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

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