Stir Fried Macaroni with Roasted Vegetables & Chicken

( Vegetarians can skip the chicken and go on with the rest of the recipe ... or can use Tofu or Paneer instead. )
This is a very flavourful one pot meal that I often make for dinner and is very close to my heart. The best thing about this dish is it can be had steaming hot on winter evenings .... just add some bread and soup to go with .... or can be served cold as a salad ... on a bed of ice lettuce.

It is real fast to make if all the preparations are made earlier ... so after a rushed day ... or on that lazy weekend .... all you have to do is heat some oil and toss everything. :-)

I prefer to chop up the roasted vegetables as I love the different flavours that fuse into each other.

And instead of chewing on a single piece of veggie or chicken, I prefer to have a mix of everything in every bite. Besides it feels and looks good when the sizes are in sync.




Need : Macaroni, preffered vegetables ( I had capsicum, mushrooms, baby corn, frozen green peas, tomatoes ), chicken cut into small cubes, chopped garlic, preffered Italian seasoning

( I used a mix of dried parsley + thyme + rosemary + a little oregano), some freshly ground black pepper, vinegar, cooking oil / butter, salt and sugar to taste.



If you want you can add a few chilli flakes too ... but I found it clashed with the flavour of black pepper.

How to : Cook the macaroni ... a little al dente .... in salted boiling water. Rinse under cold water and mix a spoonful of cooking oil to it evenly. This will prevent from forming a lump or sticking together.

Cut the vegetables into medium sized pieces and marinate them in vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Keep them for around half an hour ... or till you make the other preparations.




Marinate the chicken cubes the same way.


Roast the vegetables in an oven in a tray sprayed with a little oil or brushed with a little butter. I prefer roasting them till they are a little soft ... and then grilling them for a while on high.




Roast the chicken the same way too.



Chop up the vegetables into bite sized pieces.

Heat oil in a wok / heavy kadhai. Add the garlic and fry ... do not brown them.


Add the macaroni , the vegetables and the chicken. Add the seasonings and dried herbs. Adjust salt and add a little sugar for a balance.Toss well.
Serve hot / cold.


Am so very happy that this is the first time I have successfully blurred the background in a snap .... No I do not have Photoshop. :-)

This plateful goes to Soma who is hosting Hay Hay it's Donna Day with Bron as the facilitator.

With that am off to the coast for the long weekend coming up ... this time it will be a new beach on the Konkan coast that we are heading to. :-)

Bengali Cholar Dal / Chana Dal / Bengal gram cooked with coconut pieces

Spring is here. The city is a riot of colours ... one of the reasons I love this city so much. The roadsides are filled with every colour of the Bougainvillea plant ... the banyans and peepals bursting with fresh baby leaves .... and at the same time the trees are shedding old leaves in the light spring wind.

It is beautiful everywhere. :-) I will click some snaps and post them next time.

On one of our drives last weekend hubby mentioned how wonderful it is that God gave the boon of longevity only to plants ... rather ... trees ... the most harmless living things on mother earth. And how it is that the most intelligent species on earth are the only ones who can destroy them.

I clicked this peepal , our neighbor, early this morning. By tomorrow the leaves will be green ... yes, they change / grow very fast. :-)



My recipe here is again a simple dal ... the Cholar Dal ... or the Chana dal ... cooked with coconut pieces ... a favorite with all Bengalis.
A few of our friends ... and Ranjani had asked for the recipe. So here it is.

This dal is usually cooked to a thick consistency and is slightly sweetish too. A must have during Durga Puja, this is enjoyed as a breakfast too ... and is almost always had with Luchis / Puris.
The health conscious can have it with Parathas too ... but believe me ... if it has to be enjoyed ... it has to be with Luchis.

Having it with rotis is sacrilege though. ;-)
There are different ways of cooking this dal ... but as it is usually made on festive occassions, there is hardly any use of onion or garlic. Of course, you can make it with masalas too.

Need : Chana dal / Bengal gram, chopped fresh coconut pieces, bay leaves, whole dry red chillies, green cardamom, haldi / turmeric powder, salt and sugar to taste, ginger paste ( optional) , cooking oil, water.

How to : Wash the chana dal. Cook it in a pressure cooker with a pinch of haldi / turmeric and a little salt.

Heat a little oil in a kadhai / wok. Add the bay leaves, green cardamom and the red chillies.

If using ginger paste add now.
Add the chopped coconut pieces and fry till they turn brown.
Now add the cooked dal and a little sugar. Simmer till it turns thickish. Adjust salt and sugar to taste.
That's all. Believe me ... no other masala is needed ... not even powdered garam masala.
Alternatively .... if you want to save time ... cook everything directly in the pressure cooker ... tempering first, then add ing the coconuts and then the dal & water.
After releasing the steam, simmer it till the desired consistency.
If you want you can sprinkle a spoonful of ghee on top of it. Serve hot with luchis / parathas.

Chingri Malai Rice / Prawn & Rice cooked in Coconut Milk

( Vegetarians can substitute the prawns with paneer .... tastes equally good. Add some sliced onions for more flavour as paneer has no flavour of its own ... unlike the prawns. )

It is difficult to name a dish that you conjure up on your own. Which is why I have just put in the names of the main ingredients together ... if it still looks like a proper name ... well ... am lucky.

Chingri / Prawn Malakari is a pretty famous Bengali dish. Cooked in rich coconut milk, this dish is flavourful and delicate at the same time.

But this time I was cooking prawns only for myself. Had some coconut milk ( I use packet milk ... and find it pretty thick and good enough) ... so thought of making Prawn Malakari. But that would mean cooking rice seperately. Ah ... too much work for one soul.

So thought of combining the two ... and have a one pot meal .... my fav. No hassles. :-)

Even though I do not like sweets, I do like a little sweetness in almost every dish ... maybe it is that Bengali thing in me ... and sometimes do crave the sweetness of coconut milk in dishes ... which makes me cook Coconut Rice often.

I had previously posted Coconut Rice & Coconut Chicken. This recipe uses lesser ingredients than the chicken version.

And is perfect when you are having guests ... cooks on its own ... and with the minimum of stuff to use.


Need :

Prawns - 200 gms ( shelled, deveined and slightly steamed [optional] ),
Basmati rice - 1 tea cup  ( washed,  soaked for a while),
Coconut milk - half from the packet, around 5 or 6 tbsp, or as much as you like
Whole dry red chillies - 2, broken
Whole garam masala ( cinnamon, green cardamom , cloves ) - 2 each
Salt - a pinch
Sugar - 1 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Water.

How to :

Heat a little oil in a heavy bottomed kadhai / wok.
Add the chillies and the whole garam masala.
Now add the prawns and stir a little.
As soon as they change colour add the rice.
( Do not over fry the prawns ... they lose the softness).
Stir well and add the coconut milk ( on low flame ), salt and sugar.

If needed adjust with a little water. Cover and cook till rice is done .... but not overcooked.
Remove from heat , fluff it up with a fork or give a stir to separate the rice grains and keep covered for a while.



Serve hot.

This tastes so good that you need almost nothing to accompany it. But if preparing or guests, do pair it with something spicy and yet has less gravy.

Enjoy! :-)