Chicken Hakka Noodles

 ( I had made this post on my instagram page around two months back but never got around to posting it here. The weather is not exactly as described , right now. ) 


After four days of gloriously bright sunshine , a clear blue sky and crisp, cold breeze, the day started dull and gloomy and foggy again.

Though it is difficult to call this city's weather gloomy. Even cloudy foggy days are beautiful. I woke up late as I slept very late last night ... was at the fag end of a book and just didn't want to keep it away ... and even though I woke at my regular 6 am, seeing the weather outside, promptly buried myself back into the covers.
Skipped breakfast and just sipped on the hot kadha that I make everyday.
While both of us agreed that such a weather calls for some spicy, deep fried food, we decided we won't indulge in any.
But we did not want the regular meals of rice or roti too.

I had ordered vegetables yesterday and since had almost everything I needed, we zeroed in on some quick stir fried Hakka noodles .
I sliced the vegetables and brought out some frozen pieces of chicken that I had saved from an earlier stew.
Made B's vegetarian version first and then made mine.

Stir fried the shredded chicken with chopped ginger and garlic, green chillies and threw in the vegetables.
After tossing them together, added boiled noodles , a little vinegar, sliced onions and spring onions greens.
Added some crushed black pepper and mixed everything well.
I did not add any sauce as I have given up eating packaged products.
Would have loved some soy and chilli sauce with it😊.

Turned out great.
The noodles were perfectly al dente, the vegetables held their crunch since I cooked them on high heat and just for a little while .... never cover and cook vegetables for Chinese food ... nothing is worse than soft, sagging vegetables in a stir fry.... and the green chillies had the right zing for balance.
.

 Vegetarians can add paneer , tofu or soya chunks for the protein content. 
Or else, just the vegetables work fine too. 

Enjoy!! 

Soupy noodles with vegetables and Chilli oil

The last few days have been very cloudy.
Not the huge, 'raring to go' kind of cumulus; but the quiet , grey ones. Slowly spreading across the sky, overcasting the city with quiet deliberation. The air has turned colder ... well it was cool all these days, but now it is positively colder.
The ghee in the kitchen has solidified.
And we have taken out the light Jaipuri covers to snuggle under.
So that is a sign.

I decided to make noodles  for lunch a few days back but B wanted something hot and soupy to sip on.
So I made this noodles soup that my youngest maasi used to make and I have grown up eating.

How to : 

Boil the noodles till they are half done.
Drain them and keep aside. 

Stir fry chopped garlic, ginger, carrots, green chilli and add some water.
You may use vegetable or chicken stock too. 

Bring to a boil.

Add salt and a little vinegar.
I added lots of crushed black pepper too .... you can add according to your liking. 

Add in the boiled noodles and a little of the water the noodles were boiled in. 

Serve topped with chilli garlic oil. 

For the Garlic chilli oil, I fried lots of chopped garlic in hot oil. 
Added chilli flakes at the end and removed from heat. 
Done! 

It makes for a great topping on any plain dish. 

 You can add pieces of chicken too , while stir frying the vegetables. 
Or drop in beaten eggs when it is boiling and make it an egg drop soup. 

Whatever way, it makes for a great hot meal. 
Perfect for any cold weather ..... damp oor otherwise. 

Enjoy!! 

Fried rice and Chilli chicken ... a Bengali's favourite classic combo meal

I cooked this for lunch last Sunday. 
And the way it turned out to be, immediately decided it should be on the blog. 

I have been missing eating out for a while now. Not that we used to eat out very frequently, before the pandemic shut the whole world up at home, but yes, once in a while we did.

Or at least  had the freedom and the option to go out and grab a bite when not feeling like cooking or stepping into the kitchen. 

Now, however, life has been revolving around the three meals and snacks the whole day.

Not to mention the boredom of the familiar tastes and masalas . 

And Chinese food being my favourite, it is there that I was hit the most.

I do cook chinese food at home ..... mostly for dinners. But that is limited to just stir fried vegetables, hakka noodles and my quick, cheat's  Chilli Chicken. 

This time, however, my intense craving for Chinese food made me decide to whip up a meal.

And in detail .... no short cuts. 

Easier said than done. 

Chinese food has one elaborate thing for sure .... and that is prepping. 

Cooking the actual dish does not take much time .... just throw in a little of this, a little of that, toss, toss, toss .... and done!
But the prepping .... boy! ..... takes up all the time you have and also exhausts you. 

I realised I had bitten off more than I can chew by the time I was halfway and neck deep into the prep work. And I thanked the good gods for providing me the sense to eat a heavy breakfast that morning. 
The greater part of my problem is cooking two kinds of food .... vegetarian and non vegetarian. 

And keeping everything apart so that nothing touches each other, planning to use the oil for deep frying for the vegetarian part first and then use it for non vegetarian ..... and so on.

These are the little things that require constant alertness and are really stressful and exhausting. 

I had leftover rice in the fridge. 

I had marinated chicken in the freezer. 

I had a block of paneer in the fridge.

B assured me he would chop the vegetables. 

And so I dived headlong into cooking lunch. 

For the Chilli Chicken : 

I make the Chilli chicken the way I have grown up eating .... with lots of green chillies nad no capsicums. You may add them if you like though. 

Need : 

Chicken pieces - 250 gms, marinated with ginger garlic paste, soy sauce and a little vinegar 

Cooking oil , enough for deep frying

Corn flour  - 1 tbsp

Maida / Apf - 3 tbsp

Rice flour - 1 tsp 

Diced onions 

Chopped green chillies 

Minced garlic

Minced ginger

Salt - to taste 

Sugar - to taste 

How to : 

Mix the flours with the marinated chicken. 

