Phở - Vietnamese Noodle Soup

I love Pho!

It's love in a bowl!

You need to love it just as much as I do for us to be friends!

Pho Than Brothers is hands down the best deal in town!

And they are 2 blocks away from me so I can go there anytime I want.

I would never make this at  home... but I had some leftover chicken broth and some rice noodles in the back of my pantry, so I thought why the heck not.

I added some onion slices, rice noodles and shredded chicken to the broth.

Some bean sprout, lime, jalapenos slices and Thai basil on the side.

I prolly could have done a better job at this :-)

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Megha's Paneer

Uff.... I can't count the number of days when I have woken up CRAVING this incredible paneer! For the longest time ever I have always asked Megha to make it for me and then it got a lil embarrassing :-)
This is her recipe that I am sharing.
Trust me you won't regret making this!
Very easy, and extremely flavorful!
This is perhaps the only reason I am glad Samant doesn't eat onions (or so he thinks) :-D

(cook time 20 mins)
(serves 3-4)
Ingredients

Paneer 2 cups (cut into 1" cubes and lightly fried) Homemade tastes best!
Raw cashews 1/4 cup
Raw peanuts 1/4 cup
Sesame seeds 3 Tbs
Whole coriander seeds 1 Tbs
Whole dried chillies 2-3 (adjust to what taste buds like)
Yogurt 1/2 cup
Brown sugar or Jaggery 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek leaves - Kasoori Methi 2 tsp
Water 2-3 Tbs
Salt
Butter 2 Tbs

Method

You will need to roast some of the ingredients.
Place a large frying pan on medium high heat.
Begin with the chillies, peanuts and cashews and roast them for about 2 mins, stir them once or twice.
Add the sesame and coriander seeds and continue to roast for another 3-4 minutes or until all the ingredients are lightly toasted.
Let these cool a bit.
Add yogurt, water and use a blender to blend this into a coarse paste.
Return this to the frying pan and mix in the paneer cubes.
Season with salt, turmeric, sugar and fenugreek leaves.
Simmer on low for 5-8 mins. Stir once in between.
Turn off the heat and melt some butter on top.
Done!
Great with naan.

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Pasta With Creamy Lemony Fish Sauce

How gorgeous is this pasta? Each strip is a natural flavor from tomatoes, spinach, different colored bell peppers. I was so excited when I saw these. I decided to make a quick fish sauce to go along with it.

(prep time 20 mins)
(serves 2)
Ingredients

White fish (I used Dover sole, but halibut would be better) 1/2 lbs cut into large chunk
Garlic 1 Tbs (minced)
Juice from 1 large lemon
Chili flakes 1/2 tsp - use more or less if you prefer
Butter 1 Tbs
Cream 1/3 cup (I used 36% fat)
Pepper 1/8 tsp
Parsley leaves 2 Tbs (roughly chopped)
Salt

Method

Melt some butter in a frying pan.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the fish and season with lemon juice, salt, pepper and the chili flakes.
Lower heat to medium and cook for 3 mins.
Add the cream and cook until the fish is done. Dover sole cooks really quick, about 3-4 mins.
Turn off heat and sprinkle the parsley leaves on top.
Serve along aside the pasta.

A word about the pasta

Add this pasta to salted boiling water. I also added a little lemon juice to the water to prevent the colors from fading. Boil for 12-14 and drain. Don't ever wash cooked pasta with water, instead pour a tablespoon of olive oil to make it glossy.

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