Showing posts with label Indian-Chinese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian-Chinese. Show all posts

Veg Manchow Soup Recipe | How to make Vegetable Manchow Soup [Video]


Veg Manchow Soup Recipe with step by step video instructions. Veg Manchow Soup is a popular Indian-Chinese soup that is hot and sour and topped with crispy noodles. Vegetable Manchow soup is spicy and sour and full of vegetables like carrots, capsicum, beans, and cabbage. 

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

Vegetable Manchow Soup

Happy New Year Guys!! 

This is my first recipe of 2021 and I am really excited to share it with you guys, coz, it is kinda my favorite soup. If Manchow soup is on the menu, you can be assured I am going to order it. I remember a lot of my college days, just chugging on this soup for dinner followed by different main courses, but the soup was always the Veg Manchow. 

What is Manchow Soup?


Manchow Soup is a hot and spicy soup that falls into the category of Indian-Chinese cuisine. Manchow Soup is usually made by boiling finely chopped vegetables such as cabbage, capsicum, carrots in water or broth and then flavoring the soup with soy sauce and garlic. The soup is thickened using cornflour or flour. Manchow Soup is always topped with crispy deep-fried noodles, and it is this that sets it apart from the Hot and Sour soup, which has almost the same base. Manchow Soup is made with chicken too.




Vegetable Manchow Soup

Making the Veg Manchow Soup...


Unlike soups that need hours of simmering, this one is almost an instant soup. Vegetables used here are very quick cooking and are generally chopped really fine so they cook even quicker. We have used carrots, beans, cabbage, spring onions and capsicum. You can add Tofu or Mushrooms too for added flavor.

To build the base of the soup, ginger garlic and green chillies are sauteed in oil before adding the other vegetables and frying. Soy sauce and water is added and the soup is simmered until the vegetables reach the desired texture. The vegetables should have a crunch or bite in them, they should not be completely cooked. Then a slurry of cornflour or maida (all purpose flour) is added to thicken the soup. The soup is topped with crispy noodles just before serving.

We made the crispy noodles at home too, but you can use store bought crispy noodles too. To make the crispy noodles, we boiled hakka noodles and then deep fried them. You can use any noodles you have available at home, like instant noodles or spaghetti to make the crispy noodles.

Always make extra crispy noodles, they taste so great!!!


Vegetable Manchow Soup


If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.


If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 



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Video Recipe





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Veg Manchow Soup Recipe | How to make Vegetable Manchow Soup


Vegetable Manchow Soup Veg Manchow Soup is a popular Indian-Chinese soup that is hot and sour and topped with crispy noodles.

Recipe Type:  Soup
Cuisine:            Indian-Chinese
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Total time:     1 Hour 15 Mins
Yield:                Serves 2-3


Ingredients:


For the crispy noodles:


0.5 Packet Hakka Noodles
Oil to fry
Water as required

For the soup:


1 Tbsp Ginger, grated
1-2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Garlic, finely chopped
1 cup Spring Onions, chopped
1 cup Cabbage, finely shredded
8-10 Beans, finely chopped
1 Carrot, finely chopped
0.5 Capsicum, chopped
2-3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp White Vinegar (Optional)
2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour or Cornflour
1 Litre Water or vegetable broth
2-3 Tbsp Oil
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Method:


To make the crispy noodles:


1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add in the noodles. Boil until the noodles are just cooked, do not overcook the noodles.
2. Drain the noodles and rinse them. Keep it aside for 5-10 minutes to drain completely.
3. Heat oil in a kadhai for deep frying.
4. Add the noodles in batches to the oil and fry until golden and crispy. Keep aside until serving.

