Asian Stir-fried Veggies

I got a colorful pack of fresh veggies at farmer's market n wanted to use it the same day itself. My hubby wanted to make something out of it by himself, but that's weekend!!! He got a little lazy in evening n I sneaked it from his hand... 

 Previously when I posted crispy pancakes using rice vermicelli, Archana suggested me to serve it with asian-style soupy veggies! I don't much like my veggie cubes in a soupy way, so prepared the same thing but in a dry form :) Thoroughly enjoyed a dish with my Mi-Goreng noodles... 

Makes: 2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS:

250 gm Mixed Veggies (cut into cubes)

2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

2 tsp Soy Sauce

2 tsp Red Chilly Sauce

1 tsp White Vinegar 

2 tsp Corn Starch

1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder

A pinch of MSG (Aji no moto)

1/4 tsp Chinese 5-spice

Salt, to taste

1 tbsp Cooking Oil

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

- Cook (parboil) all the veggies in boiling water for around 7-8 mins. Or take them in a bowl, add a tbsp of oil and 1/4 tsp of salt and oven-roast them for 15 mins. (I preferred oven-roasting)

- Make a slurry of corn starch mixing it with 2 tbsp of water. 

- Heat oil in a kadai and add ginger-garlic paste into it. Saute for a while.

- Add your veggies into it along with soy sauce, vinegar, red chilly sauce and spices!

- Toss it on high heat from the beginning and add cornstarch slurry into it. 

- Make sure veggies are well coated with a thick sauce. Cook it for 1-2 mins.

- Transfer it to a serving bowl and serve hot!!! 

SJ's NOTE:

- I had a medley of vegetables that included cabbage, zucchini, purple cabbage, carrot, mushroom, green beans, bell pepper (red n green), cauliflower and brocolli!!! Huh... That's too much I see :P

- Can be served with a plate of fried rice or Asian Noodles Pancakes :)

- You can make it soupy too by adding more water in cornstarch slurry...

Soy-glazed Renkon Chips

Call it chips of 'Lotus Root' or 'Kamal Kakdi' or 'Bhein'... I call it an unusual alternate for potato chips :P 'Renkon' is a Japanese word for lotus root, which is widely used in any Asian dishes. 

It's all about a root-veggie that looks beautiful when you cut into slices!!! It has got so many holes (as you can see in the pics here) giving a nice airy texture on serving plate :) 

"Soy-glazed Renkon Chips" - A crispy, yummy and easy-to-make side dish! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 no. Lotus Root (medium in size)

1 tbsp Chopped Onions

1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

2 tsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Red Chilly Sauce

2 tsp Cornflour (white)

Oil, for deep-frying + 1 tsp to stir-fry

Salt, to taste

Spring onion (greens), to garnish

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

- Wash the lotus root, peel it and cut it into medium-thick slices.

- Keep the slices in boiling water for 2 mins to cook it partially. Then after drain and rinse with fresh water. Pat-dry them with a kitchen towel and let it rest for a few mins. 

- Add all the slices in a bowl of cornflour and coat them well.

- Heat oil in a deep-frying pan and slide 10-12 slices at time carefully. Fry them on high flame till they are crisp like chips and golden-brown in color. Take them out on absorbent paper.

- Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add ginger-garlic paste and chopped onions and stir-fry them on high heat.

- Add fried chips, soy sauce and red chilly sauce. Add salt only if required and give it a quick toss.

- Squeeze a little lemon juice and sprinkle spring onion greens before serving!!! :)

SJ's NOTE:

- Roasted peanuts can be added to try a variation.

- Simply deep-fried chips can be served with a pinch of chat masala over it!!!

Linking this recipe to Nivedhanam's Onion Special Event - Priya's VFAM.

Sending this recipe to Motions and Emotions - Sara's Corner and Kid's Delight Sweet Treats - Vali's Announcement Page along with Indian Delights - Monsoon Temptations :

A special linking with Fast!Fresh!Simple! Event at Cooking with Sapana! Also sharing on Javelin Warrior's Cooking With Love...

Asian Noodles Pancakes

You already know one of my best buddies, who was a star of Guest Dish a few days back on Food Court! Here comes the other bestie of mine - D2, who has developed herself to be a great home-cook but her culinary activities are on pause mode these days (Courtesy: her 5+ months old baby) :) Met her last weekend and she handed over a pack of Rice Vermicelli which she was not going to use in near future...!!!

Honestly, I never think of buying a pack of 'Rice Vermicelli' as I always feel that I can't do any magic with that! But while flipping through the pages of 'Small Food - A book of Snack-sized Bites' (Murdoch Books), I found a crispy pancakes (Page-14) to which I added SJ elements and tried out a simple, quick and kids-friendly dish :)

Makes: 10-12

INGREDIENTS:

50 gm Rice Vermicelli

2 tsp Finely chopped coriander

2 tsp Shredded Onion

1/4 tsp Black pepper powder

Salt, to taste

Oil, to shallow-fry

METHOD:

- Place rice vermicelli in a bowl of boiling water and cover it for 3-4 mins. 

- Drain excess water, pat dry with paper towel and transfer it to a big bowl.

- Add rest of all ingredients into it and mix well. 

- Heat 2 tsp oil in a heavy-bottom pan and shallow-fry 2-3 pancakes at a time. 

- Press gently with a flat spatula and cook them till golden-brown and crisp on both sides.

- Follow the same process for all the pancakes. 

- Place Smoky Veggies  in a serving plate and serve these pancakes on top of it.

SJ's NOTE:

- Recipe of roasted veggies @ http://myownfoodcourt.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/smoky-veggies.html

- Alternatively, chinese 5-spice can be added for serving them as an appetizer! 

Sending this recipe to Healthy Me, Healthy Us Event hosted by Sizzling Taste-buds, Indian Delights, Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey - Potluck Party, Kid's Delight Sweet Treats - Vali's Announcement Page, Samachuruchikalam - Gayathri's Cook Spot and Motions and Emotions and Sara's Corner:

Special linking to Runner Girl in the kitchen and Foodelicious.