Chinese Chicken-Noodle Soup (with its Vegetarian variant)

We spent last weekend in picture-perfect Thailand... eating, drinking, diving, eating, swimming, getting massages, eating, lazing on white sandy beaches, eating... you get the general picture ;)
But we are back to our city lives now... and after a couple of days of being depressed about our vacation coming to an end, we're shamelessly scouting locations for our next holiday :)
While we're at that, we really wanted to go easy on our stomachs and eat light after all the delicious food we stuffed our faces with, so I like a good little girl, I turned to Soup!

Not only are soups filling and delicious, they're easy to make and extremely good for you... And all one needs to do, is patiently allow a bunch of ingredients to bubble away in a basic broth, while you can take a shower, change and generally feel more human at the end of a busy work day.
Inspired from recipes I've been reading on South-east Asian cooking, all you need for this dinner-in-a-bowl is, a bunch of ingredients, a hungry tummy and....  a BIG bowl! :)

Ingredients:
- 250g boneless Chicken
(or 1 chopped carrot + 1 cup chopped french beans)
- 3 tbsp Soya Sauce
- 3 tsp rice wine Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sesame oil
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2-3 tsp Sesame seeds,
- 2 tsp Ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 cups Cabbage, chopped
- 6-7 Spring Onions, finely sliced
- 2 cups Chicken or Vegetable broth
- 1/2 packet Chinese pan-fry noodles (or whole wheat spaghetti if you cant find noodles)
- 1/4 cup Coriander, chopped

Method:
1.)  Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a bowl. Add the Soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil, and allow the chicken to marinate in this for about 15-20 mins.

2.) Toast the sesame seeds on a hot pan and grind a little to form a coarse powder. Whisk together the garlic, crushed sesame seeds, ginger, sugar and some vinegar in a bowl. Set aside.

3.) Bring a pot of water to boil on high heat. Add a tablespoon of salt and Cook noodles till tender. Drain.

4.)  Heat the remaining Sesame oil in a large pan. Add the chopped spring onions and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped Cabbage, and saute till the cabbage is tender. (If making this vegetarian, add the chopped carrots and beans at this point, and saute till tender)

5.)  Add the chicken (or vegetable) broth and bring to a full boil. Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade, and the garlic-sesame mixture. Reduce heat and simmer till the chicken is cooked.

6.) Add the noodles and stir in half of the chopped Coriander. Switch off heat.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with remaining coriander. Add some sweet-chili sauce if you like ( I love it!) and Eat up! :)

*A quick note about the chicken/ vegetable broth... It's basically 2 stock cubes dissolved in 2 cups of hot water, or a can of ready to use broth.*

Bread pudding with salted- sugared Pecans

I'm pretty certain that most most of you who are reading this, have often had, a few slices of bread ( or sometimes even half a loaf) going stale in your refrigerator. Na na... nothing to feel embarrassed about, i do too... I usually air-dry stale bread over a few days and make bread-crumbs, my go-to ingredient for instantly adding 'body' to soups and gravies.

But... I was in the mood for something sweet yesterday, and I figured that eggs, milk and bread (pretty standard breakfast ingredients) would make a quick dessert...an unassuming, comforting, no-fuss bread pudding...
For this recipe I used honey as a sweetener since I'm consciously trying to avoid refined sugar in my recent baking endeavours...Also, I created a salty-sweet nutty crust, with pecans, salt and a pinch of brown sugar... tasted absolutely yum!

Ingredients:
- 7-8 slices stale Bread 
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1/4 cup Brandy / dark Rum
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1-1/4 cups Pecans
- 1 tsp cold Butter
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp brown Sugar


Method:
1.) Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Soak the raisins in the brandy or the rum. Cut the bread slices into 1/2" cubes.Tumble them into a non-stick baking dish.

2.) Whisk the eggs till they're light and frothy. Add the milk, vanilla, honey and a few tablespoons of the brandy from the raisins. Whisk all the liquid ingredients together.

3.) Add the raisins to the bread cubes. Toss with your fingers to mix gently. Pour the egg-milk mix over the bread cubes. Let the bread soak in the mix for about 10 minutes.

4.) Meanwhile, roughly chop the Pecans and transfer to a bowl. Add the cold butter and with your fingers rub the butter onto the pecans. Add the salt and brown sugar to the pecans and using your fingers coat the pecans nicely.

5.) Spread the salted-sugared Pecans over the soaking bread mixture. Bake @ 180 deg C for about 35-40 minutes.