To make the Soup:


5. Heat Oil in large kadhai or wok and add in the ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute until fragrant.
6. Add the spring onions and saute until slightly softened.
7. Add the shredded cabbage, finely chopped beans and carrots and fry until the vegetables are slightly soft.
8. Add the chopped capsicum and saute for 1 minute.
9. Add the soy sauce, pepper and vinegar (if using) and mix well. Then add the water or vegetable broth and boil for 5-6 minutes.
10. Adjust the salt, pepper and/or the soy sauce and vinegar to taste. You can also add chilli sauce if you want it spicier.
11. Take the flour (maida or cornflour) in a small bowl and add a few tablespoons of water and mix well to remove any lumps.
12. Add the slurry to the soup and boil until the soup thickens.
13. Serve the soup hot and top with the crispy noodles while serving.




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Malaysian Laksa Lemak or Curry Laksa. Vegan spicy asian noodle soup
Vegan Laksa

Vegan healthy soup made with white miso, wholewheat noodles and fresh vegetables
Miso Noodle Soup
vegan soup made with mushrooms and leek
Mushroom Leek Soup






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Schezwan Paratha Recipe | Szechuan Paratha Recipe [Video]


Schezwan Paratha is a Chinese inspired stuffed Indian wholewheat flatbread. The paratha is stuffed with a spicy cabbage, capsicum and onion stuffing.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe


szechuan paratha



When normal people think Paratha, schezwan paratha doesn't even pop up in the head. But for a foodie, anything is possible and this schezwan paratha possibly popped in some Indo-Chinese food-obsessed North Indian foodie. Just to let you know, this is not my idea. Na-ah. But the recipe is definitely my own.

Six years ago, I watched a Gujarati cooking show that showed the making of a schezwan paratha. I didn't understand the language, but as they say, food has a language of its own. And that's what happened, I got the gist of the dish while I didn't understand a word of the instructions. And after a few attempts, this paratha was here to stay.

Schezwan Paratha is a perfect fusion of two styles of cuisine. The Chinese inspired vegetable mix is stuffed inside a whole wheat dough, rolled and pan-fried until crisp. The paratha satisfies several cravings - craving for Chinese food, craving for comforting Parathas, the craving for spice and of course, the basic craving for some delicious and new food.

szechuan paratha


Any stuffed paratha has 2 parts, the stuffing, and the coating. The coating, in this case, is a regular dough made of wholewheat flour, a pinch of salt and water. The dough is kneaded the same way one would for chapati or other parathas. If you want you can add some maida or all purpose dough as well while kneading the dough. The soft dough is stuffed with a spicy mixed vegetable stuffing. The stuffing, in this case, is made with julienned vegetables such as onions, capsicum, and cabbage. You can also add carrots. The vegetables are cooked down with a spicy homemade garlic-chilli sauce that is ready in 15 minutes.

Paratha is generally as breakfast item as it is filling and it gives you energy to cruise through the day. But parathas are also a great dinner option. Pair paratha up with some homemade yogurt (Dahi) and pickle and you are all set to lull yourself to a food coma.


szechuan paratha

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.


If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 



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Video Recipe





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Schezwan Paratha Recipe | Szechuan Paratha Recipe


szechuan parathaSchezwan Paratha is a Chinese inspired stuffed Indian wholewheat flatbread. The paratha is stuffed with a spicy cabbage, capsicum and onion stuffing.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     60 minutes
Yield:                Makes 4 Parathas


Ingredients:


For the stuffing:


3 cups shredded Cabbage
0.5 Capsicum, julienned
1 Onion, julienned
8-10 dry Red Chillies
1 Tbsp chopped Garlic
1 Tbsp Vinegar
2 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water as required

For the dough:


2 cups Wholewheat flour
0.25 tsp Salt
Water as required
Oil to fry the parathas

Method:


1. Soak the dry red chillies in hot water and keep aside.
2. Add the salt to the wholewheat flour and knead into a smooth dough using water as required. Cover and allow it to rest until the stuffing is ready.
3. Drain the red chillies. Deseed the red chillies if you don't want a very spicy stuffing.
4. Blend together the red chillies, chopped garlic, 0.5 tsp salt, and vinegar into a smooth schezwan sauce. Add little water if required to help the blending process.
5. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a kadhai and add in the sliced onions. Cook until the onions are golden.
6. Add in the julienned capsicum and fry for 1 minute.
7. Add 1-2 Tbsp of the schezwan sauce or as required. Fry for 1 minute.
8. Add in the shredded cabbage and salt for taste. Add more schezwan sauce if required. Cook until the cabbage is soft.
9. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
10. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll into balls.
11. Dust the counter with a part of the remaining flour and roll out the dough into small circles.
12. Divide the stuffing into 4 equal parts and spoon onto the dough. Seal the parathas.
13. Dust flour on the counter as required and roll out the parathas as thin as possible.
14. Heat the tava or a flat pan and grease it. Place the rolled paratha on the tava and spoon oil and spread well.
15. Flip the paratha and cook until the it is cooked on one side.
16. Flip the paratha again and cook until the second side is cooked. Press with a spatula so that the paratha is cooked evenly.
17. Serve the parathas hot along with either butter,  or curd (yogurt).



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Methi Paratha
beet root paratha
Beetroot Paratha




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Chilli Tofu [Video Recipe]


Batter fried tofu tossed in a spicy Chinese influenced sauce

Batter fried tofu in a spicy chinese sauce with green capsicum

Has the football fever caught up with you? I know I'm reeling with it. How exciting was last night's match, the match swung the Portugal side and then the Spain side and unfortunately ended up a draw. An exciting match always demands exciting food to accompany it. And this Chilli Tofu is definitely as exciting as it gets. Batter coated Tofu fried crispy and added to a sweet, sour and spicy sauce influenced by Chinese flavors along with some green Capsicums or peppers.

In my last post, I showed you How to make Tofu at home!! And I made this Chilli Tofu following that exact recipe for Tofu.

Batter fried tofu in a spicy chinese sauce with green capsicum

Firstly, how do you like your Tofu? I personally LOVE fried Tofu. The first time I ate  tofu, I disliked it. But when I had it fried I was so hooked on. I now eat it in any form with relish. This Chilli tofu will convert any Tofu hater. Tofu is dipped in a simple batter made from corn flour or corn starch, ginger-garlic paste and red chilli powder or paprika. Pan fry the dipped Tofu. You can also deep fry it, but you know how I steer away from deep frying anything, so pan fried it was for me. 

The sauce is an extremely easy sauce. It is heavily influenced by Chinese flavors. It starts with sauteeing onions, garlic and green capsicum. In goes Soy Sauce and Sriracha Sauce. I like the tang and heat that Sriracha sauce brings in. If you don't have Sriracha Sauce, just use regular chilli sauce or tomato ketchup and increase the amount of red chilli powder you add. Thicken the sauce with cornflour and mix in the fried tofu. 

Who says Vegan food has to be boring? Serve this to all those who think so!! 

You can make this with Paneer if you want a vegetarian option following the same recipe.

Batter fried tofu in a spicy chinese sauce with green capsicum


If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 


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Video Recipe




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Chilli Tofu


Batter fried tofu in a spicy chinese sauce with green capsicumBatter fried tofu tossed in a spicy Chinese gravy.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Asian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     40 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3



Ingredients:


For the battered fried Tofu:


200 gms firm Tofu
3 Tbsp Corn Starch / Corn Flour
1 Tbsp All Purpose Flour (Maida)
1.5 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder or Paprika
Salt to taste
Water as required

For the gravy:


2 Tbsp Sriracha Sauce or Tomato Ketchup
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 Capsicum
3-4 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
1.5 cups Water
1 finely chopped Onion


Method:


To make the battered fried Tofu:


1. Take the cornflour in a large bowl.
2. Add in flour, 1.5 tsp ginger garlic paste and 1 tsp red chilli powder.
3. Add half cup of water and mix well to form a thin batter. Add salt to taste.
4. Dice the tofu into bite sized pieces.
5. Dip the tofu in the batter until each piece is fully coated.
6. Heat 3 Tbsp Oil in a pan.
7. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu.
8. Flip the tofu when it browns on one side. When all the sides of the tofu are brown, remove from oil and keep aside.
9. If you are using a small pan, you can fry the tofu in batches.
10. Remove from pan and keep aside.

