Asian Rice Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

Overview
A delicious rice noodle dish that by boys enjoy. This rice noodle dish made with chicken and vegetables makes a complete meal. Ginger, garlic and sesame oil adds a nice aroma and flavor to this dish. I got this brown rice noodle which are real delicious and healthy.

Asian Rice Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients
Brown Rice noodles 1 pound pack
Chicken breast 1 pound cut into thin strips
Carrot cut into thin strips - 1 cup
Green peas frozen - 3/4 cup
Green onion one bunch thin sliced
Garlic 4 - 6 cloves thin sliced
Ginger 2 inch piece cut into thin slices
One large red onion thin sliced
Red pepper flakes - 1  - 2 tablespoons
Sesame oil 1 tables spoon
Soy sauce 2 -3 tablespoons
Vegetable oil - 3 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Boil a gallon of water in a bog pot. When the water boils turn off heat and put the brown rice noodles in the and cover with a lid and keep it for 5 minutes. Drain noodles and immediately wash in cold water drain and keep aside.
2. Thaw the frozen green peas and keep aside.
3. In a heavy bottom pan. heat 3 tablespoon oil. When the oil gets hot add the thin sliced red onions, garlic, ginger. Saute till the onions become light brown.
4. Add the red pepper flakes to this and saute  few minutes and then add the thin sliced chicken breast and one tablespoon soy sauce to this to this mix well and cook covered for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove lid and add the sliced carrots and green peas to this. Mix well and cook covered for about five minutes till the carrots are cooked.
6. Add  the cooked noodles to this with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and one tablespoon sesame oil and mix well till the noodles are  mixed with chicken and vegetables.
7. Garnish with finely sliced green onions and serve hot.

Instant Cucumber Pickle

Overview
A simple pickle which is easy to make  and goes well as a relish with any meat or fish dish. This pickle has very few ingredients and no cooking at all. Quick and easy to make. I like to serve this pickle with fried fish or cutlets.

Instant Cucumber Pickle

Ingredients

Ingredients
English Cucumber - 2 cleaned and cut into cubes
Juice of 2 limes
Red Chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds and grind it to a smooth powder.
2. Mix all ingredients  and transfer to a jar.

Can be served with any fried fish or meat. Can be stored in refrigerator for a week.

Kumbalanga Pulissery (Ash Gourd in Coconut Yogurt gravy)

Overview
Pullissery is  a very  traditional Kerala dish usually made with Ash Gourd. One of our friends over here gave me this fresh Ash gourd grown in his garden and I was excited to make pulliseery. Pullisery is a dish served in  all vegetarian banquets in Kerala. This dish usually goes well with plain rice.

Kumbalanga Pulissery 

Ingredients

Ingredients
Ash Gourd cleaned peeled and cut into cubes about 1 1/2 cups
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Thick plain yogurt - 1 cup
Garlic - 4 cloves
Black pepper cloves - 1 teaspoon
Red chilly powder 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Whole dried red chillies - 3 - 4 broken into pieces
curry leaves 2 - 3 sprigs
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Place the cleaned cut ash gourd pieces in 1/2 cup water 1/4 teaspoon turmeric,1 teaspoon chilly powder and salt in an earthen pot or a pan.  Mix well and cover and cook on low flame till the ash gourd pieces are cooked well.
2. In your blender with 1/4 cup water grind the fresh grated coconut along with garlic, cumin seeds, black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder to a smooth paste.
3. Add the ground coconut mixture to the cooked ash gourd. Mix well and bring the mixture to boil. Lower flame and let the ash gourd pieces cook with the coconut mixture for 2 - 3 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and let this mixture come to room temperature. Beat the yogurt well with a whisk and add to the prepared ash gourd. Mix well.
5. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is in hot add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let the seeds splutter. Lower flame and add the Whole red chilly pieces and curry leaves. Turn off heat and pour this over the prepared pullisery dish.

Serve with plain rice.

Chicken with Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Overview
A very spicy chicken curry made with crushed red pepper flakes. The gravy in this dish is thick and coats the chicken pieces. This dish goes well with any Indian bread or plain rice. Fennel seed powder and Black pepper powder adds a unique aroma and taste to this dish.

Chicken with Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Ingredients

Ingredients
2 pound chicken cleaned and cut into small pieces
Red onions 2 large  - finely chopped
Plum tomatoes - 3 finely chopped
Ginger 2 inch piece finely chopped
Garlic 8- 10 cloves finely chopped
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
Crushed red pepper - 3 - 4 tablespoons
Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoons
Black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon.
Oil - 4 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Marinate the clean cut chicken pieces with salt, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and one teaspoon chilly powder and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When oil is hot add the  finely chopped red onions followed by finely chopped garlic and ginger. Saute well till the onions turn light brown.
3. Add the crushed red pepper flakes to this and saute few minutes and then add the pepper,fennel seed powder and turmeric powder to this and mix well.
4. Add curry leaves to this and fry few more minutes and add finely chopped tomatoes to this. Mix well and cover with lid and cook till tomatoes are cooked well.
5. Add the chicken pieces to this and mix well. Add salt as need and cover pan with lid and cook on low flame till the chicken is cooked well. Remove lid and mix well till the gravy is thickened and it coats the chicken. Turn off heat and serve hot

Eggplant Bharta (Eggplant roasted in Air Fyer)

Overview
Eggplants roasted in Air fryer adds a nice smokey taste to this dish. A very common dish available in all Indian restaurants. This is a Punjabi dish that goes very well with any Indian bread. Roasted mashed eggplant is the base for this dish.

