Better than take-out Chicken Fried Rice | Leftover recipes

We buy the fully cooked rotisserie chicken from walmart(read once a month) whenever we visit the place. I love it on my salads seasoned with some salt, pepper and garlic powder and then I love to make chicken salad with greek yogurt, pecans and cranberries which I have as it is or use it in sandwiches. This fried rice is my new favorite to use up the leftover chicken. Stir fried veggies, eggs, chicken and rice mildy flavored with soy sauce and loads of pepper ~ what more for a wholesome meal. I would recommend you to use sesame oil for the best results cos the nuttiness of the oil enhances the overall flavor of this dish.

Prep time: 20 mins; Cook time: 20 mins; Serves - 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Rotisserie chicken - 1 cup, chopped Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Sesame oil - 2 tbsp Yellow onion - 1, small, chopped Carrots, beans - 1 cup, chopped Frozen peas - 1/4 cup Soy sauce - 2-3 tbsp Eggs - 2, lightly beaten Green onions - 1/8 cup, chopped Salt, pepper How I Made it: Heat sesame oil in a large pan or wok. Add onion and fry till translucent. Add the peas, beans and carrots and fry until tender. Move this to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetables. Add the rice and chicken. Pour and gently combine. Add chopped green onions if desired.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Falafel & Pita Sandwich

I am part of this cooking challenge, "Ssshhhh Cooking secretly" which was started by Priya akka of Priya's versatile recipes. Every month, we are paired with a different blogger and two ingredients are shared secretly between them. You could chose either one or cook with both the ingredients. The final recipes are revealed on 16th - 18th of every month. I was interested in the challenge because this way I could get to know and interact with new bloggers and so I was in. This month I was paired with Janani of Redchillycurry and she gave me two options ~ sweet potato and chickpeas. I immediately knew what I would be picking and what I would make with the same.

Falafel has been in my to-do list for a really long time. To those who don't know what falafel is here is what wiki says "Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa; "falafel" also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way". When I was in the Gulf, this was a staple at home and a favorite too. I totally loved recreating those memories at home. I got the pita breads from the store but I will be trying them soon at home and ofcourse sharing it here too...

~*What U Need*~ Chickpeas - 1 cup, soaked overnight Spring onions - 3 Coriander leaves - 1 handful Garlic cloves - 2 Green chilli - 1 Coriander powder - 1 tsp Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - to taste Pita breads - 5 Sliced onions, cabbage, tomato Hummus or mayo How I Made it: Soak chickpeas overnight. Drain and pat dry. In a blender, add the chickpeas and the rest of ingredients and blend to a coarse paste. Form balls and deep fry in hot oil till evenly brown. Or you could shallow fry with little oil in a paniyaaram pan. To serve slightly warm the pita breads, stuff with veggies and the falafel, top with hummus or mayo.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Garam Masala Fried Rice

I am a true lover of garam masala. Not the ones that we get prepacked from the store. I am talking about the one that amma roasts at home and grinds fresh. Its got a unique flavor and aroma which the store bought ones can never acquire. Without doubt the first thing that I asked her when I started preparations to leave to the US was half kgs each of her homemade masala powders and an extra half kg of her garam masala. Now whenever I grab the garam masala powder from my pantry to flavor my curries, I always remember her and her varutharacha kozhi kuzhambu. It always tops my list of favorites and it can be made right by no-one else other than amma.

My love for garam masala is what made me to add the flavor to this fried rice and we totally loved it. If you are not in deep love with the spices then you can reduce the amount to 1/2 teaspoon or you could totally skip it. But then it would just be another regular fried rice.

Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 15 mins; Serves: 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Cooked Basmati rice - 2 cups Onions - 1/2 cup, finely chopped Carrots - 1, finely chopped Beans - 6-7, finely chopped Cabbage - 1/2 cup, finely chopped Spring onions - a handful, chopped Salt, Pepper Oil - 1 tsp Low sodium soy sauce - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1 tsp How I Made it: Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions and saute till brown. Add in the chopped vegtables and saute till tender but crisp. Season with salt and pepper. Add the soy sauce followed by the garam masala. Once the raw smell goes off, add the spring onions and fry for 1 minute. Add the cooled rice and mix well.

