Vegetable Manchurian

Vegetable Manchurian happened to be one of my favorites dishes during the college years. I could have it for evening snacks, then again for dinner and if there was still some leftover ( quite miraculously !! ), it would go into the making of my breakfast the next day. Such was my fascination with this delicious Chinese recipe that there was seldom a week when I did not have it. But as they say 'Too much of a good thing is bad'. I lost my appetite for this yummy dish soon after and it was years before I went anywhere near it. I distinctly remember avoiding it at wedding banquets and office parties where it happened to be one of the popular starters for the vegetarian crowd.

But when I came across it recently while browsing for popular Indo-Chinese recipes. Memories came flooding back and I could not resist trying it out at home. While the ones served at restaurants are good, I just wanted to relive the fun that I used to have when making it with my Mom. And btw, it also happens to be one of my brother's favorite. Here this one is for you Bro. Happy Raksha Bandhan !!!!!!!!

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 45-55 mins

Ingredients -

For the balls -

2 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
2/3 cup grated carrot
1/3 cup finely chopped capsicum
1/2 cup finely chopped spring onions (i used both the white and green portions)
1/2 cup finely chopped french beans
2-3 green finely chopped chilis
4 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornflour
1/3 tsp chilli powder ( skip this if the green chilis are hot ..mine had very less heat )
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

For the sauce -

3 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 finely chopped green chilis
3 tsp soya sauce
3-4 tsp vinegar
2 tsp chili sauce
2 tsp tomato ketchup
1 1/2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp sugar
2 pinch garam masala ( only if you like the Punjabi-fied version )
salt to taste
3 tsp vegetable oil ( if you have sesame oil, use it )
2 tsp spring onion greens for garnishing

Preparation - Take all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle salt and keep aside for 1 hour. After 1 hour, all the veggies would have left water. Thoroughly squeeze out this excess water.

Add all purpose flour ( 2 1/2 tbsp at first ), cornflour, red chili powder and more salt (if required) to the mixing bowl. Mix everything together. Try to form the balls (use a tablespoon as the measure to get balls of uniform size). If they seem crumbly, then add more all purpose flour.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Once it reaches the right temperature, place one ball as a test first. [If it does not rise quickly to the surface, the oil is cold and the balls will absorb too much oil. If it turns dark too soon, the oil is overheated. If it starts to break, then it needs more binding agent.]

Once the first ball turns out fine, then add 4-5 of the balls at a time. Do not crowd the vessel as it will cause the oil temperature to plummet . Fry on medium flame till golden brown.

Remove and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining vegetable balls.

Heat 3-4 tsp oil in a separate wok. Add the spring onions, garlic, ginger and green chillis. Fry on medium high, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Add soya sauce, tomato ketchup, vinegar and chili sauce to the wok along with the sugar and fry for 1 minute.

Dissolve the cornflour in 1 cup cold water. Add to the wok. Adjust salt. Keep stirring till the sauce thickens.

Add the fried vegetable balls to the wok and toss to coat them evenly. Sprinkle garam masala if using. Turn up the heat for 2 mins. Remove from the flame leaving behind a little gravy (do not worry, it will get absorbed).

Note - Add more water and increase the quantity of sauces used if you need more gravy.

Soya Badi Jholo (Vegetarian Mutton Curry)

Sometime during my school years, soya nuggets or 'soya badi' as we call them in Odisha, began to make an apperance during the meal times. At first they seemed rubbery and had an yucky flavour. Almost all the kids hated them. But gradually people mastered the art of cooking this 'protein rich' ingredient (or maybe our taste buds got acclimatized to it) and it became very popular as vegetarian mutton. In those days, large families with limited income often added some soya badi to their Sunday mutton curry. With a texture that closely mimics mutton ( of course when both have been cooked thoroughly ) and a rather sponge like ability to soak/imbibe the flavour of whatever is cooked alongside, it became an overnight hit with the mutton loving Odia folks. Such was its popularity that it even began to show up at wedding banquets.

Those were the long gone days of sit-down dinners and one had to wait for one or two batches to finish eating before one could expect to find a place to sit down. Disposable incomes were low and so were the spending habits of people. It was sometime around this time that both chinese cuisine and IT appeared on the horizon. And both have since then revolutionized our lives. Maybe it was this indo-chinese food phenomenon that diverted one from the humble soyabean. Suddenly the curry of choice was the either a manchurian or something that that been 'chilli-fied' (read marinated and/or stir-fried with a mix of chinese sauces). But soyabean has finally staged a comeback after lying low for a couple of years. One finds it added to salads, tikkis, curries, biryani and even some desserts these days.

