Pudina/Mint Pulao#PotluckParty

Mint Pulao is a healthy rice recipe which can be prepared within minutes and it's so fragrant, spicy and delicious. Pudina' in Engilsh is Mint. A perfect main course dish which can be had as a complete meal. This can be prepared with leftover boiled rice too.

Ingredients
2 Cups Basmati Rice - soaked
4 - 5 Green chilies - chopped
1½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
½ Cup Packed Mint
½ Cup Coriander Leaves
1 Tablespoon Level Ginger Garlic paste
¼ Cup Oil
2 Tablespoons Desi Ghee
A Sprig Curry Leaves
Mixed Whole Spices
4 Green Cardamoms
4 Cloves
1" Piece Cinnamon
1 Bay leaf
For Garnishing
2 Tablespoons Brista/Fried Onions
1 Carrot - caramelized
1 Large Potato - cut into wedges & deep fried
2 Hard Boiled Eggs - cut into wedges - optional

Method

Boil the rice with the whole spices , salt till done but the grains should be firm. Strain the rice in a colander and let it cool a little
Grind the green chillies, ginger garlic paste, coriander and mint leaves to a fine paste with a tablespoon of oil, add water if necessary , only a tablespoon or two ( when you add oil whiles grinding the mint and coriander will not turn black/oxides) .
In a wok heat oil and ghee, then add curry leaves then the ground paste and fry for a minute or two, add the vegetable stock cube and ¼ cup water, mix well and bring this to a boil. Add the boiled rice and toss, till all the masala is coats the rice well. 

Cover and reduce the flame to low, let this cook on low flame for 5 minutes or till the rice is nicely heated. Serve garnished with fried onions, caramelized carrots, fried potatoes and boiled egg.

Enjoy this delicious and flavor full rice.

My Notes
If you are using leftover rice then add the whole spices along with the curry leaves.

Labels: Potluck Party, Mint, Pudina, Rice, Pulao, Main course, Dinner, Lunch Box, Healthy, Gluten free, Vegetarian

Welcome to Potluck Party #1 (January 2022) 

• Creamy Lemon Garlic Mushroom Pasta from Making Miracles
• Grilled Veggie Tower with Tofu from Patyco Candy Bar
• Pollo Agrodolce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pudina/Mint Pulao from Sneha’s Recipe
• Roasted Fennel and Pumpkin Seed Dip from Magical Ingredients
• Singapore Noodles from Palatable Pastime

Pork Chilli With Peppers#SundayFunday

Juicy pork slices with hot chillies in every bite, chilli pork can double as a side dish as well as a standalone snack. This is an absolute easy dish to prepare. It is quite versatile and pairs well with any rice or noodles or can be enjoyed as a starter/ appetizer too. This is an easy-to-cook pork recipe with soy sauce. We just love stir fry recipes as they are simple and easy to prepare.

Ingredients
500 Grams Pork - thinly sliced
1 Each Green & Red Capsicum/Bell Peppers - sliced
3 Green Chillies - slit - adjust to taste
4 Medium Onions - sliced
1" Ginger - chopped
10 Cloves Garlic - chopped
Freshly Ground Black Pepper powder to taste
1 Tablespoon Soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Sesame oil
1 Teaspoon Rice Vinegar (or regular white vinegar)
½ Teaspoon Sugar
Oil - as required for frying
3 Tablespoons Chopped Spring Onion Greens - for garnishing
For The Marination
2 Tablespoons Dark Soy sauce
½ Tablespoon Green Chili sauce - adjust to taste)
1 Tablespoon Ginger Garlic paste
Salt to taste
Method

Marinate the pork with salt and all the given ingredients, mix well. Keep aside at least for an hour.

Heat oil in a wide heavy bottomed pan or skillet and fry the slit green chillies, chopped ginger and garlic lightly and then add the marinated pork slices and fry till golden brown on both sides. Add about a cup of water and cook covered on a medium flame till the pork is tender.

In another pan heat oil stir fry the onions, capsicums on medium heat till they soften for about 2 -3 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
When the pork is cooked add the remaining soy sauce, chili sauce if required, sugar, sesame oil, pepper powder, vinegar and mix well. Add the softened onions and capsicum, mix and cook on a medium high flame for just a minute.

Turn off the flame, garnish with spring onion greens and serve along with fried rice or noodles.

Enjoy!!
Labels: Pork, Chinese, Asian Cuisine, Side Dish, Main course, Starters, Sunday Funday, Stir Fry

For our event called Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. Our host for this week's event is Sue of Palatable Pastime and the theme is Chinese New Year , January 2022.  

