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.

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

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!

HAPPY BAISAKHI

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!!

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.

PISTACHIO ICE-CREAM

There's nothing better than a frosty scoop of homemade pistachio ice cream. 

Ice cream is loved by everyone, it's one of the most popular desserts of all little toddlers and all the grownups. For some grown up kids it's a must have staple in the fridge. A tub of ice cream brings back the fond memories of happier and carefree days, it gives an instant mood-uplift but hey, you don't always have to buy ice creams from the market, you can make these yummy desserts at home!! They are way much easier to make, than most people think.

Churned with generous amount of pistachios and dusted with almonds, this is hands down the best homemade pistachio ice cream you'll ever eat. It's thick, creamy and provides much joy when the climate doesn't. I made this yesterday and I'm craving for one badly right now. Of course, I had to share this with you!

This ice cream is made with 4 main ingredients - milk, cream, sugar and tons of pistachios. I used milk and cream in 2:1 ratio. I didn't added any food coloring, so my ice cream was light green in color. However you can add few drops of artificial food coloring, if you want!

This is best homemade ice cream which I've eaten recently. Chunks of pistachios, almonds and homemade whipped cream were added to gave this ice cream a wonderful texture and flavor. So may I present you, easy to make, vegetarian pistachio ice cream recipe!! It's heavenly!!

PISTACHIO ICE CREAM

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6-7 people
Author: The Food Root

INGREDIENTS

4 cups - Milk
1 cup - Heavy Cream
1 cup - Sugar

1 cup - Pistachio, roasted and salted
2 tablespoons - Almonds (optional)

For whipped cream:
1 cup - Heavy cream
1 teaspoon - Salt
1 teaspoon - Sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Chop or grind pistachios in a processor and keep it aside.

2. Combine milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Continue to stir, till the sugar dissolves completely.

3. Add the ground pistachio mixture in the pan.

4. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 5-6 minutes. Stir it constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken slowly. Do not boil. Remove the heat and let cool for sometime.

5. Pour it into the container or a bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

6. Now, let's prepare the homemade whipping cream:

(Always remember that, the colder and heavier the cream is, the easier it is to whip)

• So our first step is to place the empty bowl in a freezer for a quick chill. 
• Than, pour cold, heavy cream in the bowl and add a pinch of salt and sugar.
• Whisk for 2-3 minutes or till it's well blended. Set it aside.

7. Next remove the (milk, sugar and ground pistachio mixture) container from the refrigerator after an hour, than add homemade whipped cream followed by 1 cup of heavy cream and whisk to combine.

8. Add 2 tbsp of crushed pistachio and/or almonds, mix gently.

9. Then cover the container with plastic wrap. Refrigerate it again, for 2-3 hours or till it's well set.

10. Scoop the ice cream into the bowl and top the ice cream with syrup or serve it plain.

11. Enjoy!! ;-)

NOTES
1. I used roasted and salted pistachios, however you can you use raw too.

2. I didn't added any food coloring, so my ice cream was light green in color. However you can add few drops of artificial food coloring, if you want!
3. You can adjust sugar as per your taste.

VEGETABLE FRIED-RICE

Indulge in this one pot meal dish and take your tastebuds on an interesting ride...!!!

This hearty and wholesome one pot meal dish is loaded with garden fresh veggies, vinegar, dark soy sauce and assorted spices. Flavored with the aroma of cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf, this is an extremely delicious recipe for rice lovers and a simple satisfying meal for a lunch, dinner or any kind of occasion!

Vegetable fried rice is a Chinese dish of cooked rice, mixed with vegetables, sauces and spices that has been stir fried in a frying pan. It's one of the most popular Chinese dishes, consumed mainly in Asia and Middle East regions. It's often served as a complete dish or can also be enjoyed with fresh yogurt, salad or your favorite curry!!