Heat oil and deep fry the pieces.  Keep aside. 

In a wok, heat a little oil. 

Add  garlic and ginger. Then add the green chillies and the diced onion. 

Stir fry on high heat and add the chicken pieces, soy sauce, vinegar and salt. 

Toss on high heat till everything comes together. 

For the  Vegetable Fried Rice  : 

Need : 

Leftover rice 

Cooking oil

Chopped vegetables like carrots, green peas, french beans, cauliflower

Chopped onions
Chopped green chillies

Minced garlic

Minced ginger

Soy sauce

A little vinegar

Black pepper powder

Salt

Sugar

How to : 

Heat oil in a seasoned iron wok. 

Add chopped garlic and ginger. Toss.

Add chopped onion and green chillies. 

Add the vegetables and toss on high heat.

Add the rice and the rest of the ingredients and toss on high heat till everything comes together. 
Serve hot. 

 
And now .... as promised on my last post .... the winner of the giveaway of the beautiful book by Sandeepa Bongmom, Those Delicious Letters . 

I made chits and drew out the name of  ..... 
Julie of Savoury Delights !!!!! 

Congratulatoins Julie!!! 
Do drop me an email with your full address and phone number so that I can ship the book to you. 


My next post is going to be on another classic ..... so stay tuned folks! 

Stay safe. Stay at home. 💓


You can find my other recipes on Chinese food here. 

Pineapple Chicken .... recipe for a quick, light and tangy chicken cooked with pineapples

It has been a beautiful morning. 
After the deluge of two days, back to back, it is all warm, sunny and bright all around. 
Just when we thought monsoon is over, it started to rain in earnest again. 
Humid, suffocating days vanished and gave way to torrential rains. Huge pellets of water drops, shooting down like arrows, with a roar and the dark sky rumbled ceaselessly. 
It turned hazy and gray all around and the distant buildings and trees were lost to the vision. 
The trees stood still, accepting the beating of rain. Drinking in quietly. 
The leaves however were happy, shiny and all bright and quivering under the pure water. 

The dry earth drank  to its fill. The little stream by our house started to run again .... dark muddy water happily gurgling and rushing forth with white froth lacing. 
The birds did not come to my balcony for a drink. I could see them sitting on the branches .... near their  nests. The crows and the eagles were soaked through and looked different. 
The Bulbuls were restless and did come out to prance around for a while before diving back into the thickets. The sparrows are nowhere around too. 

Today, everybody was back on my balcony. 
Chirping, cawing and even screeching out to me ... demanding their share of biscuits and my breakfast. 
The water bowl was full with the fresh rainwater ... I did not change it. 
B had cleaned the balcony of all dirt and mud from the plant pots yesterday, as I stood in the rain to soak in the coolness, after I finished with the chores. ( Yes yes, I have already written about this on my instagram post ) . 
So it was good to spend the morning in the balcony. 

I have a  chair in the small space to our balcony and often sit there to take in some fresh breeze, in between my work.
Today, that breeze seemed so fresh, heavy with the damp smell of rains and of freshly beaten green, that it took me back to my Dadu's house back home. 
I could smell the water laden, cooling breeze coming from across the huge pond, carrying with it the smell of damp grass and leaves, along with the fragrance of the flowers of the old Jamrul tree. 

I could see Thamma sitting at the khirki duar ( one of the side entrances to the house ), with her back to me, looking out at the pond and its dark, calm waters that had a very light ripple on the surface, made by the breeze. Her long hair, only slightly white, spread all over her back. Once in a while, she would run her fingers through them .... to help them dry sooner. 

And I realise, that with time, I am slowly turning into my Thamma. 
As I sit in my chair, loving the breeze on me, looking out to the small forest and the stream, I realise this is my khirki duar.
My little door to the world I love to look at. 
And am grateful for that. 
You see, I have always wanted to be like Thamma. 

Coming back, I had cooked this beautiful, quick dish of chicken with pineapple, a few weeks back. 
I loved it so much that I wanted to make a post here .... for my own self to come back to the recipe when I needed to. 

*  I had marinated the chicken pieces before freezing them ... which helped it to cook faster I guess. 
If you are making it fresh, then do keep it marinated for at least an hour. 

* I had some leftover rice, so added it for the carb content and make a full meal. 
You may or may not. 


Need : 

To marinate : 

Chicken pieces - cut into bite sized pieces ( I use the thigh pieces) 
Grated ginger
Grated garlic
Vinegar - a little
Soy sauce 
Honey 
Oil
Salt
Sugar

Mix everything together and keep aside for an hour. 

Other ingredients : 

Pineapple pieces
Onion cut into cubes
Chopped green chillies 
Chopped ginger
Red chilli flakes 
Crushed black pepper 
Oil
Salt


How to : 


Heat oil in a pan. 

Add  the pineapple pieces and toss well. 
Sprinkle some red chilli flakes on them and keep aside. 

Now add the chicken pieces on high heat and sear them well. 
Toss, cover and cook till they are done. 
Remember not to overcook. 

Now raise heat, add the rest of the ingredients and toss well. 
If using rice, add now. 

Add the pineapple pieces.
Mix everything together. 

Serve hot.  

Enjoy!! 

Eat healthy. Eat to your fill. 
And stay safe.


Here is a little reminder about the giveaway I am doing.
Hop over to know the details.






