Soups SWEETCORN CHICKEN SOUP Ingredients: 1/2 cup shredded chicken 1/2 cup tender corn kernels 500 ml chicken stock salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp spring onion chopped 1 tbsp carrots chopped 1 tsp soya sauce corn flour and water mix as per taste Method: Boil the corn kernels separately till they are tender, mash it slightly, add salt and pepper to taste. Heat the stock in a pan, add the shredded chicken, chopped carrots and springonions and cook till tender. When they are done add the corn to this, add soya sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste. If you like thick soup add cornflour water paste as per your taste. Let it boil till it gets thicker. Remove, garnish with chopped spring onion leaves and serve.
Soups EGGDROP SOUP Ingredients: 3 eggs beaten, 1 litre of chicken stock 1/2 cup green peas shelled 1/2 cup spring onions chopped a small piece ginger julienned 1 tbsp soya sauce 1/2 pinche ajinimoto cornflour and water mixture as per taste salt and pepper as per taste Method: Heat chicken stock in a pan. When it starts boiling add green peas, spring onions, ginger, salt and pepper. Let it boil till the peas are done. Add the corn flour paste to thicken the soup. Stir well till it thickens. Add the beaten egg slowly in to the boiling soup in drops. As soos as it gets cooked remove from fire. Serve immediately garnished with a little spring onions and chilli vinegar.
Crispy Thai Chicken CRISPY THAI CHICKEN Ingredients: 1 cup chicken diced boneless chicken 1/2 tbsp chilli paste 1 tbsp garlic paste 1 tsp sesame seeds 2 eggs 1/2 cup corn flour salt to taste Method: Cut the chicken into small bitable pieces. Marinate the chicken pieces with the mix of chilli paste, garlic paste, eggs, sesame seeds, salt and corn flour. Leave it like that for an hour. Deep fry in oil till it gets crispy and golden in colour. Serve as starters or as snacks with hot garlic sauce.
Chinese chicken noodle soup CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP Ingredients: 1 cup chicken, cooked and diced into small pieces 2 litres chicken stock 500 grams of thin chinese noodles 1 cup cabbage shredded 2 tbsp oil 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp ajinomoto 3 tsps soya sauce salt to taste Method: Boil noodles in a large amount of water till they are cooked tender. Drain and rinse them in cold water and spread them on a plate to cool. Heat oil in a frying pan, add chicken . Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage. Saute for 2-3 minutes more . Add the sugar, salt to taste , ajinomoto, soya sauce and continue cooking till the cabbage is cooked. Add the chicken stock and let it boil for sometime. Add the noodles. Simmer for a minute or two. Remove and serve garnished with chopped spring onion leaves.
Schezwan Sauce SCHEZWAN SAUCE Ingredients: 12-15 dry red chillies about 2" long Use kashmiri chillies or begdi chillies which are less hot and gives you a very good colour. 2 tbsps garlic chopped 6 tbsps white vinegar 2 tsps sugar 2 tbsps sesame oil ( you can use the oil of your choice but sesame oil will taste typical) about 1 tsp salt. Method: Soak the red chillies in warm water for about an hour. Remove the seeds and drain out the water. Grind all the ingredients, garlic, vinegar, salt, ajinomoto, and the chillies together to a nice paste without water. Heat oil in a pan. Bring it to the smoking point and pour over the chilli garlic paste. Mix well. Allow to cool and store in airtight containers. Refrigerate. You can use this sauce as a dipping sauce too. Note: You can adjust the chillies as per your taste. If you like it hotter you can add a little more chillies or lessen the chillies if you do not like that hot.
Chilli paste and chilli oil CHILLI PASTE Use kashmiri red chillies or begdi red chillies for this paste. Soak them in warm water for an hour. Discard the water in which the chillies were soaked. Grind it to a smooth paste with Vinegar. Store in aitight containers. It can be used in the marinades and sauces. Instead of red chilli powder you can use this paste in the chinese recipes. CHILLI OIL 10-12 red chillies or about 2 tbsps of coarsely chopped chilli flakes. 1/2 cup peanut oil 1 tbsp sesame oil (optional) Cut off the stems of the red chillies and remove the seeds. Chop the chillies into coarse flakes. Place the flakes in a heat proof glass jar. Heat oil to the smoking point in a skillet. Heat it until it starts to smoke. Leave it for 20-30 seconds and remove from fire. Wait for a little while (ie about 3-4 minutes) until the oil cools down a bit to 225* to 240*F (107* - 122.5*C). Pour the oil over the flakes. Add the sesame oil also if you are using it. Leave it for atleast an hour , for the flavours to blend nicely. Cool and strain. Store in airtight containers. Do not discard the chilli flakes, for you can use it in the other recipes. You can use this oil as desired in the recipes or as a dipping sauce with the dumplings and noodles. Stored in an airtight container and in a refrigerator, will last for more than a month.
