Chilli Garlic noodles

I truly miss the enthusiasm of doing something new. Just feeling very laid back and lazy since a few days for no reasons. This space surely fosters new hopes and gathers the determination to cook something new,write what is in your mind, express yourself and it brings in a sense of happiness and satisfaction within oneself . I’m hoping to strike a balance soon, and everything should be back to normal and I can continue with my weekly schedule.

Its the last week of November already and here the air is filled with the scent of festivity and goodwill, and a feeling of blissful happiness. Sorry to say that things have been terribly sporadic around here lately, and posting was off schedule for a while. Reason is the same old one - busy with this and that. I got sidetracked with work, work, and much more work and somehow kept postponing to post.

So without wasting much time I will directly talk about today's post - a dish that I love to cook more often on a Thursday for dinner which is the onset of our weekends. This is the kind of dish you’d love having on your holiday table. It has all the right colors to kick-start the days off, is an aromatic smooth textured stir-fry, is ready in about 15 minutes, tastes like gourmet food, and oozes prettiness.

A heavenly combination of colored veggies, spicy combination of chilli and garlic,layered on a bed of crispy or boiled noodles and topped with fresh spring onions. It’s the best kind of stir-fry one dish meal that can be customized in various ways. Serve it with a fiery chilli garlic sauce. Absolutely easy,impressive, and very moreish. The perfect one-dish meal to dress up you holiday table. Best suited for cold winter nights.

Jot down the recipe as below:

INGREDIENTS:

200 gms Noodles
2 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp finely chopped Ginger
1 tbsp finely chopped Garlic
2-3 dry red Chillies broken into small pieces
1 chopped Carrot lengthwise
1 cup Cabbage shredded
2 cups colored Capsicums / Bell Peppers sliced thinly
2-3 tbsp Chilli Garlic Paste (recipe below)
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
1 tsp Soy Sauce
Spring Onions a handful chopped finely

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Cook noodles as per directions on the package. Drain them, drizzle some oil over them and toss them well so that thy do not stick to each other.

2) Heat oil in a wok. Add in ginger, garlic and saute for a min. Add in dry red chillies and saute that too.

3) Add in the vegetables, salt and sugar. Saute for 2 minutes and then add in chilli garlic paste and soy sauce. Mix well.

4) Pour this sauce over the noodles and toss well. Sprinkle generously spring onions and mix well.

5) Serve hot

Chilli Garlic Paste can easily be made at home and stored in a clean air tight container. You can refrigerate it for future use This is how it can be made:


INGREDIENTS:

20 Dry Red Chilli
15 Garlic cloves
2 tbsp Salt

HOW TO MAKE:


1) Bring two cups of water to boil. Take chillies in a bowl, pour boiling water over it and leave it aside for 10 mins. Now drain them.
2) Take garlic and chillies in a blender and puree them using little of the drained water to a coarse or smooth mix.

3) Pour that in a bowl, add in salt and mix well.

4) Pour that in a freezer safe container and freeze.

Meat Lasagne

Hajj is one of Islam's five pillar's of faith and every Muslim who can afford it has been asked to visit the holy city of Mecca to perform this pilgrimage. After spending 20 days in devotion and reflection during our Haj pilgrimage, it feels wonderful to be back. 

For those of you who are curious about the happenings of the event, I could say that it was the most excellent form of worship that one could offer which has created a sense of renewal within oneself as it helps to provide diverse spiritual needs to us. In other words, it was a totally different world for us and an experience worth keeping.

The last 20 days have been no-cooking days for me. We were served ready food during our tour and also ate out occasionally. Sometimes I would remember and miss cooking. And sometimes I would feel that its great resting from cooking. Either way, we missed pastas, pizzas and so much because we never found their outlets around our vicinity. The most common things we ate were French fries and Shawarmas. We longed to eat our favorites somewhere, but finally got a chance to make and enjoy our homemade food after we returned. Pasta topped my "longing- to- eat" list. Lasagna was what I kept craving for and it was a pleasure digging in it.

If you have ever dreamed of settling in Italy, then lasagna is something that you should look forward to. It seems to be the most standardized form of pasta and when combined with all the meaty flavors decked with shredded cheese, it  produces a rich and wholesome dish which can be the most perfect example for a balanced meal.

