Tofu + Kebabs = Grilled Tofubas

"A vegetarian is a person who won't eat anything that can have children. ~David Brenner"

Then Vegan? A Vegan is a person who wouldnt eat anything that comes out of anything that can have children(!!!!!) Ok jokes apart - At any rate its good to incorporate vegetarian and vegan habits into our lifestyle. Instead of thinking it as deprivation, we can call it enhancement - of our health and of our wellbeing. I find many with their noses going into an automatic upward reflex the minute the mention of "Tofu" or "Soy" is made. "It is tasteless", "Its total bland", Its mushy" comes the grunt! Paneer does not have a great taste on its own either! Jelly is squishy and mushy too but we like them - dont we?

Soy products are good for you - in limited quantities ( buts thats for everything we eat) and the more natural they are, better for one's health. This means No-No to tofurkey(really!), Tofu dogs(seriouslly!!), Tofu Steak ( anything else left!!. Such products are not healthy since lots of "other" ingredients do go into making these stuff which are not "health-friendly". You want a meat substitute - go for something like Portobello, Tempeh, Seitan which gives the meaty feeling. Not something like Tofurkey!!!. We "at first with our eyes"was not said in passing fancy, it holds so true and it works more so in cases like "so-called-bland- Tofu"



One great way to coax the kids and also the adults "still-with-their-noses-up-in-the-air" is by making a colorful presentation of Tofubas(?) Tofu + Kebabs = Tofubas!! Laughing at me? Why? When something named "Tofurkey" can sell why not Tofubas!! And this is more healthy too.These are good Grilled, Broiled, Barbecued. Give it a try. You can use the marinade ( there goes your "bland" excuse ) or you can make without the marinade for the kids and top it off with crushed peanuts. Tastes Yum.

Ingredients
1 pkt firm tofu ( about 14 oz / 400 gms),squeezed of excess water and cubed
4 bell peppers, chopped into small squares ( 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green and 1 orange)
Can use any other vegetable of choice like mushrooms, zucchini etc
3-4 bamboo/metal skewers

For the marinade
1 tbsp peanut oil
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp hoisen sauce
1 tsp plum sauce
1 tbsp orange juice

( +/- any of these as per your taste)

Method

1. Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl and place the cubed tofu inside it and stir v gently till it is coated by the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30min.



2.Place the wooden skewers ( if using) in a vessel filled with water at least 10min before grilling. Then heat the grill pan and start threading the bell peppers along with tofu alternating the colors.



3.Place it in a grill pan and cook till done, turning occasionally.



4.Serve with chilli dipping sauce. :)



Off goes the tofubas to the grilling party at Sig's initiated by Meeta and to Monsoon Spice for her Soy Feast for JFI

Revealing the A.W.E.D. Chinese Menu

The main motive for the A.W.E.D Event was to initiate that curiosity to come out of one's comfort zone and take a small step ( if not taken already!) into realms unknown. To explore the taste buds of other countries and then to customize into our own palates preferances. This helps us to come across so many variations and plethora of tastes that its worth taking every step. That being said, I am overjoyed at mails which emphasize on the same - of that new dish done, of the new creations explored, of that effort taken not done before.



This time the cuisine explored was Chinese which included Indo-Chinese, American -Chinese and Sichuanese Cuisine. There has been warm reception to this theme as before and there have been wonderful and v.beautiful entries. I have had a entertaining month trying out many of your dishes and have still many more in my list. Ok Lemme start the Chinese Menu - Hope you like what you see :)

Appetizers




1) Bhags of Crazy Curry is really crazy - cos she calls these luscious looking pancakes as dilapidated. Although Chinese Cooking hasnt come under her expertise hands yet - as she claims - these chinese pancakes are a total winner for me.

2)Happy Cook at My Kitchen Treasures sent in her soulful looking Noodle Soup and she made it vegetarian just for me and that too before she went on a break. HC - hope you are having a gala time :)

3)Priya at Live2Cook lets her excitable kid inspire her to make Chinese Pancakes and whips up a delicious looking appetizer for all of us. This is one recipe which am sure will be loved not only by her little one but by people of all shapes and sizes ;-)

4) and 5) Rashmi at delhibelli sends a double loot with Wontons - in chilli oil and then in soup!Double Yum!