Sweet and Sour Sauce SWEET & SOUR SAUCE Ingredients: 1 cup white or rice vinegar 4 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp tomato ketchup 1 tsp soya sauce 2 tsps cornflour ixed with 4 tsps of water Mix in vinegar, brown sugar, tomato ketchup and soya sauce together. Bring it to a boil in a small pot. When it is boiling well, add the cornflour mixed in water to thicken the sauce. Remove from fire and keep it bottled and refrigerated.
Chicken noodle soup CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP Ingredients: 1 cup chicken , cooked and diced into very small pieces 2 litres chicken stock 500 grams thin noodles 1 cup shredded cabbage 2 tbsps oil 1 tsp sugar 1-2 tsps of wine (optional) 1/2 tsp ajinomoto 3 tsps soya sauce salt and pepper to taste Method: Cook noodles in a large amount of water till it is tender. Drain and rinse again in cold or running water. Heat the oil and fry the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage and saute again. Add sugar, wine (if you like), ajinomoto, soya sauce, salt and continue cooking till the cabbage and the chicken are cooked. Add the noodles and mix well. Add the chicken stock. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Adjust salt and add pepper to your taste. Serve garnished with chopped spring onion leaves.
Fish and celery soup FISH AND CELERY SOUP Ingredients: 3-4 big sized boneless fish fillets (about 500 grams) 2 stalks of celery 1 tbsp seafood marinade 2 egg whites 2 tbsps cornflour 5 cups fish stock if available or water can be used instead 2 tsps soya sauice salt and pepper to taste Method: Clean and remove the fish bones. Chop them and blend to a smooth paste in a mixie. Beat the egg whites. Add the seafood marinade and the cornflour to the egg whites and mix well into a soft dough. If you need add a few drops of the stock or water to knead it. Make balls out of the fish paste and drop them into the cold water. Slice the celery very finely. Bring the fish stock or the water to boil. Add a little salt and pepper and soya sauce. Remove the fish balls from the cold water and put them into the boiling soup. Add celery slices and allow the soup to boil till the fish and the celery are tender. adjust the seasonings to your taste. Garnish with chopped spring onion leaves/ celery leaves. Serve hot. Seafood marinade: 1/2 cup sherry, 3 tsps sugar, 2 tbsps grated ginger salt and white pepper to taste Mix all the ingredients and shake ina screw top jar. Refrigerate till needed.
Kheema Khichdee KHEEMA KHICHDEE Ingredients: 2 cups rice (any raw rice can be used) 1 cup green gram dal 1 cup curd 1/2 kilo kheema (any mince can be used) 1 tsp ginger garlic paste 1 tsp green chilli paste 2 onions ground to a paste 1 cup tomato puree 1 tsp pepper corns 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 cloves 2 cinnamon, 1 cardamom, green and black each salt to taste 1/2 cup ghee For garnishing: 2 tsps of grated paneer, 6-8 roasted cashewnuts Method: Mix the kheema with the ginger garlic paste, chilli paste, tomato puree, onion paste and the curd. Add salt to taste and leave it for half an hour. Heat oil in a pan, saute the kheema mixture till it changes colour. Then cover and cook till it is done. Meanwhile, wash and soak the rice and dal separately. Cook with 3 cups of water till done. Crush all the spices . Heat the ghee, put in the spices, cooked dal and rice and the salt to taste and mix well. Take a flat dish, spread layers of rice and kheema , garnish with grated paneer and cashewnuts. Note: After arranging the rice and dal and kheema in layers , you can microwave it for 3-4 minutes and then serve garnished. It'll taste even better like this.