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Tiger Salad
• Making Miracles: Shrimp Cakes
• Palatable Pastime: San Choy Bow
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Chow Steak Kow (Steak Stir Fry)
• Food Lust People Love: Butter Prawns
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Kung Pao Cauliflower
• Sneha’s Recipe: Pork Chilli With Peppers
• Sizzling Tastebuds: Instant Pot Asian Style Veg Noodles

Vegetarian Omurice /Japanese Fried Rice Omelette#EattheWorld

Omurice, it's a Japanese invention that combines an omelette with fried rice. You'll often hear it referred to as omuraisu, omumeshi or omuretsu" and "raisu," the Japanese pronunciations of "omelette" and "rice" Some versions have the rice rolled up in the omelette
I'm also sharing here, a traditional Capsicum Ketchup, since it's easy and tasty, while the recipe calls for Okonomiyaki Sauce.

Japanese Omurice is made with chicken, but Koreans commonly use beef, pork or ham as well. Shrimp is another good option.

I have used vegetables, like carrot, onion, and scallion. You can also add  celery, zucchini, or mushrooms. 

I used 2 eggs per serving for this recipe, but you can use 3 if you want a thick omelette covering your rice. You can also add a little bit of heavy cream or milk for a softer omelette, but I didn’t include it in this recipe. This is an easy fried rice flavored with sweet, tangy ketchup and wrapped in an egg omelette.

Serves 2
Ingredients
1 Medium Onion - finely chopped
1 Scallion - finely chopped
1 Small Carrot - finely chopped
½ Teaspoon Black pepper powder
1 Tablespoon Soy sauce
3 Tablespoons Capsicum Ketchup - recipe below
½ Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Oil or as required for pan frying
2 Cups Heaped Cooked Cold Rice -
4 Eggs
To Make the Kewpie Mayonnaise
1 Cup Mayonnaise
¼ Teaspoon Garlic powder
2 Teaspoons Tomato Ketchup

Method
Prepare the fried rice ingredients by finely chopping all the veggies.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat f oil. Add the onion, scallion, carrot and stir fry until the onion turns soft. Stir in soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the rice, and stir well until the clumped up rice is broken up and all the ingredients are well combined. Add capsicum ketchup (adjust to taste), salt and pepper to taste, continue to stir until the ketchup is evenly incorporated into the fried rice. Keep this aside.  

Heat a lightly oiled small non-stick pan over medium low heat.

Crack and beat 2 eggs in a bowl with a spoon or a fork. Stir in a pinch of salt. Add the egg mixture to the pan and swirl it around to cover the pan.

When the bottom is set but the top is still runny, turn off the heat and add one serving of the fried rice in the middle of the egg omelette.  Using a spatula, fold both sides of the omelette over the rice. Push the whole Omurice to the side of the pan.

Flip it onto a plate. Top it off with a squeeze of ketchup or Kewpie mayo. It's ready to enjoy.

Capsicum Ketchup

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion - finely chopped
1 Large Red Capsicum - roasted
200Ml Tomato Puree
4 Ripe Tomatoes - chopped
¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Stalk Celery - chopped
1" Piece Ginger - chopped
4 Cloves Garlic - chopped
¼ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Teaspoons Honey
1 Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Coriander powder
¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg Powder
¼ Teaspoon White Pepper

Method

Roast the capsicum in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes or until the skin start to blacken or on the gas flame. Wrap the capsicum, in aluminum foil, fold over the edges to seal and trapped steam which will help loosen the skin from the capsicum. Once cooled, peel the skin off, de seed it and roughly chop them.

Add the olive oil to a pan and sauté the onions, celery, ginger, and garlic until they are just starting to turn brown around the edges. Add the capsicum, dark brown sugar. Cook, stirring until the sugar has melted. Add the chopped tomato, vinegar, tomato puree and salt, Gently simmer over low heat, stirring regularly. Once the softens and the sauce starts to thicken, switch off the flame. Allow the mixture to cool. 

Add the cooled mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. 

I wanted the ketchup smooth, so passed the blended mixture through a fine sieve and discarded the solids. Now add the sauce back into the pan, add in the honey, coriander, nutmeg and white pepper powder. Give this a good mix and bring this to a boil, reduce the flame and it simmer till it form a thick sauce consistency, switch off the flame, cool. 

Capsicum Ketchup is ready.

You can freeze the remaining in an airtight container for 2 - 3 months.

