Hakka Noodles from My Mom In Law’s Kitchen

If I landed at my husband’s (my then classmate’s) home around evening, I’d always find him gorging on this Hakka noodles. Obviously I’d get my share :). She uses a bunch of non-traditional ingredients like cauliflower and green peas that are not common in the actual Indo-Chinese recipe. I used to say such good things about it in my circle that they demanded to try it out as well. On request my mother-in-law made two boxes for me to take to my friends. They loved it!!

I never really tried to make it myself. I always thought it’d never turn out to be the same. Sometime back in my visit to the local Indian grocery store, I saw some egg noodles (which isn’t common around here). I picked them up and called my mother-in-law. With her recipe I made this seemingly simple yet deceptively tasty dish which has a bong twist to it.

Ingredients

1. 1pkt noodles boiled as per package direction ( I used Ching’s egg noodles )
2. 2 eggs
3. 1/2lb shrimp cleaned
4. 1/2 cup small florets of cauliflower
5. 2 baby carrots cut into thin sticks
6. 1/2 cup green peas
7. 1/2 cup chopped green onions
8. 2 green chilies chopped
9. 1tsp. dark soya sauce
10. 1tsp. black pepper powder
11. Salt to taste
12. Vegetable oil

Procedure

Take a frying pan and heat 1tsp. oil. Break both the eggs and scramble them. Cook for a minute and remove.

In the same pan heat another spoon of oil and fry the shrimps on medium heat till they are cooked. Remove and reserve.

Take water in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Add all the vegetables other than chili and green onion  to it. Cook them on high heat for 2-3 minutes. Drain the water and dunk all these vegetables in cold water. This will help to retain the color and shape of the vegetables.

In a wok heat rest of the oil and add green chilies to it. Fry on low heat for about a minute. Drain the water of the boiled vegetables and throw them in the wok.  Fry them on high heat for another one to two minutes before you add boiled noodles and shrimps to it.

Add salt, soya sauce and black pepper powder. Stir fry on medium high heat till all the cooked ingredients and noodles are well combined and the noodles are no longer soft but little crispy. Garnish with chopped green onion and serve hot.

Lemongrass Infused Thai Soup (Tom-Kha)

The nip of fall is in the air and the chill of winter is not too far away. The warmth of soup goes really well with the cold nights. The recipe I am going to share with you is based on the famous Thai soup Tom-Kha. Interestingly I had Tom-Kha for the first time not in a Thai restaurant but at the food court in our local REI sports store.

Since all the ingredients have become readily available it is hassle-free to make it at home.

Ingredients

1. 200gms boneless chicken cut into cubes
2. 8 button mushrooms sliced
3. 1 medium carrot cut into cubes
4. 1” Thai ginger
5. 1 stalk lemongrass
6. Rind of one lemon
7. 2 tbsp. lemon juice 
8. 2 tbsp. chopped coriander greens
9. 1 tbsp. chopped green onions
10. 1 can coconut milk
11. Salt to taste

Procedure

Rub the chicken cubes with salt and set aside. Remove the external covering of the lemongrass and slice the stalk. Julienne the Thai ginger (cut into thin strips) and smash it in a mortar and pestle to get maximum flavor.

Boil chicken pieces in a small pan with 2 cups of water. Wait till the chicken cubes are tender. Remove any scum from the top.

In a separate pan heat 5 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Now add one by one all the herbs like smashed ginger, lemongrass and lemon rind. simmer till the water becomes fragrant. Now add mushroom slices and carrot cubes to it. Sprinkle salt and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the boiled chicken pieces along with its stock. Reduce the heat and slowly pour coconut milk to it. Add all seasoning like lemon juice and salt. Finally sprinkle chopped green onions and coriander leaves.

Serve hot.