6) Divya at Divya Dil Se shares with us a very appetizing looking and her favourite sweet corn soup. If you have never had it before, this will sure lure to make one right away.

7)Cham of Spice-club never lets me down esp when it comes to her presentation skills and I have not yet started talking about her recipes. Her pic should do the talking for me :) My latest aquisition from her blog was Wheat Idlis - and next her noodle soup is sure to win me over.

Main Course

I have classified the Main course into 3 groups for ease and simplicity. First lemme start this with the eternal favourite Noodles

Noodles

I have made, eaten and enjoyed noodles for as long as I can remember and seeing so many varieties only made me more excited.



1) Sailu from Sailu's Kitchen does not need an introduction. She has been inspiring so many of us with her perfect pictures and all round recipes.Here again she leaves me amazed at her colorful and hearty Vegetable Noodles. Thats a must try.

2)Rashmi at Delhi Belle whips up a utterly delightful looking Shangai Noodles which is worth all those minutes spent at the kitchen.

3) Mansi at Fun and Food sends us her Schezuan Noodles which is a true blue a restauranter piece.

4)Mythreyee at Paajaka kindles our senses by sending in her Schezuan style Hakka noodles where she shares about her *secret* for this dainty dish.

5)Neha at Tasty Recipes who dedicates this appetizing Noodles to her kids. But it looks like we all are going to enjoy the same :)

6)Trupti at Recipe Center showcases her yummy noodle recipe in a new site :) Loved the pic.



7)Deepthi at Vegetable Platter sends her version of Hakka Noodles with lots of vegetables and a touch of spice(yum!) making it a true Indo-Chinese Affair.

8)Radhika of Tickling Palates gives us some 'must-knows' about the Pasta-Chinese connections, about Chinese inventions and of course all these along with her version of Noodles made in Tomato sauce.

9)Raaga at Chef at Work decides to go healthy by making her favourite Hakka noodles instead of eating the same outside with so much oil.Her healthy version is sure a must try :)

10)Vivinidhi at Charche Chauke ke gives a good info about the Chinese-American Chop Suey. That vivid red color along with lots of vegetables makes it a sight to watch. Go on - watch it - You will find it hard to take your eyes away.

11)Kalva at Curry in Kadai makes an totally enchanting and healthy Whole wheat Noodles stirfried with assortment of vegetables. That forkful looks so inviting.

12) Then there is this Hakka Noodles - a total Indo Chinese affair from yours truely

Rice

Rice is such a staple and Fried Rice has never been more famous anywhere else. Also Indians have sort of adopted the Chinese fried rice and the versions that have bubbled out of the cooker is mind boggling!



1)JZ at Tasty Treats awes us again and again every time she posts - her presentation is so. I have always ogled at her pics without fail and this happened this time too with her absolutely delicious Pineapple Fried Rice!(drool!!)

2)Hima at Snack-o-rama presents her spicier version of Chinese Fried Rice. I had been missing her with her absence and when I received her entry, I couldnt have been any more happier :)

3)Arundathi of My Food Blog will always be Anu to me! I am so glad for the concept of Recipe Marathon which bought about her friendship. I can see Anu staring at me -Ok well lets get checking her Fried Rice shall we? She is not the one for Chinese cooking at home, but all the same she made some delicious and healthy looking fried rice for all of us. It is as simple as it can get!

4)Skribles at Food with pinch of love adds in a caboodle of vegetables to her version of Chinese Fried Rice.This is sure to make you proud of being a vegetarian

5)Happy Cook at My Kitchen Treasures is back again with her neat looking rice which would be sure to make you clamour for more

6)Kamala at Mom's recipe brings along her own touch among so many versions of the Chinese Fried Rice.As I commented at her blog - it truely is a bowl of delight.



7)Shifa at Voiz out brings out her family favourite and a weekend affair on to the blogger plate. Her fried rice is as healthy and tasty as it gets. While there, dont forget to check out her recipe for Gobi Manchurian too.

8)Sireesha at Mom's recipe makes us her husband's fav and looking at the picture, it looks like its going to be many of our favourite too :)

9)Jayashree of Spice and Curry makes one of my all time fav and quick fix meals - Soya fried Rice.It has all the essential ingredients to make it luscious and healthy. Dont give it a miss!

