Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Gorton’s Seafood. All opinions stated in this post are entirely my own and true to my personal experience while using this product. #GortonsAirFryerRecipes #ad @gortonsseafood

Being an ardent seafood lover and hailing from a costal region, fish and shrimp are an integral part of our diet and our favorite protein sources.  This Prawn / Shrimp Manchurian is a popular Indo-Chinese delicacy all over India. Battered shrimps are fried and then tossed in an aromatic sweet n sour sauce with a slight hint of heat and served along with fried rice or hakka noodles; a wonderful combination which is easy to make and tastes so so delicious!!

The recipe is fairly simple if you use popcorn shrimp, otherwise there is an additional step of frying the battered shrimp. I have air fried the shrimp which took only 6 mins to cook, while I prepared the sauce and other ingredients. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, sauté the aromatics till the sauce bubbles up, toss the fried shrimp, and finally garnish with spring onions. You can also add bell peppers as an extra ingredient but is completely optional.

To speed up the cooking and save time, I have used Gorton’s popcorn Shrimp. I have been a long-time fan of Gorton’s products; they are super easy to use and crunchy delicious. To know more about Gorton food products and the availability in your area, click here.

There you go, Shrimp Manchurian … An easy n tasty dinner within 30 mins! Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

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Shrimp Manchurian

Shrimp Manchurian … A Classic Spicy, Sweet n Tangy Indo Chinese dish, best served as an Appetizer or a Side with rice & noodles. An Easy Peasy Dinner in less than 30 minutes …!!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Indo-Chinese

Keyword air fryer, popcorn shrimp, shrimp manchurian

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Cook Time 21 minutes minutes

Total Time 28 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• Gorton’s Popcorn shrimp (14 oz. pack)
• 3 garlic pods (minced)
• ½ inch ginger (grated)
• ½ of a medium sized onion (cubed)
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
• 1 tbsp green chili sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Corn flour slurry: 1 tbsp corn flour + 2 tbsp water (mixed)
• 2 spring onions (chopped)
• Oil (as required)

Instructions

• Air frying the shrimp: Remove popcorn shrimp from the package and arrange in the air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees for 6 mins, shaking halfway through.
• Preparation of sauce: Prepare the sauce by whisking soya sauce, chili garlic sauce, green chili sauce, tomato ketchup and black pepper in a bowl.
• Heat oil in a pan, sauté ginger and garlic. Add the onions and sauté for 2 mins. Follow by adding the prepared sauce, corn flour slurry, and mix everything together.
• Add the air fried popcorn shrimp, toss everything together to combine. Garnish with spring onions.
• Serve Hot! This dish goes well as a side with fried rice, white rice, or with hakka noodles, or is good as an appetizer on its own.

Notes

This dish tastes the best when served hot and crispy, right from the kitchen. Once cooled or reheated, it loses its crispiness although tastes good.

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One of the newest additions to my Favorite Recipes collection – Quinoa Fried Rice, has become my latest crush! A total fuss free recipe with fewer ingredients, a zillion health benefits, and takes hardly 15 minutes to cook.

So, why Quinoa? Quinoa is high in protein, fiber, and minerals, and also a healthy substitute for rice. It fits perfectly with the Eat Healthy mantra of the modern world which although is dominated by salads, but quinoa makes a great low-calorie replacement to regular rice recipes.

Now, why Fried Rice? Well, to me it is the best possible way to clear your leftover veggies at home, but this time not along with rice, instead quinoa. Or if you are a parent worrying on how to make your kids eat veggies, this is your answer; it’s colorful, tasty, and of course loaded with all the good stuffs! Also, your customizing options are ample; add or replace with tofu, paneer, eggs, chicken or meat, as you like. I am sure you’re gonna love this dish if you are a fan of Chinese takeout dinner nights, like me.

There is no big list of sauces to this recipe, just two; Soya sauce and Chili Garlic sauce. I love using chili garlic sauce in my Asian inspired dishes, especially in stir fry and fried rice recipes.  You can substitute it with sriracha sauce, but I highly recommend Chili garlic sauce. Trust me… it tastes so damn good.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

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Quinoa Fried Rice with Grilled Pineapple

Healthy n Nutritious Quinoa Fried Rice loaded with Veggies and Grilled Pineapple… A Perfect Rice substitute, Tastes way better than your regular Takeouts…!! 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword fried rice, quinoa, quinoa fried rice

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa (cooked and cooled)
• 2 garlic (minced)
• ½ of an onion (chopped)
• ½ cup green beans (chopped)
• 1 carrot (chopped)
• ¼ cup edamame / green peas
• 2 tbsp soya sauce / tamari
• 2-3 tsp chili garlic sauce / sriracha sauce
• 3 pineapple rings
• Salt and pepper (as required)
• 1 tbsp oil (olive / sesame / vegetable oil)
• ¼ cup green onions (chopped, garnish)

Instructions

• Cook quinoa according to package directions.

