Tofu in Chilli garlic Sauce

I got this recipe from a friend in a common orkut community. I had to try this immidiately. Lucky for me I had all the ingredients needed for making this curry. So here it goes. Thanks Meena for sharing this super easy recipe with me..:)


Ingredients :

Firm Tofu - 1 pack
Baby corn - 1 can
Broccolli florets - 1 cup
Red onion - 1/2 cup sliced
Garlic - 12 pods (finely chopped)
Sesame oil /Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Red Chilli paste - 2 tbsp (I used Sambal Oelek)
Tomato Ketchup - 4 Tbsp
Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Celery - 1 stick (finely sliced)
Green Capsicum - 1 (chopped in chunks)
Ching's all-in-one sauce - 1 Tbspn ( I used simple Soya Sauce)
Salt to taste
Cornflour - 1 tspn

Method :

1) Drain and wash tofu and cut into cubes. 2) Heat oil in a wok and stir fry the garlic for a minute or so. 3) Add celery, onion and spring onion and stir fry for 2 mins. 4) Add the Broccoli, capsicum and baby corn and stir fry well for another 3 mins.

5) Mix Cornflour in 1/2 cup of cold water and keep aside. 6) Mix salt, sugar, vinegar, Tomato ketchup, red chilli paste and ching's All-in-one in a cup and mix well for a minute.

7) Add tofu to the stir fried garlic and mix gently. 8) Add the conflour and spice mixture to the tofu along with a cup of water and stir. 9) Let it boil for 5 to 7 minutes and bring it down to a boil.

Serve along side fried rice or noodles and enjoy :)

Vegetable American Chopsuey Yummy!

American-Chopsuey, originally uploaded by gems7882.

Super yummy...

I love Indo Chinese.As I mentioned earlier...Its our favourite. And American chopsuey is the most favourite of them all. And being here in US it is very difficult to find authentic Indo chinese. I love this restaurant in Artesia named Tangy Tomato. Its the best Indo chinese food I had after coming to US.And their American chopsuey is just yum!. So here I am trying to re create the Tangy Magic.

Ingredients for noodles:

Ramen noodles : 2 packets

For the sauce :

Garlic - 8 cloves minced
Tomato sauce / Ketchup - 1 cup
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 1/2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Cornstarch / Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For the Vegetables :

Onion - 1 sliced
Green Bell Pepper - 1 (sliced thin)
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Carrots - 2 (sliced like matchsticks)
Green beans - 7 to 8 French cut
Soya suace - 1 tbsp
Crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Garnish :

Green Onions - 2 to 3 stalks

Method : Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.Break the 2 packets of noodles into small pieces and spread it on a cookie sheet. Spray some cooking oil on the noodles and place them inside the oven for 10 minutes. Take care not to burn the noodles.Keep moving the noodles every 3-4 minutes to avoid them from getting burnt.

For the sauce : Heat the oil in a pan and fry the garlic for a minute.Add the tomato sauce, red chilli powder, salt, soya sauce and sugar. Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix well and let the whole thing come to a boil.Mix the conflour with a tbsp of cold water and pour it in the sauce while stirring.Cook for another minute or so on low flame. The sauce should be thick and shiny now.keep aside.

For the vegatables :I use a wok for this process as I need to stirfry the veggies and not cook them completely. The veggies should be crunchy.First microwave or blanch the cauliflower /brocolli n and keep aside.See that u dont overcook it. Now in a wok take some oil and heat it up well. Add the onions and stirfry for a minute. Now add in the bell pepper, carrots, Green beans, cauliflower and stirfry again. The veggies should be cooked yet crunchy.Now add Salt, pepper and soya sauce. Toss well. Remove from heat.

Assembly : When ur ready to serve, In a dish place the toasted noodles. Top that with the veggies and the sauce. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve hot. This is yummy with fried rice, roti or even as it is..:)

Vegetable Chinese Fried Rice

I love chinese.... Specially the indo chinese we used to get in the thelas of india. Yumm yummm! How I miss eating all that... Now, I dunno after staying in US what happened to my Immune system.... I ate chinese in india this time and fell sick... hmm. Anyways... those were the days... we used to eat the yummy indo chinese in the road side shops near Vt station... it used to be awesome...:) Anyways here goes the recipe...:)

Ingredients :

Basmati rice : 2 cup (cooked and cooled)

