Chinese fried rice

This recipe has a history of over 25 years. I learnt this from a friend, in Dubai, during 1986, when there was no scope to browse internet, though ,I had exposure to computer operation.I copied down as she dictated to me.She saw her Goan friend cooking this.She gave me the list of vegetables to be used, and told they need to be diced into very tiny pieces.Asked me to make vegetable stock with the peel of the  cleaned vegetables which I am going to use for the recipe.Also told me to add a cup of boiled and cooled noodles and a cup of scrambled egg.She told me to keep all the diced vegetables separate in one big plate, along with salt, pepper powder, ajinomoto and the sauces ready.
The rice to be used should not be basmathi or any long grain but thin short variety works good she said.When cooked the  rice grains should look separate and  needs to be cooked well before and spread in a bowl to cool.Till date I religiously follow my friend's advise and I have not followed any other version.With the passing of so many years and with the new gadgets making life easier,I made this dish in the morning to pack for lunch box.Thanks to the vegetable chopper which made half of my work easy and also the ready made vegetable stock/broth available.I wish to reproduce the same here. I am sure, when you try this recipe you will agree with me as it tastes the best.
I dedicate this recipe post to my friend Nalini (Dubai).Here is the colorful Chinese Fried Rice recipe.

Rice cooked in vegetable stock

Fried vegetables with sauces

Diced vegetables

Mixed  rice with vegetables

Closer look of chinese fried rice

INGREDIENTS

Beans	1 cup
Carrot	1 cup
Capsicum/Green bell pepper	1 cup
Cabbage	1 cup
Green peas	1 cup
Spring onion/Green onion	1 cup
Garlic	6 big cloves
Pepper powder	1-2 tsp
MSG Ajinomoto	1 tsp
Soy sauce	3 tsp
Red chilli sauce	2 tsp
Vegetable stock	2 cup
Rice	2 cup
Salt	To taste
Vinegar(optional)	1 tsp

METHOD

Cook rice using 2 cups of water and 2 cups of vegetable stock/broth.I cooked in the large pan on a very low flame for 20min covered with the lid. 

When cooked the rice will measure 6 cups.

Keep the finely diced vegetables ready in a plate, along with finely minced garlic.

Now the cooking process will be done in 2 or 3 portions as per convenience.

Accordingly the vegetables and rice should be divided.By keeping the vegetables in a plate this process will be easy.I made it into 3 portions.

Heat oil in a wide pan. Add 1/3 of garlic, 1/3 of  white of spring onion and  fry.

Add 1/3 of ajinomoto and fry on high flame.

Reduce flame and start adding vegetables.

Add 1/3 of each vegetable in the order mentioned and stir fry.

Add a teaspoon of soy sauce,redchilli sauce,salt, and a portion of pepper powder and fry.

The vegetables need not be cooked but they should remain crisp so proceed adding 1/3 portion of cooked rice immediately.

Mix well so that the vegetables blend well.Adjust salt and pepper.Add cooked noodles and scrambled egg if you desire, at this stage.

I sprinkled few drops of  vinegar in the end  and mixed finally.

Garnish with green portion of spring onion and remove.

The process should be repeated for the balance rice and vegetables.

Serve hot.

Stuffed Eggplant Curry/Gutti Vankaya Koora

Brinjal is one vegetable with which a variety of dishes can be prepared.Ennai Kathrikai israrely prepared as a special.It is bit laborious and chosen to be made on a holiday.
 But in Hyderabad this is so common that there will not be a get-together without the stuffed brinjal gravy as side dish for vegetable rice,(they call it bagaar annam).It will almost be like a sambar with whole brinjal in it.There are different ways of making stuffed brinjal curry.
It is rightly called Gutti Vankaya koora as the brinjal is slit but used as a cluster which means Gutti.I watched many videos for this authentic recipe.Of course I followed Sanjay thumma's.
I wish to state here that the method of frying brinjal first really helps.Later combining the masala instead of stuffing gives very good result. Here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Brinjal	12 No
Onion	1 ½  large
Garlic cloves	4 no
Coriander seeds	4 tblsp
Cumin seeds	2 tsp
Red chillies	8 No
Ginger garlic paste	1 ½  tsp
Turmeric powder	1/2 tsp
Oil	3 tblsp
salt	To taste

