Tag: Asian Twist

OneWholesomeMeal brings you recipes from the Far East. From Japanese food to Thai food to Chinese delicacies, she has them all. Experimenting with flavors and bringing together her experience with Indian cooking, she whips up some tasty dishes with an Asian twist.

Thai Stir Fried Noodles by OneWholesomeMeal
Stir Fried Noodles

 

Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Dinner | 8pm Meal

Thai Style Shredded Egg Salad | A Weekly Meal Plan

Thai Style Shredded Egg Salad
Thai Style Salad With Egg

Today I talk about my love for the Thai Cuisine. The recipe for this delicious Thai Style Shredded Egg Salad is my Thai cuisine experiment.

I cannot recall a day when someone recommended Thai food and I turned up my nose. With such umami of flavours, it is hard to go wrong with this Asian cuisine. One may feel that Thai culture and food are heavily influenced by India. But if you pay attention, you will observe they still retain a unique individuality and distinctness of their own.

This interesting article will give you an idea of how similar the two countries are in terms of language, ceremonies, food, and religion. The deeper you dig the more interesting it gets. As rightly highlighted in the article:

“Although Thailand has its own unique cuisine which is comprised of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy flavours it has evolved from India and Chinese influences. The influences of foreign trade played a vital role and it is believed that Buddhist monks from India, originally brought the curry to Thailand. The most popular curries today are the masaman curry which contains dried spices, including cinnamon and nutmeg, and yellow curry which is infused with turmeric, cumin, ground coriander seed and chili powder.”

Recently I learned an interesting fact from my sweet Thai masseuse. The people in Thailand celebrate a festival called Songkran which is very similar to the Indian Holi festival. They are both festivals of colours, and celebrated in spring. Isn’t that a coincidence? While Holi in India marks the onset of Spring (Basant), Songkran marks the beginning of the Thai New Year.

The Flavours Of Thai Cuisine

Coming back to the uniqueness of Thai food. I do feel there is no other cuisine quite like it. It is a beautiful balance of flavours bursting on one’s palate instantly transporting one to culinary heaven. Most recipes derive their taste from fresh ingredients and not just spices. And this cuisine offers a range of options from really simple and easy to whip up delicacies to the ones that require some expertise. But every single time it doesn’t disappoint. This reminds me, any time you happen to visit Thailand, do enroll in a cooking class if one is offered. The entire experience of buying fresh produce from the farmer’s market, to hand pounding spices and making your own fresh sauces, and enjoying the final meal is quite satisfying indeed.

Until then I have you covered with this easy-peasy Thai style shredded egg salad. It is extremely versatile and can be made from ingredients readily available all round the year. I do feel that the shredded egg is one of the key ingredients in the dish, however, vegetarians can replace it with scrambled tofu, and fish sauce can be replaced with Worcestershire sauce. Highly recommend making this salad right before serving but if you do plan on saving time, you could blanch the beans and keep their ready but do not slice them.

This recipe is adapted from Donna Hay Simple Dinners.

Thai Style Shredded Egg Salad

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Thai Style Shredded Egg Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

  • Green or Yellow Beans- 150 gm
  • Cucumbers, sliced lengthways -3 small
  • Mint leaves- 1 cup
  • Basil leaves -1 cup
  • Coriander leaves- 1cup
  • Red chillies, thinly sliced- 2 or more if you would like it spicier
  • Lime juice- 1/4 cup
  • Fish sauce- 1/4 cup
  • Caster sugar- 2 tbsp
  • Eggs-4
  • Sesame Oil- 2 tsp
  • Roasted, unsalted cashews as toppings

Instructions

  1. Place the beans in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and let it stand for 2-3 minutes
  2. Drain and run it under cold water
  3. Place the beans, cucumber, mint, basil, coriander and chilli in a large bowl
  4. Combine the lime juice , fish sauce and sugar , pour over the salad and toss to combine
  5. Then heat oil in large non-stick frying pan over high heat
  6. Whisk one egg at a time and pout into the hot pan, swirling the pan to thinly coat the base
  7. Cook for 1 minute or until set
  8. Remove from the pan and repeat with remaining oil and eggs
  9. Roll up each omelette, slice and serve with the salad and cashews
  10. Enjoy right away!
https://onewholesomemeal.com/thai-style-shredded-egg-salad-a-weekly-meal-plan/

MEAL PLAN OF THE WEEK

 

Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Mid-Day Snack | 10 am Meal

Calamansi Sherbet | A New Summer Cooler

Calamansi Sherbet recipe
Calamansi Sherbet

Let’s add a calamansi zing to the common lemonade!

