I have always been a big fan of stir fried noodles. I remember during college days, my roommate and I used to go to different restaurants to try out different types of noodles. Even though I like to get a take-out from Asian restaurants here, I do not remember when was the last time I had any of these dishes. I don’t use any ready made sauces these days, so I could not try it at home too. But last week when I was on my usual grocery shopping, I saw a pack of soba noodles and could not resist buying it. I also picked some frozen edamame beans for the first time. Now I had to come up with a recipe that did not use any ready made sauces. This is not any authentic recipe, but it sure tastes great.
Ingredients: 1 pack soba noodles 2 cups vegetables & fruits – carrots, beans, edamame, pineapple 1/4 cup onion 1 tbl spn ginger 1 tbl spn roasted sesame seeds 1/2 tea spn thick tamarind juice 1-2 tea spns red chutney 1-2 tea spns jaggery (or brown sugar) Oil Salt
Red chutney – Take about 10 red chillies, 1 tea spn chopped garlic and pour some hot water on it (or add room temperature water and microwave for 1min). Then grind to a smooth paste. Store in air tight container. This chutney can also be used for dosas.
Method: Take carrots, beans, edamame in a microwave safe bowl, add very little water and microwave for 2mins (I did this because Ishaan cannot eat completely raw vegetables yet. This step can be skipped if you like crunchy vegetables). Cook noodles according to package instructions and keep it aside. Heat 1/4 cup water and add red chutney, tamarind and jaggery to it. Let it boil till the sauce thickens. In a wok, heat oil and add onion and ginger. Fry for a few minutes and then add vegetables and pineapple. Fry on a high heat for a while. Now add sauce, salt and noodles. Mix well. Take off heat. Add roasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.
Serves : 3-4 Preparation time : 30mins
Pictorial:
It has been raining heavily for the last few days here. Pakodas/bajes are one of the most loved dishes in this season. We make bajes with many vegetables . I have been making bajes with ginger for years now. These get a spicy and strong taste from ginger pieces. So make them small in size.
Ingredients: 2 tbl spn finelly chopped ginger 4 tbl spn gram flour(besan) 1/4 tea spn chilli powder Oil Salt
Method: Mix together flour, ginger, chilli powder, salt. Add a little water and make a thick batter. Heat oil. Take a small amount of batter and slowly slide in the oil. Fry till done. Serve hot.
Pictorial:
