Hakka Noodles

Well, who doesn't love a sumptuous bowl of noodles. Easy to make, I like mine hot and spicy - let me know how do you like yours?

Preparation Time: 10 mins   
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients:

2 cup noodles (any noodles, I took wheat noodles)
1/2 cup length-wise chopped Green Bell Pepper
1/2 cup length-wise chopped Red Bell Pepper
1/2 cup length-wise chopped Yellow Bell Pepper
1/2 cup length-wise chopped Carrots
1/2 cup length-wise chopped Onions
1 cup cross-cut spring onion whites and greens
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp red chilli sauce
2 tbsp green chilli sauce
1 tbsp oil for eggs
1 tbsp oil for fried rice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
oil for greasing


Method:

1. Boil the noodles with 1 tbsp oil and salt. Keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or a kadhai or any other deep pan. Once the oil is hot enough, add all the vegetables, onions, green onions and sauté on a medium to high flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Now add a little salt, soy sauce, red chilli sauce, green chilli sauce and mix well.
4. Add the noodles and mix well. Cook on a medium to high flame for 2 to 3 minutes stirring occasionally till all the mixture is evenly coated with the sauce.
6. Garnish with some green onions and serve hot.


Tips & Tricks:
- Make sure that the noodles are not completely cooked but only 85-90% done. That way they don't break when we mix them with the veggies.
- As soon as you strain down the noodles, put them under cold water for 2 minutes, that will stop the cooking process.
- Try to do the cooking on a medium to high flame. Higher the flame, less would be the moisture retained in the veggies which in turn will make them more crispy.

Aloo Tokri Chaat (Potato Basket)

Who says tasty thing cannot be healthy?? This Baked Aloo Tokri Chaat (Potato Basket) will prove this old saying wrong. With minimal ingredients and no oil, this recipe is sure to tempt everyone.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients:

For Potato Basket:

Potatoes 4 medium sized
Black Pepper Powder 1 tsp
Cornflour 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Baking spray


For Filling:

Corn Kernels 1/2 cup
Red chili 1 tbsp
Green chutney 2 tsp
Chopped onion 1 medium
Chopped tomato 1 medium
Chopped coriander
Chaat masala 1 tsp
Salt to taste


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven at 350*F.
2. Peel off and grate the potatoes, add cornflour, salt & pepper.
3. Spray the muffin tray with the baking spray or oil and set the potato mixture in the greased muffin tray, giving it a shape of a basket.
4. Bake them for 30 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, mix all the ingrdients (except the green chutney) for making the filling and keep it aside.
6. Take these out in the serving plate and put in some filling.
7. Top it with a little green chutney and serve hot.


My Variations:
- While grating potatoes, I prefer grating half of them with the bigger holes and the rest with smaller. That actually gives more density and binding to your basket.


Tips & Tricks:
- Ensure that the filling does not have too mmuch moisture in it else it will make the basket all soggy.
- You can make various different filling for the basket ranging from cheese, lentils, beans, etc. Potato Basket go with anything and everything.

Happy Cooking!