Chinese Vegetable egg fried rice

Serving 4-5

Total preparation time : 40 mins 

Ingredients :

1 cup raw rice, cook only 70% with salt and veg stock/ chicken broth. ( evenly separated grains and not sticky)  (See Homemade veg stock recipe)

4 eggs, well beaten, scramble with oil and set aside. 

Veggies to sauté: 

6 finely chopped green beans 

1/2 cup green peas

1 cup finely chopped carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped celery 

1 cup finely chopped green onion

1/2 cup white onion/ white part of green onion

3 tbspn finely chopped garlic

1 tbspn finely grated ginger

Seasoning :

1 tspn sugar 

2 tspn black pepper 

1 tbspn rice vinegar

1 tbspn chilli sauce 

2.5-3 tbspn dark soya sauce

Salt to taste 

Garnishing : 

3 tbspn finely chopped green onion

2 tbspn grated carrot

A few roasted peanuts deskinned. 

To cook :

Sesame oil  3 tbspn

2 cups water or 1 cup veg/ chicken stock to cook the rice 

Method 

Heat a nonstick large skillet/ pan on high heat with 1 tbspn oil, add ginger, garlic and black pepper. Then stir fry with white onions and set aside in the bowl with the scrambled egg. Now take another 1 tbspn oil in the same pan, add rest of the veggies one by one and stir fry on high heat till partly cooked.( don't overcook). Adjust the heat to low, add the rest of the seasoning and simmer for 2 mins. Add cooked rice, the egg and sautéed ginger, garlic and onion. Mix well without breaking the rice and cook covered for 3 mins. Mix well 2-3 times and garnish with green onion, carrots and peanuts. Serve immediately with your choice of stir fry/ curry. 

Tips:

-Rice should not be over cooked, use straining method if using water.

-Add easily cooking veggies like celery, bell peppers last while you sauté and cook veggies till crispy.

-Setting aside the sautéed onion garlic and ginger doesn't let it overcook along with the veggies.

- If adding chicken/ shrimp or tofu, marinate it with rice wine, rice vinegar, soya sauce black pepper and salt, sauté it and set aside before starting. 

Egg drop masala

Serving size : 4

Total preparation time : 5 mins 

Total cooking time : 30 mins

Ingredients :

2 medium sized onions, finely chopped 

2 large tomatoes, finely chopped 

2 jalapeños or 3 thai green chilies finely chopped

2 inch fresh ginger grated

8 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 tbspn oil 

Salt to taste 

3 tbspn water

1/2 cup coconut milk 

8 whole raw eggs 

1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves chopped 

1.5 tsp cumin seeds

1 tspn Everest garam masala

1/4 tspn black pepper powder

1 tspn coriander powder

1/2 tspn cumin powder

1/2 tspn cinnamon powder

1.5 tbspn paprika powder/ Kashmiri Degi mirch powder 

Method : 

Heat oil in large heavy bottom broad saucepan. Add cumin seeds and let them splatter. Add green chilies and ginger garlic. Once fried, add onions and little salt only for onions. Fry onions till golden brown and add tomatoes. Cook till tender. Add all the spice powders and cook covered on medium heat for 2 mins. Stir and add 3 tbspn water and cook covered on high eat for another 3 minutes till spices are well cooked making sure it doesn't get burnt at the bottom. Add coconut milk and simmer for another 2 minutes. Now on low heat, break the eggs one by one into the spice mix making sure the egg yolks are separated and not on top of each other. Once all eggs are added, sprinkle some salt over the eggs and immediately cover without stirring or disturbing the eggs. Simmer covered for 5 minutes. Top it with coriander leaves and cook covered for another 2 minutes. Take the spoon and carefully try to scoop each and every egg making sure it's not stuck at the bottom,and properly cook,  do not press/ stir but carefully try to separate all the eggs. Once all eggs are cooked, serve hot over steamed rice or with Phulkas. 

Tri color rotini with broccoli and fire roasted red bell pepper sauce.

Serving size : 2

Total preparation time : 30 mins 

Cooking time : 20 mins

Ingredients : 

3 cups boiled tri color rotini pasta with salt. 