10)Sunshine Mom at Tongue Ticklers presents her Szechuan Rice Supreme which looks as authentic as any Sichuanese Cuisine. Another healthy and delicious treat for all of us.

11) Nags at For the Cook in me version of the rice is not only simple but it looks very tasty too.

12)Sia at Monsoon Spice emphasises on the term 'Going weak in the knees' by way of her photos. You cant but drool and keep drooling some more at her presentation and quality of her pics. Added to it her Tofu Fried Rice looks utterly irresistable.



13)Foody Guru at Few Minute Wonders shares her cousin's recipe of Fried Rice and says its her favourite. The picture sure looks like its ought to be everyone's favourite.

14)Divya at Dil se sends her easy and quick Fried rice which looks delightful and totally scrummy from the looks of the picture esp with all that cashews and raisins.

Side-Dishes

Every main meal is incomplete without the extra zing bought by the dishes at their side. The flavour of - be it the noodles/ rice is enhanced by the accompaniment that is served along with - Short of ideas? Why not check the massive list out here. I have to warn you that it might confuse you since you would want to try everything!:)




1)Bhawana of Taste Of India tries something totally new and oh boy! was it worth it? It was - totally for me. Her Potato Manchurian looks so yummy.

2) Divya at Easy Cooking gives you the answer to so many of our dreams. No Fry Gobi Manchurian! No you read it absolutely right - its No Fry indeed. Dont believe me? Jus hop over to her blog and see it for yourself.

3)EC at Simple Indian Food has everything you want and her Veg Manchurian was yet an another answer to my ever lasting search for a excellent veg manchurian recipe.

4) Jyotsana at Curry Bazaar takes us right into Chinatown with her delightful Gobi Manchurian. She has quite a handful of chinese recipes at her blog - so do check them out too.

5)Karuna at Foodie by Nature totally makes you want to try her Sesame Chilly Potatoes. I mean you heard me - dont you feel like wanting to taste it pronto? :)

6)Lisa at Food and Spice's variety of vegetarian dishes boggles me! I have tried so many of her recipes with A+ results and her Sauteed Azuki and Mung Beans is another one added to my 'to-do' list.

7)Medha at Cook with love totally won me over with her so colorful Sweet and Sour Baby Corn that I tried it the minute I got her entry and it was a total keeper! Good for entertaining too.

8)Neha at Tasty Recipes back again with an utterly mouth watering and spicy Chilli Paneer - it was a total love at first sight for me and am sure it would be for you too.



9)Padma at plaintain Leaf sends in her unique combo of Mushroom and broccoli stir fry. I havent tried my hands on this blend but its a must try :)

10)Rachel at Tangerine's Kitchen tempts us with her utterly delicious plate of Indo-chinese Potato stir fry! Thats another one in my 'I-made-it and -liked-it"list.

11)Ranji at Ranji's Kitchen corner - another recipe marathoner whose bubbly countenance is a reason for many moments of laughter and her yummy Gobi Manchurian brings the same smile in my lips which she did during group's so many endless threads.

12) Roma at Roma's Space sends her v colorful and easy bowl of stir fried vegetables. Thats an appetizing looking bowl - wouldnt u say so?

13)Sailaja at Sailaja's recipes wows her guests with her Gobi Manchurian and she wows us too :) Check out her version of the famous Indo-Chinese fare.

14)Sailu from Sailu's Kitchen is back again with her Vegetables in Spicy Garlic Sauce. I totally dig this recipe and this was another recipe that I tried with fabulous results. This is so worth bookmarking.Dont take my word for it - Go ahead and try yourself

15)Simran at Bombay Foodie makes such a healthy Kitsch with a delectable mix of beans and Tofu.

16)Valli at Cooking 4 all Seasons says its her first time at making this dish but this does not look like it at all. It looks as pro and elegant as any we would get from a restaurant. Its another one in my to-do list.



17)Suma of Suma's Cuisine. As soon as I saw her recipe for Soya Manchurian the first thing that struck me was - why dint I think of this before!! Soya chunks are a staple in my pantry and I have tried so many things with it - somehow this never came across my mind. I loved it when I made her recipe. Its worth a shot.

18)Sumi from Sumi's suKitchen goes out of her comfort zone for this event to whip up an droolworthy Chilli Garlic Mushroom. Another one to bookmark guyz.

