Noodle Bhel

'N of Indian Vegetables' sure was a tough one for me. I don't know why but somehow I just went blank on veggies starting with 'N'. Finally, I remembered this recipe called 'Noodle Bhel', which I had come across in a newspaper 2 yrs back. I never really got to reading the recipe in detail and so with just an idea of the main ingredients, I made my own recipe. This simple dish is deliciously mouthwatering, can be altered to one's taste and liking easily, and can be served as a salad or a snack.

Ingredients:(There is no strict measure for ingredients in this recipe so use as per your liking)
Sprouted green mung beans
Maggi noodles (masala flavor) 1 packet
Chopped onions
Chopped red capsicum
Chopped cabbage
Grape tomatoes halved
Tamarind chutney (I used the readymade tamarind-date chutney by Swad)
Chaat masala
A little bit of cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Olive oil

Method:
The first thing required to make this bhel is sprouted green mung beans. It generally takes 1-2 days the way I do it. First wash the mung beans and then soak them for about 4-5 hrs. Then drain of all the water and spread the beans on a cloth or tissue towel till they are completely dried. Then line a plastic bowl with tissue paper, place the mung beans in it, cover it with the tissue and keep it in the oven to sprout.
Once the beans are ready, the bhel is a snap to make.Take the sprouted mung beans in a bowl. You can either use them directly or sautee them in a little bit of oil to get rid of the raw taste. I used raw beans and it looks like this...

Now, break the noodles. Reserve the masala included in the packet for later.In a pan, heat a little bit of oil and fry the noodles till they turn a little crispy and brown.They will look like this...

Add these noodles to the mung beans. Next, sautée the onions, capsicum and cabbage in a little bit of olive oil and add them to the beans. Cooking the veggies is optional. They can be added just like that.Then add the halved grape tomatoes.Sprinkle the reserved maggi masala powder, chaat masala, cayenne pepper and salt over the salad. Pour the tamarind chutney and toss the bhel. And thats it...Noodle Bhel is ready to serve!
The best part of this bhel is that the ingredients can be added or skipped according to one's liking and this is a delicious way to make kids gulp down their veggies. This is how the final product looks...Enjoy!

Lettuce Salad

Inspired by the salad recipes on the many food network shows where chefs/cooks make fresh salads with a variety of ingredients , I decided to make one for lunch today. My recipe is a mix of different recipes and made with ingredients that I already had at hand. I could not believe the full bodied taste a simple dressing made of lemon juice, honey and olive oil could impart to a salad! Unfortunately I did not manage to take a picture as i was not sure how it would turn out, but i will put up one the next time I prepare this salad, which will be soon.

Ingredients :
Romaine Lettuce about a cup and a half
1 Tomato chopped
A little onion chopped lengthwise
Green olives about 1/4 cup
Dried cranberries a handful
Roasted red peppers 3-4
Crumbled feta cheese about 1-2 tbsp
Cannellini (white) bean about 2 tbsp

Dressing:
Lemon Juice about half a lemon
Honey 2-3 tbsp
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder

Method:
Chop the lettuce leaves and put in a bowl. To this add the chopped tomato and onion. Chop the green olives and roasted red peppers and add to the lettuce. Mix in the cranberries. Drain the cannellini beans, place them under running water and rinse them off a little ( a tip I learned from 'Everyday Italian') , then add to the salad. Add the crumbled feta cheese.
Then make the dressing by mixing together the lemon juice, honey ,olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk together and pour over the salad. Toss the salad and serve.

The salad has an amazing sweet & savory blend and can be enjoyed by kids as well as adults.
I am really glad that I tried out this salad.