 cups

1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Eggs - 4nos

Method

For caramelisation pour sugar in a pan and add water, stir on low flame or till the mixture turns brown caramel. Pour this into the microwaveable  bowl/any shape (i had a rectangular one) you want the custard made in and let it cool. In another bowl, Beat eggs, cornflour, sugar then add milk & vanilla essence mix well. Pour this mixture to the microwaveable bowl over the caramel. Pour water into another try/ any microwaveable bigger utensil, then put the custard bowl in it, then place it in the microwave on convection mode/or oven at 190 degree for 30 min. Check by inserting a fork it should come out clean. Let the bowl cool down then refrigerate for min 4hrs or overnight. Un-mold by running the knife over the edges then invert it on the serving tray & its ready!!

Please send your comments & suggestions!

Egg Briyani - Quick fix meal

Egg Biryani - Quick fix

It was last weekend when we decided to make egg biryani but didn't want to do it in the traditional way of layering as didnt have the time and was short of whole spices (garam masalas). Still wanted a quick fix biryani with the same flavor. Will post the traditional layered biryani post soon when I make one again. This time its for a Quick fix biryani an experiment 

Yields for 2 people - Time - 30min

What goes in?

Onion - 1 large or 2 medium

Tomatoes - 2 medium

Garlic - 1tbs

Ginger - 1tbs

Green Chilli - 4-5

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Corriander - A small bunch

Mint - 5-6 leaves

Curd - 1 cup well beaten - 1/2 cup if greek yogurt

Eggs - 4 nos

Red chilli pwder - 1 tsp

Corriander powder - 1tsp

Biryani masala - 1/2 pack  (Here all garam masala essential spices for biryani are taken care, I prefer shaan the aroma is absolute bliss the moment you open the pack )

Rice - 1cup

oil - 4 tbs

Salt

Method

Let the eggs boil and de-shell them & boil the rice. Mix biryani masala into curd and mix well if you have time you can marinate the eggs in them for an hour. In a pan add oil, once heated add cumin and let it sizzle, then add chopped onions let them brown. Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, stir for a min on high flame and add tomatoes along with coriander and mint leaves chopped. Saute till oil separates from tomatoes, then add the curd mix with the eggs. Cover the pan and cook on slow for 5min. Then add rice and mix well and your Quick fix biryani is ready!

If you have whole garam masalas at home then you can add then while boiling rice (1inch cinnamon stick, green cardamon pods 2 nos, clove 4 nos). The same can be added at the stage when jeera & onions are added. Will cover this in my next traditional biryani blog

Mint Chutney

A small  bunch of mint leaves

2 cups curd

5 green chilies

1no Cucumber - optional

Salt

Grind all the above together and refrigerate for an hour if you have time. This goes well with the biryani!

Please send your comments/suggestions!

Spicy Cheese Poppers - Tit bits

Spicy Cheese Poppers

I was having some leftover dough of samosa and was not in a mood to through it. Just a day after having such heavy Indian delicacy my stomach craved for some western food at the same time didn't want to be spending a lot of time in kitchen. 

So i raided my fridge and just took things which were handy and required minimum chopping and voila! I had these yummy snack treats ready

Yields 6 amazing poppers - In 15 mins!!

What goes in? 

Left over dough or all purpose floor 1/4th of a cup

Pickle - 1 Slice

Grated cheese - 12tbs (Any cheese will do I used a combo of 5 cheese)

Grounded pepper

Green Chilly - 5nos

A drop of tabasco/ sriracha sauce - optional to make it more spicy

Salt

Method

Make a soft dough adding water to all purpose flour. Roll out dough into small circular sheets. In a bowl mix grated cheese, chopped pickle, pepper, green chilly. Put the mixture in the center on the sheet and seal the ends making a ball shape. 

Deep fry or Bake the poppers till golden brown

Enjoy with Sriracha sauce or any sauce!!

Please send your comments/suggestion!!

Samosa (Fried Indian Patty/Pastry)

Samosa (Fried Indian patty)

This recipe was taught to me by my MIL who is an amazing cook and that's when I realized how simple it is to make samosas. The trickiest part I believe is the dough many suggest kneading with warm water some with cold water however for me ice cold water gave the best result.

