Chili Gobi ( Chili Cauliflower)

This is one of the favorites, similar to Gobi Manchurian but spicier and without gravy.

Let's collect Ingredients:
Ingredients -1
2 pinch Salt
1 no Cauliflower (whole, florets separated)
¼ tsp White vinegar
5 cup Water

Ingredients -2
5 tbsp Maida (refined wheat flour)
5 tbsp Corn flour (white)
2 pinch Ajinomoto
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
¼ tsp Red chili powder
½ tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Chili sauce
¾ tsp Ginger garlic paste
2 pinch food color (red)
2 pinch Black pepper powder
1 cup Onions (roughly chopped, optional)

Ingredients -3
3 Onions (big dices)
6 Green chili (slit open)
½ tsp Ginger (finely minced)
½ tsp Garlic (finely minced)
2 tsp Red chili sauce (for sautéing)
4 stks Spring onions (chopped finely)
4 stks Coriander leaves (chopped)
2 pinch Ajinomoto
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
2 tbsp Oil (for sautéing)
1 Capsicum (optional)

Let's prepare Chili Gobi:

1. Blanch the Cauliflower:
- Separate the florets wash them thoroughly and keep aside.

- Bring water to a boil, add salt and vinegar (Ingredients: 1), drench the cauliflower in the boiling water and let stay for 3-4 minutes.

- Put off the heat, drain all the water and pat dry the cauliflower in a clean kitchen towel and keep aside.

2. Prepare Batter for deep frying:

- Combine Maida, corn flour, salt, ajinomoto, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, food color, ginger garlic paste, soy sauce and red chili sauce. (Ingredients: 2)

- Add the steamed cauliflower and coat, steamed cauliflower will release water and the sauce will add little to make it a thick paste like batter.

- Keep tossing the cauliflower florets until you get a thick batter. Heat oil and deep fry until crispy on outside.

- When done, drain excess oil in a paper towel and keep aside.

- After frying all the cauliflower florets, if you are still left with some batter, add some roughly chopped onions in the leftover batter fry it and add them along with fried cauliflower. This way you increase the quantity and it also adds up to the taste. (Optional)

3. Final assembling:

- Heat oil; fry the slit open green chilies along with diced onions, chopped ginger and garlic over medium flame to make them slightly brown. (Chopped capsicum can be added at this stage, but optional, helps in increasing the quantity)

- Now add the fried cauliflower and onion dipping along with red chili sauce*, ajinomotto, salt and green spring onions.

- Fry over low flame till rolls up to a dry fry. (Approx 6-7 minutes).

- Switch off and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve as an appetizer or side dish.

Tips:

- This is very spicy dish, Spice level can be adjusted by cutting down on the chili.

- Adding vinegar while steaming will keep the flavor and color of cauliflower intact. Arrest the unpleasant sulphur smell and yellow coloring.

- While frying the cauliflower, Sample a piece first to check if oil is ready. If the temperature is too hot, it will become brown, low temperature will separate the cauliflower and batter. Right temperature will turn florets crispy on outside and slightly soft on inside.

- Ajinomotto and food color gives it restaurant quality, people who are very conscious about health can avoid making this dish as excluding them totally will result in bland cauliflower curry.

- * NO tomato sauce/ ketchup or tomato related items. Red chili sauce includes chili paste, salt, sugar and vinegar. Use these if you cannot find the readymade sauce.

Serving: 3 to 4 Adults (approx)

Manchurian Rolls

If you love Manchurian, you are going to love these Manchurian Rolls.
It's a delicious fushion.... creating sandwich using Manchurian filling.
I prepared them from scratch but it also can be a left-over recipe. If you have left-over Manchurians and you don't want to throw them away or eat the same in next meal, you got to try this one !

Let's collect Ingredients:

4 Crusty Bread Rolls ( I used Brown Pistolets )
3 cups cabbage, grated
1¼ cups carrots, grated
½ cup, cauliflower, grated
½ green capsicum, seeded and chopped
½ cup Spring onions, chopped
2 ttsp corn flour / corn starch
5 tbsp refined flour (maida)
4-6cloves garlic, finely chopped (European Garlic cloves are bigger than Indian one, so this number can be reduced to 3-5)
1" Ginger, chopped
3 green chilli, finely chopped (can be adjusted as per taste)
2 tbsp, Dark Soy Sauce
1 tbsp, Sugar
2 tsp, Ajinomoto/MSG (optional)
salt to taste
1 tbsp White Vinegar
Oil for frying

Let's start Cooking:
- Take all the vegetables (leaving half of spring onions) and salt, mix well.
- Add refined flour, cornflour and 1 tbsp soy sauce and mix well.
- Mix thoroughly, Shape into marble sized balls.
- Heat sufficient oil in a wok and deep fry the balls in small batches till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.