Eggplant Bharta

Eggplant Bharta Ingredients

Ingredients
One large eggplant
2 plum tomatoes finely chopped
1 large red onion finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves finely chopped
1 Inch ginger finely chopped
Red chilly powder - 2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Cilantro chopped 3 tablespoon
Oil - 4 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Slice the large eggplants to thick slices vertically. Marinate with one teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon oil. Place in the Air Fryer at 400 F for 10 minutes. Take the eggplant slices out and let it cool to room temperature. Peel skin and mash the eggplants and keep aside.
2. Heat 3 tablespoon oil in Pan. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter add the cumin seeds followed by finely chopped onions, garlic and ginger.
3. Saute well till the onions are light brown. Add the turmeric powder followed by red chilly powder and coriander powder. Saute well and add the finely chopped tomatoes to this.
4. Mix well add salt cover pan with lid and cook the tomatoes till they are soft and tender. Add the mashed eggplants to this and mix well till all the water evaporates. Turn off heat.
5. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and serve with any Indian bread.

Ginger Curry (Inji Theeyal)

Overview
Ginger curry made with roasted coconut and tamarind is a traditional dish of Kerala. Fresh ginger roots mixed with the spices makes a delicious condiment that is usually served with plain rice. This dish taste better a day after it is made when all the flavors mingle together.

Ginger Curry (Inji Theeyal)

Ginger Curry Ingredients

Ingredients
Ginger sliced 1 cup
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Tamarind the size of the lemon soaked in water
Curry leaves 3 sprigs
Coriander seeds 2 tablespoons
Whole Red chilly - 4 - 6
Turmeric powder -1 teaspoon
Garlic cloves thin sliced - 3 cloves
Fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon
Asafoetida powder 1 teaspoon
2 blocks of jaggery or 2 tablespoon of brown sugar
Salt to taste
Oil about 4 tablespoon

Steps
1. Dry roast the whole red chillies, coriander seeds and fenugreek seeds one after another in a pan and grind to a smoother powder and keep aside.
2. Slice the ginger into thin slices uniformly. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and fry the sliced ginger on medium flame for about 5 minutes.  Drain from oil and keep aside.
3. In the same pan and oil add the fresh grated coconut along with 2 sprigs of curry leaves and sliced garlic. Fry the grated coconut  till it is golden brown. Tun off heat.
4. Grind the roasted coconut along with the ground spices and 1/4 cup water and keep aside.
5. In an pan add the fried ginger along with the tamarind water, salt and the ground coconut mixture. add 1/2 cup of water to this and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook this mixture on low flame for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally till the gravy is thick.
6. Add jaggery or brown sugar mix well. Add salt if needed. Turn off heat.
6.  In another pan heat 2 tablespoon of oil. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter . Add 3 Whole red chillies cut in halt along with 1 sprig of curry leaves. Turn off heat and pour this over the prepared ginger curry.

Slow Cooker Ribs and Grilled Pineapple

Overview
An easy and simple way to make tender and juicy baby back ribs. I found this recipe in food network and tried it and it came out very good. First part of cooking is in the slow cooker and then you bake it in oven which adds a nice glaze to it.

Slow Cooker Ribs

Grilled Pineapple

Ingredients for ribs
A rack of baby back ribs ( about 12 - 13 ribs)
One large red onion thick sliced
4 - 6 garlic cloves
Fresh ground Black pepper
Your favorite barbecue sauce
Salt to taste.

Ingredients for Grilled pineapple
One pineapple peeled, cored and cut into long slices
Olive oil
Honey 3 tablespoons

Steps
1. Trim the ribs and cut into individual ribs and place in slow cooker.
2. Add thick sliced red onion, garlic cloves, salt and pepper to this mix well and cook in slow cooker on high for one hour then  for about 5 hour on low till the rib meat is cooked well and almost falling out of bones.
3. Scoop the ribs along with the onions and garlic and place on a baking sheet . Bake in a 400 F oven for 10 minutes. Brush each rib with barbecue sauce and  bake again in over for 2 0 - 30 minutes till the ribs are golden brown. Turn off heat and place in a serving dish.
4. Just coat the pineapple slices with olive oil and place on a hot grill and cook for 2 - 3 minutes on both sides.
5. Take off from grill and drizzle with honey


Serve Ribs hot with Grilled pineapple