VEGGIE STIR-FRY IN TERIYAKI SAUCE

 

I wish I were more experimental in the kitchen. There are very few dishes that I can cook without referring to a written recipe. I’m almost embarrassed to say that I often have to sneak a peek into my recipe book even when I make something as simple as Dal (in my defense, I don’t cook daily). Even when it comes to following recipes, I rarely divert from the given instructions. There are times when I’ve reduced or increased the quantity of an ingredient and what follows is a stressful wait to taste the end product. I rather just stick to the written instructions and this is why I research quite a bit before I make a new dish so I know that the dish turns out right.

On the other hand, Skip (my 8-year-old son),  likes exploring new ways to cook a particular dish or food product. He always has to add something ‘extra’ to what he’s cooking. While Skip gives instructions, Radha or I execute them. The other day Radha was cooking an omelette for Skip and I saw huge chunks of what looked like cheese on the egg. A closer inspection revealed those chunks to be slices of banana!!!

I lifted an eyebrow, Radha pointed at Skip.

Skip said it tasted awesome and tried to get me to eat it too. Needless to say, I didn’t.

Skip wants to add bananas with cheese omelette next. He said the sweet and salty combo would taste better!!!

I love sweet-savoury combo too and that’s just what this dish is. It is easy to make , perfect for those nights when you don’t have leftovers from lunch or when you have a few random vegetables lying around in the fridge and want to dump them all to make a quick stir-fry. It tastes best with steamed rice.

VEGGIE STIR-FRY IN TERIYAKI SAUCE

Ingredients:

Carrot – 1

Zucchini – 1

Paneer (cottage cheese) – 100 gm

Capsicum – ½

Salt - as per taste

For the sauce:

Soy Sauce – 1/3 cup

Sugar/honey – 1 ½ tbsp

Grated ginger – 1 tsp

Minced garlic cloves – 1 tsp

Cornflour/cornstarch – 2 tsp

 

Method:

 

1.     Whisk all the sauce ingredients until the sugar melts.

2.     Heat a skillet on high and sauté the vegetables ( starting from the hard vegetables) and cook until done. Add salt for taste. 

3.   Pour the sauce on the cooked vegetables and cook for another minute. The sauce will thicken.

4.     Done.

 

Recipe Notes:

·       I’ve mentioned the vegetables I used. You could also add other vegetables of your choice such as mushrooms, broccoli.

·       Do not over-cook the vegetables else they’ll turn soggy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

 

30.09.2020: I had the most horrifying experience photographing this dish.

The French doors in our dining room open up to a large and spacious balcony which also serves as my photography space for the blog. On most days, I leave these doors open to let in sunlight and fresh air.

The neighbouring Apartment to our left also houses a few pigeons which are a permanent fixture on their window ledges. When we had initially shifted to the second floor of our house, some of these pigeons had presumed they could continue lounging on our balcony until I began chasing them away by rapidly flapping my arms accompanied by loud shoos. These pigeons are now wary of flying close to the balcony and while some brave ones do dare to venture close and perch on the balcony railing, they fly away as soon as they see my face peek out of the door. Research says that if you shoo a pigeon, it is likely to remember you and keep out of your way.

The day I cooked Kung Pao Chicken, I placed the items required for the frame on the dining table. I went to my room to get my phone and when I returned, I heard a loud flapping of wings. I noticed a speckled pigeon on the tiled floor next to the table. The shoo wouldn’t escape my throat, my arms wouldn’t move and as I stood frozen, the bird flew out of the door after it noticed me standing there.

As I yelled out for R, she came running only to see my right leg violently shake.

Those who know me well, know of my ‘inane’ fear of a bird entering the house and flapping its wings. The sound of the flapping gives me nightmares.

I discerned R’s expression turn from one of concern to a struggle not to laugh after she figured out what I was trying to say.

 As I tried to calm myself and keep my hands steady to be able to click pictures, I asked R to keep a lookout on the balcony, while I arranged the bowl of chicken and other items. I looked at the pigeons on the window ledges to my left and noticed a glint of mockery in their eyes. R said she couldn’t see that far.

As I squatted to click a picture, with my back towards them, knowing R would give a shout of warning if one came flapping again, I wondered if I was a sitting duck in that position.

I quickly gathered all the items and moved indoors. I decided the lighting was not good on the balcony that day.