 

 

Chilli chicken from my childhood ... with lots of chillies and no Capsicum

 

( If you are a vegetarian, you can make this recipe with paneer or cauliflower. )

I do not claim this recipe of the Chilli chicken as authentic or perfect or even the right way to make Chinese chilli chicken. When young, this is the way chilli chicken was made not only at our house but also the ones that we got from restaurants.
Having said that, I must say that eating out was not something that we did much. One of the reasons is me ... I was painfully shy and could not imagine sitting in a public place and eating ... no matter however good the ambience or the company.
It nearly killed me when people, who were mostly strangers to me,  would walk up to our table and talk to Bapi and Ma.
I would never accompany my parents or relatives to any wedding ceremony invitations just because of that terrifying thought of sitting among a huge number of people and eating. 
This continued till I left home for studies. At the hostel and the PG where I stayed, I slowly came to realise that if I did not loosen up, I would stay hungry. Which I did on most days.
Now, while I have changed a lot and do go out with groups to eat out, I still come back home with just a few nibbles and an empty stomach.

So, the only solution was to bring home or call for a takeaway. Which Bapi sometimes did. Like most Bengalis, there would be the fried rice and chilli chicken combination. And a beautiful chicken bharta,  that I so miss these days.
The chilli chicken lived up to its name. It would have lots and lots of green chillies, fried along with the onions ... which were both crunchy as well as sweet.
The chicken pieces would be with bones ... which is why I loved it so much ... and have a thick coating that would have soaked up the sauce by the time we sat down to eat ... giving it a slightly soggy yet delightfully sweet and sour taste.
Sometimes the chicken chunks would be red in colour and Bapi would exclaim "Colour!Again!" and get up to drain the red oil into the kitchen sink.
I loved to soak a piece of tandoori naan, that came with the bharta, into that reddish, sweet and sour oily sauce and chew on it ( I told you I am a complete desi when it comes to food).

Later, after I landed in Pune, I came across the new version of the Chilli chicken .... boneless, small pieces, deep fried to a chewy chunk, not a trace of green chilli and horror of all horrors, loaded with big chunks of capsicum!
Why the dish has capsicum is a question that has stayed unanswered to me still. You will get a few, soggy and limp slices of onions too. But you will have to search for a decent piece of chicken from under those big chunks of capsicum.
After trying to search for a good chilli chicken in Pune, I finally gave up. Sadly, even today, there is not a single restaurant in Pune where I can ask for a good Chilli chicken.
So took it to making it myself.

I do not make it too often though, especially as it is only for myself at most times. But if I am making Chinese, I do make these. On the bone for family; boneless for guests.
This time I made it with chunky, chicken thigh pieces ... ideal pieces for a juicy yet dry dish. And shallow fried the chicken, instead of deep frying it.
Pretty quick to make.
You can fry the chickem pieces and store in the fridge, covered of course, and toss it with the rest of the things just before serving.
While they are the perfect accompaniment to a fried rice or a Hakka noodles dish, they make great starters or finger food too for snacks.
Pair them with some good wine or a cocktail for a light evening fare.

Need :

Chicken - 250 gms, chopped into small pieces
Corn flour - 3 tbsp
Maida / Apf - 1 tbsp
Baking soda - a small pinch
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Green chilli sauce - to taste
Crushed black pepper - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 big, cut into cubes
Green chillies - 6 to 8, chopped
Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves, chopped
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Cooking oil - 4 tbsp

How I make it :

Marinate the chicken pieces with vinegar + a little salt + soy sauce + ginger paste + garlic paste  for around half an hour.

Then add the corn flour + maida + baking soda + black pepper to it and mix well.

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in an open, flat pan.
Carefully let in the chicken pieces and shallow fry, a small batch at a time, and remove on a paper  napkin.

Add the rest of the oil ( if needed ) to the pan and add the garlic.

Fry a little and then add the green chillies + the onions + the chilli sauce.
Adjust salt + sugar.

Add the chicken pieces and toss well on high heat.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!!

Ps: I did not realise I had already ranted about the capsicum thing in one of my earlier posts ... i.e. the quick stir fried Chilli chicken. Try that too.

Burnt garlic noodles with stir fried vegetables

( Non vegetarians can add slices of chicken, sausage or eggs to this too. )

Durga came and left.
Lokkhi came and left.
I was so caught up with a thousand things that I hardly opened the laptop. I was away from facebook too .... I did a small customary post for Bijoya, though.
And now, life is filled with numerous chores that need to be done before Diwali.

Pujo went well this time.
I was more relaxed, actually went out with B, visited pandals, offered pushpanjali and had bhog too.
Ate from the food stalls a couple of times ... would have loved to eat more but my tummy drew the line.
I did share a couple of photos on my Kitchen-e-Kichu Khonn's page on face book.

Anyway, here I am, when realisation struck that I have not wished you all, my readers a Subho Bijoya!
I know it is a little late in the day but do accept my good wishes on Bijoya.
May the good always prevail in your lives.

Amongst other things, which included a short trip out of town for a few days, I am also swamped with a lot of knitting projects right now.
Recently completed this top ... so sharing a shot with you. Do let me know what you think of it.
I will make a fresh post along with the pattern in my other blog in a few days.

Coming to today's recipe, I had made this quick noodles stir fry on one of our busy, rainy days.

I usually make Chinese for dinner ... which is why I can never make a post on them.
But this was made for a light lunch and so got to see the light of the day.

Unless I am making Hakka noodles, I love a little garlic in my noodles. In this recipe, I tossed the noodles in burnt garlic. And the flavour that burnt garlic gives is awesome.
I love the slight hint of sweetness from them after they have caramelised well.

As for the vegetables on the side, they are not actually dry. I added a little sauce to give them some body and bring everything together in harmony.

Quick to make, light on the tummy.

This is a perfect one in all dish.