But the recipe that I will be sharing today is the time tested version that my mom used to cook. In Odisha you will find that it is prepared in the typical manner of a mutton curry. Read on for more -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup soya nuggets
• 1 medium sized potato
• 1 medium sized onion
• 6-7 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 small tomato
• 1 dry red chili
• 2 green cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 small bay leaf
• a small bit of a black cardamom
• 1/2 tsp meat masala
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 4 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 2 pinch garam masala

Preparation - Roughly chop onion, ginger and garlic. Transfer to a mixer jar along with the broken red chili and buzz for 1 sec to get a very coarse paste ( you should be able to make out each ingredient ).

Soak the soyabeans in 4-5 cups hot water for half an hour. Remove from hot water and wash under running water. Squeeze out the water and once again wash it under running water. Repeat 2-3 times.

Cooking - Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add all the wholes spices and fry for 5-6 secs till they start to give out a fragrance.

Add the onion paste and fry till it turns reddish (use low flame with regular stirring else it will burn). Add the
tomato and cook for 2-3 mins till it softens.

Add the powdered masalas (except garam masala) and salt at this stage and fry for 1 min. Add the soaked (and thoroughy squeezed soya nuggets) along with the diced potato to the cooker. Stir fry on medium flame for 3-4 mins.

Add 2 1/2 - 3 cups hot water, adjust salt, sprinkle garam masala and close the lid of the cooker. Cook for 1-2 whistles on medium flame. Remove from flame and allow to stand aside till steam escapes.

Serve hot with white rice, roti or parantha.

Diverse Cuisines, Different Meals, One Serveware

With rocketing real estate prices it is hardly surprising that our homes are steadily becoming smaller and smaller. Less floor area often translates into lesser storage area. It is in a scenario like this that innovation comes into the picture. We are constantly on the lookout for furniture and appliances that can multitask. Such conditions also apply to the kitchenware that we use. The need of the hour is something that can directly go from the gas stove to the dining table and if need be, also into the refrigerator. Sigh not, for Borosil is here to save our valuable kitchen space and even more valuable time ( with the need to do away with washing multiple utensils ).

Here comes a serveware that works with every cuisine and every meal. Find it hard to believe my words. Well...the pictures below say it all ! Now don't they say 'A picture is worth a thousand words'.

It is breakfast time. The soft white idlis and the sambhar are invitingly displayed in the beautiful glassware. Can you resist their appeal ??

In case idlis are not your thing, how about sampling some of this glorious poha served in a deep round Borosil dish??

Even if it is a special lunch prepared for Ramzan, my Borosil serveware does not fail me. The Hyderabadi Dum biryani is displayed in its full glory using the deep rectangular dish. The glass doubles up as a 'easy-to-pour' raita jug .

Coming to the 'royal' dessert, the creamy white 'Shahi tukda' is beautifully set off by the glass walls of the deep square dish.

It is snack hour and this time it is an 'Italian' favorite. The Chifferi rigate pasta is roasted red pepper sauce looks beautiful and aesthetically appealing in the round casserole.

A regular no-fuss dinner made special with Borosil. A simple yet tasty sweet corn-green peas-mushroom pulao with yellow dal and a dry chicken curry.

Seafood lover ?? Opt for a crab stir-fry instead of the chicken !! Still looks incredibly good, doesn't it ??

Vegetarian ?? No worries.........try a veg Manchurian instead !!!

But the real star of the package seem to be the pint sized vision glasses!! They are surprisingly versatile and I have simply let my imagination run wild with them...

A simple fruit custard certainly looks sublime when presented in a glass. Not the one to be outdone, the delicious 'Tiranga' faluda with its resplendent colors makes for a vivid display !!

In the mood for some hot jalebis dipped into chilled rabdi ?? Well...try serving this classic dessert in a sexy new avatar.......good enough to tempt even the hardcore weight watchers, isn't it ??

Here I have even used one as a holder for these delicious home made chocolates...

Thank you Borosil and Indiblogger for making my food come alive !!! ( This is my entry for the Round 2 of the contest )

Spicy Vegetable Daliya

A simple and healthy daliya recipe with South indian flavours !! Yep... have spiced it up with sambhar powder and a typically Southern tempering. The tang from the tomatoes also adds another dimension to this fiber rich preparation.