To make the gravy:


1. In the same pan that we fried the tofu, there will still be some oil left. Add finely chopped onion to it and fry until translucent.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry until fragrant.
3. Add diced capsicum and saute for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the soy sauce and sriracha sauce. Mix well.
5. Add 0.5 red chilli powder.
6. Add 0.25 cup water and boil for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add salt to taste.
8. Add the remaining batter used for dipping the tofu. Add it by the spoonfuls as the corn flour will instantly thicken the gravy.
9. If the gravy is thick, add more water, if it is thin, add 0.5 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 Tbsp water.
10. Boil the gravy for 3-4 minutes.
11. Add the fried Tofu and mix well.
12. Simmer for 2 minutes and serve hot.
13. This can be enjoyed as an appetizer or served as a side with fried rice or noodles.



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Gobi Manchurian

cauliflower gobi manchurian pizza whole wheat italian indian chinese fusion
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Gobi Manchurian Pizza


You heard that right! Gobi Manchurian Pizza!!!

Your favorite starter "Gobi Manchurian" as a Pizza topping. Dinner does not get better than this!!!

cauliflower gobi manchurian pizza whole wheat italian indian chinese fusion

I try to cook healthy an eat healthy most of the times. My regular lunch or dinner is chapati with some vegetables. But then, there are some days (or nights) that all I want to do is indulge. Friday night was just that - Indulgence Night. 

This Pizza was a product of circumstances. Seriously, I had no choice. Na ah. 
I had (still have) lots of cauliflower. I had Mozzarella left over from my UBER-ly delicious Stuffed Potato Skins. Remember those? And I had a small little Capsicum growing in my pot. TA-DA - Gobi Manchurian Pizza.

I love LOVE Gobi Manchurian. The chef that invented it was pure Genius. What a perfect starter to any meal! At any given time, in a restaurant, I believe at least 50% of the people order Gobi Manchurian as a starter. Except in those fancy fine-dines. I wonder what people order there.


cauliflower gobi manchurian pizza whole wheat italian indian chinese fusion

I've been told this dish - the Gobi Manchurian Pizza is not my invention (Darn those eye-opener friends!!). To my credit, this Gobi Manchurian Pizza recipe is totally mine. I made Gobi Manchurian the way I always make it, the only difference being I did not simmer the cauliflower with the sauce, instead I just layered them on the Pizza base.

The Pizza was a super hit. This Gobi Manchurian Pizza brings together the best of 2 cuisines (or is it 3) - Indo-Chinese and Italian.

I'm sure everyone knows about Italian Cuisine and Pizzas. No intro needed there. 

Now, the Gobi Manchurian is a purely Indian take on Chinese cuisine. It consists of batter coated cauliflower florets that are deep fried until they are crispy golden brown (I suggest you make extra, they taste awesome just like that). If that wasn't enough of BANG, there is the sauce. The sauce is soy-based and is full of flavors of soy sauce, chilli, ginger and garlic. Getting an idea?


To make the Gobi Manchurian Pizza, I made a whole wheat and honey pizza base. That is 100% whole wheat, nothing else. I have not followed the traditional way of making a pizza base - 2 rises, then either rolling or stretching. I have done it more like - rise, roll, rise. This gave me a nice thick base. If you plan on making a thin crust, then you may need to adjust the dough quantities to match that and your pan size. My directions below are for a 10" thick base Pizza. You can also freeze part of the dough for a later day.