My Notes

If the rice is a bit too hard after being in the fridge, heat it up in the microwave to soften it a little.
You can also shape the Omurice by hand using aluminum foil or a paper towel. Drizzle some ketchup on top. Repeat the last 3 steps for another serving.
Labels: Omurice, Japanese, Asian Cuisine, Vegetarian, Egg, Kwepie, Mayonnaise, Capsicum, Ketchup, Homemade, Eat the World

                   
Each month a group of us join Evelyne of CulturEatz as she travels to different countries to Eat the World. This month it's secret Santa wherein we can choose any dish by the blog assigned to us.  

Check out all the wonderful Japanese dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

 Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Yoshinoya Beef Bowl (Gyudon) 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Japanese Rice 

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Kuri Kinton (Candied Chestnuts and Sweet Potatoes) 

Cultureatz: Ramen Burger with Honey Teriyaki Sauce 

Kitchen Frau: Chawanmushi (Steamed Savoury Egg Custard) 

Sugarlovespices: Dorayaki with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 

Sneha’s Recipe: Vegetarian Omurice /Japanese Fried Rice Omelette 

Pandemonium Noshery: Ginger Pork Stir Fry 

Palatable Pastime: Edamame with Sakura Dipping Sauce

Tomato Egg Pulao - Pressure Cooker#MulticookerMonday

Easy meals are always a blessing when you have so many other chores to complete in the morning, with children leaving for school, hubby and me getting ready for work. Preparing a lunch box is definitely a difficult task for a working mom especially if your child is a picky eater. I always try to pack healthy lunch boxes for our meal. Here is one protein rich, quick and healthy meal.
1 Cup Measurement = 250 Ml
Serves 2 - 3 
Ingredients 
1 Cup Heaped Basmati Rice
1 Medium Onion - chopped
1 Big Cube Vegetable Seasoning
2 - 3 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Meat Masala powder
½ Teaspoon Sugar
2 Green Chillies - slit for garnishing
Grind To Fine Paste
2 Large Tomatoes
1" Piece Ginger - chopped
3 Cloves Garlic - chopped
2 Green Chillies
For The Egg
3 Boiled Eggs
1 Tablespoon Oil
A Pinch Turmeric powder
¼ Teaspoon Red chilly powder

Method

Fry the boiled egg in a teaspoon of oil with a turmeric and red chilly powder, for 2 minutes until they turns golden brown.. Remove and keep aside.

Soak the basmati rice in water for 15 minutes.

Grind the tomato, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies to a fine paste without adding water. Remove this in a bowl, mix in the meat masala powder and sugar well. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pressure pan,  fry the chopped onions , fry until it turns translucent. Add the tomato paste to the onions, add seasoning cube and fry until the oil separates. Add the rice and very lightly mix it with a spatula till the spice coats the rice nicely. 

Add 2½ cups water and bring this to boil on high flame for 2 minutes. Add the fried eggs cover with the cooker lid and take 2 whistles on high flame. Switch off the flame. Leave the cooker aside till your ready to serve. Open the cooker and fluffy the rice with a fork. 

Serve in a platter with eggs on top. Serve with raita or salad.
Enjoy!!
Labels: Multi Cooker Monday, Tomato, Egg, Rice, Vegetarian, Pulao, Pressure Cooker, Main course, One Dish Meal 

Multi Cooker Monday December 2021  

• A Day in the Life on the Farm slow cooks a Beef and Sweet Potato Stew 
• Magical Ingredients sips some Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate 
• Making Miracles serves up Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Gravy 
• Palatable Pastime ladles out  Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup 
• Sneha’s Recipe shares Tomato Egg Pulao - Pressure Cooker 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories gives us Vietnamese-Style Chicken and Rice Soup (Instant Pot)

Szechwan Chicken Sizzler Platter#SundayFunday

My friends kids love sizzlers. So we decided that we will have a sizzler party at home. We had this super exciting sizzler party. The kids enjoyed it.

Serves  10 - 12
Ingredients
For the Marination
1 kg Chicken Boneless - cubed
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Heaped Black Pepper Powder
1 Teaspoon Ginger Powder
Other Ingredients
1 Cup Corn Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
For The Gravy / Sauce
¼ Cup Oil
2 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
4 Green Chilies - slit
6 Tablespoons Homemade Szechwan Sauce
1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 Capsicum - sliced
2 Tablespoons Corn Flour mixed in ½ cup water

Method

Marinate chicken cubes with milk, salt, black pepper , ginger powder, mix well.     

Keep it for 30 minutes.

In a bowl mix corn flour, salt, black pepper powder and baking powder, coat each chicken piece in this. 

