Vegetable Manchurian

So how many times have you made mistakes in your life?? This question is a pretty difficult one and most of us would choose not to answer it. But according to me its good to make mistakes sometimes in life. That is how we learn. Mistakes make us stronger. They give us the ability to differentiate between right and wrong. Life without mistakes is a life not enjoyed. Mistakes are life's own way of teaching us some impoortant lessons. So why is it that all of a sudden I am talking so much about mistakes today. Keep reading if you wanna know.....

Yesterday I had a strong craving for Chinese and prepared some Veg Manchurian for dinner. Vegetable manchurian is an Indo Chinese dish that is nothing but fried vegetable balls in Soy Sauce.

So here is the recipe for all of you :

Ingredients :
For the vegetable balls :
- Finely chopped Cabbage, capsicum, carrots, onions, green chilli ( 2 cups)
- Maida/All purpose Flour ( 3 tbsp)
- Cornflour ( 1 tbsp)
- Salt (Acc to taste)
- Garlic (2 pods finely chopped)
                                                      - Ginger (1/2 tbsp grated)
                                                      - Oil (for deep frying)

For the sauce:
- Garlic finely chopped (3 pods)
- Ginger grated (2 tsp)
- Green chilli (2)
- Capsicum (1 cut into squares)
- Sugar (1 tsp)
- Maida(1 tbsp)
- Soy sauce (2 tbsp)
- Tomato Sauce (1 tbsp)
- Water (2 cups)

Method :
- Mix all the ingredients except oil  for the balls in a large bowl.
- Heat oil in a wok for deep frying.
- Make balls from the veg mixture and deep fry the balls till brown.
- Do not add water while making the balls. Water that comes out of the veggies is enough for binding the veggies together.
- Now for the sauce in a pan add the oil.
- When oil is hot add garlic, ginger and green chilli.
- Saute in medium flame for a minute and add sugar to it.
- Now mix the water to maida and add to the saucepan.
- Add little salt if required and let it come to a boil and let the sauce thicken.
- Add tomato sauce and soy sauce and add in the fried balls.
Serve hot with a bowl of rice.

Now coming to mistakes again. By mistake in this dish I had added an extra tbsp of soy sauce and that is the reason the colour is so dark. Although the taste was good the look of the dish was not that attractive. So when you are preparing the dish make sure you add just the required amount of soy sauce so that the veg manchurian looks good too... :)

Gajar Ka Halwa...

There are some things in life that give you immense happiness no matter what situation you are in. For me even thinking of having home made Gajar ka Halwa is one of those things. I love this dessert. Although this is a dessert I also have it as a snack sometimes. This recipe is from Tarla Dalal's book "MITHAI". I followed the recipe blindly without changing even a single bit and ended up preparing super delicious Gajar Ka Halwa. :) :)

Ingredients:
- 6 medium carrots grated
- 1/2 cup full fat milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
- a few saffron strands
- 2 tbsp cream
- 3 tbsp ghee
                                                      - 3-4 cashews


Method :

- Heat the ghee in a broad non stick pan and saute the carrots for 2-3 mins.
- Add the milk and stir till it evaporates.
- Then add the sugar and continue stirring until the mixture is slightly thick.
- Add the cardamom powder, saffron dissolved in a little milk and cream and stir well.
- Serve hot garnished with cashews.

:)

This is my entry for :

- WTML at Vegetarian Food and me which is originally Gayathri's event.

 - Spring Seasonal Food at Srav's Culinary Concepts

An Award :)

I am really Thankful to Gayathri from Gayathri's Cookspot to send me the book "MITHAI" for winning the WTML Series for March 2012. It is really great to receive awards for your recipes.

This is a huge motivation. The below picture is of the book that I got.

 

The first recipe that I tried from the book was Gajar Ka Halwa and shall be posting the recipe very soon.

Pabda Machher Jhal

We bengalis can cook fish in thousand and one or may be even more ways. Bengalis are ardent food lovers and fish and sweets tops their list of favourite food. Bengal is a part of India with hundreds of ponds and rivers where you get hundreds of types of fishes. There is also a saying in Bengali " Machhe Bhaate bangali" which means a bengali is by fish and rice.
English name for pabda is pabo catfish. It is a sweet water fish and is found in rivers. It is a one bone fish with slightly slippery body but firm to touch. This is one fish curry which is often prepared when family comes together for an occassion. I love this fish curry and hope rest of the world will also like the traditional tastes of bengal.

Ingredients:

- Pabda Fish (4 washed and cleaned)
- Onion paste and ginger paste (2 tbsp)
- Green chilli (2 slit from the middle)
- Salt (acc to taste)
- Kalo Jeera / Nigella (1/2 tsp)
- Bori (6-7)
- Red chilli powder (1/2 tsp)
- Coriander Powder (1 tsp)
- Cumin powder ( 1 tsp)
- Turmeric powder (1/2 tsp)
- Mustard oil ( 1 cup)

Bori is nothing but small lentil paste cakes that we get in Bengal.

Method:
- Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric powder for half a hour.
- In a wok fry the fishes and keep aside.
- In the same oil add bori and fry it till it turns brown.
- In the same oil add the nigella seeds and green chillies.