Fried rice are mostly prepared with the leftover rice but can also be prepared with the freshly cooked rice. It's a complete dish on it's own and is just like what you get at your favorite Chinese restaurant. I love eating vegetable fried rice. It's absolutely one of my favorite things to eat. It's easy to prepare and a great recipe to use up the leftovers!!

It's a simple delicious meal made from white rice. I have worked with aged good quality basmati rice. You can use any type of white rice in the dish. I have used freshly cooked rice but it's advisable to use the leftover rice because there is more moisture in the freshly cooked rice whereas the leftover rice are little more dried and are easy to work with.

It's versatile meal. I always try to make it differently, depending on what is available at my home. You can add your favorite veggies and your favorite stir-fry sauces. Spices like cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf can be avoided. You can make it according to your taste and requirements.

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

VEGETABLE FRIED RICE

Cooking time of Basmati Rice - 
Soaking time : 30 minutes               
Boiling time : 10-12 minutes
Resting time : 30 minutes

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4 people
Author : The Food Root


INGREDIENTS
200 grams or 2 cups Basmati Rice
4 cups - water
1 tablespoon - salt
2 tablespoon - oil
1/2 teaspoon - crushed cumin seeds (jeera)
1 - green cardamom (choti elaichi)
1- bay leaf (tez patte)
3-4 cloves (lavang)
1/2 inch - cinnamon (dalchini)
1/2 teaspoon - crushed cumin seeds
1 inch long - ginger, grated
5-6 - garlic cloves, chopped
1 - onion, chopped
1/2 cup - beans, chopped
1 - carrot, chopped
1- potato, chopped
3/4 cup - cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup - green peas
2 - green chillis, chopped
1/2 teaspoon - red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon - garam masala
1/2 teaspoon of salt or as per taste
4-5 cashews, chopped (optional)
5-6 raisins (optional)
1 tablespoon - soy sauce
1 tablespoon - vinegar
chopped coriander leaves


METHOD
1. Rinse the basmati rice with cold water and soak it for about 30 minutes.

2. Next, cover a saucepan with a lid to bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add 2 cups of basmati rice, followed by 1 tablespoon of salt and loosely cover the pan. Reduce the heat and cook the rice for about 10-12 minutes. Don't overcook it. Stir it once and turn off the flame. Let the rice sit for about 5-7 minutes. Drain the rice using a colander or a strainer let it cool for sometime.

3. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add crushed cumin seeds, cardamom, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon. Wait till they crackle. Then add grated ginger, chopped garlic and a chopped onion. Sauté it on a lower flame till it turns golden brown.

4. Add peas and the other chopped veggies (beans, carrot, potato, cauliflower) in the frying pan and stir it for 2-3 minutes on a high flame. Mix it well.

5. Cover the lid and let the mixture cook for 7-8 minutes on a lower medium flame. Stir it occasionally. The vegetables should be tender yet still have a crunch

6. Next, add chopped green chillis followed by the spices - red chili powder, garam masala and salt and stir it well.

7. Then, sprinkle some cashews and raisins in the mixture. Stir it gently on a low flame.

8. Next, add the cooked rice in the pan, toss it with vegetables and continue to mix together for 3-4 minutes on a medium flame. Make sure to check nothing is sticking to the bottom.

9. Pour in some soy sauce and vinegar and toss to combine. Turn off the flame and remove it.

10. Now, transfer the vegetable fried rice to a serving bowl and garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.

11. Serve them as a complete dish or enjoy it with fresh yogurt, salad or your favorite curry!!


NOTES
1. Soak basmati rice or any type of white rice for 30-40 minutes.

2. I have used freshly cooked rice but it's advisable to use the leftover rice because there is more moisture in the freshly cooked rice whereas the leftover rice are little more dried and are easy to work with.

3. Do not overcook the rice.

4. This recipe works best with aged good quality basmati rice.

5. You can add your favorite veggies and your favorite stir-fry sauces.

6. Spices like cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf can be avoided. You can make it according to your taste and requirements.