Deep fry in single layer, till golden and crisp

For The Gravy/ Sauce

Heat oil in large pot/kadai, add minced garlic and chilies, fry for 2 minutes. Add Szechwan sauce , add red pepper flakes and 1½ cup water and bring it to a boil then add capsicum sauté for 1 minute. Thicken the gravy with corn flour slurry, keep stirring till it thicken. Switch off the flame Ready to be served.

Burnt Garlic Szechwan Rice 

Ingredients
15 Cloves Garlic - chopped,
½ Inch Ginger - chopped,
2 Cups Raw Rice
1 Onion chopped,
Coriander leaves
3 Scallions /Spring onions - chopped
2 Bell peppers/ Capsicums - chopped,
2 Green or Red Chillies chopped,
1 Large Carrot - chopped
2 Tablespoons Homemade Szechwan Sauce

Method
Boil the rice with salt till full cooked, yet firm and each grain separated, strain the rice and spread it in a large plate so that the rice doesn't clump. Keep it aside for an hour or use leftover rice.

Heat oil in a pan, add half of the chopped garlic and fry till it turns red. Now add half of ginger, half of chopped onions, chopped chillies fry till onions turn pink. Now add all the sauces and red chilly powder, black pepper powder, bell peppers, carrots till the are done add the rice and toss it well and keep aside.

For The Sautéed Veggies
Parboiled Carrot Sticks
Parboiled French Beans
Sliced Bell Peppers
Parboiled Baby Corns
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon Oil
Black Pepper powder and salt as required

Method

Heat oil & butter, sauté the veggies till coated, sprinkle a dash of pepper and salt. Sautéed Veggies are read, keep aside.

For The Szechwan Noodles
2 Packets Egg Noodles
3 - 4 Tablespoons Heaped Homemade Szechwan Sauce
1 Cup Noodle Stock
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
Salt to taste
2 Tablespoons Oil

Method
Boil the noodles as per packet instructions.

Heat oil in a pan, add minced garlic, sauté for a minute, then add the Szechwan sauce , noodle stock, salt to taste and let the water boil add the noodles and toss till coated. Keep aside
French Fries to Serve
To Assemble The Sizzler Platter

Heat up the sizzler plate on medium high for 30 to 45 minutes. Be real quick with these steps. Lower the heat. Place the cabbage leaves so as to cover the entire surface of the plate. Now place the sauted vegetables on one side then the French fries , chicken, rice, noodles. Pour the Szechwan gravy over the chicken. 

Sprinkle spring onions over it. Add chilled cube of butter under the cabbage leaves and the sizzling will start immediately & Enjoy!

Labels: Chinese, Sizzler Platter, Chicken, Noodles, French Fries, Fried Rice, Garlic, Baby Corn, Sunday Funday, Main course, Asian Cuisine, Schezwan Sauce

For our event called Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. The theme for this event is Sizzler Party.

 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Sizzling Shrimp Fajitas 

Sneha's Recipe : Szechwan Chicken Sizzler Platter

Bauernfrühstück (German Farmer’s Breakfast)#SundayFunday

Bauernfrühstück is a German country breakfast. A Farmer's breakfast which simple & filling dish made from fried potatoes, eggs, onions and bacon or ham, pan fried as an omelette. . The Berlin version of the same is called “Hoppel Poppel”. This can be had for lunch or dinner!

I made a vegetarian version to for my hubby, with an addition of cottage cheese and minus the ham rest ingredients and method the same.

Serves One
Ingredients
2 Medium Potatoes - skinned & sliced in roundels
2 - 3 Tablespoons Duck Fat /Bacon Fat or Olive Oil
1 Large Onion - sliced
2 Scallions/Spring Onions - roughly chopped
4 Tablespoons Each Red & Green & Yellow Bell Peppers - diced
2 Big Slices Ham  - chopped
4 Tablespoons Chopped Celery Ribs
1 Teaspoon Dried Chives
2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley
2 Eggs- whisked
Salt to taste

Method

Slice the potatoes in roundels and boil the potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted water till just cooked. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté till they are golden brown. Then add the potato roundels and sauté till they too start to brown, 

now add in the ham and sauté for a minute 

then add the bell peppers, celery, chives and spring onions and sauté for 2 minutes or till they soften a little. 

Now spread it evenly and then add the whisked eggs, evenly distribute it. 

As soon as eggs begin to firm up, switch off the flame.