METHOD

Cut brinjals with the stalk attached and keep aside. Chop onion and keep.
In a wide pan heat oil and fry the brinjals.Cover and cook till they are done well.
Remove and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, redchillies and garlic and fry.
Saute onion pieces seperately and let it cool.
Make paste of fried coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chillies and garlic.
Make paste of sauteed onion and blend both the pastes and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add turmeric,ginger garlic paste and fry.
Add the ground paste and salt and mix well.
Add the fried brinjals and saute till masala is coated well.
Remove and serve with hot rice or as side dish for roti.

Moong Sprouts/Whole Green Gram Sprouts/Mulai Payaru

I am a big fan of Manthena Sathyanarayana and regularly watch his programmes in telugu on Tv channels.His first best recommendation for all, is to include sprouts in our meal.As we all know sprouts are rich in vitamins and minerals.It is advised to have them daily in the morning.For those who have Gas problem they can have this by sauteing in a pan for few seconds or after keeping in Micro wave for few seconds.I understand the best results are had when taken raw, and it is better to avoid  cooking or frying the same. Among the pulses it is easy to make moong sprouts at home.A cup of dry whole moong will give enough quantity when sprouted and the same can be used for many days.A handful of sprouted moong can be had raw, or mixed in salad,or even as a snack along with finely chopped onions and seasoning.For those who are on a diet plan and keen to reduce weight can follow this as a variation from the routine diet,when you are bored taking it raw daily.I am giving below how I made the sprouts at home.This can be stored in fridge  and can be used in small quantity for a single serving for a person.

A cup of dry whole moong/green gram

Put in a big vessel

Add a litre of water and soak for 12 hours

Drain water and cover the vessel with a colander

Place the covered vessel inside the oven

sprouts seen the next morning 

Longer sprouts on seeds beneath

Longer sprouts in another 12 hours

1. Take a  big vessel (which has a capacity of 2 litres), soak one cup moong/whole green gram in one litre of  water for nearly 12 hours. If you soak in the morning wait till evening.

2. Drain the water from the vessel.Place the same vessel with soaked moong in a oven (conventional or microwave)DO NOT switch on the oven.

3. Cover the vessel with a sieve/colander(if you have a steel one)and leave overnight.
4.Next morning you can see small sprouts on the pulses which are on the top,the sprouts will be longer on the seeds which are at the bottom.Just mix once and further leave it till evening.
You will find longer sprouts.
The main criteria for the pulse to sprout is the darkness,a bit of moisture, and air.By placing inside the oven you get the darkness and also little warmth.Since the vessel is covered with a seive air passes as there is enough room within the oven.Since  there is dampness in the soaked seeds it helps quick sprout.Plan ahead as the oven cannot be used till it is occupied by the vessel kept for sprout.Do not disturb once it is kept till you see sprouts next morning and further till you see longer sprouts.
Now for the recipe take a handful of sprouts, 1/2 onion finely chopped, very little salt.If using micro wave mix them together and micro wave for 30 seconds.It can also be done on stove top by heating a pan and adding the sprouts with onion and just sauteing for few seconds and seasoning with very little salt This can be had before the morning breakfast.This can also be had as a snack or chat by sprinkling chat masala.

Healthy sprout snack

Black chick peas can also be sprouted the same way.

Try the above at home and  derive the health benefits from eating fresh sprouts. There are gadgets sold for making this and also sprouts are available like vegetables,yet the satisfaction , when you see the sprouts inside your kitchen is immeasureable,  like the happiness you get seeing a plant budding in your garden.

