Thai Fried Rice

This weekend, I went to newly opened Winco Foods in Lacey. They had a huge collection of vegetables, and I bought almost everything that I cook including Tofu & moong sprouts.                  

On the way back, it was raining heavily and I felt like having Thai fried rice very badlyJ. So I came home and made it, though I was very tired. Usually I don’t prefer any sauces in any of my recipes, so no sauce is needed.

In the picture, I tried the same recipe with Quinao which I made for Christmas Potluck in Workplace.

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice--------------------->1.5 cups(Refrigerated the day before)

Tofu------------------------------->200 gms cut into cubes

White Onion-------------------->1 cup, sliced; ½ cup chopped (explained below)

Tomato--------------------------->2

Broccoli-------------------------->2 crowns

Zucchini-------------------------->3 cut into rounds

Capsicum------------------------>2 sliced length wise

Mung Sprouts------------------>1 Small Packet

Green Chillies------------------->2

Ginger---------------------------->1 inch

Garlic----------------------------->4 cloves

Red Chillies

/Crushed Pepper--------------->2 tsp

Salt-------------------------------->As desired

Cilantro--------------------------->1/4 cup chopped

 Thai paste                         

Onion - half cup chopped             

Tomato                               

Green Chillies                   

Ginger                 

Garlic                    

Red Chillies                        

Cilantro                               

Salt        

Procedure:

·         Shallow fry Tofu Cubes , add 3 tsp of Thai paste and little salt. Cook for 4 minutes or until lightly browned stirring occasionally. Keep it aside. This way Tofu is blended well with spiciness & salt.   

·         In the same pan, pour little oil and add the Thail paste and fry for 4 minutes                       

·         In another deep pan or Wok, add Onions, Broccoli, Capsicum                     

·         Once vegetables are half cooked, add Zucchini with salt & Crushed pepper according to the spiciness

·         Next mix the Thai paste and add the rice

·         Finally add moong sprouts

·         Mix the ingredients well without smashing them.

·         Garnish with Chopped Basil, Green Onions, fried Garlic, & Thail chilles(if u want the Thai fried rice look as in restaurants) - I skipped this step, because I didn’t have any of these.                    

·         U can also add, baby corn, Water Chestnuts and Bamboo shoots. I didn't add any of them

             

It was heaven eating the hot Thai Fried rice in cold weather and rain. ithu konjam 2 much thaan.. still I needed it after worn-out shopping.       

Minestrone Soup - My version

Data Input:Beans : 2 cups (Kidney Beans, Lima Beans, or any other variety u like; I used Kidney Beans, Lima beans, Black beans)
Pasta : ½ cup
Veggies : Celery, Zucchini, Bell Peppers (Carrot & Potato if you like, I dint use)
Diced Onion : 1 Cup
Tomatoes : 1 Cup (if no tomatoes available, go for Tomato Sauce or Salsa)
Basil : 1 tsp
Thyme : 1 tsp
Oregano : 1 tsp
Parsley : 1 tsp
Garlic : 4 Cloves
Crushed Red Pepper , Jalapeno Peppers(pickled also fine) : according to ur spice star
Olive oil : 5 tsp
Salt : Desired quantity

Program Execution:• Soak the Beans overnight & Pressure Cook them with little more water (Don’t drain the water)
• Cook Pasta & drain it
• In a Pan, add olive oil ; once it is hot add Garlic and fry for a minute
• Add Onions, Tomatoes, and all the herbs (Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Parsley), fry for few minutes
• Add the Veggies; fry for couple of minutes
• Add cooked beans, Salt, Crushed Pepper or Jalapeno Pepper
• Bring it to boil , stir it , add Pasta and close with the lid.
• Simmer it for 30-45 mins

Output:Yahoooooooooooo! Yummy soup ready to enjoy !

I made this soup for "Chilli Soup Contest" conducted for raising money for Food Bank in my Office. Can u believe it? This soup won the contest!

I was very glad seeing the results of the contest as
"Congratulations to Priya Muthaiyan who won the soup contest!"

I received a cute Halloween lantern light as the prize.

Heartfelt Thanks to my DH who helped in cutting all the vegetables and tasting the soup.

Also Thanks to my dear friends in workplace who all encouraged me in making the soup.