It did not take me long to make this dish. I only had to spend time arranging the sheets and the meat in my baking dish. The rest was wonderfully carried out by my electric oven. The recipe is surely a keeper. The dish is a party classic and I promise that your guests will relish it.

INGREDIENTS:

For the meat sauce:

1/2 Kg minced beef or mutton
2 onions finely chopped
3 tomatoes finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning or Oregano                                                                                              
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Rosemary
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Olive Oil

For the Béchamel Sauce:

1 tbsp. chopped butter
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp All-Purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp  each Oregano, basil and thyme
A generous pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or any cheese you have

For the Lasagne:

10 Lasagne sheets
2 cups shredded Mozarella Cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp Parsley flakes or freshly chopped Parsley 

                                                                                                                                              

HOW TO MAKE:
 
The meat sauce:
 
1) Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and fry till soft. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté.
 
2) Add the minced meat and fry it until the water in it evaporates.
 
3) Then add the tomatoes and the remaining spices and cook till it is thick. You can also add water and cook. The consistency should be a thick meaty sauce in the end.

Meat Sauce

 
The Béchamel Sauce:
 
1) Heat butter in a pan, add the all-purpose flour and sauté till light golden.
 
2)  Add milk and mix well so that no lumps are formed.
 
3) Add salt and the spices and mix well. Tip in the grated cheese.
 
4) The consistency should be thick and flowy. If not you can add more milk to maintain it that way.

 
The Lasagna:
 
1) Heat 4-5 cups water in a deep dish and bring it to boil. Add the lasagna sheets and cook them as per the package instructions.
 
2) Drain out excess water and wash them under cold water so that they do not stick to each other. Keep them aside.
 
Assembly :
 
1) In a rectangle or square oven proof dish, pour some meat sauce as a thin layer. Then place 2-3 lasagna sheets on it .
 
2) On top of the lasagna sheets, pour some béchamel sauce and again some meat sauce. Sprinkle some grated mozarella cheese on this. This way one layer is completed.
 
3) Repeat these steps for up to 3 to 4 layers. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top layer and cover with foil..

4) Bake this in a pre-heated oven (190 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes or until the cheese has got a slight golden color on top. Serve hot. 

 

 

Mac & Cheese

Its a beautiful and a fresh summer morning with golden streaks of sunlight streaming through my window. Summer has a few more days left in it and the thermostat numbers are still tilting towards the higher side. The flip flops, the sunglasses, the beach pools ,the grill kits and the picnic baskets are helping us enjoy the summer in a zillion ways.

Last weekend was an overwhelming one. Post our Friday lunch,we noticed that the sky darkened swiftly and a storm stared hard at us. And when it started to pour, it was like a dream come true as we had just started to experience a heavy downpour after several months. This happens very rarely in Muscat. Most of the time our clouds disperse into the interiors of the country and we never get to see rainfall.

So we had enjoyed watching the rain and thank God it was the weekend. The weather called for a good hot meal after which our body could go into hibernation. The heat had disappeared and the weather was heavenly. The evening was tailor-made for a peaceful outing. An ideal weekend deserved an ideal meal. I chose the easiest and I call it Mac & Cheese.

The recipe for it is worth noting down.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 cup prepared Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1/4-1/2 cup  milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp Oregano and Rosemary each


HOW TO MAKE:
 

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2) Stir alfredo sauce into the cooked pasta with the three cheeses and enough milk.  This is so your mac and cheese doesn't dry out while it's staying cool.

3) Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the Oregano & Rosemary if you have.

3) Pour this into a baking dish  and top with some butter.

4) Preheat an electric Oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Bake it till golden brown. for 20 minutes.

Note:  Homemade Alfredo sauce can be made with 2 tbsp butter, 1 cup whipping cream, 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper to taste. Just mix the butter and the whipping cream together and bring it to boil, stirring well until thick for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from  heat and continue stirring adding the grated Parmesan cheese and the salt cum pepper. Mix well and use it for your Pasta.

