VEGETABLE NOODLES !!! STEPWISE DETAILED POST

Hope everyone had wonderful weekend !!! Vegetable Noodles almost every one's favorite which I am posting today is little different from other posts. Yes I am posting it with stepwise pictures.  I am not much interested in posting step pictures, it does not mean that I don't like it ..I love to do so.  Sure it will be helpful for others.  But more than that I love to play with food styling and photography.  So if I want to concentrate in both step pictures and styling it is surely time consuming process.  Since some friends requested for step pictures for few dishes.   I am going post stepwise only for those dishes.  Ok coming to the recipe I always use ching's Noodles particularly for making vegetable noodles and chopsuey.  Always my fridge will be filled with few ching's sauces like Dark soy, chilli vinegar, Green chilli sauce. This Noodles and sauces are my very very favorite one  and I am using this for so many years and always keep them in stock :)

The most important thing while making this noodles is the vegetable should be Julienned evenly it should not be so thin or so thick.  Sauteing the vegetable plays important role..Don't over fry it.  It should be crisp and the color should not be changed in the end product. Adding Ajinomoto is absolutely optional.  It enhances the taste as well as maintain the color of the veggies.  But I did not add.  Here comes the recipe...

VEGETABLE NOODLES

Ingredients :
Noodles - 1 packet (Egg/Vegetarian)
Water - 6 to 7 cups

Vegetables :

Carrot - 1 big Julienned
Beans - 10 Julienned
Cabbage - 1/2 cup Julienned
Capsicum - 1 medium size Julienned
Celery - 1 stalk Julienned ( absolutely optional but this gives wonderful flavor and aroma)
White onion - 1/2 sliced
Spring onion - 2 stalk sliced

Sauce and spices :

Dark soy sauce- 1 to 2 tsp
Green chilli sauce - 1/2 tsp (If u don't have green chilli sauce increase the amount of pepper powder)
Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Ajinamoto - 1/4 tsp ( optional)
White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed
Garlic  - 1 tbsp ( very finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 tbsp (very finely chopped)
Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp

Garnish using spring onion .

Method :

1.  Cook the noodles in the big pot of boiling water by adding tsp of salt and tsp of oil.
2. Check a noodle by pinching .  If it is hard let it cook for few more minutes.  This will take atleast 6 minutes.
3. Now pour this in the colander.  Show this in the running tap water to remove all the starch. So that they will not stick with each other.

4.  While doing this parallely heat oil in the wok.
5. Add the crushed garlic and follow adding veggies in this way.
6. First add beans, saute for 2 seconds, followed with carrot and onion saute for few seconds.  Keep the flame in high till you finish everything.

7. Now add celery, saute for a second, followed by Capsicum and Cabbage give a nice toss.  If you want to add Ajinomoto add in this stage.

8. Add the cooked noodles, Soy sauce, Vinegar.

9. Add Green chilli sauce, salt and 2 pepper powders.

10.  Now toss it in high flame until everything mixed well and  really hot.
12. Switch off the flame and garnish with the spring onion. 

Serve piping hot  with Green chilli sauce or pickled Green chillies.

Note:

1. Always keep the flame in high from start to end.  Once everything is ready it just takes 5 to 6 minutes for the whole process. So keep an eye in the wok as we are doing the whole thing in high flame.
2. You can always increase the sauce and pepper powder to your taste and spice level. 

Enjoy tasty and delicious hot hot Noodles !!!

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SZECHUAN CAPSICUM RICE

Its spring here already, weather is so beautiful. And we are enjoying the weather. Like weather, making food very colorful is also real treat for eyes and good for health too. I planned to do szechuan fried rice, since so many colors of capsicum was there I made the szechuan capsicum rice which tasted so good, as the sweetness of capsicum balanced with spicy szechuan sauce resulted with yummy rice. So here is colorful treats....

