Ramen Vegetable & Steak Stir-fry

I have loved noodles way back from when I can remember. Whenever we would go out to restaurants in India, my first choice always would be noodles. But I never waited around for restaurant trips to enjoy these. The Maggi noodles that we get in India was probably one of my favourite quick-fix food back home. My friends and I would come home from college, hungry, and quickly put together the delicious Masala maggi noodles and be transported to noodle heaven. Even now, they never fail to remind me that the next time I go home to India, I would have to make the noodles for our gathering, just for old times sake! ;-)

But in the US the flavors of Chinese food is markedly different from the Indo-Chinese versions that we were used to. I rarely enjoy the noodles available here (preferring fried rice more) but once in a while would long for the flavor of Indo-Chinese food. This recipe is one such making use of the very cheap Ramen Noodle Soup mix, creating a very distinct and flavorful stir-fried noodles. Those who long for the Masala flavors of Maggi would definitely love this. Make sure that you use the Oriental flavor of the ramen noodle which is what lends this dish the extraordinary flavor.

Eventhough the recipe mentions frozen veggies, I have used fresh carrots (slice thin at an angle), broccoli and white button mushrooms. Vegetarians can make the same stir-fried noodles without the steak which I guarantee would be just as good. Do try this out and let me know how it turned out!

I bought the Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off Cookbook a few months back and have had my eyes on this particular recipe for some time. As soon as I get a chance, I would definitely try out more recipes from the book and share them with you.


Recipe (Makes 4 - 1 1/2 cup servings) :

Beef tip steaks - 1 lb, cut crosswise into 1" wide strips
Garlic cloves - 2, minced
Sesame oil or Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
Cayenne pepper - 1/4 tsp
Oriental Ramen Noodle soup - 1 package (3oz)
Water - 2 cups
Frozen broccoli, Carrots, Waterchestnuts and Red peppers - 1 (1 lb) package
Sesame oil or Vegetable oil - 1 tsp
Whole mushrooms - 1 (4.5oz) jar, drained
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Green onions - 4

Method:

In a medium bowl, combine beef strips, garlic, 1 tbsp sesame oil and ground red pepper.

Toss to coat and set aside.

Remove noodles from the package.

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.

Break block of noodles into 3 pieces and add to water with frozen vegetables.

Return to a boil.

Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender, stirring occasionally. Drain well.

Return vegetable mixture to the saucepan.

Cover and keep warm.

Rub 1 tsp sesame oil over a large skillet or wok.

Heat over medium-high heat until hot.

Add steak, cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.

Stir in vegetable mixture, mushrooms and soy sauce; heat thoroughly.

Garnish with green onions.

Source: Recipe by Linda Morten, Pillsbury Best of the Bake-off Cookbook.

Tips:

1. I used fresh vegetables like carrots, broccoli and mushrooms for the stir-fry.
2. I didnt use water chestnuts because I am not crazy about them. I would believe green peppers would work as well as the red peppers, both of which I havent used for this trial. I also havent garnished with green onions.
3. The fresh vegetables can either be cooked either by boiling or in a microwave (which I did) - except the mushrooms.
4. Experiment with additional veggies like celery, peapods, baby corn, onions and chopped cabbage.

I am sending this Ramen Noodle Stirfry to Presto Pasta Nights guest hosted by Aquadaze of Served With Love. Check out the event announcement.

Just reminding you that the deadline for Lets go nuts : Almonds being hosted right here on Tasty treats is March 31. So rush in your delicious entries with almonds to jz.tastytreats@gmail.com. Multiple entries are welcomed. I would love to feature recipes by non-bloggers too. So friends (you know who you are!!) send me your favourite recipes using almonds and a picture of the featured dish and I will include yours in the round-up as well.

Have a great day!!

Stir-fried Chicken and Broccoli with Noodles

Hey Friends, hope you all are having an awesome time! I have missed quite many wonderful posts and milestones of you all, but I hope I will be able to catch up on everything soon. My family and I are really busy going on small outings everyday with my in-laws and we also have a major trip in the making! Eventhough I hoped that I would be able to post as frequent as earlier, I understood that it would not be the case. But still it really is hard to stay away from the blog, without interacting with all my friends!!

