Vegetable Noodles Recipe - Indo Chinese Veg Noodles Recipe

TH loves noodles and I am always met with "let's make vegetable noodles" when I say I am too tired to cook. Instant noodles is his first preference - he's magically attracted to unhealthy stuff as a rule - and I usually spruce up instant noodles by adding some vegetables to it like this instant noodles with vegetables recipe.

One weekend recently, I made this gorgeous sesame tofu and decided to make some vegetable noodles to go with it. Not the instant version but the popular Indian Chinese vegetable noodles that Indians love!

The only time-consuming part of this recipe is julienning the vegetables. I have a handy slicer that does the job beautifully, especially on vegetables like carrots and potatoes so I used it to get the thin long strips (picture below). You can very well use a sharp knife and get the job done easily too.

INDO CHINESE VEGETABLE NOODLES RECIPE

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of dry noodles (2 packs if you decide to use Maggi)
• 3 cups of mixed vegetables, julienned (use carrots, capsicum or bell pepper, beans, cabbage, and onion)
• 1 tsp of minced ginger
• 1 tsp of minced garlic
• 1 tsp of green chilli sauce
• 1/2 tsp of soya sauce
• 2 tsp of tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil (I use Indian sesame oil and it works well)
• 2 tbsp of chopped spring onions, for garnish
• 1 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper

How to Make Indo Chinese Veg Noodles:

1. Cut the vegetables and keep ready.

2. Cook the noodles as per packet instructions. Usually, I add it to enough boiling water to cover it, with a pinch of salt and a few drops of oil. Drain the noodles and keep ready.

3. Heat oil and add the ginger and garlic. Saute until they turn fragrant and light brown in colour.

4. Add the vegetables and turn up the heat. Stir-fry continuously until they start to soften. Reduce heat and cook further until the vegetables are softer, still remain crunchy and retain their colour.

5. Add the chilli sauce, ketchup, and soya sauce. Saute for a few mins until the vegetables are cooked a bit further

6. Add the noodles and toss well to coat completely. Top off with pepper powder and some salt if required.

7. Garnish with the spring onions.

Notes:

• Always serve noodles hot and immediately after making. Any Indo-Chinese side dish will work well with noodles. Here's a list of recipes you can use as side dish for vegetable noodles.
• You can add a pinch of sugar along with the vegetables while cooking them. I didn't since ketchup tends to be sweet already
• You can add other ingredients like bean sprouts and tofu / chicken / prawns in the noodles to give it a different twist

Carrot Beetroot Stir Fry - Carrot Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti Recipe

This carrot beetroot stir fry or mezhukkupuratti is from my childhood. I loved beetroot even as a child and preferred mezhukkupuratti (a Kerala-style stir-fry of vegetables with no coconut and very minimum spices), beans mezhukkupuratti being an all-time favourite. Amma and her mom made this carrot beetroot combination often and it goes great with sambar or any coconut-based gravy like tomato kuzhambu.

Since both carrots and beets take time to cook, slicing the vegetables thin and and in uniform sizes is key here. This is one of those vegetable side dishes that you can leave on a low flame to cook and go about making the rest of your meal. A simple stir fry with fresh vegetables - very few things come close to this when you are making an easy meal for your family.

CARROT BEETROOT STIR FRY

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of beetroot, sliced into thin squares
• 1 cup of carrot, sliced into thin squares
• 3 shallots or pearl onions
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (adjust depending on size)
• 1/2 tsp of chilli powder
• 2 tbsp of oil
• A few curry leaves (optional)

How to Make Carrot Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti:

1. Slice the vegetables thin and crush the shallots and garlic together in a mortar and pestle or grind coarsely in a small mixer.

2. Heat the oil in a wide pan and add the vegetables and some salt. Let it roast on a low flame, stirring often.

3. It took me around 15 mins for the vegetables to be almost done. At this stage, add the crushed shallots and garlic, chilli powder, and the curry leaves (if using).

4. Continue to stir-fry until the vegetables are cooked soft. Remove and serve hot.

This carrot beetroot stir fry uses no spices beyond the chillies and that's the beauty of its simplicity. Serve with rice and sambar or kuzhambu for a perfect meal.

