Tuesday, April 25, 2017

VEGETABLE HAKKA NOODLES

Vegetable hakka noodles


Vegetable Hakka Noodles - Smoky, Steamy and Incredibly Spicy!!

Starting off this week with this delicious plate of Vegetable Hakka Noodles.

By the way, I chopped so many veggies for this that now my fingers refuse to move. I think, I need some help getting off my bed and writing down the blog post for you all. Hahaha

Aheeeem, coming back to the post, Hakka Noodles is an easy Indian-Chinese recipe which combines the goodness of colorful veggies and sizzling sauces! It's basically a fusion between Indian flavors and Chinese Noodles. This is a must try recipe for the chilli lovers. These Noodles are super easy to make and they taste delicious. You can serve them with Manchurian, Chilli Paneer or any Chinese style gravy for a complete wholesome meal.

It's an open end recipe and it's variations are endless. You can always toss a few extra veggies and add brightness to your noodles! It can happily adapt to other vegetables too.


how to make stir fry noodles


The key is to toss, until the veggies are tender but still crisp. Fresh ginger and garlic adds a great burst of flavor and make it taste even better. I used soy sauce and vinegar in my noodles. They are easily available in the market. If they are not in your kitchen cabinet, you can stir in the contents from the sachet (which comes with the noodles packet) and can pour some tomato ketchup, it will taste great!

In order to get a restaurant like taste it need to be cooked in a certain way. Parboil the noodles in the salted water for 4 minutes or as per the instructions written in the noodles packet. DON'T OVERCOOK THEM. To give the steamy and smoky flavor to the noodles do all the cooking in the large wok and stir fry the veggies on high flame.

Hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do!




Vegetable Hakka Noodles




VEGETABLE HAKKA NOODLES



Preparation time :10 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4 people
Author : The Food Root

INGREDIENTS
1 packet of hakka noodles or 150 grams of thin rice noodles
3 tablespoons - Olive oil
1/2 inch - ginger, peeled, grated
5-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Pinch of cumin seeds (optional)
2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup beans, chopped
handful of peas
1 big tomato, chopped
2 green chillis, chopped
1 teaspoon - Salt or as per taste
1/4 teaspoon - Turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon - Pepper
1/4 teaspoon - Red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons - Rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon - Soy sauce
Chopped coriander leaves

METHOD
1. Bring in a large pot of water to boil. Once the water starts boiling, add 1 tsp of salt and noodles, cook for 3-4 minutes. Don't overcook them. Drain off the excess water and rinse them under the cold running water. Leave them in a colander, toss in 1 tsp of oil on the noodles to prevent them from sticking and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a wok or a pan and add ginger and garlic, continue cooking until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add cumin seeds. Sauté the cumin until they crackle.

3. When the cumin starts crackling, add onion and cook on medium-high flame, stirring occasionally, until lightly softened, about 3 minutes.

4. Add carrot, beans and peas and cook for for 4-5 minutes on high flame. Stir it occasionally. (If your veggies starts sticking to the pan or wok, you can reduce the heat.) Add tomatoes, bell pepper and green chillis, stir it for next 3-4 minutes.

5. Season it with a pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and turmeric powder, mix it well.

6. Add in the cooked noodles to the wok and toss to coat.

7. Drizzle some rice vinegar and soy sauce. Stir fry to combine!

8. Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and transfer immediately to a serving bowl. Serve it hot and enjoy!

NOTES
1. Parboil the noodles in the salted water for 4 minutes or as per the instructions written in the noodles packet.

2. Do not overcook the noodles.

3. To give the steamy and smoky flavor to the noodles do all the cooking in the large wok and stir fry the veggies on high flame.

4. Use the right condiments to add in the noodles.

5. In case they are not available, you can stir in the contents from the sachet which comes with the noodles packet and can also pour some tomato ketchup, it will taste great!





Thursday, April 13, 2017

HAPPY BAISAKHI



 Golden temple, in Amritsar is the most important religious place of the Sikhs.


Vaisakhi also known as Baisakhi, is the "harvest festival" celebrated on the 13th and 14th of April according to the solar calendar. This festival marks the beginning of solar new year and harvest season. Farmers celebrate Baisakhi as a "thanksgiving day", and pay tribute to their deity for bringing abundant harvest and prosperity. It's celebrated with lot of joy and enthusiasm in the states of Punjab and Haryana. 