Anyways, coming to the recipe, this is a stir-fry that I made from a cookbook that has become my favourite in no time. This was actually a stir-fry with pork, which I adapted to be made with chicken. My vegetarian friends can do without chicken/meat and add other veggies like snow-pea pods, mushrooms, carrots and onions along with broccoli to make an delicious and healthy meal. This recipe is distinct in that the cooked noodles are pan-fried with garlic which imparts a delicate flavor and texture to the noodles. The stir-fry also has a very balanced flavor, the white wine lending a unique and extraordinary distinction to the dish. It is kid friendly too. I have used dried (and not fresh) egg noodles, which was cooked to perfection in boiling water. My lil one and I thoroughly enjoyed it for lunch and JM, for dinner. It simply was perfect! Hope you all would give this a try! I will be back with another recipe soon. Until then, have a great time and enjoy!!

Recipe (Serves 4) :

Chicken (Beef/Pork) - 6 oz
Salt - 1/4 tsp
White pepper - a pinch
Cornstarch - 2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp, divided
Broccoli - 10 oz
Oyster sauce - 2 tbsp
Dried egg noodles - 8 oz
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp, divided
Minced garlic - 2 tsp
White wine - 2 tbsp
Chicken broth - 1 cup
Green onion - 1, shredded

Method:

Cut the chicken into thing strips and mix with salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp cornstarch.

Cook the fresh florets of broccoli in boiling water for a minute and drain.

Immediately rinse in cold water, drain well and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tbsp cornstarch, oyster sauce and 2 tbsp water.

Cook the egg noodles in a pot of boiling water until just al dente (about 5 minutes for dried noodles and 3 minutes for fresh noodles).

Drain well and set aside.

Heat a non-stick skillet over high heat.

Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil, garlic and noodles and pan fry until both sides are browned (about 2 minutes). Keep aside.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp vegetable oil to the skillet.

Toss in the marinated chicken and stir-fry until the meat is cooked (about 1 minute).

Pour the white wine and stir well.

Add the broccoli and chicken broth to the meat and heat to boiling.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.

Pour the chicken and sauce over the noodles.

Garnish with the shredded green onion.

Serve immediately.

Source: Everyday Chinese Cooking by Leeann Chin and Katie Chin.


Tips:

1. Fresh egg noodles (14 oz) can be used instead of dried egg noodles.
2. I used frozen broccoli and cooked it slightly in the microwave.
3. Vegetarians can adapt this recipe by omitting the meat and adding a bit of their favorite veggies. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
4. The picture shows a garnish of green onions and red hot chilli peppers.

Sichuan Beef Stir-fry

I have a little news to share, I have family "coming over" to my home for about 2+ months. Yes, my in-laws are coming for a small vacation to the US. They will reach here on Monday. Hopefully I would be able to continue posting regularly, but be prepared to see more traditional Kerala recipes from now on. There might be some other posts in between, and ofcourse some dessert recipes too, but mostly it would be of the traditional recipes that I am going to learn from my MIL. This is why I am pretty busy nowadays, getting the house ready for the arrival of our "guests".

Recently on a trip to the grocers, I picked up this small packet of Asian Sichuan seasoning mix (powder form) which was tucked away in a corner beside the more popular stir-fry sauces and noodles. I also picked up some Japanese stir-fry blend from the frozen section which actually is a blend of broccoli, carrots, snowpea pods, onions and mushrooms. I knew I would be able to make a sizzling meal out of these two. I wasnt wrong! The color of the dish was just awesome, and very appetizing. We all had a very satisfying meal, thanks to the wonderful flavor imparted by the unassuming packet of seasoning mix - Szechwan (as on the packet). The stir-fry can be made vegetarian by omitting the meat, or beef can be replaced by the all-time favorite chicken or pork. Experiment with your favorite blend of vegetables and enjoy!!

Recipe (Serves 5) :

Beef - 3/4 lb, cut into strips
Sugar - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 3 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Fresh mushrooms - 1/4 lb, sliced
Bamboo shoots - 1 can, drained
Japanese stir fry mix - 8 oz, frozen **
Hot & Spicy Sichuan/Szechwan seasoning mix - 1, (3/4) oz packet


Method:

Combine the seasoning mix, sugar, soy sauce and water.

Blend and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil, add meat and stir-fry until browned.

Add the frozen stir-fry vegetables and saute until cooked and tender.

Toss in the sliced mushrooms and bamboo shoots, stir-fry.

Add the seasoning mxiture.

Stir fry for another minute or until thickened.

