ChowMein Noodles / Lo Mein Noodles

 

Chow mein (/ˈtʃaʊ ˈmeɪn/) are stir-fried noodles, the name being an English language corruption of the Taishanese chāu-mèing. The dish is popular throughout the Chinese diaspora where it will appear on the menu of Chinese restaurants. It is particularly popular in the United States and Britain It is commonly known as Loomein here in USA.

 

Here is my quick and easy version of homemade Chinese noodles for you.

Ingredients

1. 2 cup of dry egg noodles or dry spaghetti pasta par boiled.(al dente)

2. Green Beans (1 cup sliced in two parts)

3. Red Bell peppers (½ cup sliced) or choose any color

4. Mushrooms (1/2 cup sliced)

5. Red Onions (1/2 cup sliced)

6. 2 tbsp of garlic and ginger chopped finely

7. 2 tbsp of olive oil

8. 2 tbsp of red chili flakes

9. Dark Soy Sauce( opt for low sodium)

10. Vinegar

11. Scallions/ Green onion for garnishing

12. Water

Directions

1. Blanch the beans in hot boiling water for 3-5 minutes and then take them out and put in ice cold water. This way beans will be still crunchy but not raw and still maintain green color.

2. Heat the wok on medium heat add oil.

3. Add ginger and garlic with red chili flakes, let them be light pink and add all veggies one by one.

4. Sauté the vegetables for 5-6 minutes, do not stir them just shake your wok to turn them around.

5. At this point of time, if you want to add an egg you can add it now, but if you want vegetarian version just add boiled noodles.

6. Stir the noodles with tongs. Let them get some color.

7. Now when the noodle are ready add 1 tbsp of vinegar and 2 tbsp of soy sauce and mix it well.

8. Let them cook till soy sauce evaporates and then add little bit salt if required.

9. Serve hot and garnish with scallions.

Chowmein/Loomein are everyone’s favorite now you can make them home instead of eating outside and eating high calories food and destroying your health.

New Blog announcement –Fashion and Beauty Blog

After a successful food blog, thanks to my subscribers and followers, I recently started my new blog, where I share my other passion for life which is Fashion and Beauty related stuff.
It is called “Color Me- Be Extraordinary and its address is http://colormechitra.blogspot.com/
On this blog I have been sharing my passion for food  and I will continue to do that along with my new blog http://colormechitra.blogspot.com/.
I hope you will like my new blog as you liked this food blog and keep on supporting me like this on both the blogs. Please share this with friends and family so that they can also enjoy what I share on my Blogs.


-xoxo Chitra

Tip of the Day

 

This tip is very useful for Indian people living in US or any other foreign country, and they have Coil burners on their Stoves and like poof up roti / chapatti.

As an Indian, it has been really great living in US, but whenever I use to cook Indian bread (roti/chapatti) I was very frustrated when I had coil burners.in my kitchen stove and I cannot get poof up chapatti and we in our family love poof roti’s..

So I did some research and some time back and got to know that there is a very useful thing for us available in Indian stores. It is called as Wire Mesh and it is usually between $5- $7. These mesh tools are usually in that aisle where all tools and appliances are sold for your kitchen or you can always order online too. I don’t know why I never noticed this before but its never too late.

I was very skeptical buying it first, but then I just thought to give it a try as it is very inexpensive tool for kitchen. I don’t know if you guys have ever seen this or not, but this is usually to broil eggplants in Indian homes where ovens are not available.

So I have been using this since some months, and I am really happy about this. It saves my time and energy making chapatti’s. I think you should definitely try this, it will save your energy and enjoy poof up roti’s

So the steps are just to make your bread/chapatti on normal tawa or griddle and then transfer them to the wire mesh for poof up like shown in picture, just remember to put the wire mesh on rear burner and keep it on high. Use the tings to flip the chapatti and cook on both sides like shown.

 

-Thanks Chitra

Pau Bhaji

 

A dish which everyone loves to eat outside. But now you can make it  this at home very easily and it will be much more nutritious and hygenic.

 

    

Ingredients

1. Two fresh medium diced tomatoes

2. One small boiled potato (mashed)

3. 1 cup of chopped green beans, carrots, bell pepper and peas.

4. One big Onion (chopped)

5. Three cloves of garlic ( minced)

6. 4 tsp. of Pau Bhaji Masala (MDH recommended)

7. 1 tsp. of Red chili powder

8. Salt to taste

9. 2 green chilies (chopped)

10. 3 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil/Vegetable Oil

11. 2 tsp. butter

12. 2 cups of water.

13. 10 buns cut in half with butter on one side. (2 whole buns for family of four)

Directions

1. Puree Tomatoes and keep it aside.

2. Heat Oil in non stick pan and throw mix veggies inside the pan.

3. When veggies are turning light golden brown add tomato puree and stir till oil leaves sides of the pan.

4. Simmer to medium low and add mashed Potatoes.

5. Stir and close the lid let it simmer for five minutes till we prepare the masala to go in this pan. (You must close the lid, as soon as the potatoes are added tomatoes puree will be bubbling up and will make your stove top dirty).