Schools are off for summer. This means taking it a tad easy. No rushed mornings for a while. Basically, a few things less on the to-do list and lots more time to bond with the kids. I took this opportunity to get my 4-year-old involved in the “boring chores” around the house (and the kitchen). This may or may not include squeezing tangy calamansis to make a refreshing sherbet for sultry summer afternoons.

What Do You Need?

The “recipe” is literally water, sugar, and calamansi juice. I used about 3-4 calamansis. Make sure to discard the seeds. For sweetening, you can add sugar or honey. You could also add a pinch of salt to cut the sweet. Make sure you serve it chill or add a few ice cubes to the pitcher. For more flavor, feel free to add mint leaves to the calamansi sherbet. Like I said it is a very easy recipe. A great way to get the little ones involved in the kitchen.

 Here is an indicative recipe that you can adjust as per your desired taste. Enjoy! Oh! By the way, did you know that even though their name sounds Indian, calamansi is native to the Philippines?

Calamansi photography by OneWholesomeMeal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kalamansi Sherbet

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Serving Size: 2

Calories per serving: 73

Ingredients

  • Juice of 3-4 Kalamansis, seeds discarded- 2 tablespoons
  • Drinking Water- 2.5 cups
  • Sugar- 2 tablespoons (or Honey 2.5 tablespoons)

Instructions

  1. Squeeze the juice out and pass it through a strainer to remove any pulp or seeds
  2. Add the juice to water
  3. Add sugar and stir until dissolved
  4. Add ice and serve chilled

Notes

Enjoyed best as a cooler on a hot summer afternoon

https://onewholesomemeal.com/calamansi-sherbet/

 

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal

Kimchi Flavoured Brown Rice

Kimchi
Kimchi Flavoured Brown Rice

Thank you, Kimchi for making brown rice flavorful in this one-pot meal.

The KISS rule is totally wasted on me! Now, that I have your attention, I meant the Keep It Simple Stupid rule silly J There are days I go into the kitchen thinking, “Just plain rice boiled with veggies today. A one-pot meal in the rice cooker. That’s it!”.

But then I see the chicken stock peeking from the refrigerator door. Oh and the paneer sitting in the chiller feeling neglected. There is also some rosemary about to breathe it’s last. And kimchi which is fermenting away for the last few months. Suddenly, the simple boiled rice with veggies is not so simple anymore. Well! Though there are a lot of ingredients, it is still really simple to put together. The flavors are just so amazing that one wonders, “Did I just throw everything together into the rice cooker?”.

Also, I am not a big fan of brown rice and hence the need to “complicate” things. Also, the lack of time to make a complete Indian meal points me in the direction of a one-pot meal. You can of course create the same dish with white rice; sticky jasmine rice would taste best. But it is okay to eat healthy-ish once in a while, isn’t it?

Kimchi Rice

Kimchi Rice

 

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Kimchi Flavoured Brown Rice

Ingredients

  • Brown rice (preferably pre-soaked for 30-45 mts)-1 cup (I used brown basmati rice, you could use any or even regular basmati or sticky jasmine rice; remember to adjust the water/stock accordingly based on the kind of rice used)
  • Chicken or vegetable stock-2.5 cups (if you do not have stock at hand, you could use plain water)
  • Chopped kimchi- ¼ cup
  • Kimchi juice- ½ cup (If your kimchi is not fermented enough, you could add some rice vinegar to it to increase volume)
  • Paneer (cottage cheese) cut into cubes and sautéed until light brown-1 cup
  • Green peas- ¼ cup
  • A few sprigs of rosemary
  • Star anise- 1
  • Garlic, chopped fine- 1 teaspoon
  • Oil for cooking kimchi- 1 tablespoon
  • Sesame oil- 1 teaspoon (optional)
  • Salt- 1 teaspoon or to taste
  • Spring onions, chopped fine and baby tomatoes for garnish