19)Sunshine Mom at Tongue Ticklers gives us another entry with a delicious and spicy Paneer Nuggets. Thats one yummy dish thats going to be a hit wherever, whenever its made!

20)Vandana from Cooking up Something Nice makes her version of the so-often-made-and-loved Gobi Manchurian. She says that she enjoys taking part in blog events and if she makes such dishes, I am sure we would enjoy "her" participating such events too.

21) Nags at For the Cook in me makes an another "why-dint-I-think -of-this-before" dish. I seem to be thinking this so often nowdays what with you guyz coming up with such creativity. Her version looks absolutely heavenly. Just take a look at her pic and you would sure agree!

22)Sia at Monsoon Spice ladles an 'out-of-this-world' looking bowl of Sweet and Sour sauce. One look and you know its perfection and second look - you would want to recreate the same magic at your own kitchen too. I know I did :)



23)Vani at illatharasi helps me to get introduced to a completely new green veggie. I never knew of Kailan and her wonderful and easy dish prompted me to do some research about her ingredient. Thats one thing to watch out for.

24) Thats an entry from yours truly - Seitan Stir fry - which gives more than it takes to cook. Simple Easy and too healthy not to try.



25) Another one of the ever famous Gobi Manchurian from Divya at Dil Se's kitchen. Doesnt the color on this one look absolutely amazing?



26)I am not alone in my liking for Seitan, I guess. Pavani of Cooks-hideout has cooked up a luscious looking what she calls as a General Pav's Seitan which she made into a vegetarian recipe ( thats my girl :)) It luks yummy and seems to be a powerhouse of nutrition.

Snacks

One thing that I am totally addicted to is snacks! Munching between meals is considered not a healthy habit but the ones which I received for the event may very well prove all these doctors wrong! ;)

1) Anna from Morsel and Musing introduced me to yet an another delightful ingredient - Tofu puffs with her recipe of Salt and Pepper Tofu. Thats prompted me to search high and low for these bites and try Anna's recipe as soon as possible :)

2)PJ at Seduce Your Tastebuds really did seduce mine with her Fried Tofu fingers With Black Magic Dip. She was almost not going to make it, yet she found time to share this beautiful recipe with all of us. Sometimes last minute creations can make wonders!

3)Pearlofeast at Anyone Can Cook shows step-by-step instructions of how to make the delicious and yummy chinese dumplings right at your own kitchen. No more excuses not to try them anymore, is there?

There is nothing like getting to know a region's culture/traditions - especially heard from a local or a person who has stayed there long enough to get properly exposed to that place's day-to-day activities. That being said PJ at Seduce Your Tastebuds gives a very delightful view of the Chinese Marriage. In her words

"The wedding colour, it is quite standard: Red.

Red is central to the wedding theme of China . It signifies love, joy and prosperity and is used in a variety of ways in Chinese wedding traditions. The bride's wedding gown is often red, as are the wedding invitations, and wedding gift boxes or envelopes for cash gifts. Even the bride and groom's homes are decorated in red on the wedding day.

Before the party, most of the time the new couple will stand at the front door of the restaurant or hotel. They thank everyone for coming. Usually, people who come to the wedding party will give the new couple some money that is called "Hong Bao”. When almost everyone comes, the party begins........."

Got you curious dint I? Hop over to her blog to get to know more. Its so interesting.

I hope you like this AWED Chinese Menu and would use this as a reference to your satisfy your chinese appetite. You are welcome everytime ;-) I have tried to include everyone who has sent me a mail, but in case as with human tendancy, if I have overlooked someone's entry, I apologise and pls do drop me a line. Will include it pronto.

Seitan Stir Fry - Your One Stop Shop To Protein Needs :)

Seitan - which although looks like a Shaitan, is in reality very good for you :). It looks like meat but is actually made from Wheat gluten. It has a sort of chewy but at the same time firm texture. According to wikipedia "It is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch dissolves, leaving insoluble gluten as a gummy mass, which is subject to further processing."


( image src - wikipedia)

Where to look for it : It is available mostly in health food stores / natural food markets or in any well stocked large super markets. Look for it in the refrigerated/ chilled section.

Flavour- Enhancing/Cooking It does not have a standing out flavour on its own and therefore benefits largely with marinades. It can be sliced /cut into chunks, stir fried or simply added to stews in the large stage of the cooking. It is a very good meat replacement. It does not need long cooking time and gets done in matter of minutes.

