Thai Noodles

A very simple yet delicious recipe - Thai style Noodles.

Ingredients :

1 Packet Flat rice noodles Approx 200 gms.or 2 large cups
1 cup blanched vegetables (Broccoli, Baby Corn, French Beans, Carrot etc.)
1/2 cup vertically chopped red and yellow bellpers
1 tbspn Thai Seasoning 
1 tspn Thai Mixed Herbs
3 tbspns coconut milk powder
2 tbspns olive oil or vegetable oil
1 tbspn garlic paste or finely chopped garlic
Salt to taste

For Garnishing :
Roasted and peeled peanuts
Chopped Parsley or corriander

Method :

Pre-Preparation :
Soak the rice noodles in hot water for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add garlic paste or finely chopped garlic to the hot oil. Saute till it is light golden in colour. Then add the blanched vegetables and further saute for 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook the vegetables. They should remain crunchy.

After sauteing, add Thai Seasoning and Mixed herbs. Then, add coconut powder. Mix well and add salt it required.  Also add 1-2 tbspns of water if necessary. Finally add the soaked rice noodles to the mixture. Stir it for few seconds. 

Garnish it with parsley or corriander and roasted peanuts. Serve hot.

Notes :

1. Thai seasoning consists of mix dried herb and is readily available in the market.
2. You may also add coconut milk to make the noodles juicy.

Stepwise Pictures :

Gil-e-Firdaus

First of all, let me wish you all a very Happy Gudi Padwa.

Gil-e-Firdaus means 'the clay of paradise'. It is a very simple dessert from Hyderabad (Pakistan). It is a Kheer of Bottle gourd and Sago. In Maharashtrian cuisine, we make Dudhi Halwa (Bottle-gourd halwa) and Sabudana Kheer. Gil-e-Firdaus is a combination of these two sweets and hence I made this on the occasion of Gudi Padwa.

Special thanks to my wife Manasi for bringing those lovely Roses for this recipe. 

Ingredients :
1 tspn ghee
2 cups grated Bottlegourd (Lauki / Dudhi / white Pumpkin)
1 litre Full fat milk
1/2 cup Sago / Sabudana (before soaking) 
1 cup water (for soaking Sago)
200 gms Khoa (mawa)
1/2 cup Sugar (quantity may be increased as per taste)
2 tbspns Milk masala
2 tbspns Almond flakes
2 tbspns Saffron-cardamom syrup (Kesar-Ilaichi syrup)
(or 1 tspn Cardamom powder & few Saffron strands)
1 tbspn Rose essence

For Garnishing :
Rose petals

Method :
Pre-preparation :
Saute khoa in a separate pan till it changes its colour and set it aside. soak Sago for atleast one hour in a cup of water.

To cook bottle-gourd :
Peel and de-seed the bottle-gourd and grate it. Heat ghee in a pan and saute the grated bottle-gourd for 2-3 minutes. Add half of the milk and cook the bottle gourd. This process takes around 20-30 minutes. Keep on stirring the bottlegourd at regular intervals.

To make Gil-e-Firdaus :
Heat balance milk in a pan. After bringing it to a boil, add soaked Sago (Sabudana) to the boiling milk. Once the Sago is transparent, add sauteed Khoa, cooked bottle-gourd, Sugar, milk-masala, almond flakes and cook it for 10 minutes. 

Turn off the flame and add Saffron-Ilaichi syrup and rose essence. 

Keep it in refrigerator for few hours. Garnish it with rose petals and serve chilled.

Notes :
You may also add Condensed milk to make it more richer
Dry fruits of your choice may also be added 

Stepwise Pictures :

Sending this entry to the event Feast of Sacrifice.