Serve and Enjoy!! We had this with garlic bread.
Labels: Breakfast, Egg, Bacon, Ham, Cottage Cheese, Boiled Potato, Main course, Germany, Sunday Funday, Serves One

For our event called Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. Our host for this week's event for the month of October 2021, is Stacy of Food Lust People Love: and the theme is Oktoberfest (German recipes)".
Here are some of the German Recipes made by us.
Bauernfrühstück (German Farmer’s Breakfast) from Sneha's Recipe
Bavarian Cheese Spread from Food Lust People Love
Beer Braised Steak from Palatable Pastime
Beer Brats on Pretzel Rolls from Amy's Cooking Adventures
Obatzda (Cheese Spread) from Making Miracles
Oktoberfest Breakfast Casserole from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Sourdough Soft Pretzels from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Vegan Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing) - Chinese#BreadBakers

Green onion pancakes (Cong You Bing) are a breakfast and snack staple in China and Taiwan. The green onion, also called the scallion or spring onion. This green onion an herb that’s indispensable in Chinese cooking. A scallion pancake is a Chinese savory, unleavened flatbread/pancake with oil and minced scallions (tender green onions).

Unlike the Western pancakes, this is made with dough instead of batter. The end result is a flaky flatbread. Pan frying the pancakes releases the aroma from the green onion and makes them irresistible.
Hot water is used to gelatinize some of the gluten in the flour making a soft flaky pancake. Scallion pancakes are also a street food of China. Though these are called scallion pancakes, they are actually more of a flatbread than a pancake. Made from unleavened/non yeasted dough that’s rolled into layers (like parathas ) with scallions and fried in sesame or peanut oil, they’re crisp and flaky on the outside with a soft, chewy center. To give it a healthy twist I have used half whole wheat flour.

These can be had without any dipping sauce, but, we enjoyed it with Sweet Chili Sauce.
Makes 4 pancakes
Ingredients
For the Dough
4 Teaspoons Sesame oil
1 Cup All Purpose flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat flour
¾ Cup Hot Water
½ Teaspoon Salt
For The Filling
6 - 7 Scallions /Spring Onions - finely chopped
½ Teaspoon Salt
Vegetable or Sesame oil as required

Method

In a bowl, add the flour, salt and boiling water. Mix it with a spoon on until the dough comes together. Take the dough on to a work surface, knead until the dough is smooth and not super sticky. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes.

Chop the scallions finely, keep them aside.

On a well floured surface, cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball.

Using plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking, roll one of the balls out into an a big circle. Brush just a teaspoon of sesame oil onto the dough and use a pastry brush to spread it around evenly.

Evenly distribute a little of the chopped scallions on top of the dough and then sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

Roll the dough as if you're making flaky parathas / cinnamon rolls. 

Then hold the two ends of the rolls and lightly tap it on the work surface to stretch it a little longer.

Wrap the rolled dough around itself so it looks like a snail shell/coil, pinching the ends.

Flatten out the coil with your hand and roll out to a thick circle. 

If you want your pancake to have more crunchy surface area you can roll it out thinner, but in doing this the layers in the dough you just created will fuse together and start breaking at the edges. So the pancakes should be a little thick. Repeat the same method with the rest of the dough to make the pancakes.

Heat a a heavy bottomed frying pan over medium low heat with a tablespoon of oil. 

When the oil is hot, place the pancake on it and let is cook until just brown spots start to appear on the bottom side, then flip and fry the other side for another few minutes or until golden spots appear on it. 

Keep flipping and pressing the pancake till it's golden on both sides, smear a little oil as your are flipping, to gets a nice golden crust on top. 

Be careful not to have the heat too high, otherwise the scallion pancake will burn before it cooks through. Fry the rest of the pancakes, by adding another tablespoon of oil to both sides of the pancake. As the scallion pancakes are cooked, transfer them to a paper towel lined to drain any excess oil. 

They are all ready, serve hot. 

Serve hot with a little bit of soy sauce or Hot chili sauce or sweet chili sauce and a some chopped scallions to either of the sauces you choose to enjoy it with.

Labels: Appetizer, Breakfast, Chinese, Pancakes, Scallions, Street food, Flatbread, Asian Cuisine, China

For Bread bake this month our host Wendy Klik asked us to share our favorite Chinese Bread recipes. 

• Chinese Buffet Style Donuts by Palatable Pastime
• Cocktail Buns by Zesty South Indian Kitchen 
• Hua Juan (Scallion Flower Rolls) by Magical Ingredients.
• Jujube Mantou by A Messy Kitchen 
• Nai Nai's Pork Bao by Culinary Adventures with Camilla 
• Pan Fried Pork and Scallion Buns (Sheng Jian Bao) by Karen’s Kitchen Stories 
• Scallion Flatbread by A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Tiger Biting Pig Buns - Lǎohǔ Yǎo Zhū Bāozi by Food Lust People Love 
• Vegan Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing) by Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.  

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.