Rice Noodles with Vegetables and Eggs

Overview
A simple delicious rice noodle dish mixed with vegetables and eggs. Thin sliced cabbage and carrots adds an extra texture and flavor to this noodle dish. Rice noodles cook very fast so make sure the rice noodles are not over cooked. As soon as you drain the noodles coat it with two tablespoons oil so the noodles don't get sticky.

Rice Noodles with Vegetables and Eggs

Ingredients
Dry rice noodles one pound
Cabbage finely sliced 1 1/2 cups
Carrots Julienne cut one cup
Garlic finely chopped 1 tablespoon
Dry Chives two tablespoon
Red crushed pepper( optional) 1 teaspoon
Eggs - 4
Black pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon
Oil  7 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Rice Noodles Ingredients: Rice noodles, Scrambled eggs, Carrots,
Cabbage, dry chives and garlic

Steps
1. Heat a gallon of water in a pot add 2 teaspoon salt to it. When the water boils add the dry rice noodle to it turn off heat and cover lid and let it stand for 8 minutes. Drain water add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and mix well with fork to coat all the strands of the noodles so that they don't stick together.
2. Scramble the eggs adding salt and black pepper powder in 2 tablespoons of oil and keep aside.
3. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large pan. When the oil gets hot add the finely chopped garlic to it. Stir well till the garlic becomes light brown. Add Red pepper flakes and saute few more minutes then add the sliced carrots, cabbage and dry chives to this. Mix well. Add salt as needed. Cover the pan with lid and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes . Do not over cook the vegetables.
4. Remove the lid turn off heat and add the noodles and scrambled eggs to this vegetable mixture . Stir well with two forks so that all strands of the noodles get coated with the vegetable and egg mixture.

Serve hot.

Baingan Bharta (Roasted Eggplant Curry)

Overview
I got these fresh eggplants from my friends garden and wanted to try this baingan bharta. The word bharta means a dish in which the ingredients are roughly mashed. In this dish I have roasted the egg plant in the oven and then mashed it which is the key ingredient. You can roast the egg plant on open flame or even on a grill. The smokey flavor from roasting does adds a pleasant aroma to this dish.

Baingan Bharta

Ingredients
Eggplant 2 about a pound total
Finely chopped cherry tomatoes - 1 cup
Finely chopped red onions 3/4 cup
Finely chopped ginger 1 tablespoon
Finely chopped garlic 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
Chilly powder 1 teaspoon
Chopped cilantro 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tablespoons

Ingredients: Roasted mashed eggplants, finely chopped tomatoes
finely chopped red onions, finely chopped ginger and garlic, finely chopped cilantro
mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and chilly powder

Steps
1. Wash the eggplants in water, pat it dry with a paper towel. Poke the eggplant with a fork and cover each eggplant airtight with aluminium foil and bake in a 350 Fahrenheit oven for about one hour . The egg plant should be fully cooked and easy to mash.
2. Let the roasted eggplant cool to room temperature and then peel skin  and roughly mash the flesh of the egg plant with a fork or spoon.
3. In pan heat oil. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds, once the seeds splutter add the cumin seeds and fry.
4. Add the finely chopped red onions, ginger and garlic to this and saute till the onions turn light brown. Add turmeric powder saute few minutes and then add the chilly powder to this. Saute few minutes and then add the finely chopped cherry tomatoes to this. Add salt mix well and cover the pan and cook on low flame.
5. Cook the tomatoes till they are cooked well and the oil begins to separate. And the roasted mashed eggplants to his add more salt as needed mix well and saute in medium heat till the eggplants are coated with all the ingredients and all the liquid has evaporated.
6. Turn off heat and add the finely chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve hot with Chapati or Naan

Dhokla

Overview
Dhokla's are spongy steamed cake made with chickpea batter which is a speciality of Gujarat. There are all different kinds of dhokla in Gujarat. This is a simple and easy to make dhokla made with few ingredients. Dhoklas are healthy, high protein dish that can be served for breakfast or as a snack.

Dhokla

Ingredient
Channa Dal( Split Chick pea) 1 cup
Lemon juice 2 tablespoons
Baking soda(or fruit salt) 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste

To Garnish the dhokla
Cilantro - 3 tablespoons
Whole red chilly 4 broken into pieces
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil 3 teaspoon

Steps
1. Clean the Channa Dal in plenty of water and soak for about 4 - 6 hours.
2. Grind the Channa Dal to a smooth paste by adding water. The batter should be thick like the consistency of idly batter.
3. Add salt, lemon juice and baking powder (or fruit salt) to this. The batter will become frothy. Mix well and pour the batter to an oiled steaming plate and steam for about 20 - 25 minutes till the dhoklas are cooked well.
4. Take it out and let it cool to room temperature.
5. In another pan heat 3 teaspoon of oil. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds splutter add the whole red chilly pieces and fry well. Turn off the heat and add the asafoetida powder immediately. Pour this oil mixture over the prepared dhokla and spread well. Sprinkle chopped colantro over the dhokla.

Cut into dhokla into diamond shape and serve with cilantro or mint chutney.

Chicken Thoran

Overview
Chicken thoran is a very unique dry chicken stir fry dish made with coconut and spices. In Kerala thorans are usually made with vegetables but Chicken thoran is a Kerala speciality. A dry dish that can be served with rice or any Indian bread.

Chicken Thoran ingredients

Chicken Thoran

Ingredients
Chicken breast cut into small cubes  - 1 1/2 pounds
Ginger 2 inch piece thin sliced into strips
Green chilly 6 split at center
Red Onion one large thin sliced
Garlic 6 cloves thin sliced
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Whole dry red chilly cut into pieces 3 - 4
Mustard seeds  1 teaspoon
Red Chilly powder 1 teaspoon
Black pepper  1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds  1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon
Fresh grated coconut 3/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil  3  - 4 tablespoons

Steps
1. Clean and cut the chicken breast into small cubes.
2. Grind the whole black pepper and fennel seeds to a smooth powder and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds splutter add the whole red chilly powder and curry leaves to this and fry few minutes. Then add the thin sliced onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies.
4. Saute till the onions are light brown. Add the turmeric powder and chilly powder. Fry few minutes and then add the chicken pieces to this. Add salt and the fennel and black pepper powder to this.  Mix well and cover pan with lid and cook on low flame till chicken is cooked.
5. Add the fresh grated coconut to this mix well and saute till all the gravy has evaporated.

Serve hot with rice or any Indian bread.