Chinese Chicken/Vegetables Noodle Soup

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Keeping with the talk on love, these days my two- and- a- half year old lil imp comes first for me. Our regular readers need no introduction to my little boy since you have heard so much about him on this site. It is such an exciting age! The things a 2 year old comes up with can be funny to downright pull-out- your-hair types of things.



I am crossing my fingers and hoping you won’t mind another episode with my little guy. My boy has learned some numbers and mama is very proud. It is thanks to the cartoons that he watches religiously. And now, he loves to use this new found wisdom quite often. So much so, that my daughter prophecy’s that the whole family will forget to say numbers in the correct order in the near future. Yes, my son knows his numbers but for now, they are in random order, not in sequence. Can you see what little knowledge can do?



I know this too will pass, but not before he had his dad tearing out his hair. He and his dad have started taking the Parent-tot swimming class. This program is to familiarize children with the water, pool and swimming subsequently. One of the suggested ways, to make this program work, is for the children to jump from the bleachers, while a parent waits below in the pool to catch them. It’s great fun! His father is making up for time spent away during the week from his dear son. But this does not come easily when numbers are swimming in my son’s head. The stage is set - his Dad is in the water, my son on the bleacher and then the inevitable….
My son starts counting, “one, three, eight, and five...and then jumps! You should have seen his Dad’s concentration; he looks like the batsman waiting for the curve ball. While my husband is paying the price for the entire googly (a spin ball, term used in Cricket) he threw his own Dad, I cannot help but wonder what lies ahead.



Stories apart, this noodle soup is a very comforting meal that my family loves.'s.  By the way, these are wheat noodles and very healthy too.  It's very easy to concoct, believe me!  What is even better is that you can make it all vegetarian; if you don't eat meat.  Therefore, here we are, easy and versatile noodle soup recipe only for you.  :)



Ingredients:

Wheat Noodles- 250gm
Chicken breast/Tofu- 1 lb
Salt- To taste
Chicken/Veg stock- 1 packet(4 cups)
Sesame oil- 1 Tbsp
Ginger grated- 1 tsp
Garlic grated- 1 1/2 tsp

Soy sauce- 1 tbsp
Chilli sauce- 2 tsp
Black pepper powder- 1 tsp
White vinegar- 1 tsp
Carrot julienne- 1/4 cup
Broccoli pieces- 1/4 cup
Bell pepper julienne- 1/4 cup
Cabbage julienne- 1/4 cup
Spring onions- white part chopped from 1 bunch

Method:

1.Marinate the chicken cubes with salt.
2Heat the sesame oil in a pan. Add the grated ginger and garlic and saute till the raw smell leaves..
3.Pour and boil the stock and add the chicken and other seasonings.
3.After 5 minutes add the vegetables and cook until done.
6.Cook the noodles in boiling water with salt for 5-6 minutes or until done.
7.Serve the noodles topped with the chicken soup.Garnish with chopped green onions.

Notes:

1.As I've already mentioned, if you are a vegetarian,you could replace chicken with tofu and add vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
2.The choice of vegetables is also up to you.
3.When you add chicken, you don't have to add a lot of veggies, if you want to get more flavor from chicken. My family prefers with all the veggies in it :-)



Contributor: Namitha

Indo-Chinese Fish Chili

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Batter fried fish in hot, spicy, tangy sauce is quite the pair for Chinese noodles or rice.  Having been making so much noodles and rice this last week it's only fair to wrap that roll with this recipe.  Coincidentally, the blustery, windy, wet weather outside is just the right time to eat Chinese curled up on your sofa, watching a nice romantic flick.  That's exactly what I plan to do this Saturday unless the rain let's up.

I am also charmed these days by Italian pockets on the baker's shelf in stores.  All things savory and Italian seems to be on my mind so now that we have had a definite dose of Chinese will move on.  Until then please indulge me.  Shall we have some fun with fish all Chinese? I heard you say "yes, get on with it"!?

Have a nice weekend!



