QUEEN VICTORIA'S SOUR AND SPICY FLAVOURED FRIED NOODLE

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Lunch or snack break, it’s a great time of the day to cook a recipe that will gratify your loved-ones. Hearing the “burp” sound of satisfaction and kids saying, “Yummy mommy”, it’s a clear sign that you prepared the best for them and your delicious snack is truly appreciated.

This recipe is a source of carbohydrate, protein and is mixed with vegetables to supplement the body’s needs for nutrients. It is a health friendly dish as it is free from artificial flavouring or E621, which is known as Monosodium glutamate. 

Ingredients: 

•  250 grams. noodles 
•  150 grams. cooking bacon 
•  2 cloves of garlic, crashed and chopped 
•  1 medium-sized onion cut into 4 (separate each layer) 
•  2 medium-sized carrot; organic for extra flavour 
•  Strip slices of cabbage 
•  Chunk slices of lettuce 
•  A handful of green beans (cut both ends) 

Sauce: 

• 3 tsp. of lemon juice 
• 1 tsp. of malt vinegar 
• 2 tsp. of soy sauce 
• ¼ tsp. of cayenne pepper 
• Ground black pepper, to taste 
• A pinch of vegetable stock granules*

Sauce Preparation: 

1. Prepare a mixing bowl. 
2. Mix the lemon juice and vinegar in it. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients. 
4. Stir well and set it aside for awhile in a safe place. 

Cooking Procedure:  

1. Clean and rinse all of your vegetables.
2. Prepare the chopping board, a knife and a frying pan. 
3. Place your frying pan on moderate heat. 
4. Fry the bacon for 1 minute and stir it every 20-30 seconds. 
5. While waiting for the bacon to cook. Crash and chop the garlic using a knife on the chopping board. Peel-off and cut the onion into 4 parts and separate each layer. 
6. Add the garlic and the onion to the bacon. Adjust the flame to low. Mix all the ingredients before covering it with a lid. Cook for 1-2 minutes. 
7. Soak the noodle in a bowl/container with lukewarm water. Just set it aside. 
8. Cut the carrots according to your preferences (strip horizontal slice is the best). 
9. Place the washed and rinsed cabbage, lettuce and green beans on a plate. 
10. Check your bacon mixture in the frying pan. And add the carrots and the cabbage. Stir it gently and add 1/8 cup of water. Cover and set it aside for 1 minute. Set the flame of the burner back to moderate. 
11. Add the noodle and the remaining vegetables to the frying pan mixture. Stir well. Adjust the flame back to low. Cover and set it aside for another 1 minute. 
12. On or before the time (1 minute), gradually pour the prepared sauce mixture. Stir it gently using a wooden spoon. 
13. Cover and cook for 1 minute under the low flame. 
14. Prepare and arrange the cooked fried noodle in a serving bowl.

It is served with sprinkled slices of spring onion on top as it contains anti-oxidant that benefits the health. It is usually eaten with slices of bread as an alternative for cooked rice (for Asians) and glasses of fresh fruit juice as a substitute to fizzy drinks. 

*Some vegetable stock granules and cubes contain E621 (MSG) to be avoided.

QUEEN VICTORIA'S COOKED BROWN RICE

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD
 

Asian's staple food that cannot be replaced in their daily lives is rice. A cereal grain from a monocot plant, Oryza sativa. The seeds of the rice are first milled using a rice huller to remove the chaff (the outer husks of the grain) and then the bran (hard outer layer of grain).

Are you one of these Asians whose daily meal is always complemented with cups of cooked rice or just having it on your table occasionally?

If you like this staple food of us, why not add more flavour into it when cooking. I am sure it will give an interesting sensation in your mouth.

This was just my experiment but the taste of the rice turned very appetising on my taste buds. Here are my ingredients before turning-on the rice cooker.

You will need 2 stalks of spring onions and cut according to your preference. Then, add the sliced spring onions into the rice with the additional ingredients, 2 tbsps. of olive oil, 1 tsp. of mixed herbs and spinach (frozen/fresh). On the other hand, to give it a spicy strength just sprinkle ground pepper/cayenne peper before mixing all ingredients. Cook and don't forget to stir before serving.

You will appreciate not just the aromatic smell but more importantly, the herbal flavour. I highly recommend the use of brown rice for weight conscious people or to those creating/adhering a strict diet regime!