Szechuan Style Vegetable Hakka Noodles

Ingredients:

Noodles-200gms
Chilly Oil-5 tbsp (recipe follows)
Cabbage -1/2 cup, shredded
Beans-1/4 cup, shredded
Carrot-1/2 cup, shredded
Spring Onions-1 cup, chopped
Garlic-1/2 tbsp, chopped
Capscium-1, finely shredded
Celeary-1 stem, sliced
Oil-5 tbsp
Dry red chillies-4, broken into 1”pieces
Soya sauce-1 tbsp
Tomato sauce-1 tbsp
Vinegar-1 tbsp
Chilly sauce-1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Pinch of pepper
Ajinomoto- ½ tsp (optional)



Method:

• Boil a liter of water in a large sauce pan and add salt. Add noodles to the boiling water and cook till ¾ done, drain. Run cold water through the noodles to rinse off excess starch. Drain thoroughly and sprinkle 1 tbsp oil and toss well.
• Heat the chilly oil and fry the noodles lightly for 5 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
• Heat 5 tbsp oil and fry the red chillies until light brown. Add garlic and fry for 2 seconds and then add spring onions and stir fry for 2 minutes. Then add all the vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add noodles, sprinkle soya sauce, tomato sauce, vinegar, chilly sauce, salt, pepper and ajinomoto. Mix well. Remove to a serving plate and serve hot with any Chinese side dish.

Chilly Oil
Ingredients:

2 cups refined groundnut oil (I used Sunflower oil)
1” piece ginger crushed
4 tbsp red chilly powder

Method:

• Heat the oil and do not let it smoke.
• Add the crushed ginger. Remove from fire.
• Add the chilly powder and keep aside to cool.
• Strain oil through a thick cloth. The oil should be red in colour. Store in a bottle. This oil can be stored for a month at room temperature.
  

Sweet Cream Puffs / Profiterole

Sweet Cream Puffs / Profiterole

To make Pâte à choux (Choux pastry) / Puffs
Ingredients:
Water-1/2 cup
Butter-1/4 cup
All purpose flour/ Maida-1/2 cup
Eggs-2 nos
Salt- a pinch
Sugar-1/2 tbsp


Method:

• In a pan, heat water, sugar, butter, salt and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and add flour.
• Return to heat and stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat.
• Slowly add a lightly beaten egg and mix well.
• Add the second egg in the same way and mix till the mixture becomes greasy.
• Pour in spoonfuls on to a baking tray & bake in a preheated oven till puffs are crisp.
• Remove, prick on top and keep aside.

For the Sweet Cream
Sugar-2 tbsp
Cream-1/2 cup
Vanilla essence- a pinch
Lemon juice-a few drops

• Mix in the cream & sugar and add vanilla and lemon juice. Fill the puffs with cream.

For the Chocolate Sauce:
Cocoa powder- ½ cup
Powdered sugar-1 cup
Water-1/4 cup

• Mix cocoa powder, powdered sugar and water in a small pan and boil stirring continuously till thick. Pour this chocolate sauce on puffs.

Palada Prathaman ~ Happy Onam!!!

Hi All, I am back after a month long vacation in Kerala. We had a great vacation, the best part of which was staying in our new home. Had the opportunity to meet all our family members and friends whom I had not seen for years. Enjoyed each and every moments spent with them... I am thankful to all my readers who visited my blog during my absence. I will revert as soon as possible to those who left comments and queries…..

Today to celebrate Onam I made this Palada Prathaman which is really easy to make and very tasty too. I used store bought Ada to make the Prathaman. Hope you all will try this at home. Our Onashamsakal to everyone!!




Palada Prathaman Serves-2-3
Ingredients:
Ada -50gms
Milk- 3 ½ cups
Sugar-3/4 cup or to taste
Cardamom, powdered-1/4 tsp
Butter-1/2 tsp



Method:

• Wash Ada, drain and soak Ada in boiied water in a covered vessel for 20 minutes. Wash the soaked Ada with cold water 2 to 3 times.
• Boil 3 ½ cups of milk with ½ cup of water.
• Add soaked and washed Ada while milk is boiling.
• Keep stirring till the Ada is well cooked and becomes very soft in touch.
• Add sugar and continue stirring on low flame till Palada Prathaman is reduced to 3 cups and the colour changes to pink from milk white.
• Remove from fire. Stir for another 10 minutes.
• Add powdered cardamom and butter.
• Garnish with golden fried cashew nuts (optional).
• Serve hot or cold.