Serve warm with any indo-chinese starters!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Sriracha Egg Fried Rice | Easy Lunchbox recipes

Who all loves Sriracha??? Me and the huss are addicted to it these days. Our vegetable fried rice is never complete with a decent dose of hot Sriracha sauce. It all started after we had a take out from a nearby Chinese restaurant and the owner suggested we have it with some Sriracha sauce. Seeing the look on our faces he took the pain to pack us some sauce. The intensity of flavors and the chinese zing was enough for us to fall in love with the sauce and we grabbed our own bottle the next time we went shopping. Since then we have been using it to complete our chinese foods. To those who are not familiar with the sauce, Sriracha is a type of hot sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal city of Si Racha, in the Chonburi Province of Eastern Thailand, where it was possibly first produced for dishes served at local seafood restaurants.

This time when I was preparing fried rice, I thought of intensifying the flavors by adding a tablespoon of the sauce in the rice itself and both of us loved it to the core. To those who are not in favor of hotness, reduce the sauce per liking.

~*What U Need*~ Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Onion - 1, finely chopped Carrots - 1, finely chopped Beans - 8-10, finely chopped Green peas - 1/2 cup Eggs - 2 Spring onions - 1/2 bunch Garlic clove - 2, finely chopped Soy sauce - 1 tsp Sriracha sauce - 1 tbsp Salt, Pepper Oil How I made it: Heat oil in a kadai and add the garlic cloves, fry till brown. Add the onions and fry till soft. Add the peas and cook till tender. Next add in the carrots and beans and saute for few mins. Add the soy and sriracha sauce and mix well. In another pan, scramble the eggs with some oil. Meanwhile to the veggies add the cooked rice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and then add the spring onions and scrambled eggs. Mix well and cook for another 2 mins.

Serve warm...

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Spring Onion in Besan Flour Stir Fry

The only use of spring onions that I know of is garnishing mainly manchurian dishes. I knew that its crunchy, gives a nice aroma and increases the overall flavor of the dish. Whenever I get a bunch of spring onions, I use it minimally and the rest will be left unused finally to meet its end at the dustbin. So I stopped getting spring onions itself. Then I came across this recipe from Jeyashris kitchen and I was instantly hooked to it. So got a bunch of spring onions and tried this. To my dismay the huss had an instant liking to this recipe that whenever we go grocery shopping, he runs to grab a bunch and demands this dish to be made.

~*What U Need*~
Spring Onion - 1 bunch
Besan / Kadalai maavu - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - a pinch
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

How I made it:
Wash and chop the spring onions very finely. In a kadai, heat oil, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves and allow to splutter. Now add the chopped spring onions and stir well. Add salt and mix well. Allow this to cook till it becomes dry.
Add the besan, red chilli powder and garam masala at this stage and mix well. Saute well till the besan gets cooked and the mixture looks dry and non sticky.

Serve as a side dish for rice. We had this with dhal and it was a nice combination.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Gobi Manchurian Dry

My MIL makes good authentic and traditional recipes but she never ventures out of her line nor does she comes to restaurants to try new foods. Rare occasions are those when she comes out and those days would be just a chicken biryani on her plate. We try our level best to persuade her to have some Chinese food but she just wont budge. After many unsuccessful attempts, we came up with the idea of making some Indo-Chinese food for her at home so that she gets an idea of how saucy and yummy they could be. Me and the huss tried this dry version of Gobi manchurian for he and she liked it.

~*What U Need*~
Cauliflower - (bite-size florets) 1 cup
Oil for deep frying

For the batter:
All-purpose Flour - 6 tbsp
Corn flour - 4 tbsp
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Water
Salt to taste

For the manchurian sauce:
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1
Green Chilli sauce - 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 3
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Tomato Ketchup - 2tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Corn flour - 1 tsp
Spring Onions / Coriander leaves

How I Made it:
Mix all-purpose flour, corn flour, salt and black Pepper with little water without any lumps(similar to bajji batter). Dip the cauliflower pieces well with batter and deep fry. Remove and drain the excess oil on a paper towel
Chop the onions, garlic and ginger finely. Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and ginger pieces. When golden brown, add onions and cook until they are translucent.
Add tomato ketchup, green chilli sauce, soy sauce and vinegar and mix well. Cook till oil separated.
Mix corn flour with little water and add it to the sauce. Cook till the sauce starts to thicken.
Add the fried cauliflower with the sauce and mix well till the sauce coats the cauliflower completely. Garnish with spring onions or coriander leaves.

Serve as side dish for pulao / as starter.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Golden Baby Corn Manchurian

Baby corn is one veggie which I have been detesting right from the start. But then after a few experimenting and getting the veggie cooked right to suit my palate, I am in total love for this veggie and its crunchiness. So whenever I see fresh baby corns, I grab a packet to make baby corn masala for chapathis. The huss got bored as usual and asked for variety. So tried making baby corn manchurian and it was an instant hit.

