Kolkata`s Street Food Delight: Egg Chowmien (Noodles)

Its been long since I shared any new recipes for the bachelor fraternity out there. So with any further adieu lets put some freshly made chowmien(noodles) to rest your rommies appetite. I have moved on and have new roomies who are from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They have a very different quisine, but this dish has never failed me in getting satisfaction out of them. One of them even forces me to share the recipies with his wife. I was on the phone explaining her this and I thought why not share this with all of you here.

This dish is super easy, there are few pressure 

points which followed will make this a stroll in the park.Here it goes

Ingredients:

• Four racks of chowmien(noodles).
• 50gm Cabbage
• 50gm Beans
• 1 Medium Onion
• 4 Baby Corn
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Capsicum
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Vinegar
• 4 tsp Soya Sauce
• 2 tsp Tomato Ketchup(Optional)
• 4 eggs 
• 4 tsp ground Black Pepper
• Salt to taste
• 3 tb spn Oil.

The dish will take about 20-25 mints if all the ingredients are ready. In 7 easy steps you will make fresh egg chowmien.

Step1: This dish is made on a high heat and stir frying is used. So cut all the veggies very fine. So that it takes less time to cook.

Step2: In a large kadhai heat 1 and half liters of water. When it starts to heat up put enough salt to make the water salty and 1 tb spn vegetable oil. Put the noodles rack in one by one. Keep stiring with a fork and it wil soften

Pressure point: We will cook the noodles 60-70% in the water as we do not want them giving away during the mixing bit. Also drain off tge hot water and wash throughly with normal water so that there is no start left to make the noodles stick. 

Leave the noodles to rest and drain the excess water. Now let us prepare the veggies.

Step3: Heat the pan, it should be fuming hot
,add 3 tb sp of vegetable oil let it heat up then put the cloves of garlic in. Fry them till the are golden brown. Take the garlic out of the pan, we only need the flavour of garlic in the oil.

Step4: Add the onions fry them till translucent, then add all the other veggies in one go and stir fry them for about 5 mints.

Step5: Add 2 tspn Vinegar, 2 tspn pepper, 2 tsp Soya Sauce and salt as per taste and mix it all up. The aroma of the soya and the tanginess of vineger infusses the base essence to this dish. Now as I said before we are stir frying the veggies so the texture we are looking for is crunchy and 80% cooked. What i do here is have a bite and decide.Generally 10 mints should be enough but always good to have a bite.

Step6: The noodles have been enjoying the aroma stting in the bowl. Now its time give it a taste so put the noodles in the kadhai and start mixing throughly for 5 mints.Add 2 tsp of tomato ketchup and 2 tsp of soya sauce and mix it. Be gentle and take care of the noodles.

Step7: You can make the scrambelled eggs now as you simmer the heat of the noodles. Its salt pepper and beaten eggs. And scramble it up and add it to the noodles. Mix everything up and Wallah you have just made a super quick dinner.

I generally make this on fridays and saturdays. But you can meke them any day.Try this at home with friends have a beer to go with it, never fails to relish. Eat these noodle hot from the kadai. Do let me know any crazzy ideas or twist to this dish you might have tried out.

Food Quote: Always try experimenting with recipies thats how you will give the Bachelor's twist to it. Try on!!!

A Super Quick Snack: Chirer(Flattened Rice) Pulao

I really get tired after coming from work and just to the contrary my pra (brother) Supartim gets super hungry. This week we both were in morning shift and he generally keeps to his den(room) talking to his loved one. I have known him for almost two years now and one thing super seeds his affection for the one is his love for food. So he comes to me around 5:30 pm and tells me he is feeling ohh so hungry. I won't lie I was also feeling my appetite so got up and looked up at the Bachelor's inventory. I asked him, will you have chirer (Flattened Rice) pulao and a smile filled his face , I got my answer. This took me around 30 mints to prepare.The amount served two of us.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Cup of Chire(Flattened Rice)
• 1 Medium Onion finely diced
• 4 Garlic finely diced
• 1 small piece of Ginger finely diced
• 1/2 cup Peanuts
• 2 Potatoes 
• 1 Cup of Green Peas
• 3 Green Chilly finely diced
• 1 tspn Chilly Powder
• Sugar and Salt to taste

First thing that needs to be done is rinse the chire(Flattened Rice) properly in cold water so that it gets soft.Keep it aside and lets start with the preparation.