 Need :

Noodles
Cooking oil
Vegetables - cut in slants
( I had baby corn, zucchini, yellow bell peppers, red bell peppers, cauliflower florets, purple cabbage ,mushrooms )
Onions - cut into thick rings
Garlic - minced well
Ginger - chopped well  
Green chillies - chopped
Chilli flakes
Chilli vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
Corn flour
Sugar
Salt

How to : 

Boil the noodles in enough salted water.
Drain just before they are completely cooked and hold under running water to cool completely.
This will give you the perfect al dente noodles .... not over cooked and mushy.
Mix in a spoonful of white oil and toss well.
Keep aside.

In a kadahi, heat oil on low heat.

Add ginger + garlic + green chillies + the rest of the vegetables and fry on high heat.
 Keep stirring all the while.
Add thickly sliced onions + crushed black pepper powder + salt.

Mix corn flour in a little water + a little sugar .
Pour over the vegetables and fry well till dryish.

In a kadahi, heat a little cooking oil.
Let in the minced garlic and a little sugar.
Fry well on low heat till they turn completely brown.

Add in the noodles, salt and chilli vinegar.
Raise heat and toss well vigourously.

Sprinkle the chilli flakes and remove from heat.

To serve, lay the noodles on a plate and pour the vegetables over it. 
This is best eaten hot off the wok.

Enjoy!!

Egg fried rice

On the weekend, B and I were at one of our favourite places to grab a bite ... the Yogi Tree at Koregaon park. This place has been our go to when we need a good meal or a light breakfast.
Or spend a quiet evening, chatting over a cuppa.

Earlier, this place used to be very quiet and serene. People, mostly the ones from abroad, sit around with something to eat or drink and with a paper or a book. Away from the noisy main road, the mornings are especially beautiful here ... with the  morning sun streaming in through the few casurinas that dot the courtyard.

Of late, as more and more people came to know about this, it is not as serene anymore. People come in droves, shout and laugh and talk loudly, yell at the servers and demand numerous changes to their menus, etc. etc.
It is because of this noisy crowd that we have almost stopped going there in the mornings. But when in need of a quick homely dinner, we do go down and take a table inside. The fluffy hot rotis, the beautiful dal and very light on spices sabzi satisfies us hugely. And lulls us to a quiet peace .... makes us ready to face another mad week the next day.

This weekend, as we sat waiting for our lunch to arrive, I noticed a group of young men in a table outside. There must have been around 8 or 9 of them .... all well dressed in casuals except two who were in formals. Chatting and laughing a lot.
A couple more joined them later and there was a lot of handshakes, hugs and back slapping and laughing. They arranged chairs and adjusted their seating.

"Must be meeting after a long time", I thought.
I was watching their bonhomie and thought of my college days and my friends .... almost all of whom are now settled in different cities.

And as I sat there watching them, something struck me odd.
And then I knew what it was!
There was no noise or sound coming from them.
All that laughing and talking would have surely created a cacophony by now .... yet, it was very quiet everywhere.
I did notice that they were moving their hands a lot when talking but all that gesticulating did not strike odd to me until I realised that they could not speak or hear!!
They were talking through their hands!

I watched them, totally mersmerised now. Luckily they were outside in the sun, and hence could not see me gawking rudely at them.
The server came and took their orders. They communicated with a lot of smiles.
Then they went back to chatting again.

And I watched them .... with just a little hint of jealousy.
Nobody could know what they were talking or joking about.
They were so happy in their own world.
And somewhere deep inside me, I secretly wished I could be a part of their quiet, peaceful world.

Today's recipe is quick, stir fried rice that I rustled up one day for lunch. I usually make Chinese dishes for dinner, which is why I cannot click any photos and hence hardly get to make a post on them here.
But since this was for lunch, I quickly clicked a few photos.

There is not much to making this fried rice. I follow Kylie Kwong when it comes to Chinese cuisine.
I love her simple, quick dishes with light and fresh ingredients.
I make this fried the same way she had made once on her show.

She had used just spring onions and eggs but I do throw in lots of vegetables to make this a complete,  one pot meal.  Some left over cooked rice from the fridge, a couple of eggs and some of your favourite vegetables ... and you are good to go.

 Need :

Leftover cooked rice - 1 cup
Eggs - 2
Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
Chopped vegetables - I used baby corn, red capsicum, onions, green chillies, green peas, etc.
Chilli vinegar - 2 tsp
Fresh ground pepper - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - a pinch
Cooking oil - 2 tsp

How to :

Beat the eggs with salt + a little chilli vinegar.

Heat oil.
Add eggs and scramble.
Remove while still soft.

Add chopped garlic + ginger + baby corn+ red capsicum + onions to the oil.
Toss well on high heat.

Add left over rice + salt + a pinch of sugar.
Add the eggs.
Toss well on high heat.

Do not lower heat and keep tossing well.

I add a dash of chilli vinegar and soy too. You may or may not.
Add freshly crushed black pepper.

Sprinkle green chillies and serve hot.

Done!
Quick and easy.

Enjoy!!

Chicken Kofta / Deep fried Chicken mince balls

Facebook has a way of making even the most routine and inane days seem interesting.
All kinds of reminders keep appearing on my home page ....  so and so's birthday, you have been friends with so and so for so long, you had posted this photo on this day last year/two/three/four  years ago, ... and so on.

Today, it reminded me that it is 29th of February ... the next one will come only after 4 long years ... so I  should be doing something to make this day special.
I saw this around mid day but was nonetheless inspired.
These little pushes are indeed needed in life ... even if it comes from a cold machine running some code some where.

Mondays are hectic, no chaotic would be a more appropriate word, for me.
After the lull of Saturday and Sunday, the body and the mind, both vehemently refuse to come back into working mode. One look at the kitchen is enough to send me into depression.
The over loaded laundry basket and the empty dishwasher both mock at me.
Not to mention the big question "what to cook" looming.
Especially after a good weekend lunch and dinner ... and Sunday's dinner of Biryani.
Any meal of bhaat dal or roti sabzi seemed too pale to match the hangover with.