SZECHUAN CAPSICUM RICE

Ingredients :

Basmati Rice - 1 cup cooked

Capsicum - All colors 1 cup

Onion - 1/4 cup

Celery - 1 stalk chopped (reserve few in this for sauce)

Spring onion - finely chopped 2 sprigs (reserve white part few for sauce )

Red chilli broken - 2

Salt for taste

White pepper powder - just for taste

For Szechuan Sauce :

Vinegar - 1/2  tsp

Garlic - 2 pod

Red chilli - 2

Shallots - 1 finely chopped

Ginger - 1/4 inch
Tomato ketchup - 1 tsp
Soya sauce - 1/2 tsp
Chilli sauce - 1/4 tsp (store bought, its optional)
Spring onion -  1 white part
Ajinomoto - pinch (absolutely optional, I did not add though) 
Oil - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1/4 tsp 
Salt as needed 

Method to make Sauce :

1.  Soak the Red chill in hot water for some time.  Then make a paste with other ingredients except spring onion, ginger,  garlic.
2.  Heat oil in a pan add the spring onion white part, ginger, garlic.  Add the ground paste saute till it oozes oil.  Remove and keep it aside in a bowl.

For rice :

1. Heat oil in the pan and the broken redchilli, followed by onion, celery and capsicum giving slight toss. Make sure to have the high flame.

2. Slightly saute so that the veggies has to be cooked but should be crunchy and color is not changed.

3. Now add the rice, szechuan sauce (add according to your spice level), salt and pepper. Give nice toss in high flame.

4. Once everything is blended well add spring onion for garnishing.

Hot and spicy szechuan rice is ready to eat !!!!!!

Note :

Adjust the spice according to your taste.

The texture of the vegetables is very important for taste. So make sure it is cooked but crunchy.

Tip :

1. Instead of capsicums substitute with vegetables like carrot, cabbage and peas.

2. For making more healthy add the sprouts too.

3. Add scrambled egg, paneer, mushrooms along with veggies for mixed vegetable szechuan rice.

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RESTAURANT STYLE CHINESE FRIED RICE !

Fried rice almost every ones favorite . Whenever we go to Chinese restaurant, Thai or any Indo Chinese restaurant this is one of the dish we used to order. Fried rice with any manchurian is perfect match, can say as made for each other hah!!!. Here goes the recipe.



Ingredients :

Basmathi rice - 1 cup ( cooked)
Carrots - 1/2 cup ( Finely chopped or julienne)
Beans - 1/4 cup  ( Finely chopped or julienne)
Capsicum - 1/4 cup ( Finely chopped or julienne)
Green peas - 2 tbsp (optional)

Cabbage -  1 cup ( finely sliced)
Celery - 1 stalk finely chopped (optional)
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Soya sauce - 1 1/2  tsp
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
White pepper powder - 1 tsp (Adjust according to your preference)
Spring onion - slice and seperate both green and white part
Ajinomoto - 1/4 tsp optional(I rarely use it)
Egg - 2 (scrambled adding salt to it)(optional)
Oil and salt as required



Method :

1. Heat oil in a wok or kadai, add the beans followed by other veggies saute slightly in high flame. If using ajinomoto add at this stage.
2. Do not overcook the vegetables.  Now add the celery, capsicum and white part of onion.
3. Add the rice followed by salt, pepper, sauce, vinegar, scrambled egg.
4. Toss well so that everything has to be blended well garnish with springonion.
5. Serve piping hot with hot chilli sauce, pickled chilli or manchurian.

You can find the Gobi Manchurian recipe here.




Note :


1. Always cook the vegetable in high flame.
2. Do not over cook the vegetables.
3. Green beans and green peas are absolutely optional.
4. Cabbage and capsicum is a must in fried rice.  
5. Adding scrambled egg is optional.
6. If you do not have white pepper powder , just substitute with the black pepper powder itself.  White pepper powder enhances the taste.

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GOBI MANCHURIAN

We had potluck party last week and this was the dish I made for the party. Gobi manchurian everyone favourite dish in which sweet little cauliflower are dipped in the batter and takes oil bath and dressed with yummy sauce. Who dont love this.... here is the recipe how I prepare.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1

Ginger + Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Salt - As required

Pepper - 2 tsp

Cornflour - 1/4 cup

All purpose flour - 1/4 cup

Oil for deep frying.