Ingredients:
Tilapia - 3 Fillets (boneless, skinless fish about 1 and 1/2 fishes)

For Batter:
All purpose flour - 3/4 cup
Corn Flour - 1/4 cup (you could vary the proportion or only use corn flour)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tspn
Chili powder - 1 tspn
Salt - to taste
Soya sauce - 1 tspn
Pepper - a sprinkle
Water - to make a thick batter which you can use to dip the fish and fry

Method:
1. Combine all ingredients and make a thick batter and set aside closed.
2. Pat dry the fish fillet and cut them into bite size pieces and marinate with soya sauce. If the sauce is not salty enough add some salt too. Marinate for and hour
3. Take the fish out pat dry and dust it with flour. Leave the marinade to use for the sauce
4. You can avoid marinating the fish but I find it too bland when not salted or marinated.
5. Dip in the batter and deep fry the fish on a medium fire because you have to cook the fish with this step.
6. Drain on kitchen towels and set aside



For the Gravy
Ginger - 1 Tbspn julienned
Garlic - 1 Tbspn julienned
Onions - 1 Diced
Green Onions (scallions/spring onions) - 2 chopped 1 inch size
Green Chilies - 6 julienned
Soya Sauce - the thin kind 1/4 cup (if you are using thick sauce I think a tablespoon diluted in a Tbspn in water will suffice.
Corn Flour - 1 1/2 Tbspn
Water - 2 cups
Chili Sauce - 1 Tbspn (optional)
Oil - 1 Tbspn from the oil used to deep fry fish



Method:
1. Dilute/dissolve the corn flour in 1/4 cup water and set aside
2. Heat oil, saute the ginger, onions, garlic, green chilies and the lower end of the spring onions leaving the green leafy bit for garnishing. Spoon out this and set asid
2. Reduce the heat, add water, soya sauce and bring to a boil
3. Check for taste. If it's enough salty add the dissolved corn flour a little at a time stirring. Stop when you like the consistency of the sauce.
4. Add all fried ingredients including the fish and and serve.

Notes: If you have to wait for your guest or cook ahead. Mix the fried fish only when serving.

Contributor: sunitha

Shrimp Noodle

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   How about more noodles?  The recipe is quite similar to the vegetarian one I posted a while back.  But the addition of shrimp and oyster sauce gives it another dimension.  The process is all similar but as you will agree it's the ingredients that makes the difference.  Most of the ingredients I have used today can be found in anybody's kitchen and also a few tips to enhance the flavors if you choose can be found in the foot note.

  Cleveland where I am right now is proving to be quite exciting.  Did I tell you there is going to be a Onam Sadya around here..  Broadview Heights Recreation Center, 9543 Broadview Road, Broadview Heights , Oh 44147.  This will be on Sep 4th, 6 PM to 10 PM.  If you are in Ohio you might want to go take a look.  I haven't decided if I am going but it sure is in my mind.

   While I go enjoy my rest of the day browsing in blogland I wish you a good day too.
  


Ingredients:

Egg Noodles - 1 packet (200 gm)
Ginger - 1 Tbspn
Garlic - 2 Tbspn
Carrot - 1 julienned
Cabbage - long slender shreds (1 cup packed)
Beans - 20 nos juliened

Soyabean sauce - to taste.  I added 2 Tbspn
Green chilies - 2

Marinate Shrimp

Shrimp - 10 or 15 in number
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tspn
Oyster sauce - 1 Tbspn
Chili powder - 1/2 tspn

Ground Pepper - 1 tspn (or sprinkle to taste)



Method:
1. Cook Noodles as per packet instruction.  I run cold water over the cooked noodle and pour and toss it in 1 tbspn of oil and set aside

Marinate Shrimp:
1. Add oyster sauce, chili powder a little soya sauce and the ginger garlic paste and marinate for 20 minutes
2.  Heat a wok or big open pan which can hold the vegetables and noodles together and heat.
3. Pour 1 Tbspn of oil and add the chopped ginger and stir for a couple of seconds and add garlic.
4. Add the marinated prawns and saute for a minute and add the green chilies, beans, carrots and cabbage
5. Once the prawns have turned white or pink (color the shrimp turns to when cooked) depending on the type of shrimp you use add capsicum and stir on high heat to cook the edges
6. Add some remaining soyabean sauce and toss in the cooked noodles
7. Check for salt and taste and add some more soyabean sauce if needed



Notes: You can add 1 tspn of the stir fried chili sauce, maggi chicken bullion 1/2 packet etc to enhance the taste.  Aginomoto about 1/4 tspn also will help to enhance the flavors.  When I need to add a little spark to the noodle I do that sometimes.  On a regular basis prefer to avoid.

Contributor: Sunitha

Vegetarian Chow Mein

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     I am still working at settling in this new place.  Actually I am all set with regards to setting up the apartment, the kitchen being functional etc. and yet there is something missing.  You will not believe when I say I miss the noisier complex I lived in Tennessee.  Every other hour you could hear the fire engine roaring past since we lived next door to the fire station.  Yeah, it was a nuisance at times but in some strange way I miss them too.  Can you see what I mean?  My new apartment complex is so quiet it borders eerie.  I know its just that its taking time to gel in here but this morning trying to photograph the food I was going crazy.  I am just not understanding why the room is bright and yet I am not getting the light to fall on the food like I want it to.  It will all come in time and I will adjust but moving doesn't seem to be my cup of cake.

 
  Yesterday I made some chow mein. It's simple and yet quite tasty.  You can do a whole lot of variations with different sauces but today's recipe is the simplest with the least number of ingredients. I hope you will enjoy it.


Ingredients:
Noodles - 1 pack (200 gms)
Beans - 30 nos
Cabbage - 1/8th of a regular size cabbage
Carrots - 1
Capsicum - 1/2 of a big one
Celery - 1 stalk
Spring onions - 2
Garlic - 1 tbspn heaped, finely chopped
ginger - 1/2 tspn finely chopped
Soya Bean Sauce - 2 Tbspn
Black Pepper - to taste
Green chilies - if you need it spicy hot
Oil - 2 Tbspn
Method:

1.Cook noodles as per instructions on the cover
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the vegetables starting with the beans
3. Add each vegetable according to the time it takes for it to cook and I like my beans a little well done so they go in first.
4. Once the beans is getting cooked add the garlic and ginger saute and follow up with cabbage, carrots and celery and finally capsicum.  Make sure to cook each vegetable a little, like a couple of stirrings before you add the next
5. Once all vegetables are cooked where I leave the capsicum add soya bean sauce.
6. I have been finding the strength of soya bean sauce to be different for each brand and hence depending on the brand and how thick or thin it is add some, mix and check for taste
7. Add the cooked noodles and if needed add more soya bean sauce
8. Chop the spring onions and top it and when serving you can scramble eggs and top each plate or simply mix it in.

Notes:
1. I add salt and oil in plenty of water to cook the noodles and run it under cold water once cooked and splash some oil to keep the noodle moist

Contributor: Sunitha

Szechuan Chicken

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   Photographing Chinese food is a joy.  Their color on black or white background is stunning.  My love for this food though goes beyond photography.  I am addicted to Chinese food.  Addiction can sometimes lead people in the positive.  I started experimenting with Chinese food a long time back.  I always have soya sauce and oyster sauce at my disposal.  A very sharp chili sauce which I found after coming to the US has  become indispensable now.  Today's recipe uses soya sauce and vinegar for sure but otherwise the flavors are more from the garlic, dry red chili and sesame oil making it piquant and I loved this variation.   It's a brave move to name this dish Szechuan because I am unable to vouch for authenticity.  However, after chasing the internet for some history I found that Szechuan cuisine originated in Sichuan Province in China and the cuisine used Sichuan pepper which makes all the difference.  I used regular chilies from the Indian store and hence this is probably more of a Indian Szechuan Chicken.  The only other reason I braved this move in naming it so is the liberal use of sesame oil, a generous amount of ginger and garlic.  Either ways it is tasty.  I know you have only my word to go by but try it for sure you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:
1. Chicken Breast      - 2
2. Ginger                   - 1 Tbspn
3. Garlic                    - 2 Tbspn
4. Onions                  - 1/2 of medium
5. Cabbage               - a small wedge
6. Carrot                   - 1
7. Bell Pepper           - 1
8. Pepper                  - 1 tspn
9. Dry Red Pepper    - 10 nos
10. Tomato Ketchup - 1/2 Tbspn
11. Soya Bean          - 4 Tbspn
12. Scallions (spring onions) = 2 for garnishing
13. Rice Vinegar      - 1 Tbspn (most recipes for Schezwan I have seen Sherry being used.  I din't have any so used rice vinegar and I know this is not a preferred substitute.  Please use dry sherry if you have)
14. Sesame Oil         - 3 Tbspn (The taste is quite sharp, use canola oil and just a little sesame oil if you are not used to or like the taste of sesame oil.  The sesame taste is distinct and gives the dish a feel as if from a restaurant)

Method:
1. Marinate chicken with salt and pepper for at least 1/2 hour
2. Heat some oil in a wok and saute the thinly sliced chicken till the pink flesh turns white and its cooked through and keep aside
3. Add some more oil into the wok followed by chopped onions and saute for a couple of minutes
4. Tip in the chopped ginger and garlic in this order and saute
5. Add julienne carrots, cabbage and bell pepper sauteing after each addition
6. Add a tablespoon of rice vingegar, 2 tbspn soya bean sauce and check for salt and if needed
7. Move this off into another dish.
8. In the same wok add either 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock or water and let it boil
9. Add 1 Tbspn of corn starch into 1/2 cup of water and stir to dissolve
10. Pour this and 1 Tbspn ketchup and 2 Tbspn or soya bean sauce, thicken
11. Tip in the chicken and vegetables and stir in and serve hot over rice or cooked noodles

Notes:
1. When making chinese food I prefer having all the ingredients chopped and kept ready before the wok is heated
2. On medium high or high flame the ingredients and dropped in and cooked quickly
3. Make sure your chicken is cooked well
4. Szechuan cuisine uses star anise and brown sugar and you may use one of star anise when you start frying the onions and 1 tspn of brown sugar when you make the sauce
5. Since I did not want the sweetness and still have a little to bring the flavors together I used 1 Tbspn of ketchup.

Contributor: Sunitha

Hoisin Chicken

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The gloomy weather shows no signs of letting up. The weekend was misty , murky and mundane except for some hoisin chicken I made. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Yes it was. The other day, I saw some pictures of hoisin chicken in Peanutts blog and drooled.  Instantly decided I need to try this sauce. I picked up a bottle on my regular shopping fix at the grocers and I have to say, not disappointing at all! Let’s try a positive statement. It‘s exquisite!

The recipe on Peanutts blog called for steaming the chicken but I did my own thing. Her recipe looks scrumptious and was helpful to understand how much of the sauce I can add without totally messing up. Please click on the highlighted link to reach her page.

If there are any authentic ways of cooking with hoisin sauce I am in the dark of the same.  Today’s recipe has nothing to do with authenticity but a lot to do with fun, both cooking and eating.

The chicken was marinated for a couple of hours and stir fried with vegetables that I picked up on random from the refrigerator. They were the misplaced, running around kinds who were looking lost in my vegetable tray, needing help. I spruced then up with some trimming and tossed in. Following, I thickened the sauce,  pouring over the cooked chicken and vegetables and sprinkling with sesame seeds to close the deal.



Ingredients:
Chicken Breast - 2
Green chillies    - 4 nos
Capsicum red and green (Bell Peppers)         - 1/2 cup diced
Cabbage          - a couple of leaves torn
carrots              - 1/2
Hoisin sauce      - 3 Tbspn
Oyster sauce    - 2 Tbspn
Soya bean sauce - 1 - 2 Tbspn
Sesame seed     - to sprinkle on top (approximately 1 tspn)
Oil                     - 2 tbspn
Ginger                - 1 Tbspn thinkly chopped
Garlic                 - 1/2 Tbspn chopped
Corn starch        - 1 Tbspn
Water or Chicken broth - 1 and 1/4 cup


