Crunchy and watery side dishes
The afternoon was quite hot and had a lot of energy. My mind is telling my body to eat food. I still acted calm, but at the same time felt like I didn't have the energy to think about anything complicated.
I have to make lunch for my husband and myself. Today we are not leaving the house even though it's the weekend. The hot weather makes our house the best protection for us.
Sometimes I cook lunch at the same time as breakfast. But this morning I did not cook heavy food. This morning, we only ate yogurt and fruit for breakfast. So I have to cook the lunch menu. But that doesn't matter at all. There is my husband who is happy to help me in the kitchen. Cooking time will save more time as well as I save energy.
Well, I was stuck for a while in front of the fridge. I still have plenty of vegetables. And, it took me a few minutes to decide what vegetables to combine for lunch.
I prefer to combine several vegetables at once rather than cooking to a single vegetable. That's because I can get more nutrients if I use several types of vegetables at once. Besides that, combining several vegetables at once can prevent us from getting bored if we cook just one vegetable every day. In order not to be wasteful and still save money, use a small portion for each of the vegetables that we will combine. Make sure again that the vegetables we are going to cook are not excessive, or we can finish them in one meal or two meals.
This time there are green peas that caught my attention. I love green peas. They can offer many choices of variations of the dish that can be made by me. Green peas are superior with a crunchy texture and contain water. I took green peas out of the fridge.
Green peas need a friend on a serving plate. Carrots and mushrooms are my choice to be combined with green peas.
Mushrooms are superior with a chewy and slightly crunchy texture. Also, the water content can be a light side dish for lunch this time. Meanwhile, carrots will also be an ingredient that will bring the color of the whole dish to life.
Note: Use vegetables that have different colors from green peas to complement the nutrition as well as make the dish color more attractive. You can also use red bell pepper, or tofu to replace mushrooms.
The smell of chopped garlic touched by hot oil is a fond memory. Captured in taste. Garlic flavor is one of the favorite flavors in this world. I'm sure about that. What do you think about garlic flavor?
Garlic is authentic, with a scent that can be sickening if overdone. So just use general amount. Usually I use 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic like in this recipe.
I also added ginger. Ginger and garlic are such a perfect match to liven up the flavor of a stir-fry dish. On the other hand, I also added a lemongrass stalk for a more fragrant and fresh sensation. You can add some basil to replace a lemongrass stalk.
Oh, wait, don't miss it for me, also added a few slices of red chillies to create the spicy flavor and sensation that I always like in my mouth.
Remove both sides of the hard-textured green beans. Use a knife.
Also, chop the mushrooms and carrots. For carrots, you can use an elongated or rounded shape. Then wash them clean.
Bring the water to a boil. Then add a few teaspoons of salt. Mix well and adding carrots and green peas. Blanching is done to lock in the color of the vegetables and speed up the stir fry process later. Meanwhile, the mushrooms do not need to be blanched.
Heat the oil. Then as always, adding flattened lemongrass and ginger, also adding chopped garlic. Stir-fry them until they smell good.
Add Mushrooms and cook until textured according to your individual wishes and tastes. At this stage more water will come out of the mushrooms the longer the cooking time.
When mushrooms are almost cookes, adding carrots and green peas that have been blanched before. Cook about 3 minutes.
Don't forget to add salt, pepper or chili flakes if you like, of you want spicy taste. Correct the taste before removing them.
I serve these side dishes with white rice. You can also serve green pea dishes with mashed potatoes or lentils.
Green peas that are crunchy when bitten, mushrooms that are chewy, and carrots that tempt the eye. A simple but meaningful combination for a tiring lunch.
Plus, the sunny day makes us need delicious side dishes that also have a refreshing flavor. I love them, always. Always remember the veggies when they finally meet our needs. Stay blessed for us! See you!
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
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