- Heat two tablespoons oil in a wok or pan. Stir-fry chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies briefly.
- Add the fried balls and stir. Add half a cup of water and dark soy sauce and stir. Balls will break and become messy.
- Add sugar and salt and mix. Mix cornflour with a quarter cup of water and add to the pan and stir.
- Add spring onion with greens and mix well. Add vinegar and mix.
- Slit the rolls without cutting through. Put some of the Manchurian mixture in the slit and press lightly. Serve immediately.

Tip:

You can save a few manchurian fried balls and put it whole along with manchurin mixture in bread while serving.

Vegetable Manchurian

One more popular Chinese dish we miss from Indian Chinese restaurants and also one that i never tried my hands at back home. But like many other recipes, this one i started preparing after moving to Europe.
It is really easy to make but while eating those deep fried vegetable balls, it is easy to be bothered by calorie conscious mind but it's worth it to ignore it for a day so do not let mundane things like the weighing scale bother you, Just dig into these deep fried delights and enjoy!

Let's collect the Ingredients:

First the vegetable balls:

3 cups cabbage, grated
1¼ cups carrots, grated
1/2 cup French beans, chopped
½ cup Spring onions, chopped
1 green capsicum, seeded and chopped
2 ttsp corn flour / corn starch
5 tbsp refined flour (maida)
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (European Garlic cloves are bigger than Indian, so this number can be reduced to 2-3)
1 green chilli, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Then the sauce:

2 tbsp Oil
1" Ginger, chopped
4-6 cloves Garlic, chopped ( Same way again in case of bigger Garlic cloves reduce to 3-5)
3 Green chilies, chopped
2 tbsp, Soy Sauce
1 tbsp, Sugar
2 tsp, Ajinomoto/MSG (optional)
salt to taste
21/2 cups, Vegetable stock
2 tbsp, Cornflour/ corn starch
1 tbsp Vinegar

Let's start Cooking:

For the vegetable balls:

- Take all the vegetables and salt, mix well.
- Add refined flour, cornflour and 1 tbsp soy sauce and mix well.
- Mix thoroughly, Shape into marble sized balls.
- Heat sufficient oil in a wok and deep fry the balls in small batches till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.

For the sauce :

- Heat two tablespoons oil in a wok or pan. Stir-fry chopped ginger and garlic briefly. Add green - chilies. Stir-fry for a few secs. Add soy sauce, sugar, MSG(optional) and salt to taste.
- Stir in Veg. Stock and bring to a boil.
- Stir in corn flour blended in a cup of water and cook for a couple of minutes or till the sauce starts to thicken, stirring continuously.
- Add vinegar and mix well.

To serve :
- Put the vegetable balls in the sauce and bring to a boil, just before serving.
- Serve hot, garnish with chopped spring onion greens. Enjoy !

Tips:

- If you want to serve it dry without sauce, reduce the stock to one cup and add corn flour in the sauce to one and a half tbsp only.
- Add some water or vegetable stock to thin down the sauce if it is too thick.

~Lopa

Schezuan Fried Rice with some awards

Schezuan rice is fast and easy. Anyone can prepare them in minutes without any specific cooking skills.

Let's Collect Ingredients:

2 cups Chinese rice, cooked.

1 tsp garlic, chopped.

1 cup vegetables (carrots, bell pepper, cabbage ), finely sliced.

2 tsp celery, chopped.

2 tbsp Schezuan Sauce

1/2 cup sprouts ( I didn't add them as i didn't have at that moment)

1 tbsp vinegar

1/4 cup spring onions.

1 tbsp oil.

Salt to taste.

Let's start cooking :

1. Heat the oil, add garlic and saute till it turns golden color.

2. Add the celery and onion white. Add vegetables and saute for 2-3 mins.

3. Add the Schezuan sauce and cook for another min.

4. Add rice, bean sprouts, salt and mix well.

5. Toss for a few seconds till all the ingredients are mixed.

6. Mix in vinegar. Garnish with spring onion greens.

Serve hot.

Received this awards from Kiran from SUMADHURA a few weeks back.

And also this award...
Thanks a lot Kiran for those, that is so nice of you.

Rules for this award :

a) I must brag about it. ( brag???? what's that? hehehe)

b) I have to display the badge on my blog and link to the one who tagged me to prove that I didn't tag myself . (who would do that? but anyway i linked so trust me i didn't tag myself guys hehehe )

c) Share 10 things about myself. (10 things?? I have a whole blog where i share things about me, those interested to know more of me are more than welcome to check it out... HERE)

d) Pass the award to other fellow bloggers by visiting their site

I pass on this award to...

meeso, jagruti , cooking foodie , shanthi , Parita , Treat and Trick , Nithu Bala , Babli, Stephanie

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Spring Rolls, i didn't make them often as felt it's too much to do from scratch but that was until i was not using ready-made spring roll wrappers and preferred making them at home. This time i made it using ready-made spring roll wrappers and believe me one of the fasted and easiest to prepare dish !