After making the base, I then layered with that delicious spicy sauce and dropped the cauliflower all around. Grated some cheese and VOILA! the Gobi Manchurian Pizza is already ready to be devoured.

I know this does not sound like a weekday kinda meal, when you come back from office battling all that traffic and the rains. The number of ingredients and the number of steps sound daunting. When you start making it you will see that the number of unique ingredients isn't really much. And I've written a very detailed recipe to make your cooking easier. I assure you, there is a time and a place to make this Pizza. I actually made it in like 2 hrs on a Friday night. And the 2 hrs was all rising of the base. The actual cooking took way less.



This Gobi Manchurian Pizza is perfect for you:

If you like quirky fusion food that is delicious.

If you love Asian or Indo-Chinese flavors

If you love Pizza


Gobi Manchurian Pizza


cauliflower gobi manchurian pizza whole wheat italian indian chinese fusionFusion pizza topped with fried cauliflower and Manchurian sauce. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Fusion
Prep Time:     2 Hours
Cook time:     50 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:


For the Pizza Base:


2 cups Whole wheat flour or Atta
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp Olive Oil
2-3 cups warm Water
1 tsp Salt

For the Gobi / Cauliflower:


2.5 cups Cauliflower florets
4-5 Tbsp Cornflour
1.5 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp Chilli Sauce
1/2 tsp Tomato Ketchup
1/2-1 cup Water
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

For the Manchurian Sauce:


Leftover batter from the Gobi / Cauliflower
1 Onion
1/2 Capsicum
1 Tbsp finely chopped Garlic
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Chilli sauce
2 tsp Oil
1 cup Water
Salt to taste

For assembling:


Pizza Base
Fried Gobi / Cauliflower
Manchurian Sauce
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp chopped Coriander
Mozzarella or Pizza cheese

Method:


To make the Pizza Base:


Add the active dry yeast to 1 cup of warm water along with the honey. Allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.
Once it is foamy, add it to the whole wheat flour along with 1 Tbsp olive oil and salt and knead into a smooth dough. Knead for around 5-10 minutes.
Now coat the dough with the remaining olive oil and place in a clean bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with a plate of a towel and keep in a warm place to rise. It should double up in size. Mine took around 1 hour.
Once it is doubled in size, punch it down, and roll it into a pizza base. Roll according to if you want a thick base or a thin base. I made a thick 10" base.
Oil the pan in which you will cook the base, and place the rolled out base, prick it with a fork. Cover and keep it in a warm place for its 2nd rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius and bake the base for 12-15 minutes.

To make the fried Gobi / Cauliflower:


This can be made when the base is kept for rising.
In a large bowl, mix together the cornflour, ginger garlic paste, soy sauce, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, salt and add water by the spoonfuls. We need a medium consistency batter that can coat the cauliflower. I did not need the full cup of Water.
Heat oil in a frying pan. I shallow fried the florets, you can deep fry them.
Once the oil is hot, dip the cauliflower in the batter and drop them in the oil.
Fry until golden brown and crispy on the outside and the cauliflower is cooked on the inside.

To make the Manchurian Sauce:


Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions and chopped garlic. Fry until the onions are translucent.
Add the sliced capsicum and fry for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the leftover batter from the cauliflower. If there is none leftover, mix together 1 Tbsp cornflour in 1/4 cup of water and add it. You may need to increase the quantity of the sauces accordingly.
Add the ginger garlic paste, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, salt and 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Add more sauce if required.
Allow it to cook 3-4 minutes. You may need to add more water in as cornflour thickens on cooking.

To make the Pizza:


Spread the sauce on the base.
Place the fried cauliflower all on top of the sauce.
Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves.
Grate cheese to cover the pizza.
Drizzle over the Olive Oil.
Bake in a 200 degree Celsius preheated oven for 5-8 minutes until the cheese melts.
Serve hot.







Read more ...

