Happy Chinese New Year 2014 to all my blog readers.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Chinese Takeaway Style Fried Noodles
Most people in abroad are fan of Chinese takeaways. Once in a week I eat in Chinese takeaway and I'm particular fan of their fried noodles they call it Lo mein, Chow mein, Stir fried noodles however I feel everything is same but they taste delicious.
Ingredients
Good quality of dried noodles - 200 gms
Any kind of veggies( I used zucchini and carrots) - one of each
Spring onions - 3 nos
Eggs - 2 nos ( optional)
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Oyster sauce - 1 tsp
Salt, white pepper and sugar to taste
Oil - 3 tsp
Preparation
1. Cook the dried noodles in salted boiling water for 3 mins or until cooked to *al-dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Whisk the eggs with pinch of salt. Make scrambled eggs in hot wok with 1 tsp oil and set aside.
3. Chop the veggies and both greens and whites of spring onions.
4. In a small bowl mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, 2 big pinches of sugar, 2 big pinches of white pepper and a pinch of salt.
Method
1. Heat oil in a wok or pan until smoking, add veggies to the pan and give a quick stir fry for few seconds.
2. Now add the scrambled eggs and boiled noodles to the pan and quickly stir fry.
3. Next add the prepared sauce, chopped spring onions to the pan and stir fry until everything is mixed well with noodles.
4. Serve hot immediatley.
Tips
1. *Al-dente means the noodles has to boiled until cooked but has to be firm.
2.If you are vegan omit adding eggs to the recipe.
3. You can add boiled and shredded chicken or cooked prawns to the above recipe.
4. If you have any kind of chinese sauce in your pantry just go ahead be creative and play with your sauce to make above recipe.
5. Tosted sesame oil is largely used in chinese cooking for stir fries but you can use sunflower oil, blended vegetable oil or canola oil. But extra virgin olive oils do not suit asian cooking.
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| Chinese Takeaway Style Fried Noodles |
Good quality of dried noodles - 200 gms
Any kind of veggies( I used zucchini and carrots) - one of each
Spring onions - 3 nos
Eggs - 2 nos ( optional)
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Oyster sauce - 1 tsp
Salt, white pepper and sugar to taste
Oil - 3 tsp
 |
| Fried Noodles |
1. Cook the dried noodles in salted boiling water for 3 mins or until cooked to *al-dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Whisk the eggs with pinch of salt. Make scrambled eggs in hot wok with 1 tsp oil and set aside.
3. Chop the veggies and both greens and whites of spring onions.
4. In a small bowl mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, 2 big pinches of sugar, 2 big pinches of white pepper and a pinch of salt.
Method
1. Heat oil in a wok or pan until smoking, add veggies to the pan and give a quick stir fry for few seconds.
2. Now add the scrambled eggs and boiled noodles to the pan and quickly stir fry.
3. Next add the prepared sauce, chopped spring onions to the pan and stir fry until everything is mixed well with noodles.
4. Serve hot immediatley.
 |
| Chinese Style Fried Noodles |
1. *Al-dente means the noodles has to boiled until cooked but has to be firm.
2.If you are vegan omit adding eggs to the recipe.
3. You can add boiled and shredded chicken or cooked prawns to the above recipe.
4. If you have any kind of chinese sauce in your pantry just go ahead be creative and play with your sauce to make above recipe.
5. Tosted sesame oil is largely used in chinese cooking for stir fries but you can use sunflower oil, blended vegetable oil or canola oil. But extra virgin olive oils do not suit asian cooking.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Mixed Biryani / Mixed Non Veg Biryani / Biryani with Chicken Prawn and Fish
Many restaurants serve mixed fried rice also known as combination fried rice with chicken, mutton, prawn and fish etc. I wanted to try the same with biryani and it happened yesterday. This mixed biryani came out very tasty. I made mixed biryani with chicken, prawn and fish. See my tips below on how to cut n prepare meat and seafood for this biryani.
