Chilli Garlic Noodles

Green chilli - 2, chopped fine

Garlic - 5-6 cloves, chopped fine

Onion - 1/2

Green peppers - 1/2 ; use other colored peppers too, if available

Carrots - 1

Tomatoes - 1

Source of protein - shelled Edamame or Lima beans or sprouts

Cabbage - 1/4, if using

Spring Onion - a bunch , use only whites for cooking

Noodles - 2 cakes; cooked per instructions

Chilli sauce - 2 Tbsp

Soy sauce - 1/4 C

Greens from the spring Onion - For garnishing

Lime juice - from 1/2 lime

Method

1. Chop all the Vegetables length wise

2. Heat the oil, saute the garlic and green chillis together.

3. Now saute the rest of the onions, and the vegetables, till cooked

4. Add the chilli and soy sauces and mix well. Add salt to taste.

5. Mix this vegetable mixture with the cooked noodles. 

6. Top with garnishing , sprinkle lime juice and serve hot 

Cauliflower greens soup

 It always looked like such a waste... throwing away all those greens that come with the cauliflower head. I knew they had to be healthy, but never knew how to cook them.
A quick internet search landed me at this page, which inspired me to go make this soup.

Zucchini Casserole

Veg Thai Red Curry with Brown Rice

Yet another Thai recipe! Well, its no news that I love Thai food, right? :) So does the husband, so it’s a hit in our house anytime I make it, in any format.

I am aware of the fact that the husband likes Thai food only because it looks very much like the South Indian food, especially the Thai Red curry, which is why I make quite some stuff with Thai Red Curry paste as the base. Check out my Thai Red Curry Poha recipe here.

Street-style Chinese noodles

Its not news to readers of this blog that I do not cook Chinese. But the husband does.

I don’t like Chinese food, even the one odd Manchurians. I, obviously didn’t try Chinese food during my stay in Hong Kong, thanks to the Oyster sauce they add always. The only place where I enjoyed Chinese food that I can think of so far was in InChin Bamboo Garden in Redmond, Washington, and that probably was because it was very spicy and Indian-ized.

How to make healthy Bisibele-Bath with Poha

Bisibele-bath is almost a staple in South-Indian households, especially Kannada kitchens, I feel. There is something about this sambar-rice that we all love, and the fact that it is healthy also, adds to the allure.

For a while now, I’ve been experimenting with poha, how to make various South Indian main course items with this lighter version, so that I still get to eat the comfort food, but with less carbs.

Foxtail Millet Biryani

First of all, The Meal Algorithm wishes you a very happy new year!

May your year be filled with healthy and delicious food, shared with loving family and friends.
And may your plates always be colorful and your glasses clinking!

For sometime now, I’ve been looking for good and healthy rice substitutes, some complex carbs which are healthy , easy too cook and very easy on the pocket too. In that endeavor, am experimenting with various kinds of millets. And I must say I’ve got quite comfortable with incorporating them in my meals. Which is why I gathered the confidence to share one of my millet recipes here. There are more on the way, but this one’s an easy , tasty and full meal!

Korralu, as they are called in Telugu or Foxtail millet is one of the easily available millets, and can be used in almost any dish as a rice substitute. I pack these millets for my lunch box also, and mix them with dal and sabzi for lunch. For dinner, I resort to recipes like this which make a full meal.

Summer Pea Pasta

One of those days when I was eating salads on a daily basis, I felt this immense carb-craving. I craved pasta, and I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

I had bookmarked this awesome recipe from one of the earlier BBC Goodfood magazines, and knew I had to make this.

Thai curry flavored Poha

Yeah, I know how it sounds. Thai curry and Poha in the same sentence. :)
But it is a great combination, indeed. Veg Thai curry paste is nothing but a great mix of ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin and onions and of course, some specific Thai herbs like basil and Kafir lime leaves. Essentially, its like your regular South Indian sambar powder ;-)



So when I had some Thai curry paste left over in the fridge, and I had to eat a healthy , yet quick meal, I resorted to this quick meal, something I made in less than 15 min, since I had the curry paste ready in the fridge.

Weekend Herb Blogging : Instant Oats & Spinach idli

I might not be really South Indian in my dinner preferences (if you ignore the constant craving for coconut oil), but when it comes to breakfast, idli is an ever-favourite.

I remember how I craved and dreamt about idlis during my stay in Hong Kong and heaved a sigh of relief once I spotted a Udupi hotel (and chitchatted with a waiter in Tulu and beamed with happiness talking about it with Dad, but that’s another long story) , which then became our weekend breakfast spot for as long as we were there! And only after spotting Idlis and Sonamasuri rice did I extend my trip to a month … such is the love for idlis!

