Pasta and Chickpeas salad

  " I always love salad recipes which I can make ahead and not have to bother about at the last minute. This one, tastes fabulous, with an interesting healthy mix of pasta and chickpea. The trick here is to mix the dressing when the pasta and chickpeas are still warm, as they absorb all the flavours of the dressing, yum ..."

Ingredients:

Dressing

• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp mustard paste ( if you can fresh is the best)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp salt (check salt level after adding all the ingredients)
• 1 tsp red chilly flakes

  Salad:

• 100 gms pasta
• 2 tbsp sun dried tomato
• 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese
• 200 grams dry chickpeas (  canned about 440 gms)
• 4 tbsp boiled corn kernels

Method:

1. Blend all dressing ingredients till emulsified
2. Cook the pasta in lots of boiling water till al-dente 
3. Soak the sun dried tomatoes in warm water for 15 min and slice 
4. Chop the mozzarella cheese into bite size peices
5. If the chickpeas are dried, then soak overnight and boil, else use canned chickpeas as per instructions
6. Mix all salad ingredients with the dressing, cover with cling film and chill for 1 hour

Note:

• For best results pasta and chickpea should be still warm when mixed with the dressing

Burmese Khao soi or Khow Suey

"A Khao soi is a great one dish meal to be had when friends and family are over for a special occasion as its dramatic with all the accompaniments and tastes of streets across Asia. This one has been asked for specially by my sister who loves a good khao soi, I just hope she makes it too and doesn't get awed by the preparation which goes into it. This recipe has traveled via an aunt thru Hongkong and I have added original Burmese touches,  resulting in a lip smacking dish, a favorite of my son's   "

Servings - 8-10 people

Ingredients:

• 800 grams boneless chicken
• 500 grams egg noodles
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 5 tbsp chickpea flour
• 200 grams mushrooms (cut into 2 or 4 big pieces)
• 100 grams carrots and beans (chopped)
• 2 tbsp red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• Handful of curry leaves (optional)

Method:

1. Mix the chickpea flour in 1 cup of water, ensuring no lumps
2. In a wok , heat 1 tbsp oil, add garlic, stir-fry till light brown
3. Add the red curry paste and turmeric then stir-fry till fragrant
4. Next add chicken pieces and brown lightly
5. Then add carrots, beans,mushrooms, salt and curry leaves and stir for a few minutes
6. Pour in the coconut milk and the chickpea water and cook on medium flame stirring frequently till it comes to a boil ( take care that it does not curdle at this stage)
7. Simmer on low flame till the chicken and vegetables are done, stirring often.  

 (In-case mixture curdles or you would like the gravy thicker add cornflour and thicken, make ahead as flavours need a couple of hours to develop)

1. In a separate pan, cook the noodles in lots of salted boiled water, as per packet instructions, drain and keep aside

Accompaniments:

• Garlic - chop and deep fry 2-3 tbsp of garlic
• Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp Sesame seeds dry roasted
• Red chilly - 4 red chilies fried and crushed
• Spring onion - 1 Spring onion chopped fine
• Eggs - 2 boiled eggs chopped fine
• Lime wedges - 2 limes cut into 8 parts each

Serving and Eating:

• Serve the curry and noodles in separate bowls with all the accompaniments in their own little dip dishes
• Eat the Khao soi in individual bowls, taking  noodles,topped with lots of the chicken curry and add accompaniments as per taste