Pan Asian – Veg – Recipes for the regular homecook

Chilli Paneer

I love Desi Chinese and Chilli Paneer is one of my favourite things to order. This restaurant style chili paneer version is as good as your favorite takeaway. I usually like my chilli paneer in a semi gravy. The special part about this chilli paneer recipe is that we make the chilli paste from scratch. That’s what lends it an amazing array of flavours.

This chilli paneer recipe comes together in 15 minutes. Everything needs to be kept ready before you fry everything in the wok. The only hard work that needs to be done is frying the paneer pieces in batches, till they are super crispy and flavourful from the outside, yet soft from the inside. Make the chilli paste, vegetables (onions and bell peppers) ready before you cook the chilli paneer as it all happens really quick once the paneer cubes are fried.

I hope you try this recipe and make for yourself this weekend. I am sure you are going to love it!

Preparation time – 30 minutes

Cook time – 15 minutes

Serves – 5

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

350 g paneer, cut into cubes
1/4 cup corn flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour(maida)
2 cups red onions (chopped)
1 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
1 cup yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 cup green capsicum (chopped)
4 dried red chillies
20 g ginger
15 g garlic
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup hot water
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper powder (for the batter)
1 tsp black pepper powder (for the final gravy)
Spring onion greens for garnish
Sesame seeds for garnish [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

Soak dried red chilies in hot water for three hours. Once soft, grind them with the ginger and garlic. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the corn flour and all purpose flour together. Season with salt and half teaspoon of black pepper powder. Mix well. Now keep adding water till you get a batter with a smooth consistency. Don’t keep it too thick.
Add the paneer cubes to the batter in two batches and mix them till they are completely submerged in it.
Heat oil in a wok. Once it gets hot, take out the paneer cubes one by one, dripping off all the excess batter, and fry them till they are golden brown from all sides. Fry the paneer in batches so that they crisp uniformly and the wok does not get overcrowded. Once all the paneer cubes are fried, set them aside for later.
In the same pan add the chilli paste and fry on high heat till they release its rawness.
Add the onions and the bell peppers and toss everything on high heat for a minute.
Season with salt and pepper and give everything a good mix.
Pour dark soy sauce and vinegar and toss everything well.
Add the left over flour batter, along with half a cup of hot water and mix everything well. Add the fried paneer and toss it till it soaks all the flavours from the sauce. Once done, turn the flame off. If you want more gravy, you can add some more hot water at this point and cook it till it thickens.
Serve on a plate with some garnish of fresh green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy! [/directions]

I hope you try this chilli paneer recipe super soon! If you have any doubts, comments, or feedback, please reach out to me in comments or my social media handles.

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Happy cooking!

15 Minute Vegetable Fried Rice

Here’s an easy way to whip up dinner in 15 minutes, while also ensuring you eat your vegetables. This vegetable fried rice is one of my go-to recipes every other day and I can never get enough of it.

The best part about this recipe is its ease and highly customisable option. You can make a large batch and add eggs, chicken or more vegetables of your choice. This vegetable fried rice uses the most minimal ingredients and is as simple as it can get. The it’s beauty lies in the freshness of its ingredients.

How to make the perfect fried rice every time

Fried rice might be a simple dish but it requires a few things done right every single time. The best kind of vegetable fried rice are those where each grain of rice is separate and cooked to perfection. Nobody likes a soggy plate of fried rice, nor does one want half cooked rice bites in their spoon. Apart from that the way the vegetables are cooked also matter a lot! They cannot be soggy or raw – just the right amount of crunch.

Here are some of the tips you might want to follow to make that perfect fried rice every single time.

Always use a wok for making fried rice because it helps is faster and uniform cooking.
Make sure your wok is really hot before you add oil and other ingredients.
Make sure the vegetables you add are chopped finely so that they can cook quickly.
The rice that you add to any fried rice should always be cold. Otherwise, it will stick to the wok and become lumpy. It’s best to use a day old rice.
If you add any protein like chicken or shrimp, cook them before you add the vegetables.
Add the soy sauce and vinegar just before you remove the wok from the gas stove.
Always garnish in the end after turning the gas off.