Read on for the yummilicious recipe -

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup daliya or cracked wheat ( used Patanjali brand )
• 1/4 cup split moong dal
• 1 1/2 cup assorted vegetables ( carrot, cauliflower, french beans, peppers, sweet corn, beetroot, potato )
• 1 small onion
• 1 big + 1 small tomato
• 1/5 tsp red chili powder
• 1/6 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp Sambar masala
• a pinch of turmeric
• a pinch of fenugreek seeds
• a pinch of mustard seeds
• a pinch of asafoetida
• 4-5 curry leaves (optional)
• 1 green chili
• 1/2 tsp ghee (Patanjali brand)
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• coriander for garnishing

Preparation - Heat a frying pan. Add 1 tsp ghee followed by the daliya. Roast for 5-6 minutes on medium heat. Remove and keep aside.

Chop the onion and tomato into small pieces. ( do peel the outer skin of the tomato )

All the vegetables should also be chopped into tiny pieces.

Cooking - Take the roasted daliya and moong dal in a cooker. Add 4  cups warm water and salt to taste. Close lid and cook for 3-4 whistles. Remove from flame and keep aside till steam escapes.

Add the vegetables (including the green chili, tomato and onion) along with salt, turmeric, chilli powder, Sambhar power and coriander powder to the content of the cooker. Cook for 1 whistle on medium flame. Keep aside .

Heat the oil in a tempering pan. Add the mustard and fenugreek seeds. Once they start popping, add the asafoetida and curry leaves. After 5 seconds, remove from flame and pour over the contents of the cooker.

Allow to cook on a low flame for 2-3 minutes more so that the flavors are properly assimilated into the daliya. Remove from flame and serve hot.

Shakarkand ka halwa (sweet potato halwa)

Shakarkand or sweet potato is a rich source of fiber with almost twice as much fiber as compared to other potato varieties. Thus they are digested slowly and do not spike sugar levels as is the popular belief. Also they are rich in Beta-carotene, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. They are also loaded with manganese. All there nutrients make it good for the heart/arteries, regulating sugar levels and ofcourse a low-cost 'beauty food'. Yup, it is the combination of Beta-carotene, Vitamins C and E which go into the making of the beauty capsules for hair, skin and nails.

I like to have boiled sweet potato as an evening snack at times or even make it into a sweet-sour gravy. But very recently that I go to know that it can be made into a delicious halwa. This is Tarla Dalal's recipe which I have followed with some minor changes. This halwa is also consumed on fasting days especially during the ongoing Shravan month.

Preparation time - 20 mins ( including 10 mins standby )

Ingredients -

• 1 medium sized sweet potato
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp ghee
• 2-3 tsp chopped dry fruits ( almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts )
• a pinch of saffron
• 3 tsp sugar ( or to taste...I prefer less )

Preparation -  Wash and clean the sweet potato. Boil in a pressure cooker ( with 1 cup water )for 3-4 whistles . Keep aside till steam escapes. Peel and grate it.

Cooking - Heat the ghee in a wok. Add the nuts and fry for a minute. Remove and keep aside.
Add the grated sweet potato and fry till it is a little brown.

Add the milk, saffron and sugar at this stage. Mix till the milk is absorbed and it forms a creamy mixture. It should start leaving the sides of the wok once it is done. Finally add the nuts and remove from flame.

Garnish with a few strands of saffron and nuts. Serve hot or cold ( both taste good ).

Brown Rice Pongal

Have been trying to incorporate either brown rice or cracked wheat (daliya) into my diet at least 4 times a week. While I have got the hang of daliya, brown rice is still not my cup of tea ( or grain ). I find it tough to like brown rice but I still keep trying various recipes. This one however is something that I really loved. A typical Ven Pongal made with brown rice, the flavour of ghee, curry leaves, asafoetida and jeera is just sufficient to mask that unappealing smell of brown rice. The heat from the chilis is also a plus. Hopefully I can now stick to having brown rice twice a week without failing.

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins


Ingredients -

• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1/3 cup yellow moong dal
• 1 broken red chili
• 1/2 green chili
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 pinch carom seeds
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 2 generous pinch asafoetida
• 1 1/2 tsp ghee
• salt to taste
• 3 cups hot water

Cooking - Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker.  Add red chili, green chili, cumin, carom seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Fry for 30 seconds.

Wash and add the brown rice and moong dal. Fry for 2-3 minutes or till a fragrance comes.

Add the hot water and salt. Close lid and cook for 4 whistles.  Allow steam to escape before opening.

Serve hot with roasted papad and yogurt.

Chifferi Rigate in Roasted Pepper sauce (Indian Masala Style)

Last week they celebrated 'Red Day' at my son's kindergarten school. The kids were to be decked up in red and the contents of the tiffin box were to be something red as per the school's circular. Pack something like apples, cherries or strawberries advised their class teacher. However since my kid prefers something more filling than mere fruits, i had to cook something palatable but without using any red food coloring.

