Pasta Goreng (Pasta stir fry)

Mee Goreng is a Malaysian/Thai dish which is a noodle stir fry. Based on the add-on item that goes along with it, it is called Mee Goreng Ayam/Udang/Telor (Chicken/Prawn/Egg Noodle fry). The recipe has been handed down to me by my mother and is SUCH a dear one. Here I give it a little twist, with Chinese sauces, Chinese salt AND Pasta and give it a new makeover!

The outcome was really good and my hubby thoroughly enjoyed the dish.
Hope you like it as well!!!

Ingredients
Veggies 
1. Tomatoes - 2 nos
2. Potato - 2 nos
3. Carrots - 1 no
4. French beans - 100 gms
5. Spinach - about 10 leaves
6. Capsicum - 1 nos
7. Onions- 2 nos

Sauces
8. Delmonte Tomato Ketchup - 1 tsp
9. Soya sauce - 2 tbsp
10. Fish sauce - 1 tsp
11. Chilli sauce - 1 tsp
12. Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Other condiments 
13. Cinnamon
14. Tofu - 50 gms (cubed)
15. Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
16. Chinese salt
17. Del Monte Pasta (300 gms)
18. Oil
19. Salt to taste

Procedure

1. Boil the pasta for about 2-3 minutes in a saucepan until it is al dente. Take a strainer and strain the remaining water and let the pasta rest.  
2. The veggies have to be cut into usable dimensions. Therefore, dice tomatoes, potatoes and capsicum.  Slice the potato, onion and carrot into sizable strips.
3. Steam the sliced potato for about 5 minutes in boiling water and keep aside. 
4. Take a saute pan, add some oil and let it heat. When the oil is hot enough, add a strip of cinnamon (small strip so that it is not overwhelming), when the spice splutters and the aroma of the volatile oils hit, turn the stove to low flame.
5. Add the cut onion, tomato and capsicum to the saute pan and saute well. 
6. When the onion turns golden, add the other vegetables : steamed potato strips, capsicum, french beans and stir fry for about 5 minutes. 
7. Add the pasta to the sauteed vegetables, add all the sauces along with the Del Monte Tomato ketchup in mentioned proportions at once, add salt, a pinch of Chinese salt, along with it add a little water such that pasta doesn't get too soggy and keep stirring for 2 more minutes. 
8. Now add 1 tbsp of chilly powder. If chilly powder is added at step 6, there is a possibility to get a dull colored result :)
9. More stir fry for 2 minutes, and turn it to low flame.
10. Take a flat pan add about 1 tbsp oil, place the tofu when the oil is hot and let it sizzle. When the edges of the tofu are crisp enough turn them to the other side (repeat).
11. Cube the crisp tofu.
12. Break the spinach leaves add it to the pasta in the saute pan along with Tofu cubes. 
13. Cook for a minute more and allow the oil to separate!

There you have a lovely sumptuous Pasta goreng!

What goes along?
Tender chicken breasts cut to strips doused with a little chilly, salt, lime and fried to a crisp golden brown tastes spectacular with Pasta goreng! :) Chicken 65 a lot of trouble? A scrambled egg will top the platter perfectly! This recipe is super flexible, there is SO much you can play around with!

What more you want to set a beautiful weekend straight??

Go ahead, try it and ENJOY!

[Squid/Calamari] Squid Chilly fry

Ingredients :
Shallots - 10 nos (for sauteing and paste)
Green Chillies - 4 or more depending on the heat you need.
Ginger - one stub
Garlic - 3-4 pods
Squid / Calamari - 1/4 kg
Chilli powder (preferably Everest Kashmiri Lal, as its only for color purposes, not heat)
Tumeric powder - 1 tbsp
Fennel - 1 tbsp
Oil - 3 to 4 tsp.
Salt to taste

Procedure :

• Clean Calamari multiple times, leaving out the fat which is strong in scent. In my recepie I have sliced it into thin strips. You can also cut the tentacles perpendicular to the length to make rings instead of strips. 
• Add the stub of ginger, garlic and shallots (about 7 nos) along with fennel in a blender and blend until you get a textural paste. Usually, the shallots have to be divided in 70-30 portion. 70 percent goes into making the paste.
• Heat the oil in a saute pan, when the oil is hot enough add the remaining shallots (chopped) along with it the green chillies and the paste and saute it.
• When the mixture is sauteed well, add 1 tbsp chilly powder, salt to taste, some water and toss until the chilly smell wears away. When the pungent chilly smell is gone, the mixture reaches a rich dollop-like consistency and its almost done now.
• Now add the squid strips and stir fry just for a matter of 2 minutes on high heat. (real stir fry!)
• After 2 minutes, the stove can be turned off but remember that the calamari still cooks on the residual heat. So, quickly change it to a serving bowl and garnish as you please!

Tips:

• With Calamari, its either quick cooking on high heat or slow cooking for 30 minutes on low heat, if not it will be extremely rubbery.
• You may wonder why Turmeric ;) As we are cooking the item for only a short period of time, we may worry about the quality of cook. Soaking the squid in Turmeric infused water, which is antiseptic, can shoo your worries away :)

This goes well with Jeera rice! Enjoy - and Bon Appetit!

[Veg] Mushroom - Soy gravy

Mushroom - Soy gravy.

Ingredients :
Onions - 1 no, finely chopped
Tomatoes - 2 nos, diced
Capcicum - 1 no, finely chopped 
Mushroom - 1 packer, about 100 gms
Flavoring agents - Soya sauce, Del Monte Tomato Ketchup, Vinegar
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Oil - 3-4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Spices : Cumin seeds, and 2 strips of Cinnamon (Seeragam, Pattai)

Procedure :

• Take some oil about 4 tbsp in a kadai and let it heat, when it is hot enough, add and spices to splatter. This is to flavor the oil.
• In that flavored oil, finely chopped onion, tomato and capsicum should be added and sauted until onion turns golden yellow.
• It will turn to a gooey consistency, at that point add the cut mushroom to the pan, add chilli (to your taste), some salt, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp Del Monte Tomato ketchup, 1 spoon vinegar and some water (for gravy). 
• Nicely stir the mixture. Keep stiring until all water evaporates and a the gravy consistency that you wish for is reached. 
• Now, the dish should be kept in low flame for about 2 minutes and the olil should be allowed to separate.  
• When the oil separates, a sexy golden gravy can be seen and voila its time for your garnish and serve!

*Tip - Salt is already present in mushroom as well as soy sauce, this has to be considered while salting the dish!

First post on my Cook Blog!

Well well well, I was first under the presumption that handling multiple blogs were an utter waste of time. But later I realized, as I started participating in various competitions THAT extremely varied topics kinda worried  the nature of my personal. It was no more a personal blog, it was becoming a HAY-WIRE-personal blog! 

So I decided to start my cook blog, which largely focuses the amateur cooking section, given my expertise. Bachelor cooking is another feature that I would like to bring in later! :) Please wish me good luck! Let me start with my favorite recipe, which also a favorite of my favorite cousin : Mushroom - Soy gravy.

So long amigos,
K