 

Cheesy White sauce Macaroni

Typically stay away from white sauce? Yes, I used to until I ended up eating the Macaroni in white sauce recently.

My impression about the white sauce was that it would take long to cook and I had conveniently arrived at a conclusion that it may not fetch me the desired results . But then after coming across a few recipes here and there, I made up my mind to give it a shot. And then there surely is no looking back. And the cheese in it is so yummy that it gives you a kick of energy as you gulp it down.Try this tasty version of macaroni made out of white sauce and prepare to change your mind. 

Please note here that you can use any pasta you like. Not just Macaroni. Feel free to try this with spaghetti and other pasta shapes too.

INGREDIENTS:

For the White Sauce:

1 tbsp Butter
1 tsp Garlic minced
2 tbsp Cornflour or all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp thyme(optional)
Salt to taste
1tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp red chilly flakes
2 cubes grated cheese

For the Macaroni:

100 gms Macaroni
1/2 bowl grated cheese
1 tbsp butter/oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup Chopped vegetables - red, yellow & green bell pepper, carrots julienned, broccoli, spring onions, baby corn.
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1 tsp thyme


HOW TO MAKE:

The White Sauce:

1) Heat  1tbsp of butter in a pan and add garlic and sauté for a minute.

2) Once its done add  corn flour/ all purpose flour sauté for a second let it not turn brown. Add 2 cups of milk and stir it continuously to avoid lumps.

3) Once the mixture starts thickening add  oregano, thyme, salt, pepper powder and chilly flakes.

4) Add  2 cubes grated cheese and mix well and keep aside.

White sauce

The Macaroni:

1) Bring water to boil and cook Macaroni as usual until soft and drain it.

2) Heat oil/butter in a pan and add in the chopped vegetables. Stir fry them and sauté them for just a minute.

3) Add in salt & pepper and mix well. Switch off the stove.

4) At this stage, take an oven proof dish and spread one layer butter, then a layer of boiled macaroni , cover it with a layer of white sauce, den a layer of the sautéed vegetables.

5) Cover with grated cheese and sprinkle oregano , pepper, red chilly flakes, salt and thyme . I also garnished with tomato rounds for a more colorful look.

6) Heat this in a microwave or bake in  a convection over for about 4/5 minutes or till the cheese melts completely. Serve hot

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells

The weather has been great this year except for the fact that winter season never called for warm clothing all through the last couple of months. In fact we feel like we are going through spring and we had just one heavy rainfall a month back. We love to see rains here as everything changes here with one rain. Rainfall is so scanty here that several months pass by and we never see rainfall sometimes.

I have developed a sudden attraction to pasta these days and after looking for some good pasta recipes from my cookbook, I ended up marking this one and I don't remember from where I found it because I had bookmarked it ages back and I remember being obsessed by the pictures at that time thanks to its Italian touch.

One secret ingredient made this dish a pleasing affair - delicious pasta sauce. You can use a homemade or store bought one. Homemade pasta sauce mainly comprises of tomatoes, thyme, garlic powder, onion, oregano, crushed black pepper, salt and red chilli flakes.These are cooked together until they are reduced to sauce consistency.

I particularly loved the use of spinach with pasta. This combination made the pasta on the other side of fantastic . And then cheese spread liberally on the top and baked to get a crisp finish. The top layer gets a crisp crust and a fluffy texture on the inside. Bake in a rectangular or square dish for best results and to make dinner time special.

Overall a fabulous treat for a springy day.

INGREDIENTS:

30 jumbo pasta shells, cooked according to directions listed on package
1 bunch fresh spinach, steamed just until wilted, squeezed dry with paper towels and chopped
Mozarella Cheese to spread
1 large egg
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3 cups  mozzarella cheese, finely shredded, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 cups pasta sauce, homemade or store-bought
Red pepper flakes

 

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, using a fork, blend together cheese and egg. Stir in basil, thyme and garlic.

2) Add 2 cups mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and toss mixture to combine. Mix in prepared spinach. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. 

3) Spread 1/3 cup pasta sauce into an even layer along bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

4) Divide cheese mixture among cooked pasta shells, stuffing each shell full with about 2 Tbsp cheese mixture.