Cooking the perfect rice for frying

In this recipe, I have used joha rice, which is a flavourful small grained rice found in Assam, India. It is starchy and has a beautiful fragrant. You can use jasmine rice too. The quality of rice can really change the game. If you do not have jasmine rice, you can use any small grain rice available near you – broken basmati is a great choice!

For small grained rice, wash them thoroughly under runnign water till the water is clear. Once they are thoroughly washed, add them to a pan, instant pot or a pressure cooker. If you are using 1 cup rice, use 1.5 cups of water to cook it. And once cooked, keep the rice covered for 10-15 minutes after turning off the gas. Keep the rice in the fridge overnight, and use it the next day for making fried rice.

Why this vegetable fried rice?

Delicious and super easy!
Healthy and quick
Better than takeout
You need 15 minutes to make this
Made with bare minimum pantry essentials.
Highly customizable!
Can be made in large batches.

Preparation time – 15 minutes

Cook time – 15 minutes

Serves – 3

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

30 ml vegetable/sesame oil
2 slit green chillies (optional, add it if you like spicy food)
100 g onions, finely chopped
15 g garlic, finely chopped
80 g carrots, chopped
80 g green beans, chopped
80 g fresh green peas
Salt to taste
4 g black pepper powder
150 g cooked white rice
30 ml dark soy sauce
Coriander/spring onion greens for garnish [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

Heat oil in a wok. Let it smoke.
Temper the oil with slit green chillies (optional).
Add the chopped onions and fry till it starts to brown and becomes translucent.
Add the sliced garlic and saute till its rawness fades.
Next, add the beans, carrots, and peas and saute for about a minute or two on medium flame. Do not overcook the vegetables as they need to remain crunchy.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the boiled and cold rice to the mixture. Mix well till the rice is heated through and everything gets mixed together perfectly.
Pour in the soy sauce and mix well until every grain of the rice gets stained in the sauce.
Garnish with fresh herbs – coriander or spring onion greens – whatever you have available!
Serve with cucumbers and tomatoes on the side. [/directions]

I hope you try this version of vegetable fried rice! Super simple and easy. Please feel free to add more vegetables or any protein of your choice.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me with a comment or connect with me on Instagram or Facebook. For all my videos, you can subscribe to me on YouTube.

Related recipe – 30 Minute Stir Fry Noodles

Happy cooking!

30-Minute Vegetable Stir Fry Noodles

Vegetable stir-fry noodles are a great way to make something healthy for a busy day. For this easy noodle recipe, all you need are some of your favorite vegetables, a few basic Chinese ingredients, and good quality egg noodles. The vegetable add crunch, color, and health, the noodles are the perfect carbs and the sauces and spices make everything taste heavenly. If you ask me, it is one of the easiest dinners to make which also tastes really good!

How to make perfect noodles every single time?

Making noodles the perfect way requires some amount of precision. You have to make sure that it is cooked just right – not over or under. Different kinds of noodles require different methods to get cooked perfectly. For lo mein or stir fry noodles recipe like this one, make sure you follow the package instructions.

For this particular recipe, I boiled the egg noodles for 2-3 minutes in salted water. Make sure the water is bubbling when you put in your noodles. The trick is to take it out when it is 70 percent cooked because the noodles will keep getting softer while they are still hot. So take it out immediately once they are 70 percent there.
Add enough water so that the noodles are completely submerged in it. I usually fill up the whole pot with water (about 1.5 liters of water). Otherwise, there is a chance of noodles getting stuck at the bottom or worse – getting burnt!
Strain off every last bit of water and mix any neutral oil without any smell. I use vegetable oil. You can also cook the noodles and immediately wash it under cold water so that it stops cooking. But since I added salt to min, I don’t do that. But like I mentioned, each kind of procedure will vary according to the package instructions to make sure you follow the instructions.

