Chowmein - The Healthy Way!

Most of the time, the Chowmein you eat outside is oily, perhaps even a little smelly, and especially if it's Gravy Chowmein - the gravy tends to leave a rather sour after-taste. (Of course, this depends on the restaurant and the situation.)
Home-made Chowmein, in my opinion, is the nicest. I like it the way Ma makes it, because there's practically no oil, the vegetables are just the ones I like (mushrooms and baby corn, yes please!) and well, it's basically this healthy, wholesome meal that has none of the greasiness of oil, yet much of the tinge of Ma'r haater ranna which works magic on any dish!
Here, the chowmein has been boiled separately, the vegetables tossed and sauteed, then added to a stock-based gravy, which was poured over the dish. Simply delectable!

The Sausage.

Sausages. Spicy or bland. Sliced or whole. With accompaniment or without. They're almost like a warm hug on cold winter nights.
I whipped up this snack, partly because I was hungry and partly because one can always be in the mood for sausages.
Flavoured with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, chilli flakes, fried garlic, and oregano.
A sublime delight.
Because sausages, someday, will rule the world.

Cheese Mushroom-Tomato Toast, Flavoured With Crushed Fried Garlic

I think the title pretty much says it all, but if you want details - spread a slice of bread with Cheese Spread, cut lightly boiled mushrooms length-wise (thinly), ditto for tomatoes - add on top of the bread. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Spencers' crushed fried garlic. Repeat for however many slices you'd like. Grill till goldenish-brown and crisp.
Perfect snack for a chilly autumn evening. Goes down rather well with hot and sweet lemon tea.

The Fabulous Cheese Omelette.

Sohini says she likes her cheese omelettes with big chunks of melted cheese oozing out of it, not the wimpy omelettes with a little grated cheese that smell of the flavour but don't taste of it. So this post is for her- the Fabulous Cheese Omelette, unashamedly revelling in its quantity of the filling!

The perfect breakfast for those who like it slightly rich and heavy. Though you could have it at any time of day. That's the wonder of an omelette.

*photo courtesy: Sohini*

P.S. - I didn't make this omelette. I'm guessing Sohini did. But woohoo for cheese - it can always save the day.

Pasta With Capsicum And Mushroom, Served With Chicken In A Tomato-Almond Paste.

There is something oddly comforting about pasta - maybe it's the fact that it's so ridiculously easy to cook, maybe it's the fact that it's so versatile, or maybe it's just the fact that it's so darned tasty. Whatever the case may be - pasta is something I cook every once in a while, and tonight, I decided to experiment a bit.

Here's my recipe for Pasta with Capsicum, Baby Corn and Mushroom, served with Chicken in a Tomato-Almond paste.

Ingredients:

For the paste:

2 tomatoes, 1/2 bowl almonds (soaked in warm water for 1 hour), 2 tspn. fennel seeds (mouri).

For the chicken:

1 tspn ginger-garlic paste, 1 finely chopped onion, 500 gms. chicken, 2 tbspn. red wine, salt and pepper to taste.

For the pasta:

1 capsicum, 200 gms. mushrooms, baby corn (sliced down the middle and cut diagonally), a bit of red chilli powder, required quantity of fusilli pasta, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cheese spread (or grated cheese).

How To Make It:

1. Cut tomatoes into quarters, saute with a little butter. Add fennel seeds, cook till tomatoes become mushy. Grind the tomato-fennel seed mush with the softened almonds, till you get a thick paste.

2. Set the pasta on boil with a little salt.

3. Fry onion and ginger-garlic paste, add salt, pepper, and the tomato-almond paste, then stir. Add chicken and 2 teaspoons of red wine, and let it simmer on low flame.

4. Saute the mushrooms, baby corn, and capsicum with a pinch of salt.

5. Once the pasta's boiled, drain it, and add to the vegetables. Add tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and a little red chilli powder. Stir well.

6. When the pasta's cooked, put it into a flat serving bowl, drizzle some cheese spread (or add the grated cheese) on it, and bake at 120 degrees for 20 minutes, till the cheese is golden-brown and sizzling. Serve with chicken, and bread-rolls, if you'd like them.