6. Take another small non stick skillet / pan and heat 2tsp. of butter or Oil

7. Add minced garlic and green chilies and onions.

8. Add Salt, Red Chili Powder and add Paubhaji masala and add one tsp of Tomato puree from another pan.

9. Now add this garlic masala to main pan.

10. Add two cups of water.

11. Let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 mins till color is red-orange.

12. Till the Bhaji is ready heat the bread buns and chop one onion for garnish.

13. Now serve it hot to your family their favorite dish from your kitchen. I am sure they will ask for more.

-Enjoy Chitra

Parwal Two Ways (Pointed Gourd Plant) Parwal Aloo Ki Sabzi and Chatpate Parwal

 

Parwal is also known as Trichosanthes dioica is also known as the pointed gourd, parwal/parval (from Hindi), or potol (from Assamese, Oriya or Bengali (পটল) pôţol) "Paror" in Maithili, "Parol" in Magahi and "Parwal" in Bhojpuri, Urdu and Awadhi. Colloquially, in India, it is often called green potato. It is widely cultivated in the eastern and some northern part of India, particularly in Odisha, Bengal, Assam, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. It is a good source of carbohydrates, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It also contains major nutrients and trace elements (magnesium, potassium, copper, sulfur, and chlorine) which are needed in small quantities, for playing essential roles in human physiology.

Parwal Aloo Ki Sabzi

 

Ingredients

1. 250 gms of Parwal

2. 2 small Potatoes

3. 1 tsp of coriander seeds

4. 1 tsp of zeera / cuminsseds

5. Salt and red chili powder to taste

6. 1 tsp of red chili powder

7. Pinch of Hing

8. 1 tsp of turmeric powder

9. 1 tsp of coriander powder

10. Oil and ½ cup of water

11. 1 tbsp of Ginger

 

Directions

1. Wash, and peel the Parwal, as some of them will have really hard skin. If they are really fresh, you don’t have to peel them.

2. Heat Oil in nonstick pan.

3. Add ginger, coriander and cumin seeds.

4. When it turns little pink add all dry spices except Hing.

5. Now add Potatoes and Parwal.

6. Keep on sautéing as they are little brown

7. Add hing and water and stir.

8. Cook at low heat till they are soft will take around 15 minutes.

9. Serve hot with fresh hot roti or rice.

 

Chatpate Parwal

 

 

Ingredients

1. 250 gms of Parwal

2. 1 big onion sliced thinly

3. Salt to taste

4. Oil

5. 1 tbsp of amchoor powder

6. 1 ½ tsp of turmeric powder

7. 1 tbsp of red chili powder

8. 1 tsp of coriander powder

9. 1 ½ tsp of cumin powder

10. 1 tsp of anardana powder

11. 1 tsp of fennel (sauf) powder

 

Directions

1. Was and peel the parwal, and cut them in half.

2. Mix all dry spices together in a bowl.

3. Put all the parwal in a mixing bowl with mixture of spices. Shake it well, and let it sit for 30 minutes altleast.

4. Heat a nonstick pan with 2 tbsp of oil. When the oil is really hot drop in the parwal one by one. When they turn little bit brown and crispy turn eth other side with spatula.

5. Remove the parwal and then add onions sauté them for 5 minutes with salt and red chili powder, and add Parwal again.

6. Cook it for 8-10 minutes with low heat and close lid.

7. Serve hot with ice or roti, or parantha.

 

So here are two easy ways to prepare Parwal, you can do many other ways. If I will try something I will definitely share the recipe with you.

 

-Enjoy Chitra

Valentine’s Day Special Chocolate and Hazelnut Cookies

 

I recently saw lots of recipes for Nutella cookies, which I absolutely love, but this time I picked up new Hershey’s Spread (chocolate and hazelnut flavor), so I thought why not try this recipe with a new ingredient.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup of Flour

2. 1 cup of Hershey’s spreads chocolate hazelnut (can use Nutella)

3. 1 Egg

4. Pinch of Salt

5. ¼ cup of M&M of your choice (I used Peanut)

6. 1 tbsp. of Thick yoghurt

7. 2 tbsp. of sugar

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven for 350 degrees F.

2. Crush the M&M with help of any heavy spoon or kitchen tool. I used Peanut M&M as my valentine loves this one. You can use any M&M you want.

3. Mix all the dry ingredients first, Flour, crushed M&M , pinch of salt and sugar.

4. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl, egg, yoghurt and Hershey’s spread (main ingredient), you can use Nutella also.

5. Whisk together well and then mix the dry and wet ingredients well.

6. Make your cookie sheet ready with parchment paper or foil paper.

7. Bake them for 8-10 minutes, depending on your oven.

Viola ! your delicious , sumptuous cookies are ready for your date night with your special someone.

Psst.. If you don’t have anyone for your valentines, make it for yourself and share with your friends and family and celebrate your day. You will soon get onesweet like this.

Please let me know if you try this and share this recipe with your friends and family.

-xoxo Chitra