Kurma without potato,green peas or carrot

I made a dish without following any set rule.The reason was there were many types of fresh vegetables left, but the quantity of each was very less.I could not make the required quantity using a single vegetable.Decided to make a gravy dish with ground masala. Started cutting the vegetables one by one.Heated water in a vessel and started adding the vegetables as i cut.Added the hard one to cook first like beans, then few florets of cauliflower,bottle gourd,bangalore brinjal,zuchini,broccoli,cabbage.All these came to around 4 cups.When they were 3/4 cooked added salt and haldi and set it aside.I proceeded by sauteing the masala and made paste and finally combined with vegetable and it turned out to be a nice kurma.As I had no potato or green peas or carrot at home ,I made with the vegetables that were available and the combination worked good.Thought of sharing this which will be of help to those who might face the same situation.Here goes the "Kurma without potato,peas or carrot".

INGREDIENTS:

Mixed vegetables	4 cups
Onion	1
Tomato	1
Ginger	1” piece
Garlic	3 cloves
Green chillies	2 No
Mint leaves	3 to4
Coriander leaves	little
Cloves	3
Cinnamon	1”piece
Grated coconut or grated dry coconut	3 tbls
Khus Khus/poppy seeds	2 tbls
Red chilli powder	1tsp
Salt	to taste
Sajeera/caraway seeds	1 tsp

METHOD

Cut vegetables to large pieces.

Boil the vegetables excpet onion and tomato  in just enough water till they are 3/4 done.

Add salt and haldi while cooking and set aside.

In a pan heat oil and add cloves and cinnamon first. Fry and then add cut onion, tomato pieces, green chillies,ginger, garlic,mint leaves, coriander leaves and saute till they are done.Remove and allow it to cool

Heat a pan till it is very hot and add Khus Khus and dry roast till they pop.Put off flame and add water to soak. 

Grind the sauteed vegetables along with khus khus and coconut into a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a big pan,add saajeera and when they splutter add the ground paste, chilli powder and saute for sometime.

Add the cooked vegetable, salt and water( if required) and bring to boil till the masala blends well.

Pavakai/Bitter gourd curry(repost)

Pavakai is rarely cooked in our houses.Children never like to have this.Even elders take it for medicial purpose.It gives an unique smell and taste in recipe like PITLAI.So it is chosen for that reason and used for the special dish.This vegetable is avoided on auspicious days,may be for the reason it has bitterness.Though bitterness is good for health this vegetable requires some precooking steps to be followed even before it is cut.Normally the pointed portion is scraped off.Then it is cut and mixed with salt and left for sometime to remove the bitter juice out of it.Also the vegetable is par boiled before making it as a curry or in gravy form. Even while par boiling tamarind is used along with salt and turmeric powder.The bitterness is not fully lost even after following the steps.But when fried and made as curry with other ingredients it tastes good.One such recipe with the special ingredient is given below. It is done in Andhra Pradesh in Andhra region.I made this as one of the side dishes for roti.I am reposting the blogpost of mine here with picture taken now.

INGREDIENTS

Bitter gourd/Pavakai	500 Gm
Gram flour/Besan	2 tblsp
cumin/Jeera	2 tsp
Red chilli powder	2 tsp
Oil	2 Tblsp
Turmeric powder	1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing powder	1/4 tsp
Salt	To taste

METHOD

Cut pavakai to ring like shape or into thin long pieces.Add 2 tsp salt, mix well and keep aside for minimum 1/2 hour.Squeeze and rinse it well under runing water and discard the seeds if any, drain and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai/pan (preferably heavy bottom one) and add pavakai/bittergourd.Saute on medium flame till it is cooked. Stir occasionally till all the peices turn light brown and evenly fried.
Make powder of cumin/jeera.Dry roast besan/gramflour in hot pan/kadai onlow flame, taking care not to burn the flour.Remove and mix well with chilli powder, jeera/cumin powder and hing.Add this powder to cooked pavakai in the pan and saute.Keep stiring for a while and add little salt just required for the powder.Mix and remove.
This can be had with roti,and also with hot rice with ghee along with raw onion pieces.
Many of the fried curries called'VEPUDU'in Andhra style is had with raw onion pieces when mixing with rice.Raw onion goes well with Gongura pachadi mixed with rice.