Sweet and Sour Prawns

Ingredients

Prawns -250 gm or half pound (approx 20- 25 medium sized prawns)
Onion - 1 medium, cubed
Carrot - 1 medium, cubed
Tomato - 1 medium
Bell Pepper / Capsicum - 1/2
Pineapple pieces - 1/4 cup (optional)
Tomato sauce - 2-3 Tbsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil 

Marination

Egg - 1
Corn flour/ corn startch 1-tsp
All purpose flour / Maida - 1 tsp
Ajinomotto - a pinch
Water - 2 Tbsp
Salt 
Pepper - 1 tsp

How I made it

1. Whisk one egg and add the corn starch, all purpose flour , ajinomotto , water, salt and pepper. Marinate the prawns in this mixture for and hour and then fry them. Try not to overcook the prawns as they might turn rubbery. Also, later on we add the prawns to the vegetable stir fry and cook them again.

2. Heat some oil in a pan and add the onion, carrots, bell pepper, and saute for 3 - 4 minutes. To this, add the pineapple and tomato. Saute till the tomatoes turn soft.

3. Add the tomato sauce, sugar and salt and cook for another minute.

4. Add the fried prawns and combine well. You can add some pepper powder too if you like it spicy.

5. Turn off the stove and add 1 tsp vinegar and mix well. Serve hot.

Simple Pasta and Vegetable Salad

On a diet and tummy growling for food? Try this basic and healthy salad recipe and make your tummy happy with comparatively less calorie intake. The vegetable and pasta measurements can be totally altered to you liking.

Ingredients

Pasta (penne, farfalle/bow tie, spiral) any small sized pasta - 1/2 cup

Vegetables ( 3 to 4 cups)

Broccoli - small florets

Carrots - cubed

Cucumber - cubed

Cauliflower - cubed

Lettuce

Onions, Cherry tomatoes, Cabbage , Olives or any vegetable of your choice

Vinaigrette 

Extra virgin olive oil - 2 Tbsp

Red wine vinegar - 1 tsp

Garlic - 2 cloves finely chopped

Salt

Pepper

Dried Oregano, Basil - 1 tsp each

How I made it

1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water.

2. Blanch (briefly boil and then plunge into cold running water) the broccoli and cauliflower florets.

3. Cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces.

4. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.

5. Combine the cooked pasta, the vinaigrette and the vegetables together and mix well till everything is evenly coated with the dressing.

6. Serve immediately or refrigerate.