Noodles Frankie

A new twist to the traditional frankie. My kids love it. They both love noodles and then if I wrap them into a frankie it makes it even more fun for the kids.

 Ingredients:

For The Stuffing

• Very thin noodles
• 1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 Onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 Dikon, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup carrot, thinly sliced (make very thin strings)
• 1 small bunch of spring onions, diced
• 1/2 cup capsicum, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1/2 tsp Chilli Sauce
• salt to taste

For Frankie Wrap

• Cooked or uncooked thin flour tortillas

Method: 

1. Boil around 4 cups of water and cook noodles as per instructions given on the packet. Once noodles are done, drain the hot water and immediately add cold water.
2. Heat oil into a pan. Add ginger-garlic paste, and green chilies. Saute for 30 seconds. Then add capsicum, carrot, dikon, onion and cabbage. Also add the soy sauce, chili sauce, honey and salt to taste. Mix well. Stop cooking the mixture because we need the vegetables to remain crispy. 
3. Add the noodles and toss well. Transfer the mixture into another bowl. Do not keep the mixture in the hot pan, because noodles amy become sticky.
4. Roast a tortilla on both sides over a heated tava.
5. Spread a good portion of the stuffing at the center of the tortilla. Wrap the stuffing by pulling in the two sides. Press with a spatula. 
6. Serve hot with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, hot sauce and Sweet & sour sauce.

Tip:
To make the above recipe Kids friendly, do not add chili sauce and green chili, instead, use tomato ketchup.

Dates and Nuts Rolls

Growing up, we ate always had these during the winter months - Recently, I had them at a friends house, who was pregnant, and this brought back some nostalgic memories, so I decided to make them for my kids and sure enough, they loved them.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 container (about 1LBs) Dates (I used medjool dates from Costco)
• 1 cup (or to taste) Crushed combination of Pistachio, Pecans, Cashews and Almonds
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• Unsweetened crushed dried coconut

Method:

1. Chop the dates into small pieces.
2. Melt the butter in a big pan and saute the chopped dates until they start coming together like dough.
3. Add the crushed nuts and mix combination well.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, let the dough stand alone for a few minutes until it cools down enough to work with (don't let it cool down completely).
5. Make long “logs” of the dough and roll the logs into the dry coconut to get a thin coating.
6. Wrap the logs in clear wraps and place them in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
7. Take the logs out and cut them into bite size pieces.
8. Leave them outside to get to room temperature and enjoy.

This is a very good snack for the kids during winter or all year around. Healthy and nutritious.

Mushroom Rice

Yet another recipe from my friend whom I call The Rice Queen! It's hearty & delicious. The coconut milk adds richness to the dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 Box button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup uncooked Basmati rice
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Cardamom pod
• 1 Star Anise
• 1 White onion, diced
• 1-2 tbsp of ginger garlic and chilli paste
• 1 Tomato, diced
• Mint 3-4 sprigs
• Cilantro to garnish
• Salt per taste
• 3/4 tbsp white pepper powder
• 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 10 roasted Cashews

 

Method:

1. Saute the rice in 1-2 tbsp of ghee till its pale-golden brown and keep it aside.
2. Add 1 tbsp of ghee & 1 tbsp oil into a deep wok, add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom, & star anise, saute it till fragrant.
3. Add the the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli paste and cook untill the onions are golden brown; basically caramelize the onions.
4. Then add the tomato & mint and cook until the tomatoes loosen up .
5. Add mushrooms and salt.  When the mushrooms start sweating, add the pepper powder. Mix everything and continue until everything is well incorporated.
6. Now add the coconut milk and water and bring the mixture to a boil.
7. Add the sauted rice and cook everything for 15 minutes on medium heat or till water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
8. Garnish with cilantro and roasted cashew.

Coconut Curry Tofu

The original recipe was shared by one of my friends who is a foodie just like me. I have modified it to our taste & the results were finger licking good!  I had to blog this quick-to-prepare dish of high-protein tofu and fresh vegetables which makes a great meal on a busy evening/afternoon.

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain rice (cooked)
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups red onion (vertically sliced)
• 1 cup yellow, green & red bell pepper (cut in strips) 
• 1 carrot sliced in long strips
• 1- 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala 
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder 
• 1 tsp paprika 
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp brown sugar 
• 1-2 tsp chilli ginger paste  
• 2-3 diced tomatoes 
• 1 block extra firm tofu (drained and cut into thin triangles) 
• 1 can of light coconut milk plus 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (minced)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium to high heat. 
2. Add onion and bell peppers, tomatoes & carrots, sauté for 4-5 minutes or until tender.
3. Add the chilli ginger paste and give it a good mix. Stir in all the spices along with salt & cook for another 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add the drained tofu pieces and saute for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk along with water and bring everything to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until thoroughly heated. 
6. Serve the tofu mixture over rice, and garnish with cilantro.