Why this vegetable stir fry noodles?

Delicious and super easy!
Healthy and quick
Better than takeout
You need 20 minutes to make this
Made with basic Chinese pantry essentials
Highly customizable!
Top it off with toasted sesame seeds for extra crunch.

You guys love the Pan-Asian recipes on the blog so much so I thought I should add this as well. Because this is a regular for me on those rushed days. Because my aim is to make it easier for you guys to cook your own food and not order it every single day. Nothing tastes better than homemade food, right?

The ingredients used in this recipe are minimal. The aromatics include a lot of ginger and garlic because they are the champions of flavor in Chinese food. Sesame oil gives this recipe an authentic taste and flavor, so I would suggest you do not use any substitutes. But if you do not like sesame oil at all, go ahead and use vegetable oil.

Preparation time – 10 minutes

Cook time – 20 minutes

Serves – 3-4 people

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

Egg noodles, 200 g
Sesame oil, 2 tbsp
Finely chopped ginger, 50 g
Garlic, finely chopped 50 g
One small broccoli, cut into florets
Button mushrooms, 150 g
One small carrot, cut into matchsticks
Brown sugar, 1 tsp
Chopped spring onion greens, 100 g
Sweet chili sauce/schezwan sauce, 1 tbsp
Oyster sauce, 1 tbsp
Dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp
2 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

Boil water in a pot. Add a handful of salt and stir.
Once the water starts to boil, add the egg noodles to it and cook for 2-3 minutes (or follow package instructions).
Drain water using a sieve. Transfer the noodles to another vessel and layer it with vegetable oil so that the noodles don’t stick to one another. Use a pair of tongs to mix the oil uniformly. Tongs will ensure the noodles don’t break. Set aside.
Heat sesame oil in a wok. Once hot, add the ginger and garlic and saute for a minute.
Add the broccoli, mushroom, and carrots to the oil and saute for two minutes. We do not want to overcook the vegetables because they need to remain crunchy in the final recipe.
Add the spring onion greens and stir for ten seconds.
Now add the cooked noodles to the wok. Mix the chili sauce, oyster sauce, and soy sauce and toss everything up a pair of tongs. Do not use a spoon or fork to do this as you do not want your noodles to be broken.
Check the salt and season with salt and some pepper. Give it a good mix with the tongs.
Garnish with some more spring onion greens and sesame seeds.
Serve hot! [/directions]

Some more tips:

You can add any kind of vegetables or protein here. Vegetarians can add tofu and non-vegetarians can add chicken or scrambled eggs. Chicken thighs work best as they are tender and juicy without the probability of getting overcooked.
If you like things spicy, you can make your own Schezwan sauce at home and store it. I have a recipe on the blog for that that so many readers have loved 🙂
Always check on the salt before you add more.

I hope you try this really easy noodle recipe at home. Do not forget to share your stir fry noodles picture and link it to #slurrpitup on Instagram.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me with a comment or connect with me on Instagram or Facebook. For all my videos, you can subscribe to me on YouTube.

Happy cooking!

Rainbow Noodle Soup

A perfect combination of health, color, and comfort, this rainbow noodle soup is a must have! Especially on those rainy or cold nights where all the heart seeks is some comfort food. Try out this rainbow noodle soup and fall in love with it. Extremely simple to make and also highly customizable, and the egg on top is like a cherry on the cake!

