Shrimp Lo Mein- A New Version

My Take: There's nothing like a little noodle dish to perk you up any day. Mine is a simple version using shrimp and vegetables. The ketchup adds a unique sweet tartness to the noodles. It also makes the dish moist and kid friendly. My version is a cross between the traditional Lo Mein and Pad Thai.

INGREDIENTS:
½ c. julienned potato
½ c. julienned carrot
½ c. small cauliflower florets
1 small green pepper, julienne
½ c. green peas
¾ c. julienned red onion
½ c. finely chopped green beans
1 c. small shrimp
Salt to taste
8 oz. egg or plain noodle, uncooked
2 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 ½ tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. Black Bean sauce/paste
3 – 4 Tbsp. oil
3 green chillies, chopped
1 egg, scrambled
1/2 c. finely sliced spring onion or garlic chive

METHOD:
• Boil water in saucepan. Add a little salt, 2-tsp. oil and cook the noodles until they
are al dente (slight bite left to it). Do not overcook. Strain the noodles in a colander.
Do not wash them. Keep aside.
• In a wok or large non-stick fry pan, add the remaining oil. Sauté the shrimp, onion, green beans, carrot, peas, cauliflower, pepper and green chillies with a little salt on high heat. When the vegetables and shrimp are done, add the ketchup and soy sauce. Cover and cook on high heat.
• Add the black bean sauce/paste and mix in the boiled noodles. Saute for a few minutes.
• Remove from heat and add the vinegar. Mix well. Keep covered to preserve the aroma. Garnish with the scrambled egg and finely sliced spring onion or garlic chive.

Chinese Fried Rice

The Story: The beauty of cuisine from China is that it is very easy to adapt to and vary in taste. Most of the dishes from China are catered towards the general taste palette of the local region. For example, in India, Chinese food is spicier and with more of the sweet gravy as compared to Chinese food in the US, which is less spicy, more stir-fried. As such, the dishes become a favorite of most individuals as they relate to their preferred ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:
2 c. rice
¼ c. green beans, finely chopped
¼ c. carrots, diced
¼ c. green peas
1 ½ c. red onion, chopped
3 eggs
1 c. chicken, bite size pieces
½ c. shrimp, cleaned and de-veined
5 cloves garlic, chopped
½ c. olive oil
Soy sauce to taste
Salt to taste, vinegar/spring onion for garnish

METHOD:
• Wash and cook the rice in an open pan until the rice is almost done. Keep aside.
• Beat up the eggs in a bowl and make scrambled eggs using a little oil. Set aside.
• Saute and cook the chicken pieces with a touch of vinegar and salt. Do the same for the shrimp. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in a deep pan. Fry the chopped garlic and onion till light brown.
• Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes.
• Follow with the other vegetables. Add a little salt and cook again until the veggies are tender.
• Add the cooked chicken and shrimp. Mix well and brown it all for another 2 minutes. Add
the almost-done rice, a little salt and mix well. Sprinkle a little water if needed.
• When the rice has softened, add the soy sauce.
• Garnish with the pieces of scrambled egg and chopped spring onion. Serve hot.

Shrimp Pilaf (Shrimp Biryani)

The Background: Rice is a soul satisfying comfort food for most Asians. The typical varieties are the vegetable rice dishes or meat-rice dishes (biryani). Seafood and rice is the less common choice unless you live on the coasts of India. This dish is very delicious and you can always choose to substitute the shrimp with a vegetable or meat of your choice. The dish is very similar to the Rice Pilafs served in American restaurants.

INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ c. basmati rice, washed and dried
3 medium size onions
1 stick cinnamon
2 green cardamoms, crushed
1 ½ tsp. cumin seeds
2 cloves
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. peppercorns (whole black pepper)
1 lb. prawn (shrimp), cleaned and de-veined
½ tsp. chilly powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ tsp. turmeric powder
7 cloves garlic
2 green chillies
2 boiled eggs, shelled (garnish)
Salt to taste
10 onion rings (garnish)
½ c. ghee

METHOD:
• Grind the garlic, 1 onion, green chillies, cayenne peppers, 1tsp. turmeric powder
and 1 tsp. cumin seeds into a paste. Set aside.
• Finely slice 1 onion in strips and fry in half the ghee until golden brown. Add the remaining cumin seeds, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and peppercorns. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the rice and 3 c. of water and cook until tender. Set aside.
• Mince the remaining onion and fry in the remaining ghee until light brown. Add
the ground paste prepared in the first step to it. Cook till the fat separates. Add the remaining turmeric powder, chilly powder and the tomatoes. Cook until
the gravy has thickened.
• Add the shrimp and salt per taste. Cover and cook till the shrimps are done.
• In your serving bowl, place a layer of the rice at the bottom. Follow with a layer of the shrimp mixture. Continue by forming an alternate layer of rice and shrimps. The topmost layer should be rice.
• Garnish with onion rings and slices of the boiled eggs. Cover and keep warm.
Serve with standard salad or an yogurt salad called raita.