Serve hot/ cold with fresh berries / cream or topping of your choice. I like this better made with brown bread instead of white. Also, if you have trouble finding Pecans, Walnuts will work just as well... Go on... make this NOW! :)

Pancakes with Instant Blueberry Jam-Sauce

Vineet doesn't like pancakes! I almost dint believe him the first time he said that !!     
After detailed interrogation, I discovered that my dear husband, has trouble accepting what he calls, "deceptive" foods! Things that look like one thing but taste COMPLETELY different!
Like Shrikhand (a sweet-sour yoghurt, saffron & cardomom based indian dessert) for example - the first time he tried it, he was convinced it was mango ice-cream...and it very obviously wasn't. So it seems his enemity with pancakes was that he thought that they were omlettes, and they turned out to be sweet!
I on the other hand LOVE them! Mom made these for Rahul & me during the school holidays, where I'd spend nights devouring Enid Blytons mysteries, dream about my own adventures, and wake up in the morning demanding pancakes... if the FAMOUS 5 had them with bacon on the side.... I wanted it them too! :)
So since Vineet was away on work, I treated myself to these as a lovely Saturday breakfast.

Ingredients: (makes 8-10 pancakes)
1-1/2 cups All-purpose flour (maida)
1-1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Olive oil (or butter)

Method:
1.) Measure out all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

2.) Whisk the egg using a fork till its light and fluffy. Add the milk, vanilla and olive oil and whisk lightly to mix.

3.) Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly pour a little of the milk-egg mixture. Stir it in and repeat till you have a nice thick batter. The consistency should be like a cake batter/ or even like dosa batter. If its too thin, add a couple of teaspoons of flour to thicken it.

4.) Heat a non-stick pan. Spoon a little of the batter onto the hot pan and gently spread making clock-wise circular motion, till they're about 4-5 inches in diameter. Keep the heat gentle and wait for bubbles to form and the top to set ( like the photo).Lift the edge of the set pancake and peek to see if its golden-brown.


5.) Using a flat wooden spoon, flip the pancake over to cook on the second side. Transfer to a plate. Make the rest of the pancakes.

Enjoy these will maple syrup or honey, or if you're in the mood for something more special, try the 

THE BLUEBERRY JAM SAUCE

I made this right before I started with the pancakes, so it had some time till it was cool enough to eat.

Ingredients:

1 pkt dried Blueberries

5-6 fresh Blackberry or mulberry (optional)

1 tsp grated Lemon zest

1 tsp Lemon juice

2-3 tbsp Honey

1/2 cup Water

Method:
1.) Heat a saucepan. Add the water, honey and dried blueberries.  Roughly chop the blackberries, and add them to saucepan.

2.) Turn the heat to high and let the contents bubble away and gradually thicken. Stir in the lemon zest and turn off the heat. At this point the sauce will be really thick and very sticky. The dried blueberries will have softened and the blackberries , if used, will get easily mashed. Squirt the lemon juice and mix well. Transfer into a bowl and set aside to cool.

3.) Drizzle over the pancakes and Enjoy!

I had a few extra tablespoons of this instant "jam" left over, which on refrigerating became even stickier. I was just wondering how to use it up, when I spotted the tub of Yoghurt on the top shelf... and Bingo! I had instant home-made fruit yoghurt ! Without all the horrid sugar, that shop-bought flavoured fruit yoghurts have!! :)

Also, I preffered to use dried blueberries instead of fresh ones, since I wanted the berries to retain their shape, and also wanted the sauce to be thick-ish... fresh blueberries made a delicious, runny sauce, so use that if you like! :)

Sabudana Khichdi

When you're normally used to cooking for 2, no matter matter how much you enjoy cooking, it seems like a chore to do it for myself. At the best time it is the best time to treat yourself to the stuff that you love but your significant other might not miss if not made for a long time :) Today's posts are about the things that I treated myself to in the past week while Vineet was away on a work-trip to India.
Sabudana khichdi is a childhood favorite of mine, and I realised I had'nt eaten it in really long time...So, I made a big bowl and enjoyed it with my dear pal Seema, who came over to spend Sunday afternoon with me.

The only prep you will need to do in advance is to soak the Sabudana (sago) a couple of hours before you plan to cook it.
Calculate 1-1/2 cups of un-soaked Sabudana (sago) to feed two persons a hearty breakfast, or 2 cups if you want to make a meal out of it.

Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups Sabudana (raw)
- 2-1/2 cups Water
- 1 cup Roasted Peanuts (coarsely powdered)
- 1 medium Potato, cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp Olive oil (or ghee)
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2-3 green Chillies, chopped into 1" pieces
- Salt & Sugar, to taste
- Red Chilli powder, to taste
- Coriander & lemon wedges, to garnish

Method:


1.) Measure out and put the Sabudana (sago) in a sieve. Hold under running water. Transfer the rinsed Sabudana into a large bowl. Pour 2-1/2 cups of water over it and cover and set aside for the next couple of hours till it absorbs the water and puffs up. Toss the puffed Sabudana gently with your fingers. Sprinkle the roasted peanut powder, salt, sugar & red chilli powder. Toss gently to mix well.

2.) Heat the ghee/ oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai/wok. Add the cumin seeds. When they begin to sputter, add the chopped green chillies and fry. Add the cubed potato and saute till they're golden brown and cooked.

3.) Lower the heat and add the Sabudana-peanut mixture to the tempering. Stir to coat the Sabudana in the tempering. Cover and allow mixture to cook over a gentle heat. Switch off the heat and keep covered to let the steam work its magic.

