Pancit bihon - a Filipino treat

Whenever my mom used to take me and my sister to a farewell party thrown by her colleagues at the hospital, one of the main dishes that was sure to be there was Pancit. We used to love it and take a second helping. Later when she realized that we liked it, she used to cook it for us at home at times after getting the recipe from one of her filipino colleagues.

Ingredients:

All ingredients to be used as per required quantity.

1. Rice Sticks/noodles (Rice vermicelli is also commonly used)

2. French beans
3. Carrots
4. Spring Onions
5. Capsicum - Use various colors for a vibrant look
6. Streaky Bacon
7. Ginger
8. Garlic
9. Chicken Breast - boiled and shredded
10. Soy Sauce - preferable light (I used mushroom soy) - 1 tbsp.
11. Oyster sauce/Fish sauce - 1 tbsp.
12. Lime slice - a half

Method:

Julienne all the vegetables, including ginger. Mince garlic. Boil water in a pot and put the rice sticks in it for about 5 minutes to turn alden (half cooked). Cut streaky bacon into small pieces. Take a heavy bottomed pan and heat it on the stove. Add the streaky bacon. Keep mixing, all the fat will start melting. When the bacon gets cooked to your taste, add ginger and garlic. Stir for 2 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and let it all get coated with the pork fat. Stir fry till the cabbage starts to wilt a little. Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce or fish sauce. Trust me, you may think that the oyster/fish sauce stinks like hell! I felt it too, but I kept stir frying till the smells goes away. :) Finally add the rice sticks. Take it off heat. Squeeze juice of a lime in it and mix. If you want, you can also add some chopped coriander leaves.

My note: Did you notice that I havent used a drop of oil in this recipe? Everything is cooked in the fat from the bacon. Bacon gives it a nice crunch and amazing flavour. But if you don't eat bacon, then you can omit it and start with adding some regular vegetable oil.

Pancit bihon cooked on another day with only green capsicum but just as yum!

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Vegetable Uppumavu/Upma - Salt Mango Tree ;-)

I'm not exactly a fan of this preparation as I find this dish absolutely boring! Proabably because when my mom used to make it, it was a very dry form without the vegetables - but with chunks of ginger, chillies and curry leaves which i had to keep picking at and still pieces would get in my mouth and irritate me. So it was quite unpleasant. And then the one with the vegetables, the soft and moist one used to be served in my hostel, which I liked at first. Then when I used to buy it from bangalore sagars, the chow chow baath, I liked it at first but later just despised it!!
After staying away from it for a long time, I decided to make one myself to see if I can stand it. Afterall, its a no fuss, easy to make, nutritious and takes less time to prepare. Turns out, I'm still not much of a fan, but I can eat it with bananas mashed into it.

Credit: http://www.mariasmenu.com/vegetarian/vegetable-upma
A nutritious breakfast to substitute your daily toasts & cornflakes & its filling too. It tastes great with egg roast.
Really? I've never tried that combination but that's what Maria says!

Ingredients:

1.Semolina (rava) – 1 cup
2.small onion – 4
green chilli – 2
ginger – 1/2 tablespoon
3.cooked carrot & green peas – 1/4 cup each
4.mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
5.Ghee/refined oil – 2 tablespoon
6.water – 2 cups
7.curry leaves
salt

Method:

Toast the semolina (without oil) for 5 minutes. Heat oil/ghee in a pan & splutter mustard seeds. Saute small onion, green chilli ginger& curry leaves for 4 minutes.Add cooked carrot & green peas & stir well. Add 2 cups of water & salt. When the water starts boiling add the toasted semolina & mix well. Serve hot.

My note: When I toasted the rava, I toasted it for more than 5 minutes, and waited for it to turn golden brown. Although I feel thats a mistake as the uppumavu did not taste as its supposed to be. So next time, I'm going to toast it only for 5 minutes as the recipe suggests.
The picture above is the one from my second try which was successful :)
I like eating upma with yelakki bananas or regular bananas. Bee likes it with achar. There are different ways of eating this.