• Take about 3 tbspn of oil in a pan and heat it well. Fry the Peanuts and diced potatoes with turmeric and salt till they start to brown. Take them out of the pan in a container.

• Now put the finely diced onions and green chilly in the pan and saute well on medium heat.

• When the Onions become translucent put the diced up Ginger and Garlic and saute for two minutes.

• Add 1 tspn of chilly powder and just a hint of water and mix the masala . You will know its ready when oil starts to seep from the edges.

• Add the fried Potatoes and Green Peas mix them well, add salt and sugar to taste.Its supposed to be a bit sweet so a be generous with the sugar you put in.

• Add half cup of water till the potatoes gets boiled, then dry up the extra water in the pan. 

• Add the chire to the pan and mix well so that it absorbs all the masala .Put the pre fried peanuts in the pan and mix it for around 5 minutes.

Please taste and check the salt and sugar and its done. Supratim had a taste and was pleased with what he just had and said we have to have coffee with this. Let me tell you he makes the best coffee you will ever have. We enjoyed the Super Quick Snack: Chirer(Flattened Rice) Pulao . To all bachelors you can make this for breakfast also. Comments are most welcomed.

Food Quote: "Make the disk which you will have with a smile on your face, that is when people will reciprocate the smile after eating your super dish"

Veggie Delight: My take at Brinjal Vindaloo

The mercury is soaring in Pune these days, can you believe it. I feel reluctant to cook and ask my roomies to order something from Eatsome. I had made this keralian dish a month ago but only Subhajit was at home that day, Rajarshi and Co had missed it so there was no way they would have let me escape without making it once more. Last week we were roaming to Gas agencies for getting our LPG refilled but was not able to get it. Then this Monday afternoon after returning from office we got our gas delivered.So there was no respite for me, Rajarshi started it "Ajkei to toke Begun er dish ta banatei hobe"(today you have to cook the brinjal dish) and Supratim standing behind him chanted with him as if both had planned it. 

Supratim looked it the fridge and there were four brinjals and all the other required ingredients were their in our Bachelor's Inn. The ingredients I used are listed here:

1) Four Brinjals cut in round pieces

2) Three Tomatoes diced

3) Four Onions finely diced

4) Whole Garam Masala (Cinamon, Cardamom, Bay leave, Clove )

5) 1tsp Powdered Masala- Red Chilly, Turmeric, Fenugreek (Methi).

6) 2tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste: Freshly made

7) 3tsp Vinegar

8) Curry leaves

9) 1tsp Musturd seed

10) 1tsp Sahi Jeera

Its a very easy to make dish , takes around 35 mints if you have all the ingredients ready at your disposal.

• Pre heat the pan and pour about 4 tbsp of oil in it. Put the mustard and saahi jeera in the oil along with the curry leaves. 
• As the start to splutter put all the whole garam masala into the oil on medium flame. 
• When they start to brown put the finely diced onions in the pan, Saute them untill it becomes translucent.
• Add 2 tsp of Ginger garlic paste to it and saute for 2 minutes. 
• Add the diced tomatoes and fry them with the onions till they give away their raw smell and oil seeps at the side of the pan.
• Now add all the powdered and mix them well so that the oil is released from the mixture.
• The pieces of brinjal would have started to turn yellow, do not worry just add them to the masala and mix them well for about 5-10 mints untill they become mussy.
• Add 1 1/2 Cup of water , sugar 1tspn and salt to taste. Yes, I almost forgot add the Vinegar now and give the gravy a gentle stir. 
• Cover the pan for 10-15 mints and check if the brinjals had started giving away from the skin. Thats when you know your dish is ready. 
• I prefer to dry up almost all the gravy to get the musshy feel.

My folks Rajarshi,Supratim,Subhajit tried it and loved the dish. This keralian dish in named "Brinjal Vindaloo". Please try it you will lick your fingers off.Let me know if you all liked/disliked this dish.

PS: Always compliment the cook on his food though you don't like it. It means a lot to them and they would get the heart to make tasty dishes.  

Lauki(Laau) With Moong Daal : Mom's Recipe

After my first attempt at cooking which made me realize what my mom was doing for the past 25 years is damn hard thing to do day in day out, all thanks to our Indian Male dominated(chauvinist) Society.

So this is my first recipe which I am going to share with all of you is my mother's tasty recipe Lauki(Bottle Gourd) Moong Daal. 