  OR

  Rinse the quinoa and drain. Combine quinoa with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. When it starts boiling, reduce the heat to a low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and germ has spiraled out.
• Heat oil in a pan on medium heat, sauté garlic until its fragrant. Add the chopped veggies (except edamame/green peas) and cook until the vegetables turn tender. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile on a grill pan, cook pineapple rings on medium heat, 5 minutes on each side, until they become slightly caramelized / tender. You can brush with a little oil / butter if desired. Remove from the pan and slice the rings into bite size pieces.
• Add cooked quinoa, edamame, soya sauce and chili garlic sauce, into the pan with cooked vegetables. Toss for 3-4 minutes to combine well. Add chopped pineapple slices, mix well and garnish with green onions.

Notes

1. You can use your choice of vegetables like bell pepper, snow peas, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, or corn, and also include eggs and any protein as desired.

2. Chili garlic sauce works best for this recipe, but you can substitute it with sriracha sauce.

3. This same recipe can be used to make fried rice with your choice of cooked and cooled brown/white rice.

4. You can refrigerate the prepared dish in an air tight container for up to 4-5 days.

The post Quinoa Fried Rice with Grilled Pineapple appeared first on Pepper Delight.

How has your winter been so far? New Year has turned Missouri into a chilly and a windy state, limiting me to indoors most of the time. Still I love it, as being a food blogger I get to focus more on my work and makes me say… “Ya baby, winter is nice!”. But it’s the weekend snowstorms and freezing rains which make me say “Grrrr, I hate this…”.

So coming to my recipe of the day, here I am with a dish perfectly suited to warm you up, and is vegetarian with Tofu as the hero… a simple Fried Rice. This year as part of my “Blogging Resolution”, I plan to bring you a lot of healthy recipes. In the first year of my blog I was so excited to add all my favorites without worrying about the calories, but now it’s time to get healthy and of course in a delicious way. Ahaa…!

This is my first Tofu recipe as it is not popular in my hometown, and a similar substitute we are often used too is Paneer (cottage cheese). It was after moving to the US and visiting restaurants with my vegetarian friends/relatives did I get to taste Tofu. Hope that gives you a picture of my non-veg cravings, hehe! I personally never order vegetarian food outside, but the mouth watery vegetarian dishes on my friends plates make me dig into it. May be a good reason to hang out more with veggie friends and stay healthy (wink)!

For this recipe, you can use all types of vegetables along with paneer or even meat. Other than Tofu, Edamame is another healthy ingredient I have added and is my first. What I love about preparing a fried rice dish is the ease of cooking, and the best option to make use of all your leftover veggies/meat in your pantry, including the rice.

With any fried rice recipe, it is a known fact that a day old cooked rice works the best. Freshly cooked rice contains moisture which doesn’t help in roasting it properly. But when sat in a refrigerator overnight, there is no moisture left in it and the rice stays separated, which is perfect for stir frying.

Tofu is a healthy way to include a protein to your rice and veggies. But the tricky part in making a delicious tofu fried rice is draining the tofu completely of water, which otherwise will not allow the marinade to mix well and would taste bland.

Check out my Notes section for additional Tofu & Rice cooking tips.

Enjoy…!!!!

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Tofu Fried Rice

Healthy n Yummy restaurant style Tofu Fried Rice…! Loaded with Edamame, Carrots, Bell Peppers, and Onions... Substitute Tofu with Paneer or a Protein of your choice and this recipe still delivers a Simply Delicious Treat…!!!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword asian, fried rice, tofu fried rice

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Author Akhila

Ingredients

Sauce for Tofu

• 12 oz extra firm tofu (drained and pressed for at least 20 minutes)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp oil
• a pinch of salt

For Fried Rice

• 1 cup cooked rice (I have used basmati rice)
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp oil (for rice)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/2 cup carrots (chopped)
• 1/2 cup red and green bell peppers (chopped)
• 1/2 cup edamame
• 1/2 of yellow onion (sliced)
• 1/2 cup spring onions (chopped)
• 2 tbsp soya sauce
• 2 tsp sriracha sauce
• 2 tbsp oil (add more if necessary)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• salt (as required)