Fried Rice with Ginger Garlic Sauce

This fried rice is so tasty, I cannot believe I never tried it before. Sigh.



When I went veggie shopping this weekend, I was extremely disappointed to see that my regular vegetable vendor has closed shop. Nothing excites me as fresh veggies, and he kept really fresh veggies. I’m still in denial. I’m sure it was a one off thing, may be a birthday or something (I’m sooo hoping it’s a onetime thing). So grudgingly I had to find a few new places to shop. To brighten my day, I picked some all colored peppers aka red, yellow and green capsicum. I even picked up zucchini and broccoli in the first shop. The next shop had more of my weekly local vegetables. I picked up some French beans and carrots. I add French beans and carrots to so many dishes – dalia, uppit, sambar, mix veg sabzi etc.




Ok, so I bought all these vegetables, but I just realized today, that I’m out of town the whole of next week and hubby dearest is not going to bother about my precious exotic vegetables lying in the fridge and by the time I come back they will be all shriveled. I had to cook them today, when they are still fresh and smiling




And I did have some wonderful fragrant Basmati rice with me. So I decided to make fried rice. Only this time, I’ve added a twist. This is my own recipe and I simply love it. Henceforth, this is how I will always make fried rice.
.


So grab your sharpest knife and get to work. It’s quite a bit of chopping, I accept. I julienned the peppers, French beans and carrots. I broke the broccoli into small florets. I cut the zucchini into thin semicircle slices
The recipe below makes yummy fried rice for 2.




Fried Rice with Ginger Garlic Sauce


Fried Rice with ginger garlic sauce

Vegetable Fried Rice tossed with a ginger garlic sauce

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          Indian Chinese
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Yield:              2 Servings

Ingredients:

½ each Red, yellow, green Capsicum / Pepper
½ Zucchini
10-12 small florets Broccoli
1 Carrot
10-12 French beans
1 Onion
8-10 cloves Garlic (Garlic cloves in India are very small, 3 of them may make 1 garlic clove abroad)
1.5” piece Ginger
1-2 Green Chillies
1 cup Basmati rice
4 tsp Soy sauce
2 tsp Sesame oil/ Olive oil
2 tsp Rice vinegar or any white vinegar
½ tsp Sugar
1 Maggi magic cube or ½ tsp Ajinomoto (Optional)
6 tsp Oil
Salt
Water

Method:

  • Wash thoroughly and soak the rice for half hour. Drain the water and cook it with 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles or until done. Alternatively, follow the instructions for cooking the rice mentioned on the packet.
  • Once the rice is cooked, fluff it and keep aside.
  • In a blender/ mixer, grind together the garlic, ginger, green chillies, soy sauce, olive/sesame oil, vinegar, magic cube and sugar. It doesn't have to be a fine sauce, it can be coarse.
  • Julienne the capsicums, French beans and carrots. Slice the zucchini into semicircles. Break/cut the broccoli into small florets and slice the onion.
  • We will cook each of these vegetables separately as they have different cooking times.
  • Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok/kadhai. Add the French beans and carrot and fry until they are cooked but still crunchy.
  • Remove them and keep aside.
  • Add 1 tsp of oil into the kadhai and now add the peppers. Saute them until they are partially cooked, we want them crunchy.
  • Remove them and keep along with the beans.
  • Add 1 tsp of oil and now add the broccoli and zucchini and cook until they are done.
  • Remove and keep with other veggies.
  • Heat the remaining oil in the kadhai and add the onions. Once the onions are cooked, add all the other vegetables and the sauce.
  • Add the rice and mix well.
  • Add salt if required.
Read more ...

Vegetable Fried Rice

Who doesn't like the greasy Indian Chinese fried rice? Pair that with some spicy manchurian, and we have a dinner going... It has become so popular that tiny roadside carts also sell you some tasty fried rice at lower cost... But some of the best things are made at home when you know how hygienic it is... And this works perfectly for a busy week night dinner as it hardly takes any time to prepare.