Yesterday I told R that the pigeon must have come visiting from another area as we had never seen a speckled one before. She assured me that the other pigeons wouldn’t dare disturb me while clicking pictures.

The Kung Pao chicken is sweet and spicy and makes a perfect accompaniment to steamed rice or noodles. The recipe is from Banglar Rannaghor.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Ingredients:

Chicken breast – 2

For the marinade:

Salt – ½ tsp

Pepper- 1 tsp

Soya sauce- 1 tbsp

Egg white – 1

Cornflour – 2 tbsp

For the stir-fry:

Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp

Dry red chilli – 4-5

Brown sugar – 1 ½ tbsp

Soya sauce- 1 tbsp

Cornflour slurry – 1 tsp cornflour + ¼ cup water.

Roasted Peanuts / Cashews – a handful

Green onion – 4 tbsp

 

 

Method:

1.     Cut the chicken into bite sized bits.

2.     In a mixing bowl, add the salt, pepper, soya sauce and egg white to the chicken and mix it well. Add cornflour to this, mix well and marinate it for about 15 minutes.

3.     Deep fry the marinated chicken until the chicken is fully cooked.

4.     In a pan, heat some oil. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute.

5.     Add the dried red chillies.

6.   Add the brown sugar, stir for a minute and add the fried chicken pieces to it. Add the soya sauce and mix .

7.   Add the cornflour slurry and toss the chicken pieces until it is well coated with the caramelised liquid.

8.     Add the chopped green onions and roasted nuts and give it a good mix.

9.     Done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BITTERGOURD STIR-FRY

01.07.2020: I have begun eating a lot of vegetables that I wouldn’t earlier eat. I do not enjoy eating them, yet I buy these vegetables and eat them to set a good example for Skip. I do not like vegetables that turn soft and squishy upon being cooked, which include most gourds. The Bittergourd, good ol’ Karela, doesn’t turn squishy but its bitter taste does it no favours. Growing up, Mamma would often cook it as it is one of Papa’s favourite vegetables. Needless to say, I wouldn’t eat it back then.

Now, we chop it into tiny bits and cook it with a whole lot of jaggery, some days even to my palate it feels excruciatingly sweet. Radha, who helps me around the house and with cooking, always lets out an exasperated sigh when she sees I’ve bought Bittergourd. “Akka, no one eats this, why do you buy it!”

I recently came across a recipe for Bittergourd stir-fry on a Facebook group that shares pictures of home cooked food and recipes. Not only was the image of the Bittergourd tantalising, the recipe was so simple. Since I had Bittergourd lying about, ignored and shunned to a corner in our fridge, I decided to try it out.

I offered the first slice to Radha who tasted it and beamed and gave me a nod of approval “it doesn’t taste bitter at all”, she said. Skip has now declared Bittergourd to be his favourite vegetable!

Don’t they look pretty? The salt and the tamarind paste offset the bitterness of the Gourd. The taste is a perfect combination of bitter, sweet and tangy. The recipe is simple and takes less than 15 minutes to cook. Though the recipe calls for marinating the slices overnight, you may do so for 6-8 hours too. 

Thank you Anju Ganapathy Aunty for this recipe! 

I would love for you to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @lucidlucent. 

BITTERGOURD STIR-FRY

Ingredients:

Bittergourd – 2

Tamarind paste – 1 ½ tbsps

Jaggery powder – 3 tbsps

Chilli powder – ¾ tsp

Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Method:

1.     Chop the Bittergourd into round slices. Remove the seeds.

2.     Marinate it overnight in tamarind paste, jaggery, salt, turmeric and chilli powder.

3.      The next morning, you’ll find the bittergrourd would have left water. Drain the water and set the slice aside.

4.     Heat oil in a pan, add the slices to it and fry them covered for about 10 minutes until they brown and soften. Do not pile the slices over each other.

5.     Done.

Recipe notes:

•     You may adjust the amount of jaggery to suit your taste. I like Bittergourd to be slightly on the sweeter side.
•       Keep an eye on the gourds while frying them else they’ll get burnt.
•      I do not have tamarind paste. I soak tamarind pulp in hot water and add jaggery to the same liquid. After half an hour, I separate the flesh from the seeds. Once the jaggery has dissolved, I pour the entire contents (including