5) Align shells in baking dish side by side, with the opening of shells facing upright. Stir red pepper flakes to taste into pasta sauce if desired.

6) Cover shells evenly with remaining pasta sauce then sprinkle tops evenly with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

7) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Serve warm.

American Chopsuey

We finally bought a new Electric Oven and I feel pretty proud to see it sitting on my Kitchen top. I have a list of recipes waiting to be baked. I also shopped online for some bake ware and have increased my collection. Only the ingredients are waiting to be gathered and soon I have interesting plans to fill my house with this lovely aroma that drifts out from bakeries.

To be honest, its been years since I last baked a cake and can't stop myself from feeling a bit low while I browse through all the lovely bakes showcased on the blogosphere. From frosting the cake to decorating it, I have loved every bit of this cake making process and have a strong interest to try these pretty things all by myself.

That is why most of the time I work on dishes cooked on the stove top and grills. And to a large extent, I have been unknowingly mastering varieties of dishes that do not take more than an hour to prepare.

Off late, I have developed an urge to try out Non-Indian cuisines. Whenever we are dining outside, we are trying out new restaurants and in this way end up tasting Thai food and sometimes Turkish, Chinese,Omani, Lebanese, Mexican etc. In this way, I have explored various dishes from these cuisines and have been trying out regularly Non-Indian food in our house and we surely are loving it.

Generally, we are having special dinners on weekend nights. So it is then that I bookmark a dish and try it out depending on what we would like to eat - heavy or light dinner. Because weekends are a great time to strengthen family ties and nothing is more exciting than to incorporate fresh produce and convert it into crispy outputs that pair interesting flavors and colors. Light never really taste so good, but this surely is a zesty one and it peps up the greens enormously with a crispy splash of goodness.

The American Chopsuey really knows how to shine and make its way to the center table.
 

INGREDIENTS :

Egg noodles 1 packet

Chicken (boneless) 1 cup (optional)
Prawns 1 cup (optional)
Carrot (julien) 1
Capsicum (julien) 1
Onion (julien) 1
Green onion leaves 1/2 cup
Cabbage 1 cup
Egg 1 (half fry for garnish)
Oil 2 tbsp
Ketchup 4 tbsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Stock 1/2 cup
Garlic (chopped) 1 tbsp
Vinegar 2 tbsp
White pepper 1/2 tsp
Corn flour 1 tbsp (dissolved into 2 tbsp water)
Chilli garlic sauce 3 tbsp
Sugar 2 tbsp
Chinese salt 1/2 tsp

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Boil noodles for 5 minutes, strain and dry.

2)  Deep fry noodles in batches till crisp and keep aside.

3)  In a large pan heat oil and saute chopped garlic.

4) Add capsicum, onion, onion leaves, cabbage and carrot with all seasonings and saute for 2 minutes.

5) Add chicken stock when start boil add dissolved cornflour. Stir continuously till thicken gravy.

6) Spread gravy over fried noodles in a platter. Top with fried egg and serve.

Siciliana

INGREDIENTS:

250gms chicken cubes
100 ml chicken stock
50 ml chopped onions
50 gms chopped garlic
80 gms sundried tomatoes
300 gms fresh tomato sauce
50 gms basil leaves
4 tbsp pepper
Olive oil
2 tbsp salt and fresh crushed black pepper


Sundried Tomatoes

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Heat oil, saute the chopped onions and garlic.

2)  Add the chicken cubes and the stock. Add the salt and pepper. Cook on low flame for a few minutes.

3)  Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes and saute well. Once the oil begins to seperate from the sauce, it is ready.

4)  Garnish with basil leaves and serve with any Pasta/Noddles.

Spaghetti Bolognnaise

What is your favourite Italian food? Are you a red sauce or a white sauce lover ? Do you find your eyes drifting often towards those tempting pasta dishes on the menu card of a restaurant? Can you believe it if I say that Italian food can be re-created at home very easily? And how about some Indian twist to it?

The Spaghetti Bolognnaise is today's choice for me. With some red meaty sauce & a touch of  spectacular Italian flavours pampered with mozarella cheese, this dish is overwhelmingly carbohydrate.The symphony of flavours created with the combination of basil, oregano along with some freshly crushed garlic is worth the taste. With a spike of olive oil drizzled over it, you can never go wrong anywhere with the exciting flavours it incorporates.