Ingredients

Dough

All purpose flour - 1cup

Oil/ghee - 2tbs or till reaching the crumbly texture - refer the pic below

ajwain /carom seeds  - 1tsp optional

Salt

Ice cold water

Filling

Potato - 5 medium

Onion - 1 large

Peas - 1/2 cup

Green chilly - 5

Corriander - handful

Turmeric - 1/4th tsp

Red chili powder - optional

Dhania/ corriander powder - 1tsp

Cumin/ jeera - 1tbp

Amchur powder/ dry mango powder - 1tbs 

Ginger - 1 inch

Salt

This will yeild 14-16 small samosas

Direction

We will begin with the dough. Put all ingredients for dough together except ice cold water. 

Start kneading the dough  till it attains a crumbly texture if required add more oil/ghee. The best test as tought by my mom to test if we have put enough oil/ghee/butter is very simple. After adding the oil/ghee and mixing it well take some mixture in between your palms and make a fist then open your palms again if the mixture retains the same the oil/ghee is enough if not just add some more!

One this stage is reach I would suggest keep kneading the crumbly dough for a 3-4 mins more as a tip from my mom the more we knead at this stage the better results. Now add your ice cold water and get it to a soft dough again i suggest to knead extra 2 min.

Cover the dough with self cling wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 15-20 min.

Filling

Boil the potatoes peal and mash. In a pan put jeera, onions and fry till onions are transparent then add the rest of the ingredients and potatoes mix well and the filling is ready!

Now we start shaping our samosas. Divide the dough into 14-16 pieces. Start by rolling out your dough in a circular shape as  you do for Roti/ Tortilla. Then cut across the diameter into equal halves

My rotis are never circular but samosas who cares they end up becoming triangles! :)

Put the filling in between and fold the two ends down making a triangle

Seal all the ends you can wet your hands as sealing becomes easier

 Now make your samosa sit on its base and the shape is ready!

 Alternate method is making a cone first and filling the stuffing then sealing the bottom end

 Fry then on medium flame till golden brown

Now sit back and enjoy with chutney/ketchup !

Please let me know your comments/ suggestions! :)

Fried wantons with saucy filling - My first recipe!

Growing up in an typical north Indian family most of my childhood went in eating and relishing Indian food. My mother however was quite modern for her times and did experiment in venturing a little beyond the household of an Indian kitchen. Limitation of the time she lived it combined with the limitations of the ingredients available i was lucky to have had a taste of macaroni, baked veggies in white sauce and noodle cakes etc. quite early in my childhood days.

To think about it now and looking back over so many years I realize that my fondness towards western cuisine and my desire to cook them in my very own Indian kitchen goes to my mom & my 2 yrs as student in UK where I found my love for pastas. While experimenting I realized that many times either i didn't know the ingredient or it was not easily available or very expensive for me to buy and use for my food experience.

My intention here is to simplify the ingredients and find suitable substitutes while maintaining the flavor of the west and sometimes fusing the spicy flavor of east.


My first recipe is a creation of mine which i made for my nephew. Don't have any pictures rite now but will surely upload once i make it again

Crispy fried wantons with white sauce filling

Ingredients

For the dough
- All purpose flour - 1cup
For White sauce
- Milk - 1cup
- Butter - 4 tbs
- All purpose flour - 1 tbs
- Mushrooms - 1/2 pack
- Sweet Corn - 1/4th cup
- Garlic - 1 pod crushed
- Ground pepper - 1tsp
- Green chilies - 2nos


Method

Kneed the all purpose flour with water into dough and keep it to rest for 15-20 min. Put the butter into a pan and let it melt then add all purpose flour and stir till golden brown. Add milk into the pan and stir continuously till it thickness and becomes off white in colour then add pepper. In another pan pour oil and add crushed garlic with green chilies and saute for a minute then add the mushroom & corn. Mix this mixture with the sauce add salt to taste.
Roll out the dough and cut small square sheets of 4cmx4cm or as per your preference. Put the filling in the center and flip the other end to close the sheet forming a triangle and seal the edges. Deep fry these wantons and enjoy with sauce!

Please let me know your views & comments are welcome