~*What U Need*~
For Frying:
Baby corns - 1 packet
All purpose flour/Maida - 2 tbsp
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - for frying

For Manchurian sauce:
Oil - 2 tsp
Onion - 1(Medium)
Capsicum - 1(Medium)
Green chilli sauce - 1 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Spring onion - 1 sprig
Chopped Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

How I Made:
Golden Baby Corns:
In a large bowl, mix maida, cornflour, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder and salt. Add little water and bring to semi liquid consistency without any lumps. Slit the baby corns and then cut into finger size pieces. Now add the sliced baby corns and combine well so that the mixture is evenly coated
Heat oil in kadai, fry the baby corns till they are evenly golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil

The Manchurian sauce:
Chop the onions finely. Cut the capsicum into cubes. Chop the spring onions finely.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add onions and saute till they turn golden brown. Add salt and mix well.
Add cubed capsicum and fry again till the capsicum becomes crispy and cooked.
Add soy-, tomato- and chilli sauce and toss well for a minute. Now add the fried baby corns and toss until the sauce coats the baby corns evenly. Add the spring onions and toss them once or twice. Remove from flame. Garnish with coriander leaves

Serve hot as a starter for parties / evening-snack / side-dish for chapathis.

Sending this to Cooking with seeds event - corn held @ SouthIndianHome and Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes.


So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Vegetable Noodles

When I was a kid, my mom never used to get me Maggi or any of those 2-minute noodles. Those were days when Maggi was sensational among kids. Friends of mine used to bring Maggi even for their lunch box. Whenever I asked mom for noodles, it would be just homemade veggie or egg noodles and I used to get angry over their stinginess. Never did it strike me that it was for my own good. Now reading articles on the "health benefits" of Maggi, I have completed skipped this out of our diet. Whenever I get a craving for noodles, it is either the homemade veg/egg noodles or pastas.

Once the vegetables are cut, making this is just a matter of minutes. You can whip up the whole dish in 5-10 mins.
Try adding this to your weekly menu regularly as you get the wholesome goodness of the veggies. Reason being we just half cook it to retain the crunchiness and that is kinda added benefit. Dump in loads of veggies and adjust the sauces to your taste and you will love this.

~*What U Need*~
Noodles - 1 packet (I Used Ching's)
Water - 6 to 7 cups

Carrot - 1
Beans - 10
Capsicum - 1 medium size Julienned
Onion - 1/2 sliced
Spring onion - 2 stalk sliced
Coriander leaves - 2 sprigs

Dark soy sauce- 1 tsp
Tomato sauce - 1 tsp
Green chilli sauce - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt - as required
Garlic(finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp

How I Made it:
Boil water in a large pot. When boiling, dump in the noodles and cook by adding 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of oil. Check a noodle by pinching. The texture should be neither mushy nor hard, just half through. This will take atleast 6 minutes. Pour this in the colander. Show this under running tap water to remove all the starch. Next dump it into cold water. So that they will not stick with each other.

Meanwhile heat oil in the wok. Add garlic and then the onions. Add the veggies after 2 mins, first the beans, saute for 2 minutes, add the carrots and then the capsicum. Saute for another 2-3 mins. Add the soy, chilli and tomato sauce and toss well. Now add pepper and salt.
Add the noodles. Toss till well blended, add the spring onion and serve hot.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Aval Uppuma with Spring Onions | Poha Recipes

Aval uppuma / Poha using flattened rice is easy to make and is one ingredient which will be always available in my pantry. If I turn late from office any night, I usually make this or semiya uppuma. You can have this with sugar. Need not make any side dish.

~*Ingredients*~
Flattened rice / Poha – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Urad dhal – 1 teaspoon
Channa dhal – 1 teaspoon
Chopped onions – 1 cup
Green chilli – 1 slit
Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Chopped Spring onions – ¼ cup
Oil
Salt – to taste
Toasted Peanuts – handful (optional)

The Making:

Soak the flattened rice in water for 10 mins. Drain water and set aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and when spluttered add the curry leaves and green chilli.
Add urad and toor dhal and peanuts and fry till brown.

Now add the chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Then add the turmeric powder.

Once done add the flattened rice and cook for 5 mins.

Add the spring onions and cook till done.
Combine the toasted peanuts. Serve with sugar.
The crunchiness of the spring onions gives an extra flavor to this dish

Interested!!! Click to read more...