Huliogare, Mangalore style

Or Pulihora/Chitrannam, as Telugus like to call it. No, there is no equivalent for this in Hindi, because this is a South Indian main course dish, served as one of the items in a large meal at weddings or at festivals. However, this recipe is for the Mangalorean version of Pulihora/Huliogare.

Hummus, the Ethiopian way

Hummus is a beauty that goes well with almost anything – bread, rotis, or as a dip, and is an all-time favourite even in our highly-Indian-food-loved household.

When I soaked the chick-peas the other night, I had something else in mind… trying out the Ethiopian Hummus.
Now, I haven’t eaten that before or even heard about it, had it not been for a friend who messaged me on my FB page asking for a recipe for this. Some reading up pointed me to some recipes and the story behind Berbere mix, and this link which had a good recipe.

And some more pasta…

I love a good pasta, and its not secret to the readers of this blog, right? In spite of this undying love for pasta, I rarely order pasta when I eat out in Hyderabad, they try to pass off some soggy pasta in tomato sauce for Arrabbiata ... and I always feel I can do much better than those pastas.

The only pasta I relish is Masala Mafia in Little Italy. That one, I love, totally.
Now, not eating pasta anywhere out but loving it is a tough combination, which is why am always on a lookout for a good pasta sauce recipe, or spent a lot of time thinking them up. This one is from one such thought processes, and of course that awesome Red Chilli Pesto pasta I had in Chillies.

Veggies, Stirred & Fried

They say, never shop when you are hungry. Whoever this 'they' is, they are damn right! I feel this every time I see my pantry full of stuff that I cook rarely and tch-tched with regret... and this feeling is generally followed after a frantic gobbling up of whatever it is that I picked up during the shopping trip.

As usual, during my regular trip to Godrej Nature's Basket this weekend, I picked up tons of stuff, and only when I came home did I realize that I was starving, which indirectly was the reason for the pantry to overflow with stuff like Whole Wheat Noodles, Organic Mustard Paste, Balsamic Vinegar etc. Instead of waiting till all these live through their expiry period without even as much as being opened, I decided to make a meal out of all these and respond to the angry roars my stomach was giving me!

Lemony Lentil Soup

Or just Nimbekai Saaru , for us Mangaloreans. Before I go further , these are the mugs Siri gave away for her Blog-o-anniversary. Cute, no? :-)

Now to this soup…

Quick cauliflower salad

Do you love veggies, the crunch in them, their taste as they are and how they look ? Well… I do. I love the crunch of the uncooked vegetables, and how they look as they are… in all their natural glory and colour!

That is why when Nandita first talked about this salad, the veggie-lover in me was excited. The simplicity in making this salad, the time it takes to be put together and how it tastes made it a favourite. But not until I saw Siri’s recipe of a cauliflower salad, did I realize I never blogged this one, my ever-favourite.

Chilli cornbread, with some Indian flavors

The other day, I reached home to an almost empty fridge with a rumbling stomach and a desire to make something quick for a snack. After having read Siri’s recipe for the cornbread, I was craving for some , and set out to make my own…

Ready in a jiffy Savoury oats porridge

10 min is all it takes to make this quick-meal!

Oats is not greatly favoured in our house because of its bland taste and limited options. Savoury oats porridge was something I thought of, a long time ago, to ensure that we get our share of fibre via this easy-peasy meal. Even that takes around 15-20 min to prepare and cook. But this recipe is quicker, easier and faster than a regular oats porridge.Ask me how!

Rava Khichdi with Tomatoes!

The weather is awesome in Hyderabad these days. Its super pleasant and rains quite bit. It does disrupt the lives a bit, but with the summer we’ve had, I bet no one is complaining about the rains this year! :-)

Rains always make me crave comfort food. Food that is easy to make, and food that reminds me of something warm and makes me feel fuzzy. :-) As a true foodie, I have a huge list of comfort food, stuff that makes me feel good when I am down or lazy or when it rains.

Top of this list is Khichdi for me. Khichdi is a versatile dish and its preparation and ingredients change with the place you eat it in. Every house has its own Khichdi recipe, and am on a mission – To learn as many different varieties of Khichdi as possible ! And why not? Its warm, its healthy, its packed with veggies if you like and its ultimate comfort food.

Check out my other Khichdi recipes here & here.

Fada ni Khichdi + Tambuli

Like most of the recipes on this blog, I came home this evening craving for some comfort food. And comfort food at dinner time for me is Khichdi. But tonight I wanted to eat something which wasn’t same as my regular khichdi recipe. I disturbed some Gujju friends at work, and searched around the web for some Gujju recipe for Khichdi, something healthy, and light, and finalized on this one.

I improvised the recipe from Tarla Dalal’s website to suit just one person, yeah, yet another meal for one. And decided to pair this with a Mangalorean no-cook curd-dish called Tambuli instead of Kadhi.
So here it is… born out of a craving to eat something North Indian and Mangalorean, my dinner menu for one :)