Maida Puri Recipe - Poori or Luchi with Maida - Step by Step

Maida Puri, as the name suggests, is Poori made with Maida or plain flour instead of the usual atta or whole wheat flour. The taste and texture differ quite a bit and maida puri is best served hot with a spicy curry whereas regular puris make great tiffin box items and taste great even with a spoonful of sugar. To me, these maida puris are a great instant bhatura since bhatura dough takes some time to ferment before you can make them. The taste is obviously not the same but Maida Puri will work as a substitute in a pinch if I am in a hurry.

Last weekend, I had this sudden urge to make the Bengali-style puris or luchi and did some research for a good recipe. Turns out it's very similar to the maida puri I made a couple months back except that I had added some rava or semolina to mine and luchi doesn't necessarily have that.

Maida Puri and Chana Masala

In any case, I don't claim any authenticity to this recipe so if you are a staunch Bengali food lover, please don't yell.

MAIDA PURI RECIPE

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes 10 puris

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of maida or plain flour
• 2 tbsp of rava or semolina
• 3 tbsp of curd or plain yogurt (optional)
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of oil, for the dough
• 2-3 cups of oil, for deep frying

How to Make Maida Puri:

1. Mix all the ingredients together except the oils.

2. Add water a little at a time and knead into a soft and pliable dough. Don't over-work the dough, just knead enough to bring it all together. Add the 1 tsp oil to the bowl and turn the dough to coat it well. I used my Kitchenaid to make the dough.

3, Keep covered for 10-15 mins.

4. Pinch off a lemon-sized ball of dough, form a ball between your palms, dust generously wtih flour, and roll into a circle of about 3" diameter and 1/4" thickness.

5. As you work on the puris, heat the oil for deep frying until it just begins to smoke.

6. Once all the puris are rolled out and the oil is has heated up, drop each gently into the oil. Using a slotted spoon, make sure the puri is dunked into the oil well for frying.

It will puff up completely in about 5-8 seconds.

7. Turn it to cook the other side.

Maida puris won't turn very golden or brown like regular puris and bhatura do so once both sides have been fried for 5-8 seconds after puffing, you can drain and set them aside. Repeat with the rest of the rolled puris.

Serve immediately with any spicy bhaji like chana masala, potato masala, or vegetable kurma.

Notes:

1. Serve hot, otherwise the puris turn a bit rubbery and hard
2. The semolina helps the puris puff up and stay crisp for longer. I added curd to give them more of a bhatura taste, it's purely optional

Featured Props:
Ikea 365+ Side Plate
Steel katori from the 1970s that belonged to my grandfather
The kadai is a Hawkins anodised deep fry pan

Blueberry Lemonade Recipe - Guest post for my Sister's Spicy Chilly

I have a sister. She has a food blog too and it's been in neglect for a while so I am hoping to revive it for a bit with this gorgeous blueberry lemonade I made over the weekend. I am usually at a loss on what to make with blueberries after adding using them in blueberry streusel muffins, eggless pancakes, and blueberry coulis. Well, drinks and juices, of course! I had initially planned a strawberry lemonade for her but couldn't find strawberries that were pretty enough. I didn't want to drop the idea of making a lemonade so instead picked up these gorgeous blueberries instead.

I had a pretty busy weekend with quite a lot of cooking, slicing vegetables for the coming week, visiting family and new born babies, dinners with friends, a movie (Star Trek - it's good, go watch), trying out a new restaurant, you know, packing life into 2 days! So this drink was photographed in a hurry under an overcast sky. Nevertheless, Singapore is hot and humid this time of the year whether it's raining or shining so it's always a perfect time to enjoy some lemonade.

Blueberry lemonade has a lovely texture and has a nice sweetness from the berries and tartness from the lemon. You can help it along by adding some honey or sugar, especially if the berries are not sweet enough. I did add some raw sugar to my lemonade. Some ice cubes would have been nice but I didn't have any ready so I just made do. Use chilled water if you don't have ice cubes, or better yet, make sure you have some in hand before you start making it! 

Have I rambled enough? Over to my sister's lovely blog for the Blueberry Lemonade Recipe.