Instructions

  1. Add brown rice, stock, paneer, green peas, salt, rosemary and star anise to the rice cooker and cook as usual. You could add as many vegetables as you like- carrots, green beans or even mushrooms (mushrooms would need to be cooked with kimchi separately in the next step and not added to the rice while it is cooking with other vegetables)
  2. In the meantime, heat oil in a deep heavy bottomed pan, add garlic and sauté for about 30 secs on medium high flame and then add chopped kimchi and stir until almost done. This should take not more than 2 minutes. You do not want the kimchi to cook completely as it would cook some more with the steamed hot rice
  3. Add the cooked rice with vegetables and kimchi juice to the semi cooked kimchi and give it a nice stir. At this point you could add 1-teaspoon sesame oil for flavor but this is completely optional based on your palette. Cover and let it sit on a low flame for 2 minutes, adjust salt and serve hot topped with spring onions, baby tomatoes and a side of fried egg. I love to drizzle mine with some garlic chili oil for added flavor

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 175 Nutrition- Manganese/Selenium/ Naturally occurring oils/Fiber/Antioxidants It did wonders for your-Cholesterol/Heart diseases/ Gut/ Obesity/ Arthritis This is “My 8 pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/kimchi-flavoured-brown-rice/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Dinner | 8pm Meal

Spicy Soup with Sichuan Peppercorns

Spicy Soup
Spicy Fish Soup with Sichuan Peppercorns

Whether a soup person or not, you cannot say no to this extremely flavourful Spicy Soup with Sichuan Peppercorns.

Let me start this post with a small reveal. I am not a huge soup fan. However, my half a decade in Hong Kong has definitely gotten me to change a little bit. Now we do soups at home once in a while, but me being me, I absolutely need to put an Indian twist to it. For example, this one-pot yumminess was seasoned generously with garlic, tomatoes, and lots of fresh coriander. Along with this, I simmered basa fillets, bok choy, and black chickpeas in stock for a good 40 minutes. Vegetarians could swap fish with tofu or cauliflower and it would just taste as good. I always have you covered!

The kids ate it with a side of plain sticky rice and the adults as is. Perfect light weekday dinner before we binged endlessly through the weekend. And I cannot recommend this spicy soup enough for cold and flu days. The pepper is just so amazing to help clear the phlegm. You could use any white fish and it would taste as good. Here is the recipe for you to try.

Spicy Soup

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Fish Soup with Sichuan Peppercorns

Ingredients

  • Basa (or any white fish) fillet cut into desired size-200 gm
  • Garlic, chopped fine- 4-6 pods
  • Tomatoes, medium sized, cubed- 2
  • Coriander leaves, chopped fine-4 tablespoons
  • Chinese greens of your choice (Bok Choy works best in soups), cleaned-6-8 stocks
  • Sichuan Peppercorns- 2 teaspoons or as per taste
  • Black pepper-1/4 teaspoon
  • Salt-1.5 teaspoon or to taste
  • Water-2 cups
  • Oil-1 teaspoon

Instructions

  1. Marinate the fillets with ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns and ½ teaspoon salt for 45 minutes. For best results rub the peppercorns on the fillets. You can skip this step if the kids cannot handle the heat
  2. Heat a deep heavy bottomed pan and add 1-teaspoon oil. Once the oil is hot, add chopped garlic and black pepper, stir for a minute, making sure it doesn’t get burnt, then add tomato
  3. Mix well for a minute, then add the marinated fish fillets, chopped coriander,1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
  4. Stir in the water and bring the mixture to a boil on high heat
  5. Reduce the flame to low, cover and let it simmer for at least thirty minute
  6. In the last five minutes, add bok choy or greens of your choice, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes
  7. Add salt, mix and serve hot garnished with crushed pepper corns

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 120 Nutrition- Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, K, B6, C, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Manganese, Phosphorous It does wonders for your-Muscles/Hair/Immunity/Anemia/Bones/Gut This is “My 8pm/3pm Meal

https://onewholesomemeal.com/spicy-soup-with-sichuan-peppercorns/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal

Kimchi Besan Cheelas | Kimchi Flavoured Vegan Omlette

Kimchi Besan Cheelas
Kimchi Besan Cheelas | Kimchi Flavored Vegan Omelette

What does an Indian do when she has had an overdose of Indian food but misses home none the less? An Asian twist to the rescue! She makes kimchi besan cheelas (vegan omelette) and devours them.

This is a super easy fusion between the Indian cheela and the Korean kimchi pancake. They are both individually so delicious possessing very unique tastes to the countries they originate in. However, there is a similarity that helps fuse them together. I am surprised it took me so long to try it!