So here we go... Enjoy the Spring Rolls :)

Let's collect Ingredients:

Spring roll wrappers

2 cups mixed vegetables ( shredded cabbage, grated carrots, french beans, green bell peppers cut into strips)

3/4 cup bean sprouts

1 onion, thinly sliced

3/4 cup spring onion with greens, finely chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil ( i used chilly oil)

2 tbsp Soya sauce

1 tbsp hot and sweet chilly sauce

1 tsp white pepper powder

1 tsp ginger powder

2 tsp garlic powder

salt to taste

Let's start cooking:

1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and stir-fry for half a minute.

2. Add green bell peppers and cabbage and continue to stir-fry for one minute. Add the ginger, garlic powder, white pepper powder, salt, soy sauce and hot and sweet chilli sauce.

3. Add bean sprouts and spring onions with greens and cook until veggies are crisp-tender. Set aside to cool until they are lukewarm.

4. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

5. Divide the veggie mixture into equal portions.

6. Lay a spring roll wrapper on a dry flat surface. Place a spoonful of the filing mixture in one corner of the wrapper.

7. Roll the wrapper over the filling, folding the sides as you go to form a small spring roll. Press the seams together with a little water and seal the edges.

8. Lightly brush the rolls with vegetable oil or whisked egg whites.

9. Bake 15-20 minutes, then flip on the broiler for a few minutes until they turn golden brown.

Tips:

1. You can also add noodles relacing sprout beans with them.

2. In stead of baking you can also deep fry them in oil till golden brown. I find baking healthier.

Have a nice time this weekend, Have a Good Friday and Happy Easter weekend. :o)

The growing trees, the new flowers

And birds that sweetly sing

Whisper to me that it’s Easter

Here is wishing warmth for your soul

On Easter and always!

Happy Easter !!

Hakka Noodles

Hakka noodles is one of the most popular dish in Chinese restaurants in India. Here is an indianised version of Hakka Noodles.


Let's collect Ingredients:

1 pack Hakka noodles

4-5 garlic, finely chopped

2 Red chillies, broken in the pieces

1 cup cabbage, thinly diced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

2 spring onion with green part,chopped finely

1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 tsp soya sauce

2 tsp red chili sauce

2 tbsp Brown Vinegar

2 tsp sweet & spicy sauce

1/2 tsp chinese salt / Ajinomoto (optional)

3 tsp oil

salt to taste

Let's prepare Hakka Noodles :

1. Boil water and add 1 tablespoon oil and salt. Add the noodles, allow the water to come to a boil, and then simmer till the noodles are cooked.

2. Remove from the fire and drain out all the water. Pour some cold water on the noodles to stop further cooking.

3. Let all the water drain out and ensure that the noodles do not contain any moisture. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and mix lightly. This will prevent the noodles from sticking together.

4. Heat a pan or wok to high. Add garlic and red chili. Stir-fry.


5. Add onion, white part of spring onion, cabbage, bell pepper and carrots. Stir for 1-2 min.

6. Add the sauces, vinegar, Ajinomoto and salt. Mix well.

5. Add noodles, mix it well and cook for a min.Garnish with green parts of spring onion. Serve hot.

Tips:
Chinese salt/ Ajinomoto gives the typical chinese taste but it is optioal, can be skipped.
Amount of sauces and vegetables can vary as per taste.

AMERICAN CHOP SUEY

This recipe is often displayed under chinese menu but obviously not an authentic Chinese one. This is one of the most common dishes that is served in restaurant in India. A delightful preparation of crispy noodles served with vegetables and a tangy sauce. One of my favourites.

I have been looking for this recipe since quite some time, but i never got one which can match with that tangy taste I used to get back home.

Today I was again on the mission of searching for one and then i decided to combine a few steps from there and then further costomised it as i remember back home.

And here it was, exactly what i was looking for and taste we were craving for since our move here.

Before i forget what did i do, i decided to write it down. I am sure i am going to need it again.

Ingredients

3/4 cup boiled noodles

1½ cups crispy fried noodles

2 cups Shredded Cabbage

½ cup spring onions, cut

½ cup beans (I used white beans with Tomato sauce )

½ cup French beans, ( If you wish, I didn't add those )

½ cup carrots, sliced (parboiled)

1 capsicum sliced ( I used mix of green and yellow)

½ cup baby corn, cut into pieces

½ teaspoon Ajinomoto powder(optional)

1 teaspoon chilli sauce

1 tablespoon oil

salt to taste

For tangy sauce

1 cup vegetable stock ( I used 1 ready made veg stock tablet available in the market)

¼ cup brown vinegar

¼ cup sugar

¾ cup water

2 tablespoons cornflour

1 tablespoon soya sauce

¼ cup Tomato puree

2-3 tablespoon Tomato ketchup

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan, mix well and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is thick. Keep aside.

2. Heat the oil in another pan and add the vegetables and Ajinomoto. Stir fry over a high flame for 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add the prepared sauce, boiled noodles, chilli sauce and salt and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add half of the fried noodles and mix well.

5. Serve hot, topped with the remaining fried noodles.

Did you know , Literal translations of this recipe name means 'savoury mess'.

Can't agree more ;o)