4.) Serve garnished with Coriander and lemon wedges. Is also delicious when eaten along with some chilled plain yoghurt. Eat up!

Feta, Sun-dried Tomato & Herb Mini-Muffins

A friend from work had made savoury muffins a few months ago as a mid-morning treat for us. I had never tried savoury muffins before, and needless to say they were something I just simply had to try out on my own... After a couple of not-so-sucessful attempts (disasters), I finally got them right today... Made two batches, just to be doubly sure :) And now I have lots of little muffins to pack up and take to work!

* Note: These tend to be on the saltier side, as cheddar and feta both are very salty cheeses. So check the batter before you add any...

This recipe makes about 24 mini-muffins.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain Flour (maida)
- 1 tbsp Baking powder
- 1 tbsp Black pepper, cracked
- 1/4 tsp Salt (optional)
- 1 tbsp Dried herbs (thyme+oregano etc)
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes in oil
- 1 long red Chilli, chopped
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin Olive oil 
- 1 egg, beaten with + 1/4 cup water

Method:
1.) Pre-heat the Oven to 200 deg C.

2.) Sift together the flour and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, cracked black pepper, dried herbs, crumbled feta, grated cheddar, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chopped chilli. Mix gently with a rubber spatula and set aside.

3.) Beat the egg with a fork till light and fluffy. Add the water and oil and stir-in to integrate. Make a 'well' in the flour and pour the egg mixture into the flour gently and stir in with the spatula / wooden spoon to form a thick batter.

4.) Line a muffin tray with paper cups. Spoon the batter into the paper cups till 3/4th full and bake @ 200 deg C for about 16-17 mins, till the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

5.) Cool the muffins on a wire rack. Eat up!

What I loved about these is that the outside of the muffins are crusty/ crumbly and soft- and bread-like on the inside. The little bits of feta and sun-dried tomato make them just irresistable! :) I think these would be great as appetizers for a dinner party or even as a mid-day snack :)

The 3 C's Breakfast Omlette

Breakfast is my most favourite meal of the day... and nothing celebrates a glorious Sunday morning like a freshly made Omlette dotted with brightly coloured bits of Chillies, Coriander & Cheese... I used bright red fresh chillies to contrast the green of the coriander and it made a delicious omlette even prettier :)

Ingredients:
- 3 Eggs
- 1 large Red Chilli, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch Coriander, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup grated Cheddar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Freshly cracked Black pepper
- 1 tsp Olive oil, for frying



Method:
1.) Crack the Eggs into a bowl. Whisk with a fork until light and fluffy. Add the salt & pepper and whisk again.


2.) Add the cheese, chillies and coriander into the eggs and lightly whisk to mix well.


3.) Heat a frying pan on medium flame. Drizzle the olive oil and swirl it around to coat the surface of the pan. Pour the egg mixture onto the pan and allow it to spread out evenly and thinly. Cover with a lid and cook over a low-medium flame, so that the eggs are cooked through but do not 'brown' too much.


4.) Uncover the pan, and check if the eggs are set by a simple swirling action. Cover and cook if the top is still a little runny.Switch off heat when cooked.


Fold in half and transfer onto your plate. We enjoyed this with some toast and a glass of freshly squeezed Orange juice :)

Spinach-Grape-Pecan Salad

Made this for dinner last night, since I wanted something crisp and light at the end of a rather hot day.
I had come across a recipe a while ago, that used - Arugula leaves, Pecans and Pomegranate in a salad - that I wanted to try... But, I dint want something as peppery as Arugula... so I decided to use Baby Spinach. Then I couldn't find any Pomegranate, so I thought, why not Grapes? and luckily, I did find the Pecans ... but before I knew it , I  had substituted all of the ingredients from the original recipe, and ended up doing my own thing :) The result was a fresh, light , crisp Salad that is perfect with grilled / barbecued chicken / lamb, or even just on its own!

Ingredients:
- 3 fists-full, Baby Spinach leaves,
- 1-1/2 cups Black or Red seedless Grapes, halved
- 1 cup Pecans, roasted & roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup fresh Mozzarella balls in water
- 1/4 cup Extra-virgin Olive oil
- 5-6 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp Lemon zest, freshly grated
- 1 tsp Salt


Method:
1.) Wash the baby Spinach leaves in chilled water and drain.

2.) Toast the Pecans (nuts similar to Walnuts) on a non-stick pan or in the oven. Allow them to cool down and give them a rough chop. Add to the Spinach leaves.

3.) Remove the mozzarella balls from their water and drain. Cut into chunks ( Fresh Mozarella is a soft milky cheese... a lot like fresh Paneer) and add to the salad bowl along with the crumbled Feta cheese and Grapes.

4.) Whisk together the Olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, Salt & lemon zest to form the dressing. Pour over the salad and toss gently to mix. Eat immediately or cover and chill in the refrigerator till its time to serve.