Turkish Menemen

Menemen is fast and easy to prepare and very nutritious. It’s a favourite for breakfasts in Turkey. But it can be a tasty lunch or a quick supper. 

Ingredients
Eggs: 4
Chopped tomatoes: 1 cup
Chopped capsicum: 1/2 cup
Chopped onion: 1/2 cup
Chopped green chili: 1 tsp
Diced olives: 2-3 tsp
Olive oil: 2 tsp
Salt: To taste

Method
Heat olive oil in a pan and add green chili, onion, capsicum and tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes on a low flame. Add eggs and scramble them well and add salt to taste. Cook the eggs till they are fairly firm. Serve warm.

Shakshouka

Shakshouka in Hebrew means “all mixed up.” It is a staple of Tunisian, Egyptian, Libyan, Algerian and Moroccan cuisines and is very popular in Isreal and the dish has been said to challenge hummus and falafel as a national favourite, especially in the winter.

Ingredients
Eggs: 4
Finely chopped onion: 1 cup
Finely chopped capsicum: 1 cup
Peeled and crushed tomatoes: 4
Olive oil: 2-3 tsp
Salt: To taste
Pepper powder: To taste

Method
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add onion and capsicum. Saute them till lightly brown.Peel and grate tomatoes on largest holes of a grater. Add the grated tomatoes to the frying pan and close the lid. Cook over low flame for 15-20 minutes.Remove the lid and add the the eggs. Stir gently to break yolks. Cover the lid again and cook on a medium flame for about 5 minutes or till the eggs are firm. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Note: If you want, you can use minced garlic. If you love it to be spicy, you can add crushed chili powder and for taste variation, you can add oregano.

Sesame Noodles

Ingredients

Spaghetti noodles: 200 gm

Chopped spring onion: 1 cup

Sliced capsicum: ½ cup

Sesame seeds: ¼ cup

Soy sauce: 4-5 tsp

Sesame oil: 2-3 tsp

Canola oil: 2-3 tsp

Vinegar: 2 tsp

Red chili flakes: 2 tsp

Salt: To taste

Method

Cook spaghetti till tender according to the directions mentioned on the package. Drain, rinse in cold water, add 1 tablespoon of oil and set aside.

Dry roast sesame and keep aside. Whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, vinegar, red chili flakes and salt.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan and add spring onion and capsicum, sauté for a minute and add whisked soy mixture. Add noodles and toss well. Remove from the heat and add roasted sesame. Garnish with spring onion before serving.

Veg Fried Rice

Ingredients

Basmati rice: 1 cup

Chopped carrot: ¼ cup

Chopped beans: ¼ cup

Chopped capsicum: ¼ cup

Chopped spring onion: ¼ cup

Minced ginger and garlic: 2 tsp

Slit green chili: 2

Soy sauce: 2 tsp

Vinegar: 2 tsp

Oil: 2-3 tsp

Salt: To taste

Sesame oil: 1 tsp

Hot sauce: 2 tsp

Coriander leaves: 1 tsp

Method

Cook Basmati rice and spread the rice on a plate and allow it to cool.

Heat oil in a pan and add beans and carrot stirring for 3-4 minutes. Add capsicum, spring onion, ginger, garlic, green chili and salt and cook till the vegetables are just tender and it took me 2 minutes. Add the cooked rice, soy sauce and vinegar to the pan and sauté for 30 seconds. 

Remove from the heat, add sesame oil and hot sauce and stir well.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Stir Fried Vegetables

Ingredients
Cubed cabbage: 1 cup

Cubed carrot: 1 cup

Baby corn: 1 cup

Mushroom: 1 cup

Broad beans: 1 cup

Cauliflower florets: 1 cup

Cubed capsicum: 1 cup

Oil: 2-3 tsp

Soya sauce: 2-3 tsp

Ginger, garlic and chilli paste: 2-3 tsp

Roasted sesame seeds: 3-4 tsp

Pepper powder: 1 tsp

Salt: To taste

Method

Fry the vegetables on high heat for 5 minutes. Add soy sauce and chilli paste. Add the roasted sesame seeds, pepper powder and salt and sauté well till all the vegetables are coated well. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Hakka Noodles

Ingredients
Boiled hakka noodles: 2 cups

Dried red chillies: 2-3

Chopped spring onion: 1 bunch

Chopped capsicum: 1 cup

Finely chopped garlic: 2-3 tsp

Vinegar: 1 tsp

Salt: To taste

Olive oil: 2 tsp

Method
Crush red chillies and garlic coarsely. Heat oil in a pan and add crushed chilli and garlic and sauté well. Add capsicum and fry till tender. Add spring onion and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add noodles, salt and vinegar and mix well. Heat for a minute and serve with schezwan sauce or manchurian gravy.

Quick Pasta

Ingredients
Boiled pasta: 2 cups (I use Penne Rigate for this recipe)

Finely chopped tomato: ½ cup

Finely chopped onion: ½ cup

Finely chopped capsicum: ½ cup

Chopped ginger: 1 tsp

Chopped garlic: 1 tsp

Chopped green chillies: 2-3

Salt: To taste
Olive oil: 2-3 tsp

Tomato sauce: 2 tsp

Method

Grind chillies, ginger, garlic and tomato sauce together. Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Saute well, add capsicum and then chopped tomatoes.  Add the paste and stir well. Add salt and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add water if you need gravy. Add pasta and toss gently so that the pasta is covered well with the masala. Serve hot.

Cavatappi Pasta

Ingredients
Pasta (Cavatappi): 2 cups
Tomato: 2 medium sized
Capsicum: 1 small size
Onion: 1 small size
Garlic: 2 cloves
Pepper powder: ½ tsp
Oregano: ¼ tsp
Basil: ¼ tsp
Salt: As per taste
Olive oil: 5-6 tsp
Fresh cream: 3-4 tsp
Cheese: 3-4 tsp

Method
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, add the Cavatappi pasta. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through, but is still firm to the bite. Drain well in a colander and add a few drops of olive oil, toss it well and keep aside. Remove seeds from tomato and chop them finely. Chop capsicum, onion and garlic also finely. Heat olive oil in a pan and add onion and garlic and saute till they turn golden brown. Add chopped tomato and fry well for 4-5 minutes. Mash the tomato well so that it leaves all its juice in the pan. Add pepper, basil, oregano and salt and saute for a minute. Add capsicum and fresh cream and mix well. Add the cooked pasta followed by cheese before tossing everything gently. Transfer to serving bowl and add olive oil on top.

Note: Normally, Parmesan cheese is used in Italian pasta, but Mozzarella cheese will also do.