Benefits: Its immensely rich in Protein - said to be almost the same as in Beef!! Also rich in essential amino acids and abundant in minerals and vitamins. As per the statistics - A four-ounce serving of seitan supplies between 6 and 10 percent of the U.S Reference Daily Intake of vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron." Any more reason not to look into your local health stores?



Here is one simple dish with seitan which I have been tryng out for a while and it works with all sort of addtions. I had noted down this from the internet.

Ingredients

For the Marinade
2 tbsp Maple syrup
3 tbsp Orange juice
1 tbsp soy sauce

For the Stir Fry
1 pkt Seitan ( I used 8 oz pkt ), shredded/chopped
1/4 cup dry roasted cashews (optional - I like to add since we do need daily intake of reasonable amount of nuts in our diet)
1 red bell pepper ( more Vitamin C than orange)
1/2 cup Edamame ( For the addtional amount of Protein )
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 inch ginger, grated
salt to taste
some spring onion greens for garnish

Method

1. Prepare the marinade by combining all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mixing well.



2.Then heat a pan and add the chopped seitan and stir fry for 4-5 min till golden brown. Then add the marinade till it covers it well and stor for another 2 min.



3.Remove from heat and then in the same pan, add chopped bell pepper, ginger, garlic, edamame and stir fry for 5-6 min in med-high heat.



4.Once little soft, add the seitan and cashews, water and cook for 2-3 min more. If watery mix some soy flour and water and stir it with the dish for it to thicken



5.Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot. I served it with Sezhuan Fried Rice.



Approx amount of protein in this dish would be about 60-70 gms and it comes mostly from Seitan and Edamame. A 2 oz serving has about 14g of protein and a 1/2 cup Edamame has 11g. Seitan has more protein that Tofu and comes with no additional and unwanted baggage of cholestrol or saturated fat. Good for all in more ways than one. Also other nutrients/minerals are also added with the addition of Maple syrup, orange juice ,soy sauce, red bell pepper and nuts.

Thus it is an immensely protein rich food good esp for vegetarians and is my entry for my own event AWED - Chinese and to Sangeeth's Protein Rich Foods Event

AWED DEADLINE : The AWED is almost upon us and the deadline is 15th of July - so buckle up everyone and send me your creations.

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My blog has been once again acknowledged and I am all dithers. One of my best outcomes of Blogging - Siri has bestowed a beautiful and flattering award to my blog. I am just running out of words. I was never good at handling fame ;-) and appreciation.

Thanks is so used and abused - as I always say. So as I say always Siri - I am indeed blessed to have gotton both you - as my friend and your award as a feather in my cap or should I say blog's cap :)

Brown Edamame and Tofu Rice

Ways and means to incorporate Protein becomes so essential in a vegetarian diet, esp since Indian Cuisine does not have adequate protein in day to day foods. If you are talking about lentils, they are not really adequate - all the more if you are a person working out in gym and an active person.



That being said - ways and means to have foods which are protein rich become essential. I usually have frozen shelled edamame, frozen lima and tofu for this purpose in my fridge and which i incorporate on days when I am not making any legume rich food. I have made Edamame rice so often and recently I saw Edamame and Tofu cooked with Brown rice in Food Network. That seemed a very good idea and I included eggs too in the rice for my husband - after taking out without eggs seperately for me. Its a simple enough recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup shelled edamame
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 cup Tofu - cubed
1 red capsicum - more vitamin C than Orange
1/4 cup peas
1-2 spring onions
1 onion
1 egg (optional)
1/2 - 1 cup brown rice - long grained and cooked ( left overs work v well with this recipe)
1-2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1-2 tsp Sichuanese Stir fry sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Steam the edamame for 3-5 min.



Saute the onions, spring onion whites in 1/2 tsp of oil ( yes its enough) and salt. Add garlic , bell pepper, peas and tofu and saute more for 5 min till veggies are soft.



2. Add the edamame, brown rice, soy sauce, Sichuanese stir fry (if using) along with it and saute more. If not using egg - jus garnish with sping onion greens and serve hot.



3.If using egg, make a well in the middle of the pan and pour the beaten egg in it.



Let it cook for a min and then scramble it along with the rice. Once cooked , garnish and serve warm.