So decided to make some Kadhi pakoda for lunch. I do not usually make kadhi pakodas due to all that deep frying involved.And B does not like the pakodas made in the Appe pan.
But today is different.
Not only because it is 29th of Feb., but also because it is one of the quickest and easiest of dishes to make. Also because I could see the corner of the sky turn cloudy ... and as I type this I can hear thunder rumbling.
Because we will be getting the first rain of the season right on 29th of Feb.

Because this post is not about the kadhi pakoda but about  the Chicken Koftas that I make very regularly, but have not posted ever.

Chicken koftas are meat balls made from minced chicken. Most of the time I make minced chicken or Chicken keema this way to be eaten with parathas, but at times I do make these meat balls too.
I had made a batch of these right before our kitchen renovation started.
Survived on them for a good stretch of time ... they stay very well when refrigerated.

I often add them to noodles or spaghetti or just make a gravy and dunk them in.
But they are excellent finger food as well. Make for great snacks when you have guests.
 Just marinate everything and let it sit in the fridge.
All you have to do is to deep fry them when the guests have arrived.

I have a few pending posts on these coming up, hence posting the recipe for Chicken Koftas first.
Most of the time, I use pastes of ginger, garlic and green chilles.
Tried using the chopped ones here and found the texture great when eaten hot.

Need :

Chicken mince
Finely chopped onions
Finely chopped garlic
Finely chopped green chillies
Ginger - grated
Garam masala powder - very little
Corn flour - just enough to bind
1 egg - (optional )
Lemon juice
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Oil - to deep fry

How to :

Mix everything together.
Heat oil.
Make small balls and deep fry them.

You can shallow fry them too. Just make sure you use a heavy, flat bottomed pan.

If planning to use for later, keep them in the coldest shelf of your refrigerator.
And if planning to use after a longish time, then do freeze them.

They go great with some ketchup or kasundi.
Perfect accompaniment for tea.

You can serve them with some salsa or chutney.
Or you may try this Peanut dip ... takes the meat balls to a different level.

A closer look.

I can already see big droplets on my window.
Got to run and get that whiff of wet earth when they hit the ground.

So what did you do to make this 29th February memorable?

Enjoy!!

Mushroom Fried Rice

It was one of those Saturdays when we would set off to find a new place for breakfast early in the morning.
Since the past few days winter has set in well.
Clear skies; crisp, cold air.
And a mild sun in the mornings.
All made for an enthusiastic outing formula.
B and I would scan the internet and decide on a few places, the earlier night.
B would always look for places serving English breakfasts ... for me. And that miffed me the most.
Because he would inevitably forget it is my veggie day.
And before my dear readers pounce on me for being an ingrate, let me clear the air by saying that yes, I very humbly and with utmost gratitude do acknowledge that the gesture is important.
But in the same breath will love to add, it does not always work.

So, the next morning, as we start, the same conversation plays between the two of us.
"Where are we going?", B asks as he turns the car to get on to the main road.
"I thought you had decided last night."
"When?!"
"?!!!! What happened to XYZ? You said they have a good menu."
"Yes. But you can't try the eggs and bacon or anything. It is your veggie day. "

And finally we end up at our favourite cafe on Koregaon Park.
I settle for my favourite cheese paratha and B for their awesome omelette with mushrooms and cheese.
And both of us share an egg free crepe stuffed with apples smothered with a cinnamon and lemon sauce.
And all of that drowned in honey ginger tea.
Bliss!

This act is replayed almost every other week.
Yes, we are not greatly adventurous when it comes to food. Rather, when it comes to food in Pune.
Partly because it is really not easy to find a good place in Pune that offers good food, good ambience and good service ... all together.
So we usually try to stay stuck to the few favourites that we have in the city.
A few of them, over time, have deteriorated in quality. And a few have stayed strong.
We do try new places but are very unforgiving if disappointed the first time.
And get all the more emotional when we see a good place starting to compromise on quality and taste.
More so, to cater to local palate.

With time, we have learnt not to take a good place for granted. Hence the disappointment is much less now.
Like we stoically took the very painful decision of never going back to our favourite South Indian Mess,  place in Rasta Peth, ever again.
Over a long time, we have been noticing a change in the attitude and also the quality of food.  But lived in denial till we got bad food for three times, back to back ... that would span over 3 weekends, back to back.
The batter was artificially fermented ... read - loaded with citric acid to give a feel of that fermented taste.
And the medu vadas had diminished in size and become more expensive than before.
But the last straw was when we were served cold sambar and denied a spoonful of chutney. Even their filter coffee has changed in flavour and strength.
I will attribute all this to the change of management.
Having a favourite place of ours for more than 7 long years, this place is now scratched off by us.

Anyway, I am sure we will find another good, very good South Indian joint in Pune.
Till then, we will enjoy our waffles and omelettes and pancakes for breakfast.

Coming to today's recipe, I was pretty encouraged by my readers' response regarding the kind of photographs I am posting here.
So decided to share this vegetarian Chinese mushroom fried rice that I had rustled up one day for a quick meal. These photographs were taken on my phone ... but I was lucky to have natural light as I had made this for lunch. 

B loved it as is. I made myself a fried egg on the side.

Quick to make and full of protiens, this makes for a tasty, full meal.

Need :

Left over cooked rice
Mushrooms - cleaned and chopped
French beans - chopped
Onions - chopped
Garlic - chopped
Ginger - chopped
Green chillies - chopped 
Soy sauce
Vinegar
Freshly crushed black pepper powder
Salt
Sugar
Cooking oil 

How to :

Heat a heavy kadai.
Add some oil. When it is smoking hot, add the chopped garlic and ginger.
Stir well on high heat.
Quickly add the onions and stir well.