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Buffalo sausage rolls

Made these for dinner on a lazy Sunday. You might think its junkfood, but I have packed it with lots of veggie nutrition. :)

Ingredients:

Buffalo skinless sausages - 1 per roll
Samoli/Sausage bread - 1 per roll
European cucumber - 1 sliced
Carrot - 1 grated
Tomato - 1 sliced
Remia Garlic sauce/Salsa Ali Oli - as required
American yellow mustard - as required

On the side:
Any fried/baked potato chips of your choice: French fries/wedges/criscuts/crispies/chips
Sauce of your choice - ketchup/garlic sauce

I used Cascade Wild West Buffalo skinless sausages for this recipe. You may try with any sausage of your choice.

Method:

Heat a pan and place defrosted sausages on them. Cover and allow to grill. Turn occasionally. I would keep the lid closed and move the pan around, allowing the sausages to roll around. I've noticed it oozes out some water and a bit of fat and this allows the sausage to cook and give a barbecued sauce effect outside.


Slice open the samoli or sausage rolls and pinch out some of the bread on the inside, so that the sausage and other veggies can be placed easily.


Add grated carrots in one side's depression. Then pour Remia's garlic sauce over it. Line up the cucumber and tomato slices on top.


Pour mustard sauce on the other half's depression. Place the fried sausage on this.


Close and serve with potato fries of your choice. :-) Bon appetit!

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Carrot/Orange Juice

Ingredients:

Carrots - as required
Oranges or Orange Juice (I used Minute Maid)

Method:

Use food processor/juicer to prepare carrot juice. Mix equal amount of orange juice to it. No need of adding sugar especially if using packaged orange juice like minute maid. Serve on a hot day and feel refreshed!

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Chettinad Vazhakkai Kara Poriyal - Plantain stir fry

Credit: http://chettinadthruminu.blogspot.com/2010/12/chettinad-vazhakkai-kara-poriyal.html

Ingredients:

Raw Banana - 1

Turmerric Powder - 1 pinch

Salt to taste

Tamarind - 1 Tbsp

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Mustard - 1/4 tsp

Urad Dal - 1/4 tsp

Red Chillies - 3, broken

Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Coconut - 2 Tbsp, grated

Method:

Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup water and extract pulp.

Boil raw banana with salt, turmerric powder and tamarind extract. Add extra water if necessary.

It will cook in minutes. Drain and keep aside. Cool.

Heat oil and add mustard, urad dal, curry leaves and red chillies.

Add cooked raw banana and mix well. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add grated coconut (optional) and take off heat.

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Vendakka Ularthiyathu/Okra/Lady's Finger Stir Fry

Credit: http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/vendakka-ularthiyathuokraladys-finger-stir-fry-fid-678870

Ingredients:

Vendakka/Okra - 500gm chopped
Onion - 1 big sliced
Green chillies - 2-3 slitted lengthwise
Curry leaves - few
Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as needed
Oil

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add onions, green chillies and turmeric. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add salt, chilli flakes and okra. Stir fry in medium heat until well cooked and dry. Serve hot with rice/roti.

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Moru Kachiyathu

Credit: http://www.mariasmenu.com/vegetarian/kachimoru-moru-kachiyathu

Ingredients:

Buttermilk/whisked yoghurt and water – 1/2 ltr/ 500 ml ( room temperature)
Red pearl onions – 4-5
Ginger – 2 tsp, chopped
Green chili – 3-4
Dried red chili – 2
Turmeric powder – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – a pinch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan & splutter mustard & fenugreek seeds. Add dried red chilies, pearl onions, ginger, green chilies and curry leaves. Fry it for 1-2 minutes. Add turmeric powder & salt. Mix well. Once the onions are brown, pour a quarter cup of water to it. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly add buttermilk and stir while pouring (to prevent curdling). Keep stirring on low heat until the steam just starts to come through. Don't let it boil or the yoghurt would curdle. It will take around 5-7 minutes. After removing it from the stove, stir for a few more minutes.

Notes: It can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. It will start to thicken up when its cooled. It’s important that the buttermilk should be at room temperature, otherwise it may curdle. If you are using full fat yoghurt, add about 1/2 a cup of water and whisk it before adding.

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