The key ingredients in this rainbow noodle soup are lots of vegetables, cooked carefully till they are crunchy but not soggy (nobody likes that!). The results are absolutely amazing. Here’s the recipe:

Preparation time – 20 minutes

Cook time – 30 minutes

Serves – 2-3 people

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

100 g noodles (any kind would do)
250 g button mushrooms
100 g baby corn
1 medium carrot
6-7 cloves of garlic
50 g butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
200 ml of vegetable stock
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 green chili (optional)
2 tsp black pepper powder
Spring onion greens for garnish
Salt to taste [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

Dice all the vegetables (except the mushrooms) into medium pieces. Wash and set aside.
Cook the noodles in boiling water as per package instructions. Add some oil and salt in it so that they do not stick to each other. Strain and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a pot. Add the butter and stir the two together.
Put in the finely chopped garlic into the bowl. Stir it into the oil in low heat. This will enable the flavor of the garlic to get infused into the oil and not burn it. This technique is known as sweating the garlic.
After around two minutes, add the vegetables to the oil and fry for two to three minutes. Season with salt and pepper powder. I like my vegetables to be crunchy in the broth which is why I do not overcook them. Two to three minutes is enough for the vegetables to transform from the raw stage to the crunchy sauteed stage. Once done, take the vegetables out of the pot and set them aside.
In the same pot, pour in the vegetable stock and let it come to a full boil. Season with salt and pepper as required. Make a mix of sesame oil and dark soy sauce and add it to the broth. Cook an egg till the broth reduces by one-third.
Time to assemble. Take a large bowl, pour in the seasoned broth. Now add the cooked noodles to it. Top it off with the sauteed vegetables and a fried egg.
Garnish with chopped spring onion leaves and chili if you would like some heat as well. Serve hot! [/directions]

Feel free to add any vegetables of your choice to this noodle soup. Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, tofu, and beans can be some great additions. Just go with your instinct and preference. For non-vegetarians, you can add some chicken or any other protein you prefer. I hope you do try this gorgeous and colorful noodle soup for yourself. I promise it will not disappoint.

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out to me with a comment or connect with me on Instagram or Facebook.

Happy cooking!

Schezwan Noodles With Homemade Schezwan Sauce

It’s time to raise your threshold for all things Schezwan! This Schezwan noodles with crunchy vegetables are going to fall in love with spicy food all over again.

What makes it special you ask?

The main ingredient of the recipe aka the Schezwan sauce isn’t store bought. It is as fresh and lively as a recipe can get.

I absolutely love these noodles. They are super simple to make, a great way to eat those vegetables and also not compromising on taste. Because we never want to do that, right? You can also go ahead and add your favorite protein to this. Chicken and scrambled eggs would be delightful in these noodles.

For these noodles, I have used my go-to Schezwan chutney which works like magic. It is way better than store bought sauce and will give your noodles that extra oomph and color.

So here is the recipe.

Preparation time – 30 minutes

Cook time – 40 minutes

Serves – 1-2 people

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

150 g Chinese noodles
3 tbsp vegetable oil
7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely sliced
80 g green beans, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper powder
1 tbsp Schezwan chutney/sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt to taste [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

Cook the noodles as per package instructions with some salt in boiling water. Set aside.
Heat oil in a wok. Add the sliced onions, followed by the finely chopped garlic. Saute for a minute.
Add the vegetables – carrot, green bell pepper, and green beans. Feel free to add any crunchy vegetable of your choice here. Cook for about two minutes till they are semi-cooked and still crunchy.
Add some brown sugar and mix well.
Add the Schezwan chutney to the vegetables and mix well for another minute. Do not add salt at this point since the Schezwan chutney will already have some salt and spices.
Once the vegetables are coated in the Schezwan paste, add the cooked noodles to the wok. Use a pair of tongs to mix this well.
Season with salt and pepper as required. Taste it beforehand to get an idea of how much seasoning is required.
Add dark soy sauce to the noodles and bring it all together slowly.
Drizzle a bit of sesame oil on the noodles for some extra glaze and flavor.
Take off the heat and serve hot. [/directions]

Slurrp tip: Top it off with some scrambled eggs or a fried egg for more flavor.

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Related recipe – Better-Than-Takeout Shrimp Fried Rice

If you are new to the kitchen or are confused about what to buy for my recipes/kitchen tools, I can help. I have curated a special list that you can order right from Amazon and get the best products for your kitchen. Click here to explore.

And as always, happy cooking! <3

Homemade Schezwan Chutney – It’s Hot!