Now throw in the vegetables and keep stirring.
Add a pinch of salt .... just a pinch.
On high heat keep stirring till the mushrooms lose all moisture.

Lower heat and add the rice, the soy sauce, a dash of vinegar and sugar.
Add salt.

Mix well on low heat.

When thoroughly mixed, raise heat and add the pepper powder.

Give a few more tosses and serve immediately. 

Done!
Enjoy it as a quick lunch on a weekday or as a dinner on a lazy weekend night.
Perfect for a winter meal.

Wishing you all a wonderful festive season and a Merry Christmas!
I have soaked my batch of dry fruits in rum and my kitchen , right now, is smelling like ... well ... a food blogger's kitchen.
I'll be baking today this beautiful, favourite cake for the family .... the Rum cake with fruit and nuts.
Do let me know of your creations for this Christmas.

Cheerio all!!

Hot & Sour Vegetable Soup for 'Of Chalks and Chopsticks'

 The morning was unusually bright and clear. Outside, there blew a light breeze. And the sun shone in all its brilliance.

"How deceptive", thought Sunanda, as she sat watching the chilly morning from inside her cozy living room. "Just like the calm in this house."

This calm was an interlude, she knew. The furious argument that she and Vikram had earlier that morning, had ended with the door slamming and Vikram leaving the house in a rage.

"How unnecessary!" Sunanda thought again. "There was really no reason for this unpleasantness."

With a heavy heart, she leant back into the soft cushions, still staring outside. Married for just a few months, a sudden move to a new place, far away from friends and family, she has been trying her best to set up a good home. To know the man she was married to, his likes, his dislikes.

Vikram was a good man, she thought. Vibrant, sensitive, humorous, easygoing. Not one to get ruffled easily.

Not until it came to his collection of books.

An avid reader and collector of books, Vikram's collection ranged from the comics he had in his childhood to the latest paperbacks, hardbounds and magazines.

He was not frivolous in his choice of writings or writers, that much credit she had to give him. But she couldn't understand his obsession.

Books, especially those in his collection, were to Vikram what gold or silver would be to any other mortal.

Sunanda had often watched her soft spoken and usually affable husband turn almost rude to anybody who might so much as mention anything about borrowing a book from him. And she had been equally surprised when Vikram and his brother fought with equal passion when it came to tallying which book belonging to whom is yet to be returned.

But never in her thoughts had she ever anticipated that those darned books would come between she and her husband. That it would be something as common as a book, of all things, that will be the cause of their first serious fight.

It had all started last evening. And for the nth time, Sunanda wished Vikram had listened to her request of going out for dinner.

Inspite of herself, she gave a little shudder. It must be the cold.

Looking around wistfully, Sunanda realised she was hungry. There was no telling when Vikram would return. This Sunday was going to waste.

With a sigh, she got up and went to the kitchen.

The mind still occupied, she got hold of a few vegetables lying on the countertop and started to work on them.

 "So, what do you want to do tomorrow evening?", asked Vikram. Both of them looked forward to weekends and making plans.

"Let's go out for dinner.", said Sunanda. "A proper, sit down dinner at a good place. I'm so tired of being adventurous and trying out the hole-in-the-wall places."

"Hmm ... why not?", smiled Vikram.

"No, wait. On second thoughts, let's call over the guys and chill out at home. You won't have to cook, we'll order out."

"O.k.", Sunanda gave in. She knew Vikram liked to be with friends and she did not mind them too. "Besides, it is really too cold these days."

Sunanda looked at the small pile of chopped carrots and cauliflower with dismay.

"What on earth am I going to do with these  now?! And why did I chop them into such small pieces?!"

She was in no mood to cook. And definitely not in a mood to think of some new recipe to try out. But she was hungry too.

"Oh well! I'll just throw these into a pan of water and make a stew."

Menu decided, she moved at a more confident pace.

She took out some baby corn, beans and green peas from the fridge. After chopping the baby corn, she chopped up some ginger and garlic too.

Suddenly she had a craving for something spicy and hot.

"I'll make a hot and sour soup. Just as I feel today."

She took out a heavy bottomed pan and filled it with a few cups of water. On another day, she would heat some oil and lightly fry the vegetables and then add water. Today, she kept it as easy to make as possible.

"The rooms are set and everything is spic and span!", called out Vikram.

Sunanda smiled at the sound of pride in his voice.

"I'm ready too.", she replied.

Soon, their friends started coming in. Within a few minutes, their home was filled with laughing voices, gentle music in the background and the sound of clinking glassware.

The water had started to boil. Watching the rolling water distractedly, she started to throw in the vegetables by turns. First, in went the chopped garlic, then the ginger, green chillies and then the carrots, cauliflower, peas, baby corn and the beans. She then added some salt and a pinch of sugar. While the vegetables were cooking, she busied herself by keeping the rest of the ingredients at hand. She needed the soy sauce, white pepper powder, green chilli sauce, vinegar and some corn starch dissolved in water.

Sunanda had just opened the fridge to bring out the dessert when she heard Vikram's slightly raised voice. Not liking the tone of it, she walked into the living room to check out. Sure enough, she found Vikram and Deep in an argument. Nothing new, considering the two of them have been friends from school and are always arguing over something. But Sunanda instinctively felt something was wrong. This was not the usual banter the two friends usually have.