 

A word of caution - Basil can have an overpowering taste sometimes. So I suggest to watch its quantity going in.

 Neverthless, this stunning Italian dish is really something to behold for a relaxing weekend evening. It has some lovely unimaginable flavours that tickle your taste buds and make you lose yourself into it.

INGREDIENTS:

 1 pack Spaghetti pasta
1 tsp Olive Oil
4-5 cups water

For the Red sauce:

2-3 Tomatoes ground/ 3 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1 tbsp chilli-garlic sauce

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 cup onion sliced/ spring onions chopped

200 gms Minced beef

3-4 crushed garlic

1/2 cup beef stock/ any stock flavour

1 carrot finely sliced (optional)

1 full tsp oregano

2-3 basil leaves

1/2 tsp pepper powder

Salt to taste

chilli flakes

1 tbsp corn flour

1 tbsp Cream (optional)

For the Granish:

3/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves/parsley
100 gms of mozarella cheese grated.

HOW TO MAKE: 

1)  Heat water in a vessel. When it comes to boil, add the spaghetti pasta in it without breaking it, drizzle some olive oil over it and allow it to cook till the pasta is done. Remove and drain the pasta. Run some cold water over it to avoid sticking of the pasta. Keep aside.

For the Red sauce:

1)  Heat oil, add the minced meat and fry it in the oil, add the onion, crushed garlic, carrot if using and continue to fry till soft and the water dries.

2)  Add the tomato paste, tomato ketchup, the beef stock and the sauces. Continue to cook till the mixture thicknes.

3) Add the oregano, chilli flakes, basil leaves, pepper powder, salt. Cook for a minute.

4) Add the cornflour & cream at this stage and switch off the stove.

For the sphagetti Bolognnaise:

1)  Transfer the spaghetti into an oven proof dish. Drizzle some olive oil over it.

2)  Pour the red sauce over the sphagetti. Do not mix.

3) Sprinkle some grated mozarella cheese over it and garnish with parsley/coriander leaves. Sprinkle 1 tsp of olive oil over this.

4)  Bake this in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius till the cheese melts and acquires a very light golden color on the top surface.

5)  Serve hot straight from the oven.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   Easy

              RATING  POINTS         :    7/10**

** The red sauce can also be cooked the vegetarian way with a lot of vegetables used instead of meat.

Chicken Pasta

Pick your pasta from a variety of shapes available. All of them appeal to me. Make a salad out of them or make a meal. Either way, they are enticing.

Pasta has become an integral part of my weekly meal plan as it doesnt consume more time to cook and it serves as a wholesome meal for us. I usually prepare it this way even though it can be prepared in several other ways.

INGREDIENTS :

1 packet (1/2 Kg) pasta (any shape)

For the gravy:

2 tbsp Oil
1 onion sliced
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 small capsicum cubed
1/2 carrot chopped fine or cut in strips
5-6 Beans chopped
Handful of peas
Handful coriander leaves
1 tsp ginger+garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 medium sized boneless chicken pieces (cut them into small sized cubes)
Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

The gravy:

1)  Heat oil in a pan, add the onions, chicken cubes & vegetables and fry them till they are soft.

2)  Add the ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and saute for a minute.

3)  Add the chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves. Add some water to this and simmer till the tomatoes are soft and oil comes up. Keep aside.

For the Pasta

 1) Boil 1 litre water in a vessel and add the pasta to it. Cook till the Pasta is soft. (Preferebly follow instructions given on the pasta pack so that you are aware of the average time that the pasta can take to cook)

2)  Drain the water from the pasta and mix in the cooked gravy with it.

3) Place this on the stive till the extra water evaporates and the pasta is ready.

4)  You can grnish with some chopped spring onions/grated cheese/sliced olives.Serve Hot with Ketchup!!!

 RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

**   Pasta should not be overcooked. Just cook them till they are soft. Follow the instructions on the pack.

** Vegetarians can omit the chicken and follow the same recipe for a healthy veggie pasta.