I have tried it all. Affordable, expensive, beyond budget, free with groceries, outrageously cheap – every brand that the market has to offer when it comes to Schezwan sauce. But I have not been impressed too much because I really look for freshness in everything. And the addition of preservatives can only give you so much!

Ever since I started blogging about recipes regularly, I have also started developing more interest in using fresh ingredients, even in case of chutneys and sauces. The difference is so huge in terms of taste, texture, freshness and of course, health! Now I am a big advocate of all things fresh and homemade. There are of course a few things I still buy from the market, but Schezwan sauce is definitely not one of those things.

If you are a big fan of everything Schezwan, this is the chutney for you. Made with hot red chilies and a few very basic ingredients, you can have a big batch of this Schezwan chutney in no time. I always have a jar of this in my fridge to whip up spicy recipes on those days that demand it. So go ahead and make a giant batch for yourself.

Preparation time – 30 minutes

Cook time – 30 minutes

Makes – 200 g

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

50 g dried red chilies
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
4 tbsp vegetable oil
15 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
20g ginger, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 cup water [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

Soak the dried red chilies in lukewarm water for four to five hours. Keep it covered all the while. This step is very essential because we want the chilies to soften.
Grind the soaked chilies with a little water till a thick and fine paste is formed.
Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add the finely chopped ginger and garlic. Saute for a minute. Make sure you don’t burn it.
Add the chili paste to the oil and fry on medium flame for about ten minutes. Once it starts releasing the oil, add some water and stir. Cover and cook this for fifteen minutes.
Take the lid off, add salt, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Stir well till you get the desired consistency. Add water accordingly.
Let it cool completely and transfer to a jar. Refrigerate and use it for up to a month in your recipes to add a good dose of heat. [/directions]

This chutney is not a sauce, because it is thicker than a sauce would be. You can choose to make it your own consistency. I like mine thick like a pickle, and using just a little also goes a long way in adding the spice element.

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Desi Chinese Vegetarian Recipe | Schezwan Paneer

Hello there!

Winters are here which means the craving for spicy Chinese food is going to go up a notch. My love for Chinese food is ages old and I cook it up very often to satiate my greed for taste.

This recipe is inspired by the wonderful vegetarian Chinese that you get in India. The Schezwan paneer (cottage cheese) recipe serves as a great source of comfort food. You can replace the paneer with tofu here if you wish.

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

125 grams paneer, cut into medium rectangles

2 onions, cut as shown in video

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped as shown in video

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup cornflour

1 cup water

3 tbsp oil

1 tbsp ginger paste (fresh)

1 tbsp garlic paste (fresh)

6 green chilies

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1 tsp Schezwan sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds, for garnish

PROCEDURE

For the flour batter:

In a bowl, add 1/4 cup corn flour and 1/4 cup all purpose flour.
Season with some salt and mix well.
Add 1 tsp oil to this and stir again.
Pour in some water to this and mix till lumps disappear.
Dip the paneer slices in this mix.

Steps:

In a wok, heat 2 tbsp of refined oil.
Fry the paneer slices dipped in the flour mix in oil till they turn brown and crispy.
Set them aside.
Heat another wok, and add 1 tbsp refined oil.
Add the onions and fry for about a minute.
Throw in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for 10 seconds.
The next step would be to add the green bell pepper. Make sure you do not overcook these vegetables and they would taste better when crunchy.
Add five to six green chilies. I have added the whole chilies just for the flavor here which is why I haven’t slit or chopped them.
Season with salt, pepper and Schezwan sauce to this. Mix well.
Time to add the fried paneer. Stir for 1 minute and then add the soy sauce.
Fry this gently for another minute and then add the remaining cornflour batter.
Cook for about one minute more.
Garnish with roasted sesame seeds and serve hot!

Slurrp tip – This recipe will go great with egg fried rice. Here’s the recipe.

Try this out and I promise you will not be disappointed! Will be more than happy to answer any queries.

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Slurrp it up fellas!