Serve the stir-fry over noodles or fried rice.

Tips:

1. I served the stir-fry on a bed of enriched lomein noodles.
2. Chicken or pork can be substituted for beef in this recipe.
3. Make a quick vegetable stir-fry by omitting the meat.
4. The actual recipe called for fresh vegetables. So instead of the stir-fry vegetables blend, you can use onion (1 medium, sliced), carrots (2, sliced) and red or green bellpepper (1, sliced).
5. I did not use bamboo shoots.
6. Stir-fry over high heat so that the vegetables would stay crisp.
   

I am sending this stir-fry to the "Eat Healthy - Protein Rich" event at Sangeeth's Art of Cooking Indian Food. Check out my other entries like,

Chicken tikka masala
Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Stir-fried Chicken with Mango
Baked Buffalo Wings
Chicken tikka
Diced Chicken with Vegetables
Hot and Sour Pork with Celery
Sweet and Sour Chickpeas

Have a great weekend ahead!!

I had been tagged by Skribles of Food with a pinch of love for a meme which I had already done. Check this out for my previous post on the meme! But today, the five things on my to-do list are

Keeping in touch with my friends
Cleaning the house (to welcome my in-laws!) and more cleaning!
Cooking
Blog-hopping
Shopping

Anyone who is interested can take up the tag and enjoy doing it!! :-)

Stir fried Chicken with Mango

Once again I made something just for an event on the Foodie blog world, for MM - Mango Mania hosted by Meeta of Whats For Lunch Honey? I should say I managed to come up with it just in the nick of time because today is the last day for the entries. This recipe is from the Chinese cookbook which has become my favourite in no time. The main feature of these Chinese recipes is that the prep work takes the time whereas the cooking is real quick with thin strips of meat and veggies cooked rapidly over high heat. I made this stir fry yesterday and had it for lunch. We had it with plain basmati rice which wasnt a good idea (they didnt taste great together!). I thoroughly enjoyed the stir fry with chunky mango pieces and chicken in a tasty sauce. JM really didnt like the mangoes in his share, but ate it anyways! ;-) So I guess this stir fry is for people who love mangoes and for those who like sweet and spicy stuff in the same dish. The white wine lends a distinct flavor to this dish, so try not to do without it. It also is not very spicy and could be considered kid friendly too!! My only suggestion would be to serve it with fried rice or noodles. Enjoy!!

Recipe (Serves 4) :

Boneless chicken breast - 1 lb, skinless
Salt - 1/2 tsp
White pepper - 1/4 tsp
Fresh ginger - 1 tsp, finely chopped
Egg white - 1 small
White wine - 2 tbsp
Minced garlic - 1 tsp
Ketchup - 4 tbsp
Hot red pepper sauce - 2 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Mango - 1
Green bell pepper - 1 small
All-purpose flour - 2 tbsp
Cornstarch - 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil - 2 tsp



Method:

Trim the fat from the chicken and cut the chicken into 2 by 1/2" strips.

In a medium bowl, mix together salt, white pepper, ginger and egg white.

Add the chicken, toss, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the white wine, garlic, ketchup, red pepper sauce, sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.

Peel the mango and cut into 2 by 1/2" strips.

Place the mango strips in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes; drain.

Core and seed the green pepper and cut into 2 by 1/2" strips.

In a small bowl, mix the flour and cornstarch together.

Toss with the marianted chicken to coat and set aside.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Add the vegetable oil and chicken pieces.

Stir and separate the chicken pieces.

Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the sauce mixture and green pepper and stir well.

Cook for 1 minute and add the mango.

Cook and stir until well mixed, about 30 seconds.

Serve hot.

Source: Everyday Chinese Cooking by Leeann Chin and Katie Chin.


Tip:

1. The stir-fry would taste best when served with Chinese fried rice or noodles.

I am also sending this stir-fried chicken to the "Eat Healthy Protein Rich" event at Sangeeth's Art of Cooking Indian Food.

I received the "Friendship" award from Trupti of Recipe Center. I am so happy to know that I am lucky enough to be considered a friend by some of the bloggers. Thank you so much Trupti! I really appreciate your loving gesture.

I would like to pass this on to,

Vandana Rajesh of Cooking up something nice
Vani of Mysoorean
Maheswari of Beyond the Usual
Madhuram of Eggless Cooking
Cham of Spice-club

Enjoy your awards and have a nice day!