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We love eating out. My latest favourite Chinese joint is Dynasty on S.V. Road, Santacruz. For one, its close to home and secondly, the aroma of soy sauce and schezwan sauce beckons you inside. The only downside is that, on weekends there is a minimum wait time of 45 minutes, and they take reservations only upon arrival.

Its happened on so many Sundays that we end up going to a new place to eat, and on our way back, I say, Isse toh achcha hum ghar par hi khaate -Loosely translated, it means, we would have been better off eating at home. Either the food wouldnt be all that great or the server would have been off-putting. A Chinese meal at made at home is fast, flavourful and filling. Hows that for an alliteration?

A real super-fast menu would start with a Knorr Vegetable Soup modified into a lip-smacking Veg Mein Chow soup-ask me how? Actually Im all eager to share this idea with you. But more about that in some other post. The salad would be Ginto. Ok, ok, I admit this is Thai and not Chinese. But what the heck-it goes fantastic with the spicy soup. I think Ill write about this salad and soup together sometime.

Now on with the rice. Ive seen the kitchens in some of the Chinese restaurants, all in Bombay ofcourse. Havnent made the trip to China yet. I have been thinking if I will ever be able to make it, especially after hearing an episode where my vegetarian friend was served a little snake (yeah snake, not snack) all coiled up as a garnish on top of his veg rice. I didnt find that amusing at all..

Getting back to kitchens in Chinese restaurants, their Wok is filled with oil 1/4 th of the way to the top. They quickly dump in the customary green chillies, ginger and garlic, almost deep fry the veggies and add the cooked rice or noodles with the sauces. And all this happens while you were blinking. While I do like the tastes, this kind of cooking, doesnt do much for my health-conscious soul. If I wanted to eat deep fried food, Id go for a samosa guys, not fried rice.

Anyway, so thats how I end up making my own version of fried rice that tastes as good if not better and feels good to be eating too.

Feel free to use any vegetables you have on hand. The day I made this, I had some fresh green beans that I had stringed, cut and saved. So green beans fried rice it was. And because I always have onions and frozen peas on hand, it wasnt a bad idea to add those too.

I prefer putting in a whole lot of vegetables into the rice, so that each spoonful gives me almost as much of vegetables as much as rice. You may cut down on the veggies if they dont excite you much.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice, separated with a fork( I used regular kolam-a short grained rice)
1 generous cup of finely chopped French beans
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 medium onions halved and sliced

6 cloves garlic, 1/2" piece of fresh ginger, 3 green chillies- All finely chopped
1 T sesame seeds (This one makes the rice taste extra yum)

2 T dark soy sauce (adjust according to strength of sauce)
1 T vinegar
1/2 tsp of Chinese 5 Spice powder (Optional)

1 T oil (See I told you this was healthy! )
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper


In a wok, heat the oil. Throw in the sesame seeds first. Once they start turning golden, put in the ginger, garlic, chillies. Saute for 30 seconds, dont let the garlic brown please.

Now, put the veggies in. Add a pinch of salt. Saute them for 2-3 minutes, until their rawness is gone but crunch is maintained. Mix in the rice, soy sauce, vinegar, spice powder, pepper. Check for salt and adjust.

You may garnish with freshly chopped coriander if you wish.

Eat just like that or with a salad.

Note:

~While making this may take a little more time than what the chef in your local Chinese take-away does, it is still very quick. The only effort is in cleaning and chopping the beans. If you have a pack of frozen beans-then this wont take you more than 10 minutes :)

~It is also a great way of finishing up left-over rice.

Green beans are a great source of Beta-Carotene, Vitamin C, copper and Manganese making it a super-anti oxidant food. I could go on and on about the benefits of this humble vegetable, but thats matter for my weekly column. After a long break, Id like to send this for Cates ARF Tuesdays.

Do check the update on WBB # 4, Pavanis looking forward to your entries.

Related posts:

~Ginger Sesame Hakka Noodles
~Mango Pudding

Tags: Indo-Chinese food, Fried rice, French beans, Rice, low fat cooking, Leftovers, Anti-oxidant rich food

Weve made the sauce for the pasta and two bottles of homemade marinara sauce are sitting neatly at the back in the refrigerator. Also sitting is the exotic mushroom and bell pepper chutney to go on top of the bruschetta. To complete the valentine dinner, try this simple and subtle Cauliflower soup. Sometimes, less is more. Actually most of the times, less is more. I dont like the thought of adding all spices in all dishes, which is what happens in overly experimental Indian cooking.

Finally, its valentines tomorrow. My two bits of advice for that special dinner go like this-

Keep it simple (really simple).
Make atleast one dish from the scratch.
Choose recipes where you can make the basics ahead of time and just assemble on the D-day.
Finally, keep it LIGHT. You (or your significant other) should not sleep off while eating (heavy, greasy stuff) before you reach dessert.