Ginger - 2 tsp finely chopped

Garlic - 2 tsp finely chopped

Carrot - 1 thinly sliced in juliens

Cabbage - 2 cup thinly shredded

Onion - 1 thinly sliced

Bean sprouts (optional) - 1 cup

Soya sauce - 3tbsp

Vinegar - 2 tsp

Sesame oil

Tomato sauce - 1/2 tbsp

Green chilli sauce - 1 tbsp

Salt and pepper to taste

Green chillies - 2 cut lengthwise

french style beans - 1 cup

Spring onions - 2 sprigs finely chopped

Method :

Cook the Basmati rice on a stove top with lots of water and then drain the water once done. Pour cold water over the rice to stop it from cooking. The rice shouldnt become mushy or overcooked. each grains of the rice should be seperate.

Heat some sesame oil in a wok / kadhai. Heat the oil till its nicely heated.Stir fry the garlic and ginger. Then add the vegetables (except the sppring onions and 1/2 of the bean sprouts) and stir fry well for 3-4 minutes. Dont overcook the vegetables. The vegetable should cook and yet be crisp.

Mix the salt and pepper to taste. Add the soya sauce, vinegar and tomato ketchup and mix well. cook for 2- 3 minutes.

Now add the rice and mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes on high medium flame. Remove the rice onto a serving bowl and garnish it with Bean sprouts and spring onions.

Enjoy hot with some schezuan sauce or some delicious machurian. Have fun making it..:)

Hot 'n' Sour peanut noodles.

Something hot and Something sour...I wanted to try something new with noodles and also peanuts...as my hubby loves peanuts in noodles and pasta (the thai peanut liguini pasta is his favourite...) as I didnt have spices for a thai pasta... thought will do a fusion between Indo-chinese and thai...:) Cool isnt it?

This also reminds me of the Street Indo-chinese that we used to get in india...:) Miss thems ooo badly... anyways here goes this lip smacking yumm recipe..:D


Ingredients:

Hakka noodles or Chowmein noodle (egg noodles) - 1 pack

Rice wine vinegar - 3/4 cup

Lite soya sauce - 1/3 cup

Honey or sugar - 1/3 cup ( i dont like the smell of honey so used sugar...u can use honey thats wt the actual recipe calls for.)

Fresh chopped Ginger - 3 tablespoon

Chopped garlic - 3 pods

Asian Chilli garlic sauce -1 tbsp

Dark Sesame oil - 2 Tbsp

Chopped green onions - 1/2 bunch

Onion - 1/2 cup ( sliced in big pieces))

Green bell pepper - 1/2 cup ( sliced in big pieces)

Baby corn - 1 can (optional)

Roasted and salted peanuts - 1 cup

Salt & pepper to taste

Method :

Whisk together Rice white vinegar, Lite Soya Sauce,Sugar, Asian Chilli garlic sauce & Dark sesame oil in a medium bowl; set aside

Cook the noodles seperately according to the package instruction and Keep aside.


In a wok add some sesame oil and the chopped garlic. Stir for some time. Add the onions, green bell pepper and the baby corn. Stir fry in a medium high flame for 10 minutes until the veggies cook well but yet is crisp. Add salt and pepper.

Now add the cooked noodles...:) And stir fry well till the veggies r cooked well. Add the vinegar & sauce mixture and stir fry.Toss well to combine.


Garnish with Green onions, peanuts and Tossed sesame seeds (optional)






Serve hot or cold. Tastes awesome either way. You dont need any sides with this. Enjoy!

Vegetable Manchurian

A chinese Menu never ends without a Manchurian. This is my recipe of Manchurian again modified to our indian taste. Enjoy and do leave me ur comments.:)

Ingredients:

For Manchurian Balls:

1 1/2 cups grated Cabbage

2 big Carrots- grated

2 finely chopped Green Chillies

3 tbsp Cornflour

1 tbsp Maida

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper powder

Oil for frying

For Manchurian Sauce:

1 1/2 tbsp Oil (take if you have sesame oil, ginger oil, garlic oil (otherwise reg. is ok)

1" piece Ginger - crushed

5-6 flakes Garlic - curshed

2 Green Chillies, finely chopped

1/2 Onion finely chopped

1 1/2 tbsp Tomato ketchup

2 Tbsp Soya sauce

2 tsp Vinegar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

1 1/2 tbsp Cornflour

a pinch Ajinomoto or MSG (optional)

Method:

Add 1 tsp salt to cabbage. Keep aside for 15 minutes, Squeeze well to remove out all the water.
Mix all the other ingredients of the balls. More flour may be added if mixture does not bind together. Make balls. Touch some oil to the palm to make smooth balls. Roll in flour and shallow fry 2-3 pieces at a time on medium flame. Keep the balls aside.

