Slow cooker / Crockpot Sambar (lentil curry)

This is one of those recipes which you can assemble (for a lack of better work) in the crock pot in the morning before leaving to work and when you come back home, is ready to be seasoned and served!!

Ingredients:

• Toor dal - 2 cups
• Onion - 1 medium sliced thin
• Vegetable - 2-3 cups (I used Lauki. Also called bottle gourd) chopped bite size
• Tomatoes - 2 chopped fine
• Tamarind paste - 1 table spoon (optional. Tomatoes give sourness)
• Cilantro leaves - 1/4th cup finely chopped
• Salt - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Chili powder - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Sambar powder (curry powder) - 1 table spoon
• Coriander powder - 1 table spoon
• Water - 6 cups

For seasoning:

• Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Curry leaves - 10 to 12
• Olive oil - 1 table spoon

Method:

To the slow cooker / crock pot, add all the above ingredients (do not add the 'for seasoning').  Put it on slow for 6-8 hours.  After 6-8 hours, heat a small pan on medium heat.  Put Olive oil and let it heat.  Add Mustard seeds and let it splutter.  Add curry leaves.  Add this to the Sambar and it is ready to be served! It tastes wonderful with rice, roti, chapati, etc.

Note:

Adjust the Chili powder quantity if your Sambar powder has chili powder add to it already.

Chili Garlic Shrimp

Today is my daughter's first day of Kindergarten...my little baby is all grown up to a sweet little girl.  

My daughter loves Shrimp!  She usually does not eat spicy food but, she loves this one even though it is a little spicy for her palette. This recipe takes about 10-15 minutes to make and just 6 ingredients!

Ingredients:

Uncooked Shrimp - 2 pounds (cleaned and de-vained. I used tails on)

Red Chili Paste - 1 table spoon (add per taste)

Turmeric - 1 tea spoon

Garlic paste - 1 table spoon

Salt - 2 tea spoons (add per taste)

Olive oil - 1 table spoon

Method:

To a non stick pan on high heat, add the uncooked Shrimp and cover the lid.  Cook until the Shrimp turns pink.  This will take about 3-4 minutes.  Drain the extra water.  To this, add all the other ingredients and saute it till dry and slightly crispy.  The Chili Garlic Shrimp is ready to be served.

Quick and easy Flat Noodle stirfry

I visit some blogs for the recipes and some blogs just to read the stories that accompany the recipes.  I don't know how people write so beautifully...they capture your interest in what they are saying in just the first sentence.  I can talk to people, but, cannot come up with stories to tell.  Well...I have to go ahead with the assumption that I am not a good story teller.  Hopefully, people do visit my blog for my recipes :)

Looks like off lately I am making a lot of one pot meals.  Noodles never get boring!!  This takes less than 30 minutes to make and tastes delicious!!

 

Ingredients:

• Flat Rice noodles cooked and drained in cold water - about 3 cups.
• Mixed vegetables - 2 cups - I used the frozen mixed vegetables (it had beans, carrots and peas)
• Eggs (optional) - 2 medium sized
• Olive Oil - 2 table spoons
• Vinegar - 2 table spoons
• Soy sauce - 2 table spoons
• Salt - 1 tea spoon (add per taste). Do remember that Soy sauce has salt in it.
• Ginger Paste - 1 table spoon
• Garlic Paste - 1 table spoon
• Hot sauce - 1 table spoon (I used Siracha)

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add 1/2 table spoon Olive oil.  Break the eggs and scramble until almost done (Skip this step if you are not adding eggs). Add the remaining oil.   Add the mixed vegetables, Ginger paste, Garlic Paste and Salt.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Now add the cooked noodles, Soy sauce, amd Vinegar.  Mix it well.  Now, turn the heat to high and stir fry it until all the ingredients are well mixed and dry.  Take some aside for the non-spicy version.  Now, add the hot sauce and mix well.  Serve it hot with a couple of egg/spring rolls or potstickers.