Thankfully I had bought red and yellow peppers over the weekend. And they looked quite inviting everytime I opened the fridge prompting me to incorporate them into some more than just a mere salad or a quick stir fried mixed vegetable side. Though I had read a few roasted bell pepper pasta recipes, this was the first time I tried it. I decided to roast a tomato along with the pepper and add it to the Indian masala kind of gravy that I had in mind.

It turned out to be fabulous and my kid wanted more even after finishing his box. I made it again for dinner after two days and even my husband loved it. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup chifferi rigate pasta ( )
• 1 big red bell pepper
• 1 medium sized tomato
• 1 medium onion
• 1/3 tsp GG paste
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 2 pinch cumin powder
• 1/5 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 pinch garam masala
• 5 tbsp grated processed cheese (I used Amul)
• 2 tsp rice bran oil
• a small cube of butter (optional)
• salt

Preparation - Roast the pepper and the tomato on a low flame till the outer skin turns black.

Keep aside till it cools down to a bearable temperature. Peel/remove the blackened skin and chop up the flesh.

Roughly chop the onions and keep aside.

Cooking - Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. When the bubbles start to form, add the salt.

Once it gets to a rolling boil, add pasta. Cook till al-dente ( do give a stir 2-3 times in between so that the pasta does not catch at the bottom) on a medium flame. Drain the water ( while preserving 1 cup for the sauce ) and keep aside.

Add 1 tsp oil to a skillet. Add the onions and fry on high for 30 secs. Add the GG paste and reduce the flame. Fry till the onions turn translucent. Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin and garam masala. Fry for 20-30 secs.

Remove the contents of the skillet and transfer to a food processor . Add the roasted pepper and tomato as well. Buzz it to get a smooth paste.

Heat the remaining oil and butter in the same wok. Add the pepper-tomato sauce along with 1/3 cup of the pasta water and fry for 2-3 mins on a medium flame. Add the sugar and the grated cheese. Adjust the salt.

Add the pasta. Cook for another 2-3 mins till the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. ( Add a few teaspoons more of the pasta water if the sauce feels too dry )

Serve hot or cold.

Note - Skip the cheese if you want to keep it vegan.

This is my entry for the event Pasta Please~Peppers hosted by Nayna ( blog ) and Jacqueline ( blog). Do check out their page for more details!!

My Coorg Chronicles (Part 2)

Continued from Here..........

The next morning, I woke up to the sounds of chirping sparrows and gushing water. It had been raining heavily throughout the night and small stream were running down the hillside. Though the downpour had reduced to a light drizzle, there were hardly any folks to be seen on the lone road visible from the hotel window. The sparrows were happily playing in the small pools of water that had formed in the hotel courtyard. A mild sense of nostalgia started to grip me while I was watching them. Once an integral part of my growing years in Rourkela, one hardly encounters these winged friends in Bangalore. I sat by the window side for almost an hour lapping up the sights and sounds of nature. Coorg during the monsoon can only be described as virgin nature at its' pristine best.

As I walked into the hotel dining hall for breakfast, a lone waiter greeted me and took my order. As the guests were few, they had not served buffet. Within 10 mins, the soft idlis and crisp vada had arrived at my table, accompanied by tea and warm water (a nice thing given the cold conditions). The food was delicious. After ordering for breakfast to be brought into the room for my husband and son, I retreated to our room and settled down by the window once again. Somehow hill stations give me that idyllic feeling of time having stopped in its tracks and make me reluctant to allow any kind of intervention into my blissful state. So, no newspaper and no TV is my rule during such vacations.

It was almost 10:30 by the time all of us had freshened up and had eaten breakfast. We then proceeded towards our first tourist destination of the day, the much famed Abby falls. It was around 9 kms from the hotel and it did not take us long to reach there. The drive was short but beautiful with mist covered hills and valleys keeping us engrossed throughout. But due to the light drizzle we were reluctant to step out of the car for clicking pics. At one point we came to a forked road, the left one leading to Abby falls and the right one taking off to the picturesque Mandarpatti hills. As we had decided to skip the latter ( our Innova would not travel on the narrow roads leading to the spot ), we proceeded on the left road and reached the point leading to the falls. As expected it was thronging with visitors who had come to watch the falls in its full glory. A long descend on the broken stone steps took us to the place. The fall does not have a great height but still it is spectacular. A hanging bridge is built across the water and this was the most preferred stop for amateur photographers. Spending a few minutes near the gushing waters, we started back on the steep climb. This is the tough part and can be quite painful for elder folks.