A very healthy, simple and protein rich meal and this goes to my AWED theme - Chinese

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The voting for OS 2 is in the process and I have extended the deadline for the Votes until 9 July 2008. Please take some time to vote for your favourite entries if you have not already. Each and every participant has put in lots of efforts - from cracking the riddle to being innovative enough to put together a very wonderful dish and what better way to appreciate their hard work than Voting for them?. Your effort will work miracles for every one of them.

You can vote if you are a registered member of the forum and if you are not - This would be an excellent time, dont you think ;-) US winners will be given prizes by Anjali Damerla and other winners will get a surprise gift from us :). Enjoy Voting!

Stir fried Green beans with Garlic - Chinese Style and a MeMe

The moment I think Garlic, I think Chinese..But then I think Chinese for many other things even otherwise. Like Health and quick meals. Chinese cooking has ginger and garlic in almost all their dishes and stir fries are mostly or almost never made without the garlic.




I had some haricot verts in my freezer which was begging to be used! So, fixed myself a quick and yummy chinese stir fry with garlic and beans. Its v simple and takes only 5-8 min esp when you have frozen beans.

Ingredients


• 2 cups beans, cut diagonally or left whole
  
  
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
  
  
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped into very small pieces
  
  
• 1 tsp Chilli paste ( which ia made with chilli pepper,seasonings and of course- garlic.Its v hot, so use it as per your discretion)
  
  
• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce( as per taste)
  
  
• 1 tbsp plum sauce * ( famous in Chinese cooking and taste great in stir fries)
  
  * Plum sauce has vinegar so I have skipped it, but in case of not using the same, go for Vinegar
  
  
• salt to taste
  

Method

1. Thaw the beans if using frozen



2. Heat a non stick pan and heat it. Add peanut oil and add the Onion, then garlic and then the chilli paste in that order with a space of 10 seconds. Keep the heat high.



3. Then add the beans and saute for 5 min in high flame. Add the soy sauce,salt and plum sauce and keep stirring for 2-3 min more in high heat.



4.Serve with rice. Quick,Fast and Furious ( Ahem! Thats provided u use lots of chilli paste :-) )

This is my entry to JFI - Garlic hosted by our very own Mathy.



I thought of poking my nose for another fun event in the food'o'sphere. Called as Four Foods on Friday, it is a meme which asks for 4 (duh!) questions. Here are my answers.

#1. American cheese. Sliced fresh or prepackaged processed cheese product?

"A Cheese by any other form would taste just as yummy" ( You geddit dont ya? hehehe ) I think they should have named it American Doubles cos I have never stopped at a single. I soon had to stop getting it cos I sure was getting 'double' in size consuming that!

#2. What is your favorite cracker?

To be honest that would be my husband (no i do not mean in the strictest sense!) - He simply never fails to crack me up given any situation!. But since that would fetch me negative markings, I would say Ritz!

#3. What hot breakfast cereal do you like? Think oatmeal, farina, grits, etc.

"Corn"flakes (;-)) any day any time - Morning,afternoon and evening!

#4. Share a recipe that uses corn.

mmmh. There are lots but since I already started this post with beans, I will give one more connected to that from my notes.

Green Beans and Corn Salad

1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup plum tomatoes,halved / quartered
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped into small pieces.
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. olive oil

Cook green beans in boiling salted water until crisp-tender and still retaining the green colour. Drain. Run it under cold water in a colander. Drain well. Place in a salad bowl. Add tomatoes, corn, cilantro and garlic to beans, and toss gently.
Whisk together lemon juice and oil. Add to bean mixture, and stir gently to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and leave it for 30min before serving.

This is another garlic and bean combo's :) Hope you guyz liked my "meme".

Moo Goo Chon Fon Anyone?