A word of encouragement to all my bachelor friends this a very easy dish and it takes around 30 minutes to get it done and you can try this out as soon as you read my log.

It was almost three months into my dish washing career and fresh of the success of making lunch for self. I was gunning to try another dish and this time get a tasting done from all my room mates. I was talking to my mother and I was expressing my desire to cook and she suddenly prompted "Laau Moong Daal Bana" (please make Lauki Moong Daal). I checked our fridge and there was 2/3 rd piece Lauki laying there and I made up my mind. LET'S DO IT

Ingredients You Need  To Satisfy Four Bachelor's Appetite :

1. 500 gm of Lauki(Bottle Gourd)
2. 2 cups of Moong Daal
3. 1 tbsp of Saahi Jeera
4. 1 small piece of ginger
5. 1 tbsp of Ghee
6. 2-3 Green Chilly
7. 1 Dry Red Chilly
8. 1 Bay Leaf
9. 1 tsp of Turmeric(Haldi) powder
10. 1 tsp of Jeera Powder
11. 1 tsp of Sugar
12. Salt to Taste

Preparation Time: 

As for beginner it will take 40 mints

Procedure:

In my flat what we do is put on some music and then go for cooking, so how can I break this new found tradition. Sheela was showing of her jawani and there I stood in the kitchen arranging every thing.

• Cut the Lauki (Bottle Gourd) into small cubes and wash it thoroughly. Put all of it in a pressure cooker and add a half tsp of salt, please don't put any water. Close the lid and put it on medium flame.
• As the Lauki  (Bottle Gourd) is cooking, heat up the pan or kadai and dry roast the moong daal till it gets a light brown texture, take it of the heat.
• Put the roasted Moong Daal in a water bath and boil it for 12-15 minutes. 
• As soon as the first whistle take the cooker of the heat and you will see the Lauki(Bottle Gourd) had released water and its juices.
• Heat up the pan on medium flame and add 2 tbsp of Oil. Let the oil heat up, put the Saahi Jeera, Dry Red Chilly and the Bay Leaf. As the Jeera starts to sputter add the grated Ginger and the green chilies slit from middle. Saute this for about 40 seconds now add the Lauki(Bottle Gourd) along with all its juices from the cooker saute it for 3 minutes
• Add the Moong Daal and powdered spices (turmeric and jeera powder).Add two cups of the water along with sugar and salt to taste and mix well.
• Reduce the flame and let the daal simmer for 10 mints so that the daal gets a concentrated texture.
• Its almost done just one last thing left to do is spread the ghee over the daal and let it melt all over it.

Food Quote : "Please make it a practice to taste your dish before anyone has it"

This can be eaten with rice as well as roti or parathas. Please try this recipe and let me know if you like it.

Any improvements to the original recipe is most welcome.

Doing dishes to Tingling taste buds

Hey before talking about my passion I want to share how I ventured into these uncharted territory previously known to me as a girl thing. Never seen my dad do it nor did my mom let me do it. It all started with me leaving Kolkata in the summer on 2011 to settle in Pune working for an IT company. It was almost November of 2011 when I started out as a prolific dish washer in my flat. Though I must say I was good at it. Rajarshi and Shatadru were the head chef's at our place, the former was awesome with bong Veg dishes and the latter one can make you drool for his Chicken Curry. 
It was two months into my dish washing role when on a Bloody Monday I was in afternoon shift and was all alone in my flat when I realized, shit I have to cook lunch. First thing that came to my mind is I will have my lunch at some restaurant but then I heard a voice in my subconscious, it was a sweet feminine voice and was somehow very familiar. I kept listening carefully when its struck me it was the voice of the culinary goddess Nigella_Lawson. She was constantly nagging me to cook and told me she would  stop only if I turned the stove on to cook. So I did for the first time cooked RICE and MOONG daal by calling up Rajarshi 4 - 5 times but I must say he was very patiently listening to my queries and lending a helping hand.
I will be honest with you all I was not a disaster, it was very edible but I missed the salt in the daal.

From then on I have never looked back prepared almost 50 different dishes with the Bachelor's twist to some of them or just following my Mom's recipes. To be honest with you I screwed up few dishes but who does not, as I have learned from playing football all these years you never get dishearten because cooking is all the love you can spread. 

In this blog I will try to help all the Bachelors who are out there away from their families or with them  to take  
up cooking and not with my boring recipes but with the vivacious capture of a passion that is in every boy's heart all it needs is a spark to ignite.