Instructions

• Wash rice in cold water thrice. Drain and soak in cold water for 30 minutes.
• Cook the rice, add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of oil while cooking. Once done, keep aside. Refer notes for additional rice cooking pointers.
• Prepare the sauce for the rice by whisking soya sauce, sriracha sauce, brown sugar, pinch of salt in a small bowl. Keep aside.
• Drain, dry, and cook the tofu. Refer notes for detailed instructions.
• Prepare the tofu marinade by mixing soya sauce, sriracha sauce, garlic, brown sugar, oil and a pinch of salt, in a small bowl. Whisk it well. Pour it onto the cubed tofu and marinate, allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Be careful not to crumble the tofu while marinating.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan/wok, pan fry tofu on a medium flame till its sides start turning brown, 2 minutes on each side should do. Remove the fried tofu from the pan and keep aside.
• To the same pan, add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Add salt and the remaining vegetables; carrots, bell peppers, edamame, onions, a handful of spring onions (reserve some to garnish later), and saute on a medium flame. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables turn tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same pan and stir fry the cooked rice for 4 minutes on a medium flame. Add the prepared sauce for the rice and stir to mix well. Add the cooked tofu and vegetables, and toss to mix with the rice. Place the lid and cook for a minute.
• Garnish with spring onions.
• Serve hot with a sauce of your choice (I prefer Sriracha sauce).

Notes

1. You can use this recipe to substitute tofu with paneer, meat, vegetables, or any protein of your choice.

Preparing Fried Rice

1. Texture of the cooked rice is very important in making a good fried rice dish. Rice cooked a day ago works the best as it would be dry which is crucial. But if you couldn’t plan in advance, make sure to completely cool the cooked rice by spreading on a plate, before preparing the fried rice.
2. You can use any long or medium grain white rice like basmati, jasmine or brown rice.
3. Make sure your pan is really hot before stir frying rice.

Preparation of Tofu

1. When shopping for tofu, look for extra firm one. Extra firm tofu works well.
2. Drain the tofu completely of water before cooking. You can place it between paper towels and keep pressed with a weight on top, this will release the water. Repeat as many times till it is dry.
3. Cut tofu into cubes.
4. Cook the tofu when the pan is really hot.

The post Tofu Fried Rice appeared first on Pepper Delight.

Sometimes I feel totally lazy, just wouldn’t want to open the kitchen… and if it’s one of those days when your hubby takes you for a drive and a night out, aww that’s special!! We love going for drives without any planned destination, silently in the dark with only light music playing in the car, till hunger strikes, and then a lookout for a good restaurant, a scrumptious dinner… ohhh what a night !!!

One such night took us to a Thai restaurant; it had been a while since we tried Asian food. But I must say, it was delicious! Pad thai, Panang curry, basil fried rice – some of our favourites… and that night I decided it was time for a new post with something Asian.

Tadaaa, here you go… my bowl of rice noodles with chicken n veggies.

When preparing this recipe, make sure you do not overcook the rice noodles as it can quickly turn sticky and clumpy. I suggest you cook the noodles after the preparation of chicken and mix it immediately with the saute as the sauces keep it separate and loose.

This recipe is easy, simple and a Yummilicious dinner bowl for a good nite…

Prep time: 30 – 40 mins
Serves: 2 – 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 7oz rice noodles (200 gm)
• 1 large chicken breast
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• ½ cup yellow onions (sliced)
• 1 tbsp ginger (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 green chilies (sliced )
• ½ cup broccoli
• ½ cup carrot(sliced lengthwise)
• 4 tbsp soya sauce
• spring onions (chopped)
• oil (as required)
• pepper (as required)
• salt (as required)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation of chicken and broccoli

1. Clean and slice chicken into thin strips.
2. Mix chicken with salt, pepper and corn flour. Fry until golden brown. Place the chicken in paper towels to remove excess oil.
3. In the same pan, saute sliced onions, green chilies, grated ginger and garlic, broccoli and carrots with a little salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are cooked and translucent.
4. Add the fried chicken pieces and mix well with the vegetables.
5. Add soya sauce, toss and saute until properly mixed and coated. If you want it to be saucier, add more soya sauce as needed.

Preparation of rice noodles

1. Cook either according to package directions.

OR

2. Soak rice noodles in cold water for 10 – 15 minutes. In the meantime, bring 2 cups of water to boil. Transfer noodles to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain quickly.

Mix immediately cooked noodles with chicken and toss well. This will help to prevent noodles from sticky. Garnish with spring onions.

Serve hot.

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