Left to myself, I would never have learnt cooking beyond variations of Ramen noodles or as it is called in India..Maggi. A scrambled egg, some spinach, some kimchi, a lot of veggies...customize it any way you like and its is a quick meal. Like it or hate it, it is a comfort food for many and noodles in any form is an easy meal to get to the table.. of course.. ramen is the easiest and if I thought selecting from the flavors of maggi was getting complicated, you just have to walk down the instant noodle aisle in the Asian food stores.. it ranges from the cheapest 4 for a dollar packets to the "pricier" gourmet packets of even two dollars. Plus recently I got introduced to the Nongshim varieties of ramen...more junk food for me. Since the rest of the family did not (and still does not) share this passion for over spiced, salty noodles, I had to learn cooking and could not take the easy way out.So on other days, there is the stir fried noodles made with the endless varieties of noodles that you get here.. dried or fresh cooked ones too..a quick meal with veggies and chicken and egg all thrown as desired!! Spice up the noodles as you like but we like to have the spice on the side.Boil noodles as per instructions on the package and drain. Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a wok and saute the 1 tsp each of minced ginger garlic lightly. For 4 cup noodles, add about 1/4 cup each of mushrooms, Snow peas, sliced peppers, cabbage, julienne carrots, white parts of the scallions, thinly sliced beans, etc and saute for 3-4 minutes. Then add 2-4 tsp of soy sauce , 2-3 tbsp chicken stock if you have it, 2 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add the noodles, toss well on high heat, add 1 tsp white vinegar and taste for salt. Finally add the green parts of the scallions. Toss with some sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, chili oil, optionally add sriracha sauce, green chili sauce, black pepper sauce etc for an added spice level. I really don't have a recipe.. I start with this and taste and modify as I go along depending on the taste.sometimes heavy on spices and sometimes its light with a side of the ubiquitous chili chicken. You are welcome to leave you modifications in the comments.
The dog days of summer.. long hot days, humid days, a handful of thundershowers.. well.. any day a better summer than last year's wet, unseasonably cold summer.Someone left a comment saying, " its summer outside my window" and I just realized my bog is still showing fall!!! Well, long hours of work and managing the house doesn't leave time for blogging anymore but I had to change the fall picture!!Now its Ramzan season and all thoughts of food are centered around the traditional for me at least. Ramzan's fast is a loooong day here this time and barely any time left to do the 2-3 courses of food after breaking fast. Guess we have to wait a long time before wee get winter fasts here!Ramzan, Iftars..and Plantains..go hand in hand for me..How many ways can you eat the humble plantains? Ask a Keralite/Mallu..Pazham Narachathu/Plantains stuffed with coconut and sugar, or scrambled sweet egg.Pazham Porichathu/ Plantains dipped in batter and fried.Pazham Vattiyathu/ Plantains cut and sauteed in ghee.Pazham Ulathiyathu/ Scrambled Plantains with coconut and sugar.Unnakayi/ Mashed Plantains stuffed with coconut.This one above is the simplest way to satisfy a dessert craving.. Slice Plantains into slices horizontally or vertically. Heat 2 tsp of Butter/Ghee and saute the plantains for 2-3 minutes on each side on medium heat. When they look golden halfway through the thickness, flip them and cook the other side. Sprinkle sugar and let it melt and as it starts crusting, remove and serve. Traditionally , the sugar is sprinkled after the plantains are removed onto a plate, but the slightly crusted sugar also tastes yum.Try it on its own.. or in the Americano way.. with vanilla ice cream..:)Don't ask if you can saute this in olive oil or vegetable oil to make it healthy...its not really meant to be.. it's meant to be enjoyed in moderation.