Super quick Lemony Vermicelli

I love making one pot meals and also love to have breakfast for dinner!!  This is one such simple recipes which takes less than 20 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

• Vermicelli - 4 cups (dry roasted)
• Peas - 1 cup
• Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Curry leaves - 10-12
• Olive Oil - 2 table spoons
• Red chili flakes - 1 tea spoon
• Lemon juice - 2 table spoons
• Cilantro - 2 table spoons chopped fine
• Water - 1 1/2 cups

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add the Olive oil.  Let it heat.  Now, add the Mustard seeds and let them splutter.  Add the Curry leaves and the Peas.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add the Vermicelli and Saute for 3 more minutes.  Now, add the water to the Vermicelli and close mix it well but, gently.  turn the heat to low and close the lid of the pan for about 4-5 minutes till the Vermicelli is translucent.  Now, add the Lemon and Cilantro.  Mix gently well (I think I just made up a new phrase) and take some aside for the non-spicy version.  Now add the Red Chili flakes and mix gently well.  Delicious Lemony Vermicelli is ready to be served!!

Chili Chicken Wings - Quick and Easy

Since my childhood, I look forward to Friday evenings, not only because it is the beginning of the weekend but, also because we make something nice to eat in the evening to start the weekend off.  I have carried this tradition on and hopefully, my daughter will look forward to Friday evenings too!  Spicy, Yummy, Chili Chicken Wings was our Friday evening indulgence past week...It is very simple to make and does not require any oil as the wings are fatty by themselves.

Ingredients:

• Chicken Wings - 2-3 pounds cleaned and cut into sections
• Green Chilies - 8-10 slit in the center (add per taste)
• Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 tea spoon
• Ginger Paste - 1 table spoon
• Garlic Paste - 1 table spoon
• Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 tea spoon
• Clove Powder - 1/2 tea spoon
• Onion Powder - 1 tea spoon
• Lemon Juice - 2 table spoons
• Salt - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Water - 1 cup

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add the chicken wings, Salt, Turmeric and water.  Let it cook with closed lid for about 15 minutes (or until the wings are cooked completely).  Now, open the lid and add all the other ingredients.  Saute it until dry and all the ingredients are well mixed with the Chicken.  Now, turn the heat to high and roast the wings until the skin is a little brown and crispy.  Spicy hot chicken wings are ready to be served.  I love to eat it by itself.  It can also be served with white rice, Fragrant Ghee Rice or roti/chapati.

Simple Stuffed Anaheim Chilies

Hope you all had a wonderful long weekend (It was the Independence day weekend here in USA).  We went to San Diego, CA to cool off from Arizona heat.  Had a wonderful time with family and got to meet a sweet little 4 day old angel of a dear friend.  When you can carry that small bundle of joy, you realise how soon your angel grew up!! I miss being able to carry her and walk around...

I need to get back to blogging regularly. Will start with this simple recipe for stuffed Anaheim chilies.

Ingredients:

• Anaheim Chilies - about 8-10 medium sized.  You can substitute this with any other kind of chilies that can be stuffed.
• Besan (Chick pea flour) - 1 cup
• Sambar/Curry Powder - 1 table spoon
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tea spoon
• Coriander powder - 1 tea spoon
• Salt - 1 table spoon
• Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
• Amchur/Raw Mango powder - 1 table spoon
• Olive oil - 2-3 table spoons

Method:

Slit the Chilies and remove seeds using a small spoon.  Mix all the above ingredients (except Chilies) in a small bowl.  Stuff the Chilies with this mixture (it takes about 1 table spoon each).  Now to a pan on medium heat, add Olive oil.  Place these stuffed chilies in the pan.  Now, add about a table spoon of water to each Chilies in the slit.  Cover the pan and let the Chilies cook on low heat for about 15 minutes until they are a little softer but still has a little crunch.  Now, open the pan and turn the heat to medium and let the Chilies brown a little.  Take the pan aside and the stuffed chilies are ready to be served.  This can be served with rice and dal, Chapati, Roti, etc.  My husband loves it with Pav (kind of Indian bread) in Vada pav style.