Ingredients
Chicken( boneless breast) - 200 gms
Prawns - 12 nos or 200 gms
Fish fillet without bone - 1 no or 150 gms
Basmati Rice - 2 and 1/2 cups ( around 485 gms)
Red onion - 3 nos
Tomatoes - 1 and 1/2 no
Ginger and Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Green Chilli slit - 2 nos
Red Chilli powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp( optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Mint leaves chopped - 1 cup
Coriander leaves chopped -1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Whole garam masalas
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cardamom - 4 nos
Cloves - 6 nos
Bay leaf - 2 nos
Mace - little( optional)
Star anise - 1 no( optional)
Preparations
1. Wash and soak basmati rice in 4 cups water.
2. Cut boneless chicken breast into strips.
3. Remove the prawn shell, tail and devein them.
4. Cut fish into thick chunks or slices.
5. Marinate chicken strips, prawns and fish pieces with 1 tbsp ginger&garlic paste and few pinch of turmeric powder.
Method
1.Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add the whole garam masalas. Saute for a minute and add the chopped onions to the pan.
2. When onions are soft, add slit green chilli, ginger&garlic paste to the pan and saute for a minute.
3. Add the chopped mint leaves to the pan and saute until mint leaves are shrunk. Now add the chopped tomatoes to pan and cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy.
4. Add the marinated chicken and prawn to the pan( fish can be added later) and saute until chicken turns pale in colour.
5. Now add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and salt to the pan and saute for few seconds.
6. Next add the water in which rice is soaked into the pan and bring everything to boil, once gravy starts boiling cover pan with lid and simmer on medium heat for 10 to 15 mins until chicken is cooked.
7. Once chicken and prawn are cooked add the fish slices gently to the pan and cook for 2 mins.
8. Now gently add basmati rice to the pan, mix the rice gently without breaking the fish.
9. Again cover pan with tight lid and simmer for another 10 mins until rice is cooked soft and fluffy.
10. Garnish Mixed Biryani with chopped coriander and serve with boiled egg and Red onion Raita.
Tips
1. I had used India gate classic basmati rice, the water propotion for 1 cup rice is 1.5 cups water.
2. As we are cooking a combination of meat its wise to use boneless chicken meat cut into strips for quick and even cooking.
3. Fish cooks faster than prawn and chicken. So fish cubes can be added before adding the rice.
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| Mixed Non Veg Biryani |
Ingredients
Chicken( boneless breast) - 200 gms
Prawns - 12 nos or 200 gms
Fish fillet without bone - 1 no or 150 gms
Basmati Rice - 2 and 1/2 cups ( around 485 gms)
Red onion - 3 nos
Tomatoes - 1 and 1/2 no
Ginger and Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Green Chilli slit - 2 nos
Red Chilli powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp( optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Mint leaves chopped - 1 cup
Coriander leaves chopped -1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Whole garam masalas
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cardamom - 4 nos
Cloves - 6 nos
Bay leaf - 2 nos
Mace - little( optional)
Star anise - 1 no( optional)
 |
| Biryani with chicken prawn and fish |
Preparations
1. Wash and soak basmati rice in 4 cups water.
2. Cut boneless chicken breast into strips.
3. Remove the prawn shell, tail and devein them.
4. Cut fish into thick chunks or slices.
5. Marinate chicken strips, prawns and fish pieces with 1 tbsp ginger&garlic paste and few pinch of turmeric powder.
Method
1.Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add the whole garam masalas. Saute for a minute and add the chopped onions to the pan.
2. When onions are soft, add slit green chilli, ginger&garlic paste to the pan and saute for a minute.
3. Add the chopped mint leaves to the pan and saute until mint leaves are shrunk. Now add the chopped tomatoes to pan and cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy.
4. Add the marinated chicken and prawn to the pan( fish can be added later) and saute until chicken turns pale in colour.
5. Now add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and salt to the pan and saute for few seconds.
6. Next add the water in which rice is soaked into the pan and bring everything to boil, once gravy starts boiling cover pan with lid and simmer on medium heat for 10 to 15 mins until chicken is cooked.
7. Once chicken and prawn are cooked add the fish slices gently to the pan and cook for 2 mins.
8. Now gently add basmati rice to the pan, mix the rice gently without breaking the fish.
9. Again cover pan with tight lid and simmer for another 10 mins until rice is cooked soft and fluffy.
10. Garnish Mixed Biryani with chopped coriander and serve with boiled egg and Red onion Raita.
 |
| Mixed Biryani |
Tips
1. I had used India gate classic basmati rice, the water propotion for 1 cup rice is 1.5 cups water.
2. As we are cooking a combination of meat its wise to use boneless chicken meat cut into strips for quick and even cooking.
3. Fish cooks faster than prawn and chicken. So fish cubes can be added before adding the rice.