To prepare sauce, heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil, Add ginger & garlic. Fry on low flame for a minute.
Add green chillies and onions. Cook for one minute. Reduce heat and add soya sauce, tomoto sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Now add the ajinomoto (this gives the authentic chinese taste to ur manchurian...u may skip this too)

Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Boil. Keep on slow fire for 2 minutes.
Dissolve cornflour in 1/2 cup water. Add corn flour strring continuously, cook till slightly thick.
Add the balls to the manchurian sauce and keep on slow fire for one minute.
Serve hot with noodles or rice.

Serve hot with Hakka Noodle, Fried rice or Naan / Chapati. (My hubby loves to eat this with chapati or steamed rice.)

Hakka Noodles

Yummmmmmmm... I love this dish...:P Its my all time favourite. Something I can eat anytime...hehhe I am a hakka noodles fan. And I know there are many more there who would love to join my league on this. This recipe may not be the authentic chinese haka noodles recipe. But its a recipe i normally follow and its awesome Indo -chinese noodles.....

So do try this recipe and give me ur reviews...

Ingredients:

1 packet - Hakka Veg Noodles(if possible use Ching's Secret Hakka Noodles)
1 tea-cup Cabbage-shredded
1 large carrot-sliced
1/2 cup capsicum-sliced
2 Spring Onions-chopped
4 Tbsp Oil (if possible use Olive Oil)
5-10 Tbsp Green chilli Sauce
10- 12 Tbsp Soya sauce
Salt to taste


Method:

Boil 8 cup of water in a large pan, let the water bubble. Drop the noodles and boil them for only 2 minutes. The noodles are cooked aldent (Aldent: means partially cooking noodles or leaving it slightly "kachcha"). Drain the noodles and spread on a flat surface and toss in 1 tea-spoon of oil on the noodles to prevent sticking.

Heat oil, preferably olive oil in a frying pan on a high flame. Add vegetables and stir-fry for sometime. Dont cook it too much.. the vegetables should be crisp.Add Soya sauce and the noodles and stir for 2-3 minutes (Adjust salt and sauces as per taste). Now add the green chilli sauce and saute for some time. Garnish with freshly cut spring onions and serve hot

Please note: Please do not cook Hakka noodles fully, make sure it must have cooked kachcha.


Serve hot with Vegetable Manchurian.

Tofu Stir fry Vegetables..

This is a chinese dish and its my hubby's favourite and has also become my favourite now...its a very easy dish and can be made in minutes... if u have all the required items....yummy!!

Infact, I learnt to make this from my hubby...he used to make this often when he was in school... its a good choice for all those bachelor girls and boys....so here goes the recipe.

You need :

1 packet extra firm Tofu

1 pack of stir fry vegetables frozen -medium sized pack.(we get this pack here in states..specially to make fry vegetables.... if u want to buy fresh vegetable u can get then assorted too... u will need brocolli, snow peas, carrots, mushrooms, asparagus etc...)

Finely Chopped Garlic - 1tsp (optional)

One onion cut in thin slices

Chinese stir fry sauce - 2 tbsp

Soya Sauce - 2 tsp.

Salt - if needed

Vegetable oil

Method:

Firstly.. remove the water from the tofu...make slabs of around 1/2 and inch and then tearthem into croocked pieces with hand.....now shallow fry this tofu until golden brown and keep it aside...

In a wok or a broad saucepan..... put in some oil...and add the garlic.... sautee it a bit...then add the onions....cook till its becomes slightly pinkish... now add all the stir fry vegetables and let it cook....for 5 to 10 mins... u can see that the vegetables have cooked but yet look firm enough....

Now add the soya sauce and mix it well and in the last now add the stir fry sauce and mix it very well... see that the sauce coats very well on the vegatbles... so be generous with the sauce....(u have to make it like a gravy... so that u can eat it with rice...)... let it cook cobvered for 3-5 mins and then remove from gas....

Serve hot with steamed rice..... amazing dinner or lunch recipe....do try it and let me know...