Looking askingly at the rest of the small group, that had suddenly fallen silent, Sunanda followed the eyes of one of them and found out the reason behind this heated argument. Lying on the coffee table was one of Vikram's latest acquisition ... a hardbound he had been wanting for a while. The book, with its gleaming glossy cover was lying there, looking very innocent.

"But it's just a book, for heaven's sake!", Deep was heard exclaiming.

"Just a book! Just a book! You call it just a book?!" Vikram's voice rose a notch higher.

"Well, that's what I see!"

"Exactly, you won't see anything beyond that. That requires something else."

"Oh c'mon Vick! Why are you being so unreasonable?"

"Unreasonable? I'm being unreasonable?! You use my book as a coaster to hold your dirty plate and I'm the one who is being unreasonable?!"

Sunanda added the rest of the things into the soup. Finally, she added the dissolved corn starch and let it boil for a minute more. Satisfied with what she saw, she poured herself a big mugful of the very hot and flavourful soup and went back to where she was sitting earlier. Sipping the soup, she reveled in its warmth. It was spicy enough to burn her throat a little ... and she loved the tinge.

Restless, she got up and walked to the window.

"I think you should call Deep and apologize." She had tried to reason with her husband that morning.

"I won't."

"Oh c'mon Vikram, was it really necessary? The way you behaved with him?"

"What do you mean? He is the one who should know how to handle things that belong to others."

"Agreed. But all he did was use your book for a while. He must have not been looking. Am sure he did not do that on purpose."

"Besides why do you keep your precious books all over the house? I can see a few on the window right now."

"Go ahead. Blame me. But I'll not apologize. Not to some barbarian who has no respect for books. I'll never tolerate ... never ... no!"

With that he slammed his way out of the house.

Tears stung her eyes. She needed to get out of this and finish the chores.

With a sigh, Sunanda picked up the now empty cup and froze.

The bright, dark circle of soy stared up at her from the
lovely face of Gauhar Jaan*.

Sunanda gave a small sigh and closed her eyes in silent resignation.

This goes to this month's Of Chalks and Chopsticks, started by Aqua and hosted by Sandeepa.
Updated :  I have italicized the flashback parts on Jaya's suggestion. Much thanks dear Jaya!!

Suno, suno, suno .... Disclaimer :

1. My mind has been in a very befuddled state of late ... so please bear with me if this piece of attempt-to-fiction seems too juvenile. Even I do not know how much sense it makes ... so my dear friends, please forgive me for I do not know what I write.

2. My photographs do not look as beautiful as they are expected to be.

Check out the snap that the story needs to be based on here, agree with me and come back pronto to leave me a line ... ok ... more than a line will work even better.

3. * While I have read about the life of Gauhar Jaan (in a Bengali Sharadiya collection), singer, kathak dancer and a courtesan in the 19th-20th century, I have not actually seen any of the book(s) written on her ... so have no idea what they look like ... i.e. hardbound/a thin book/a big book/a small book/glossy book .... get the idea.

So there folks!

Feels great to be able to be back on Kichu Khon, though this post does not guarantee my continious presence here henceforth. I still need time to be back.

Meanwhile ... heartfelt thanks to everybody for allowing me stay around, for being in touch. And for giving Kichu Khon company.

Every time I log in, I find at least 2 or 3, sometimes more, comments waiting for me. Makes my day ... has been ever since I stopped blogging around 4 months back.

Warm hugs to all of you. Stay healthy. Stay happy. Stay well.

Updated on 11/02/13 :  Sending this to Sayantani's event teamed with Cuponation.

Quick Stir Fried Chilli Chicken

( I have made this dish with cauliflower too and it tastes just as good ... so vegetarians and vegans can give it a try. )

Chilli chicken has to have chillies. And it should be hot ... real hot. Back home we got chilli chicken that had biggish pieces of chicken ... bones and all ... not the pathetic wee little boneless pieces we get here ... deep fried in a thick batter and tossed in soy gravy.

And did it have chillies! Either chopped or slit lengthwise, it would be full of fresh green chillies that used to be so hot we had to pick them out from the dish before gorging.

Out here, what we get is so different. First you get small bite sized pieces of god-knows-what, dunked into so dark a soy gravy that you feel it has been deliberately used to hide whatever is missing.



And the worse part is you get no chillies. The whole dish would be full of capsicums .... green capsicums ... cut thickly, often bigger than the chicken pieces.
How I hate them! I mean I really cannot understand this obsession with capsicums / bell peppers when it comes to cooking Chinese dishes.

Does not matter if you have good vegetables or not, does not matter if you have good chicken or prawns or not ... just throw in mugfuls of soy sauce and handfuls of ajinomoto and bucketfuls of bell peppers ... and you have a Chinese dish done.
Even the best Chinese restaraunts are obsessed with dunking in bell peppers into dishes.

Anyway, when I want to have chilli chicken, I make some for myself. And I do not go the whole way of deep frying and stuff.
Just a quick toss of things available at home ... and a quick cooking process. And a hot dish is ready.

So if you are home after a long day, just put this on the stove top and put your feet up. Your dinner would be ready in less than half an hour. :-)


Need :

Chicken - 6 to 8 pieces ( I use Real Good )
White Vinegar - around 3 tbsp
Onions - 2, medium sized, sliced thickly
Garlic - 8 cloves, chopped
Green chillies - according to preference, chopped
Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp

How to :

Marinate the chicken with vinegar ( do not add salt ) and keep aside ( for as long as you make the other preparations).

Chop and slice the vegetables.

Heat oil in a wok / kadahi.

Add the onions, garlic and chillies and stir fry for a while.

After the onions turn pinkish, add the chicken with the vinegar water. Stir for a while.

Add salt, cover and cook till chicken is done. ( No need to add water as the chicken pieces will release water ... but if you are using boneless pieces, you might need to).