Back into the comfort of our vehicle, we decided to wind up with a visit to the Madikeri fort and Raja's seat. Though Talakaveri (the birth place of Cauvery river) is considered one of the most important places to visit while in Coorg, we decided to give it a miss as there was a minor landslide 2 days back. Also, it had rained heavily in the intervening night which made it still riskier. The adventure bug in me kept nagging on but I silenced it with some stern reasoning.

The Madikeri fort is located very near to the center of the town. A Ganesh temple, a Church turned museum, and two life size elephants were all we could see. The main building (palace) was closed. Sadly, it is not well maintained and I was kind of disappointed. Next stop was Raja's seat, a garden that offers a spectacular view of vast green lands and mist clad mountains. It is said that the kings of Kodagu used to frequent this spot with their consorts to watch the sunrise/sunset. Quite a nice spot but the best time to come here is the winters when the gardens are in full bloom. The toy train ride ( at Rs 10/- per person ) is an added attraction for the kids and other people who refuse to grow up.

It was almost lunchtime and we wanted to grab a table at good restaurant before it became too crowded, Our driver (who was well acquainted with the place) suggested a place called 'East End Hotel' which is located very near to the Thimmiaih Circle. It was almost 1 as we walked in and the place had just started to fill up. The service was good and they also gave some complimentary curry with the white rice. But it is the 'chilli'-fied items and the 'Coorg Chicken curry' that one needs to try at this place. Mind-blowing good. Another attraction of this place is the awesome selection of wine/hard drinks they have. Though both of us do not drink, the crowd at the bar bore testimony to the fact that this place was a huge hit with people who love their poison.

After the nice lunch, we retired to our room and took a short nap. Feeling refreshed after a late afternoon shower and some tea, we proceeded to the Omkareshwara temple . Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this is a unique temple built in the Islamic style. It has a small mandap surrounded by a sparse corridor. In front of the main shrine/temple, there is a small fish pond with a smaller shrine in the middle. There were a few ducks too but as it was almost dark, they had started to doze off.

By the time we started from the temple, it had started raining heavily. But we could not return to our hotel without completing the sacred ritual of shopping for spices, home made chocolate and the other exotic stuff that one usually finds at hill stations. Our very knowledgeable driver duly guided us to a shop call Coorg Greens which was stocked with all kinds of spices and nuts. Though one finds a plethora of spice shops in Madikeri market, this one was crowded than usual. I picked up some biryani spices , saffron, honey, coorg cofffee, raisins and nuts. There was the dry fruit jam that caught my fancy and I took one of those too. Another item which caught my attention was the hand made soap in different flavours. I loved the smell of the one with 'Goat milk' and bought half a dozen of those too.

It was then time for the home-made chocolates and we did not have to look far for those. There was a very good chocolate boutique called 'Choci Coorg' upstairs. Though a little on the expensive side, they had a good collection and I must say that these chocolate tasted even better than the ones we have had from Ooty or Munnar.

The shopping had made us a little tired and we wanted some coffee to refresh ourselves. Our driver took us to this small place called 'Hotel Neel Sagar' which is located on the Madikeri Main Road.  We ordered for the Coorg special coffee (which was priced at Rs 25) along with a butter masala dosa. The coffee turned out to be delicious but the dosa was pretty average. But service was quick even with a good number of tables being occupied.

We decided to laze about in our hotel room for the rest of the evening as it was raining quite heavily. But the rains had stopped by 9 pm and we decided to head towards 'East End Hotel' once again for dinner. However it was a disappointment this time around. With so much liquor flowing , the place resembled and smelled like a bar rather than a restaurant. Deciding against having dinner there itself, we got a parcel and returned to the hotel room. The 'Chili chicken' was quite good. Watching TV after dinner, it was almost 11:30 by the time we hit the sack.

We woke up to a bright and sunny morning the next day. After a quick shower, we went for the breakfast. The hotel staff had prepared a buffet and everything was as delicious as the previous day. Although they had revised the menu and I missed those crispy vadas, the delectable set dosa more than made up for it. It was almost 9:45 when we started from the hotel. We lapped up the sights of this beautiful place for the last time as we raced towards Bangalore. A no-break journey ensured that we had reached the outskirts of Bangalore by 1:30 pm but the traffic ( thanks to Ramzan shopping being in full swing ) ensured that we could not reach home before almost 4 pm. A sense of relief washed over me as I unlocked the door. After all, don't they say 'Home is where the heart is'.