Making sauce :

Garlic - 3 pods chopped very finely

Green chilli - 2 finely chopped

Soya sauce - 1 1/2 tbsp

Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp

Chilli sauce - 1/2 tbsp

Vinegar - 1/2 tbsp

Cornflour - 1/2 tbsp

Water for mixing cornflour

Salt - as required

For Second frying :

Onions - 1 chopped as large cubes

Capsicum - 1 cubed

Ginger - 1 inch finely chopped

Garlic - 3 pods chopped finely

White pepper - just for taste 1 tsp

Method :

1. Seperate cauliflower into medium sized pieces wash and drain.

2. Now mix cornflour, allpurpose flower, ginger+garlic paste salt and pepper with water thicker then dosa batter.

3. Now add the florets in the batter so that they should be well coated. If it is still loose dust again with cornflour.

4. Heat oil for deep frying pan. When oil is ready deep fry them till crisp and drain it in the tissue.

5. Now cauliflower are ready.

Making sauce :

1. Mix all the sauces in a bowl.

2. In frying pan heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the chopped garlic and green chilli.

3. Add the sauces and vinegar saute well.

4. Now mix the cornflour, water and make a paste.

5. Add it to sauce and mix well so that cornflour changes to transparent colour.

6. Keep it aside.

For Second fry :

1. In a wok heat a tbsp of oil and fry chopped ginger and garlic slightly.

2. Now add the chopped onion saute until they are half done, add capsicum saute lightly.

3. Add the prepared sauce and deep fried florets mix well and give a good toss.

4. Sprinkle white pepper powder just for taste and garnish with spring onions.

5. Serve hot with fried rice, noodles or as an appetizer.

Note :

1. If you want to make as an dry manchurian omit the 4 and 5 th step in making

sauce.

2. Mix the sauce and florets only at the time of serving otherwise they becomes soggy.

3. When I prepared for potluck I made sauce and deep fried florets ahead of time.

4. Just before serving I reheated the florets in the oven until crisp and I did the remaining process.

5. Cauliflower can be substituted by mushroom, Vegetable balls, Chicken, paneer, babycorn.

6. Cornflour and water mixture can be adjusted accordingly for making sauce. Depends on how we need it like dry or saucy.

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CHOPSUEY

Chopsuey is a chinese dish. Most of the restaurants in India they have two types of chopsuey one is American chopsuey which is served as deep fried noodles with tomato based sauce and Chinese chopsuey which is soya based sauce served with deep fried noodles. Both are fusion because they prepare according to our taste buds. Here I am giving the recipe for American chopsuey. Which I wanted to share with you all. So give a try. Please feel free to drop your suggestions.

Ingredients :

Egg noodles - 1 packet

For sauce :

Onions - 1

Capsicum - 1

Carrot -1

Cabbage - few

Ginger and garlic grated - 1 tsp

Tomato sauce - 5 tbsp

Vinegar - 1 tsp

Soya sauce - 1 tsp

Salt and pepper - as required.

Cornflour 1 tbsp mixed with water

Spring onion - chopped finely for garnishing

Topped with egg omelette while serving.

Method :

Half cook noodles in big pot of hot water and drain well until it is dry. In hot oil deep fry the
noodles in batches. Drain it in a tissue then store it in a airtight container. You can do this process ahead of one day if you feel them complicated.


For making sauce :


In a frying pan add onions then garlic ginger, now add carrot saute for few minutes, add capsicum and cabbage, then all the sauce pepper and salt. Now add a cup water and when it comes to boil add the cornflour mixture.The sauce starts to thicken. If they do not thicken just add some more cornflour mixture.Now in the serving plate crush fried noodles pour the hot sauce over it garnish with spring onion and top with egg omelette or scrabbled eggs .Serve this piping hot.


Note:
Pour the sauce only when you serve, otherwise noodles becomes soggy. With vegetables you can add sliced mushroom too.Do not saute the vegetables for long time it should be crunchy and do this in high flame.

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