The kimchi besan cheelas is a simple recipe and they are a complete meal. I added some peas to the batter and topped with toasted coconut flakes before serving it. One small tip, courtesy my sweet Korean friend – the older the kimchi is the better and tangier flavor it will give the pancake. I do not make my kimchi at home, so I let the store-bought kimchi sit in my fridge for a month (that is all I could persevere).

These are perfect as an afternoon snack or a lunch box meal for the kids. And yes, they taste delicious with a hot cup of masala chai. Scroll down for the full recipe.WholesomeMeal

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Kimchi Flavoured Vegan Omlette (Kimchi Besan Cheela)

Ingredients

  • Besan (chickpea/gram) flour- 1 cup
  • Onion, chopped fine-1 small
  • Green peas-2 tablespoons
  • Green chilies, chopped fine-2 (optional)
  • Coriander, chopped fine- 1.5 tablespoons
  • Kimchi, chopped to small pieces- 3 tablespoons or to taste
  • Caraway(ajwain) seeds- 1/4 teaspoon
  • Salt-1.5 teaspoons or to taste; based on how salty the kimchi is you would need to adjust the salt added
  • Toasted coconut flakes as topping-2 tablespoons
  • Water-1.5 cups; squeeze the water from the kimchi and use it for making the batter too
  • Oil-4 tablespoons for shallow frying

Instructions

  1. In a deep bowl, add besan and stirring continuously add water gradually to make a smooth batter
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well
  3. Heat one tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan and swirl the pan to evenly spread the oil
  4. When the oil is hot, reduce heat to low and add 1 tablespoon batter to the pan and using the back of a spoon spread out the batter evenly to make a circle
  5. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook till brown; flip it over, add another tablespoon oil and cook the other side till done
  6. Serve hot topped with toasted coconut flakes and a side of dates-tamarind chutney or ketchup

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 145 Nutrition- Protein/Iron/Magnesium/Potassium/Vitamin B-6 It does wonders for your- Muscles/Sleep/Nerves/Anemia This is “My 1pm/3 pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/kimchi-flavoured-vegan-omlette-kimchi-besan-cheelas/

[kkstarratings]

 

 

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal

Udon Noodles with Pepper Prawns

Pepper Prawns
Udon Noodles Pepper Prawns

It has been a busy weekend so far, but a good kind of busy. It has been filled with meeting and bumping into friends, getting pampered, and just being showered with a lot of love. Birthdays are so special. They are a reminder that we are surrounded by so much love which we at times do not appreciate. It is good to be reminded from time to time.

Sharing this simple udon noodles with pepper prawns recipe which was our dinner a few days back. Simple, soulful, and hearty, I brought up the spice quotient by adding some Kerala style pepper prawns and the combination was just too good. I will share the recipe in another post soon.

Pepper Prawns

 

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Udon with Pepper Prawns

Ingredients

  • Soft Vaccum-packed Udon(this is pre-cooked and just needs to be soaked in hot water for a few minutes before stir-frying)- 200gm
  • Chili-garlic sauce- 2 teaspoon or to taste
  • Low sodium soy sauce- 2 tablespoons
  • Rice Wine Vinegar- 2 teaspoons
  • Sesame Oil-1 teaspoon
  • Brown Sugar-1.5 tablespoon
  • Garlic (minced)-2 cloves
  • Ginger (minced)-1 tablespoon
  • Medium onion (sliced)-1/2
  • Carrots (matchsticked)- 1
  • Spring onions (sliced fine)-1 cup
  • Sesame seeds (toasted)- 2 teaspoons
  • Oil- 2 tablespoons

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of water to boil, turn off the heat and add the udon noodles. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes, then drain the water, comb through the noodles with a chopstick so they separate well and set aside
  2. Mix chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a small bowl to make the sauce and set aside
  3. In a medium sized wok heat oil and add onions, stir until the onions are soft and translucent. Add carrots and cook for a minute; do not overcook as we need the carrots to retain their crunch
  4. Add the drained noodles to the wok and cook for 30 seconds. Add the prepared sauce and mix well and cook for another 30 seconds
  5. Turn off the heat and serve hot garnished with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions

Notes

Calories (per portion)- 190
Nutrition- Fiber/Iron/Zinc
It does wonders for your- Gut/Stamina
This is “My 8pm Meal"

https://onewholesomemeal.com/udon-with-pepper-prawns/

[kkstarratings]