(Scene -1 : A nice lovely home decorated tastefully by the woman of the house( thats me! and since this is my story I can praise myself cant i?), filled with aroma drifting from the kitchen. There is a click at the door and the man of the house enters after a long day at work)

He : Honey! Am back from work. umm! Something smells delicious! Whats for dinner?
She : Moo Goo Chon Fon.
He : Bless You! Your cold's still hanging on to you?
She : Its gone long back. Why do you ask all of a sudden?
He : You jus sneezed!
She : Of course I dint! I was telling you, the menu for dinner!
He : (apprehensively) That Moo Moo thing? What! (haltingly)Is it something to do with a Cow?
She : (Shocked!)Of course not! I luv experimenting! But cooking non-veg! Comeon!
He : Oh well! Arent you taking this Excellent Guinea Pig Award thing too far!
She : (accusingly)Seriously! Do you think I will do something like that? Dont you trust me?
He : Oh well! I do, but I have some trouble doing the same to that moo moo thing! But ok I will give it a try! It does look good though! (pause) ( one spoonful makes a transit to the mouth..a sparkling blink in the eye!) OMG! Isnt this Mushroom Rice? You really took me for a ride...you moo moo you..
....
...
And they ate happily ever after!



Moo Goo Shon Fon is nothing but Mushroom Fried Rice where there is a tasty combo of mushrooms along with the dried ones. I love Mushrooms and I make them often enough. Recently, my advent to the stores made me buy a huge surplus of vegetables( this is why they say that you shouldnt go shopping on an empty stomach!) and I bought quite a variety of Mushrooms. The next day, I made this rice which was v good and appetising. The pics have been in my draft for quite a while, so I have approximate measuremtns to what went into the recipe.

Ingredients

• approx 3 cups of mixed mushrooms ( I used Button,cremini,Portobello,oyster,shitake)
  
  
• 1 cup Basmati rice, cooked till grains are seperate
  
  
• 3-4 cloves of garlic and 1 inch ginger,sliced
  
  
• 1 onion, sliced thinly
  
  
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
  
  
• 2 tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
  
  
• 1/4 cup of peas
  
  
• 3-4 beans sliced
  
  
• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium preferable)
  
  
• 1 tbsp chilli sauce ( I have tried Sichuanese Stir Fry Sauce and it works great)
  
  
• 1-2 tbsp Ketchup (optional)
  
  
• 1-2 tbsp Tomato Puree
  
  
• 2 scallion, green and white chopped seperately
  
  
• few sprigs of cilantro
  
  
• Salt to taste
  
  

Method
1. Heat some oil in a pan, and add chopped onions,(along with scallion whites) garlic, ginger and stir well till soft. Slice the mushrooms



Add the bell peppers,beans, peas and tomatoes and stir for another 3-4 min.



2.Add the tomato puree, ketchup, soy sauce,chilli sauce and salt and mix well. Keep stirring for another 5 min and when it starts bubbling, add the sliced mushrooms.



3.Stir for another 5-8 min and when mushrooms get slightly soft add the rice and mix well.



4.Garnish with scallion greens and springs of cilantro and you are done :) Serve hot.



What did you enjoy more? The story or the pic or both.( psst! I am hoping for the last option..gimme that ok! Humour me darlings!:))

This is my entry for WHB hosted by Kel originally initiated by Dear Kalyn

Goreng Pisang

Goreng Pisang or should I say Pisang Goreng is also referred to as Chinese Fried Bananas although more famous in Indonesia. Like many other recipes that I have made, the variations on this one is also immense. According to my Mission Sherlock on the Internet, I got to know that Chinese Version makes use of egg while the others usually dont.



I personally dint find a major difference except in the texture of the fritters. But the crunchiness of the fritters were not that massive enough to compulsory use Eggs. You can skip it too and it still would make a very good dessert. It is very easy to make and a good dessert/snack for unexpected guests. I have made an eggless version here.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana (preferably sweet and not too ripe )
  
  
• 1 tbsp self raising flour
  
  
• 1 tbsp rice flour
  
  
• 1 tbsp corn starch
  
  
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
  
  
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon powder
  
  
• 1 egg (optional)
  
  
• salt to taste
  

Method

1.Peel the banana and cut it into slices



2.Prepare the batter by adding the flours,salt and egg(if using) and few drop of water. the batter should be thick and of coating consistancy. ( This one is eggless )



3.Drop the banana pieces in the batter, coat them



and deep fry them.



You can bake them/ shallow fry but I find that it does not have that much of a crunch as compared to deep fried. Place them in a paper towel to drain excess oil.

4.In a plate combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.Coat the fried bananas with the sugar.



5.Serve them hot. You can have it with icecream, honey or whipped cream. I loved mine with whipped Cream.



This is my entry to Bindiya's My Favourite Food Event - with the theme "Chinese Foods"