Vegetable Fried Rice


Rice and vegetables stir fried together.

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          Indian Chinese
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes (Includes cooking rice)
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup uncooked or 2-3 cups cooked Rice
1 Carrot
10-12 Green Beans
1/2 Capsicum
2 Spring Onions or 1 Onion
1" piece Ginger
3-4 cloves Garlic
1-2 Tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 tsp Ajinomoto / Maggi magic cube (Optional)
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Vinegar
3 tsp Oil
2-3 drops Lime juice
Salt

Method:


  • Rice needs to be slightly under cooked and dry for fried rice. So cook the rice with a little less water than usual and for little less time. I cooked with a tbsp less than 1.5 cups of water and it generally takes 5 whistles or 10 mins for my rice to cook in the pressure cooker. I cooked for 4 whistles instead. Add a few drops of lime juice so that the cooked rice has separate grains.
  • Once the rice is cooked, spread it out on a large plate until ready to use.
  • Chop the carrot and beans into small cubes and boil them until half done.I microwaved them for around 6 mins.
  • Julienne the capsicum and onions. If the spring onions are very small, you can use more.
  • Crush the ginger and garlic into a fine paste.
  • Heat oil in a kadhai / wok and once it is hot, add the onion and fry.
  • Once the onions are slightly translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and capsicum and fry for 1 min
  • Add the beans and carrot and cook until the vegetables are almost 90% done. They should retain their bite. Do not overcook them.
  • Add the 1 tbsp soya sauce, pepper, vinegar, ajinomoto or maggi magic cube and mix well.
  • Add the rice and mix well
  • Add salt and any other sauce as per taste
  • Serve hot with some spicy manchurian
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Gobi Manchurian

The first time I had this, I loved it. It was in a cafe, we friends went to after our tuition in the 10th standard. It cost us Rs.20 back then in a moderately priced cafe. Back then, we did not have it as an accompaniment, we ate it as the main meal. Spicier than home food and newer flavors, it tingled our senses. And it has been tingling ever since...



Gobi after frying

Gobi Manchurian



An Indian Chinese appetizer of deep fried cauliflower in a spicy sauce

Recipe Type:  Appetizer
Cuisine:          Indian Chinese
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     40 minutes
Yield:              3-4 Servings

Ingredients:


200 gms Cauliflower
2 Spring onions or 1 Onion
2 Tbsp chopped Spring onion greens
1.5" piece Ginger
4 cloves Garlic
2 Green Chilli (Slit length wise)
2 Tbsp Capsicum (finely chopped)
2 Tbsp Carrot (finely chopped)
2 Tbsp Cornflour
1 Tbsp Flour / Maida
3-4 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Chilli sauce
1/2 tsp Vinegar
2 tsp + 2 cups Oil
1/2 tsp Ajinomoto / Maggi magic cube
Salt
Water

Method:

  • Crush and grind the ginger and garlic into a fine paste. Alternatively, use ginger-garlic paste. I prefer using fresh as I feel it gives it a better fragrance.
  • Mix the cornflour and flour with 1/2 cup water. Add 1 tsp of the ginger garlic paste, 1 tbsp soya sauce and salt. Add more water if needed, the consistency should not be very thin, it should be sufficient to coat the cauliflower
  • Break the cauliflower into smaller florets
  • Heat 2 cups Oil for deep frying in a kadhai
  • Dip the cauliflower in the batter and deep fry until golden brown and keep aside
  • Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadhai, add the onions and once they are translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and fry until fragrant
  • Add the other vegetables and continue frying until they are done,
  • Now add the remaining batter prepared for the cauliflower. Add more water to get a gravy. If you want it dry, you may not need to add any water.
  • Add all the sauces, vinegar, ajinomoto / maggi magic cube and salt and cook for 2-3 mins.
  • Add the cauliflower and cook for 1 more min.
  • Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot


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