3-4 large red bell peppers, fire roasted chopped or chopped and sautéed on high heat till slightly burnt on the sides and mushy. 

2 cups broccoli florets steamed with salt. 

1/2 white onion finely chopped

4 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tbspn fresh parsley leaves

1 cup veg stock

Salt to taste

1 tbspn butter

1 tspn olive oil

1 tspn Black pepper powder

1 tspn dried/ fresh finely chopped basil 

Grated cheese as desired.

Method: 

Heat butter in a pan, add the garlic and onion with salt and sauté till transparent. Now add the chopped roasted bell peppers, and half of the parsley leaves. Mix well and blend into a purée. Now heat olive oil in the same pan, add the puréed red bell pepper mix, add veg stock, black pepper and simmer covered for 10mins. Add more water or stock for the desired thickness and consistency.Stir in intervals as the sauce leaves the sides of the pan, sprinkle fresh basil on top. Check salt and spice and adjust as desired. You can add the hot boiled pasta at this stage and mix it well in the sauce, add the steamed broccoli and serve topped with grated cheese. 

Tip : Use dark red peppers to get a deep red color. Fire roast the bell peppers on a flame and then blanch it for better aroma and taste. 

Methi Murg/ Fenugreek chicken drumsticks

Serving size :4-5

Cooking time : 30 mins.
Total preparation time : 60 mins
Marinade Time : 4-8 hours.

Ingredients :

For the marinade:

6 skinless chicken drumsticks

1 tbspn sour cream

2 tbspn yogurt

1 tspn oil 

1 tspn turmeric

1 tspn Reshampatti red chilli powder

1 tspn roasted coriander cumin powder

1 tspn home made garam masala

1 tspn salt 

2 tbspn kasoori methi 

For the fried masala paste : 

1 tbspn oil 

2 bay leaves

1 tspn shahi jeera

1 tbspn paprika/ Kashmiri red chilli powder 

2 purple onions finely chopped

2 small ripe tomatoes finely chopped

7 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 inch ginger finely chopped

1-1.5 cups kasoori methi leaves

1 cup water.

Salt to taste

Method :
Marinade the chicken overnight or atleast for 4 hours. Heat oil in a wide saucepan and temper with shahi jeera and bay leaves. Sauté the ginger, garlic and onion one by one. Once transparent add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt  and simmer for 15mins on low heat  stiring at intervals till saucy. Grind this into a purée and set aside. Now in the same pan add more oil, and cook the marinated chicken along with the methi leaves for 5mins. Once the chicken is tender and oil starts to leave  the sides, mix in the masala paste and simmer for another 5mins. Add water if required to make a thick gravy. Stir in intervals and simmer for another 2 mins. Serve hot with roti/ Phulkas or garlic naan.

Vegetable pulav

Serving size :4
Total Preparation time: 7-8 mins
Cooking time : 10 mins.

Ingredients :
1 cup basmati rice presoaked for 10 mins
2 cups water.
2 tbsn chopped onion.
2 tbspn chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped green capsicum/bell peppers
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green beans
6-8 garlic cloves. minced
1 tspn ginger paste/ 1 inch grated ginger
2 red chilies
1/8 tspn turmeric
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 black cardamom
2 cloves
2-3 star anise petals.
3 black pepper corns
1 tspn cumin seeds
1 maggi/knorr vegetable stock seasoning cube

Method :
Heat oil on medium oil in a pressure cooker. Once the oil is hot,add the whole spices and chilies. Saute them for 30 secs and add the ginger and garlic followed by the chopped onion. Add the turmeric. Once the onion is transparent add the rice and saute for 2 mins on medium heat. Now add all the chopped veggies and mix well. Add the water and mix in the vegetable stock cube. Mix well and close the pressure cooker lid and cook until 2 whistles on medium heat. Once the steam is out, remove the rice and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot with yoghurt or pickle.

Tip :
Do not skip caulifower, green beans, carrot and capsicum in this recipe. You could add more veggies of your choice.You could use vegetable stock instead of the water and skip the veg stock cube.