Method:
1. Marinate the chicken in 1 tbspn hoisin sauce, 1 tbspn oyster sauce and 1 tbspn soya bean sauce for 2 hours or freeze it till you want to use next
2. Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the chicken with ginger and garlic till cooked
3. Spoon them out and in the remainting oil proceed to saute the vegetables like bok choy, cabbage, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower etc.  I have used cabbage, bell peppers and carrots.
4. Add some more of all the three sauce just enough to spice up the vegetables.  Just a little is fine.
5. Once they are cooked al dente throw back the chicken and cook them all together and transfer into your serving dish
6. Add a cup of water and all the three remaining sauce and bring to a boil.  Add the corn starch dissolved in 1/4th cup water and add to the boiling sauce.  Thicken and add to the prepared chicken and vegetables and sprinkle with sesame seeds


Notes:
1. All meaurements are approximate
2. Avoid or reduce green chillies.  I like the dishes hot and add quite a few chillies.  This one was quite piquant so reduce the no of chillies if you like your dish mild.
3. I like cabbage, bok choy, peppers, broccoli or cauliflower, celery, scallions etc in the chinese style dishes I make. I have never used potatoes for example in these preparations and so cannot vouch for it going well even though I tend to loosely state add vegetables of your choice.

Broccoli and Mushroom in Chinese sauce

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How are you today?  I am feeling quite happy.  What else can I say with all the love that is flowing in with so many awards.  We received our third award 'Lovely Blog Award' from Kitchen Queen and the fourth 'A Fabulous Blog Award' from Rohini.  Thank you to the two of you and we are happy you thought us worthy.

Here is a lil something from our college days and the recipe following it.

 On a rainy 29^th July afternoon around the end of the 20^th century in Mangalore; a group of friends dressed in salwars, skirts, jeans and tops holding their white lab coats and sheltered under their bright swan umbrellas walked up from their science lab to the college church and the Art division beyond.  They meet another set of friends from the Art department and stays to chat.  Plans are made to visit a Chinese restaurant Hao Hao (pronounced How How).

  A little about Hao Hao; they dish out scrumptious Indio-Chinese food and is flocked by students from  colleges in it's vicinity.  Medical, Engineering, Arts, all college students!  The joint is reasonably priced to target the student crowd.   A snippet from the aforementioned college student’s conversation goes as follows:

Arts: Hey, How about lunch at Hao Hao (pronounced like how)

Science: Hm…sounds like a plan! However, I am wondering How how?

Arts: You mean you want to go to another place?

Science: Arre yaar! (Hindi movies were very popular even in the South of India) At the end of the month with no money ‘how how’ will you eat at ‘Hao Hao’?

  Either ways, the couple who ran Hao Hao a year and half after this particular conversation above took another space to start their upbeat new restaurant Hao Ming.  Classier than Hao Hao and yet visited by students.

So here is the recipe inspired by the above mentioned restaurants:

Ingredients for Vegetable Fry:

Broccoli florets – 2 cups (around 200 gms)

Mushroom        - 10 big ones

Egg – 1

Corn flour – 4 tbspn heaped

Rice flour – 1 tbspn heaped

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tspn

Black or white pepper powder – 1 tspn

Oil – for deep frying

Ingredients for the sauce

Oil – 1 tbspn

Green Chilies    - 4 – 6 according to how much heat you can tolerate

Chili sauce – 1 tspn

Soya sauce – 1 tbspn

Spring onions – 2

Chicken stock – 1 cup

Water – 1 cup

Salt – to taste

Method:

1.       Mix well beaten egg, 3 tbspn corn flour and the rice flour into a flowing batter to dip and fry the veggies

2.       In hot oil deep fry the broccoli and mushrooms coated in the above batter

3.       In a hot skillet add 1 tbspn oil and add your onions, ginger and garlic in this order and sauté

4.       Add capsicum (bell pepper) and sauté

5.       Add chili and soya bean sauce and sauté for just a minute or two

6.       Add water and chicken stock and bring to a boil

7.       In ½ cup of water mix 1 tbspn of corn flour and add this liquid to the boiling stock

8.       Sauce is ready when it thickens.

9.       Pour over the fried veggies or your could serve the fries into your plate with your rice or noodles and pour the sauce over it

10.   Garnish sauce with spring onions

Serve with hot white rice or noodles

Contributor: Sunitha