My dessert recommendation would be a sinfully delicious yet ready-in-15 minutes Zabaglione. But attempt this dessert drink only if you have an electric whisk. We dont want you slaving around with a hand whisk on this beautiful day. After all it is a day to pamper yourself and feel wonderful. I tried this one after watching it in the Nigella Feasts Delicious Dinners episode and can vouch for the wow-factor of this creamy luscious drink. Ah, it is a crime to call this a drink! If you dont have Proseco, splash your beaus favourite liquor into this, Baileys wont be a bad idea.

If no electric whisk then try this Brandy Chocolate Mousse. After all, whats a Valentine dessert without some liquor in it?


All that the Cauliflower soup is flavoured with, is garlic and dried basil. And a head of fresh cauliflower needs just that. This soup has pure clean flavours which go very well with some strongly spiced dishes to maintain the balance of your meal. Dont be tempted to over spice please, atleast the first time over.


Cauliflower Soup
Makes 4 large bowls
Time taken - around 40 minutes
Category - low fat, soups

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ingredients
3 cups cleaned cauliflower florets with delicate stems
1 cup sliced red onions
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil or oregano (whichever you love best)
1 cup milk
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

special equipment
blender or hand blender

directions
In a heavy pot, heat the oil. Throw in the garlic and sliced onions. Stir them around for a minute or so with a pinch of salt.

Put in the cauliflower florets and let the veggies braise for around 15 minutes on a low flame. Dont let them caramalise if you want a white coloured soup. Keep stirring them around, until the cauliflower is almost cooked.

Remove onto a plate and let it cool before blending into a very fine puree. You can use the cup of milk to aid in fine pureeing.

Pour the puree into a saucepan. Add required quantity of water to achieve desired consistency of soup. Simmer the soup for a few minutes. Season with more salt (if needed) and freshly ground white / black pepper and dried basil / oregano.

Serve hot in pre-heated bowls with some croutons.

What Im going to cook up for Valentines is a surprise. I obviously dont want DH to read everything off my blog and then tell me - I know what you did last week! Besides, we may be doing the dinner end of the week due to some unexpected travel schedules. I still have time to plan. But you tell me, whats on your dinner table on the beautiful evening! Im all eyes...

For more ideas, visit one of my favourites, Fat free vegan. Theres a round up of Vegetable love!

Tags: Valentine dinner, soup, cauliflower

The Jo Malone fragrance line has everything you might possibly want in fragrance form: candles, colognes, lotions, body wash, and body oils. And while all the scents are named after various florals (i.e., orange blossom, white lily, and jasmine), they are surprisingly unfloral, thank goodness. I hate floral scents. The end.
I scored some major loot for my first Jo Malone purchase a couple weeks ago, thanks to buddying up to the sales woman at the counter. I bought the candle and the cologne you see above in one of my favorite scents, White Jasmine & Mint, but I also scored these mini samples of cologne in Grapefruit and Lime Basil & Mandarin, just for, ya know, being me prolly:
JK, it was some "spend more than you intended and probably should and well give you this free junk you dont need" deal. You know the kind. I like them enough, but I doubt Id actually buy these scents with money, but free is good.

Can we just talk about the packaging for a sec? I mean, the candle is adorable wrapped in plastic and tied with a bow, but did you see the box above?? Literally wrapped like a present. Just in case a box tied in a bow doesnt ring your bell, the sales woman really impressed me by spraying the tissue paper in the bag with the scent I bought. Zut alors, yall!!!
And because it was the end of her shift on a Friday night and her feet probably hurt and she might have been bored and what does she care cus its not her money anyway, the sales woman also sent me off with half a dozen mini samples of other fragrances. Im basically obsessed with Amber & Lavender and Pomegranate Noir now.
What I dont have a picture of is the sample of body oil she included as well. So if youre keeping track at home, thats:
- a White Jasmine & Mint candle
- a bottle of cologne in White Jasmine & Mint
- two mini bottles of other fragrances
- 6 samples of 6 OTHER scents
- a sample of body oil
I pretty much feel like I robbed the Jo Malone booth. In a good way.

If I were recommending any one item to someone to try for the first time, Id suggest either a fragrance or a lotion. The body oil is nice, but not as moisturizing as you might want it to be. And though I love a good candle, the scent isnt as strong as I want it to be. But like I said, I want to smell like a baby prostitute, so maybe itd be strong enough for you. Or you mom. I mean, hello! Mothers Day is just around the corner. What better way to tell mom you love her than by insinuating she stinks? I mean, am I right???

Any other Jo Malone devotees out there? Which fragrance do you love? And what are you getting your Mom for Mothers Day??