Fairs and cultural programs are the major attraction during the festival. The people of Punjab spend the day, feasting, participating in cultural events and visiting the local Gurudwaras.




During my childhood days, I recall going to Baisakhi fair with my family and friends. From delectable Punjabi cuisine to the foot tapping music, the fair puts up different facets of Punjabi life on display. Group dance, folk music, wrestling bouts were the main attractions of the fair. More excitement was added when big groups use to perform Bhangra. Stalls selling trinkets, colorful beads, bangles, silver jewellery, Punjabi jootis, Phulkari and other local handicrafts make the Baisakhi fair even more colorful and vibrant.

No Indian festival is complete without delicious food and Baisakhi is no exception either. The festival is much loved by the food lovers as the food stalls and counters offers varieties of Indian and Punjabi cuisines.

If you're just hanging at home this Thursday evening, visit these fairs. They are lot of fun. Happy Baisakhi once again. Enjoy the day and relish the best of Punjabi cuisines!!




Tuesday, April 4, 2017

JEERA ALOO


how to make jeera aloo


Awaken your senses with the exotic flavor of Jeera Aloo. The stir-fried potatoes are tampered with the flavors of cumin seeds, asafoetida, mango powder and other dry spices. It's an excellent side dish that goes well with poori, roti or parantha. It's a real treat for all potato lovers!!

This fabulous dish can be made for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can also prepare this for fasting. It's a delicious recipe and can be prepared in minutes. It's definitely a lunch that you can put together in a tiffin, when you are in a rush and don't have much time in the morning.

The secret ingredient of this recipe is cumin seeds. While these light brown cumin seeds are small but enough to provide plenty of flavor. To infuse the entire dish with the cumin goodness, fry them in hot oil until they make crackling sound, but don't cook for a longer time, as they can burn easily. They are added at the beginning of the dish. Cumin has a deep and warm aroma with a complex profile and a unique property of enhancing the flavor of the dish.

This dish is usually prepared with boiled potatoes but I choose to use uncooked potatoes to get the nutty and crunchy flavor of the dish. I love eating Jeera Aloo with a bowl of fresh yogurt. I know, it's a weird food combination but it taste really good!! I think I really like this dish and I'll be making this one again soon.

Oh before I sign off, I want to thank you all for following me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Thank you for all the love I keep receiving. It really motivates me a lot. Thank you once again.

Have a wonderful weekend and stop by again as next few weeks are shaping up to be good with few posts in a pipeline!
Much love
Anshika
X



Jeera Aloo


Serves: 2-3 people
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Author: The Food Root


Ingredients
4-5 medium size - Potatoes, cut them into thin circular slices
2 tablespoon - Olive oil or clarified butter
Pinch of asafoetida
1 teaspoon - Cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon - Turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon - Red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon - Coriander powder
1 teaspoon - Salt or as per taste
1 teaspoon - Mango powder
1/4 teaspoon - Garam masala
2 green chillis, chopped
Chopped coriander leaves

Method
1. Wash the potatoes under the running water. Place the potato on a chopping board, than slice them into thin circular slices, using a sharp knife. Soak them into water so that they don't turn black.

2. Heat olive oil or clarified butter in a non-stick skillet. Add a pinch of asafoetida and cumin seeds. Sauté the cumin seeds until they crackle.

3 Now, lower down the heat and add all the dry spices (salt, turmeric, red chili and coriander) except mango powder and garam masala and stir it for few seconds.

4. Add the sliced potatoes, followed by chopped green chillis and toss it for 5 minutes on high medium flame, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

5. Mix in the mango powder and garam masala. Sauté it constantly. Cook until potatoes are tender but still crisp.

6. Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and transfer immediately to a serving bowl. Pair it hot with roti, parantha or poori.

7. Enjoy!!!

Notes
1. You can boil the potatoes if you want but for not more than 5 minutes.

2. Cut potato slices into desired shape and thickness.

3. If you don't have mango powder, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of lime juice for 1 teaspoon of mango powder.