Monday, October 03, 2011

Szechwan Vegetable Noodles - Quick and Easy Recipe


Szechwan (Szechuan/Sichuan) is a province in South Western China. The Sichuan cuisine is known for its bold and spicy taste and hence the name of the dish. This is a simple and easy to make one-pot meal but very elegant for a great meal. I used left-over refrigerated spaghetti to make this. To revive leftover pasta, drop them in a pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt and drain after 2 mins.

Save Money on Heating Cost in South Carolina with a Warmer Home

Save Money on Heating Cost in South Carolina with a Warmer Home


Retro Solutions Construction Company of Myrtle Beach, SC has all your home improvement needs, for a warmer home this winter.  We offer energy saving home improvements, by using state of the art, green insulation materials which improve energy efficiency of your HVAC system by 33% or better in most homes.  Technological advances and scientific breakthroughs in the insulation industry have designed insulation material and systems that are far superior then traditional fiberglass insulation.  Here are the most popular used insulation systems in South Carolina by homeowners, to help achieve a warmer home in the winter, by improving sustainability, and lowering energy bills for homeowners in the process.

  1. Spray Foam Insulation - The most popular and also shows the most energy saving for homeowners in the South Carolina area.
  2. Wall Foam Insulation - Very popular among homeowners in older homes, where exterior wall insulation was limited or starting to fail. Wall Foam insulation can be retrofitted into walls with existing fiberglass insulation systems.
  3. Rock Wool Insulation - Rock Wool is becoming one of the most popular "green" insulation systems in the South, with higher ratings then fiberglass, and more cost efficient for some homeowner then spray foam.
  4. Conditioned Crawl Spaces and Crawl Space Encapsulation - Very popular among homeowners with crawl spaces, and provides a lot more benefits then just improving energy efficiency & sustainability of the home. 
As you can see we have a lot of options for homeowners in South Carolina & most of North Carolina, that can help improve sustainability, lower energy cost, and give homeowners a much more comfortable home this winter.  For more information on our "Green" building solutions for homeowners and business owners read our other blog post, or contact us thru any of the methods listed below.  Don't let big box retailers sell you on traditional fiberglass insulation until you get a price from us for a far more superior insulation system with much better r-value ratings.


Retro-Solutions Construction Company
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
706-951-0158
http://www.scroofingcontractors.com 

Energy Efficient Roofing Systems | Spray Foam Insulation | Wall Foam Insulation | Crawl Space Encapsulations | Solar Energy Powered Hot Water Heaters | Solar Energy | Energy Monitoring | Standing Seam Metal Roofs | Tile Roofs | Slate Roofs | Historic Home Retrofits |

Sunday, October 02, 2011

Yellow Split Peas Sundal / Channa Dal Sundal / Kadalai Paruppu Sundal





If I post another sundal recipe, it is indirectly means that it is for navratri. Sundals are famous for these days and you can come across different sundal recipes when visiting the golu. There, sundals are often served with tambulam(A gift with sweets, fruits and flowers).



Unlike other sundals, Channa dal sundal is prepared in a jiffy as it requires very less soaking and cooking time. Pressure cooking the channa dal makes the job easier, but as a fresher I would suggest to go for boiling, though it takes little longer time. This way, you can cook it well and at the same time maintain the firmness.



Channa Dals are rich in vitamin B which becomes as energy when you consume them. Also contains folic acid which is mainly helpful for heart health, immune system and prevents birth defects.



Here you go with the sundal recipe.



Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2




Ingredients:



Channa Dal / Yellow Split peas - 1/2 cup

Grated Coconut/ Frozen Coconut/ Dessicated Coconut - 2 tablespoons

Dry red chilli - 3 nos

Mustard seeds and Urid Dal - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 1 string

Oil - 2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - a pinch (Optional)

Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt - to taste



Method:



1) Soak channa dal for 30 minutes to 1 hour.







2) In a sauce pan, add channa dal, 1.5 cups of water, salt  and turmeric powder and boil it till it gets cooked well. It should be firm and well cooked.







3) Drain the water and keep aside.







4) In a frying pan, heat 2 teaspoon of oil.

5) When it is hot, add mustard seeds and urid dal, asafoetida, splited dry red chillies and curry leaves.







6) When the urid dal turns brown and the aroma of red chilli and curry leaves spread out in the kitchen, add channa dal.(as said in step 3).







7) Toss it for 2 minutes and add grated coconut.







8) Mix well in low flame and cook for another one minute.





9) Serve warm.







Note: 

1) If you are choosing pressure cook option, cook it only for one whistle to avoid messing up with the dal when seasoning.