Remove cover and check if chicken is tender. Do not overcook it ... it will turn tough.

Add the soy sauce ( remember, soy has salt ... so add accordingly ) and the sugar.
Cook for some more time ... or till desired consistency of gravy.

Serve hot.



Goes great with rice or bread. I love to have it with crisp rotis too.

If you have any left over rice in the fridge, you can add it to this at the last part of cooking ( you will need to adjust the seasonings ) ..... make a great one pot meal too!

Enjoy all !! :-)

PS : Inspite of my repeated requests, my inbox is still being flooded with events & roundups announcements. So this is to declare that I've finally had to put all those mail ids through a sieve that will dump them into trash.

Chilli Prawns with Burnt Garlic Noodles

( Vegetarians can replace the Prawns with Paneer or Cauliflower / Gobhi. Just fry them lightly and then continue with the recipe. )

Had a harrowing 12 days of net disconnectivity. No ... not because I could not access the net ... which spells .... no chatting with friends and relatives, no looking up favourite blogs, no writing/posting or just plain turning to Google when in doubt ..... not to mention work sufferring ..... no ... it is the experience we had to go through just to get our connection back.

It all started when our phone went dead. Numerous phone calls and registration of complaints did not work. The BSNL guys took their own sweet time to get the fault repaired. Relieved I immediately tried to connect net.

Nope ... not working. Next day again registered a complaint. And waited. Nothing.
So called up their help centre. Was told status is "work in progress". Waited more. after two days called up again. Was told "Problem resolved". Huh????

Again registered a fresh complaint. Next day status says "Problem solved". ???!!!!!
What followed the next few days was painful. Given numerous phone numbers ... nobody responds. Given numerous toll free numbers ... do not reach anybody. Looked up numerous mail ids .... not one worked .... every mail had a failed delivery.

So started numerous visits to the exchange main office. Every time we were told we missed the required person just by a few mins. Has left. Yeah .... even at 4 in the afternoon on a working day.

Finally on Sat hubby went and sat at the exchange office till a person finally asked him what the prob is. He explained everything with great cool. They said they will look into the prob ... will take time as they will have to dig out the details of our connection. We had the connection details (things they should have had at the tip of their fingers) .... and finally the job was done. A wrong switch had been made and all it needed was for the person who corrected the dead phone connection to make the correct switch assignment.

Phew .... so much for India bol raha hai. I say ... the common man ro raha hai.

So am starting posting again with this simple dish I made for myself. Of course, for hubby it is Chilli Paneer or some other veggie.

Even though I make prawns often (am very lucky to get fresh water prawns) I usually eat them up as am frying them ... unless am having guests ... and hardly make anything detailed out of them. This time I had some left over boiled noodles. At first thought of frying them up with the noodles ... but did not have any other veggies .... so decided it would turn slightly dry. So made this easy stuff.

Need : Prawns, chopped garlic, chopped green chillies, vinegar, sliced onions, soy sauce, boiled noodles, a little cooking oil, salt and sugar.

How to : Wash the prawns , apply a little vinegar and salt and keep aside.
Heat a little oil and add the onions, garlic and chillies. Fry till soft. Add the prawns and fry some more. Add the soy sauce, salt, sugar.
Keep frying till the prwans are done ( they cook very fast).

Heat a little oil in another pan and add chopped garlic. Fry till they turn deep brown. Add the noodles, salt and a little vinegar. Toss well.


Serve hot.

Tangy chicken

Since I make chicken only for myself ... unless I am having guests ... I try to make something that is real fast ... but has to be a little spicy too. Am not usually into too much of onion/ginger/garlic paste ... as that again requires a lot of oil to fry with. So here is another superfast chicken dish.

Need :

Chicken pieces,
Sliced onions,
Chopped or sliced green chillies,
Chopped garlic,
Green chilli sauce ( I use Ching's Secret ),
Salt to taste,
A pinch of sugar,
Cooking oil,
A little vinegar

How to :

Marinate the chicken with green chilli sauce ( I kept it only till I made the other preparations).

Heat oil.

Add the onions and fry till translucent.

Now add the chillies and the garlic ... this way the garlic does not burn.

Now add the chicken and salt and toss well.

Cover and cook till chicken is done .... needs very little water.

Remove cover and add vinegar and sugar and fry till dry.

The sugar will burn and make a thin caramel like coating.

Great with fried / plain rice or as a side dish with noodles or pasta.

And of course can be had with the simple roti too. :-)

Sweet and Sour Chicken Sausage

This time I decided to do something different with the few chicken sausages lying in the freezer. Moreover I do not actually like them in a bread roll ... all soggy after being doused with ketchup, mustard and salad.I mean ... what is the point in frying them crisp and then turing them soggy.
So I cut them up into small pieces ... and then started to think. ;-)
Well ... I was hungry ... and so it had to be something that can be done fast. And the result was this.

Am also getting better with my photography. These days hubby goes about with an amused expression (don't know how long will he be able to hold on to it). It is about this new diety in our home called lord camera. And every plate that is served hot now does not reach him first... it is first offered to lord Camera .. who gobbles up the dish with super macro . And then we poor mortals get our turn to sample the food.





Need : Chicken sausages cut into cubes, onions cut into big sized cubes, chopped green chillies, chopped garlic, cooking oil, soya sauce, vinegar, salt and sugar to taste, black pepper powder.


How to : Heat some oil in a pan. Add the onions, chillies and garlic together ( this prevents the garlic from burning). Fry for some time till the onions turn pink. Then add the sausages and fry some more. Now add the soya sauce, salt (remember soya sauce has salt too ), sugar, vinegar and fry some more. Just before taking away from the heat add the pepper powder.