- When they splutter add the onion ginger paste.
- Fry the paste till golden and then add red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder.If the masala sticks to the wok add little water about 1 tbsp.
- When the masala is fried add 1 cup water and let it come to boil.
- Add the fish and bori to it and let it cook in low flame for another 2-3 mins.
- Serve hot with rice.
You can garnish with coriander leaves.

Paneer Makhani in Microwave :)

 Shubho Nababarsha to all of you my friends. Today is bengali new year. According to traditions I should be making some sweets today but that did not happen. I am not keeping well and was admitted to the hospital entire night yesterday. I had prepared this easy paneer makhni dish few days back. So had no other choice but post this paneer dish to wish all of you a happy and prosperous new year. :)

As for today I could not celebrate with good food and only had to eat all boiled stuff due to my health conditions. :(

This recipe is from the recipe book which I have got with my microwave. I never thought of giving it a try as I was not pretty sure about how it would actually taste. It was awesome, even better than what is served in the restaurants and takes only half an hour to be ready to serve.

Ingredients:
- Paneer (200 grams cut into cubes)
- Tomatoes (5 chopped)
- Chopped Ginger (1 tsp)'
- Butter (2 tbsp)
- Oil (1 tbsp)
- Green cardamoms (2 crushed)
- Sugar (1/2 tsp)
- Salt (acc to taste)
- Garam Masala (1/2 tsp)
- Red chilli powder (1/2 tsp)
- Tomato Ketchup (1 tsp)
- Cashewnuts (5-6)
- Milk (1/2 cup)
- Kasoori Methi powder (2 tsp)
- Cream (1/2 cup)

Method:
- Soak the cashewnuts in milk for 30 mins and then grind to paste.
- In a deep dish cover and microwave tomatoes, ginger and 1/2 cup water for 5 mins.Let it cool and puree in a mixer.
- Microwave butter, oil and elaichi for 2 mins. Add salt, sugar and red chilli powder and garam masala.Mix.
- Add fresh tomato puree and tomato ketchup. Mix very well. Microwave covered for 4 mins. Stir once and microwave uncovered for 4 mins again.
- Add cashewnut paste and Kasoori methi. Mix well and add half cups of water. Microwave for 3 mins.
- Add paneer. Add enough cream to get a thick red gravy. Microwave 2 mins and serve.

This tastes superb when served with roti. :)

This goes off to :
Vegetarian side dishes at Zesty Pallette and Priya's easy and tasty recipes

 

 at Saras kitchen and Sizzling Tastebuds









Microwave Easy cooking event at Nalini's Kitchen

Grilled Egg Sandwich

Hello Friends!! I am here after quite some time.. was bit busy wid work.
Today I have decided to share with you a sandwich recipe which is very easy to make and makes a great breakfast on a weekday when you are in a hurry to leave for work.I don't know why but I always leave for work in a hurry as I am always late. I have a habit of packing lunch and taking to office everyday. Not only because eating out everyday is not good for health but also the food at my office canteen is horrible. You can't eat a single thing there.... even the sight of food there will leave you feeling sick... its full of oil and red in colour. I had lunch there once and ended up having severe heartburn. That was the day when I decided I am not going to eat canteen food no matter what!!! In the morning when my gas oven is occupied with the lunch dishes it is convenient to prepare something in the microwave or the sandwich maker for breakfast. I got this sandwich maker as a gift from my husband's friends during our marriage and I really feel blessed that I have one of these.

Ingredients:
- Boiled Eggs (1)
- Cucumber - (1/2)
- Tomatoes (1)
- Capsicum (1/2)
- Tomato sauce (2 tbsp)
- BlackPepper powder(1 pinch)
- Grated cheese (1/2 cup)
- Grated carrots (1/2 cup)

Method :
- Cut the boiled egg, capsicum, tomatoes, cucumber in your choice of shapes. Make sure the slices are pretty thin.
- Take a slice of bread.
- Put all the veggies and the egg over the slice. Add the tomato sauce.
- Now add the grated carrots and cheese, sprinkle some black pepper powder and put another bread slice on top of it.
- Now put it in the sandwich maker for grilling.
- After it is grilled take it out and cut it diagonally into two halves.

Your sandwich is ready. Have it at home or on your way to office like I do. :)

This goes off to Sumee's Culinary Bites Breakfast Ideas and Lets Make Sandwich Event at Simply Food and Cook Click and Devour.

Easy Cheesy Pizza Without Oven

This is a recipe for pizza without an oven. It can be prepared on stove top in a jiffy. It takes very little time and is a hit snack item among kids as well as grown ups. :)

Ingredients:

- Pizza Base (3 small ones/ one large)
- Tomato sauce (2 tbsp)
- Chilli Sauce (2 tbsp)
- Cheese (1 cube)
- Capsicum / Green bell pepper (1 chopped finely)
- Onion (1 chopped finely)
- Carrots (1 chopped finely)
- Corn Kernels ( 1/2 cup)
- Mozzarella cheese  / Any cheese of your choice( 1 cup grated)
- Butter (1 tbsp)

Method:
- Take a frying pan / tava and put some butter on it. Heat it.
- When the tava is hot enough put the pizza bases on it.
- After some time turn the pizza base to other side. When both sides are baked i.e brown in colour turn off the flame.
- Now take the pizza base and apply the tomato sauce and chilli sauce on it.
- Put some grated cheese .
- Now put chopped capsicum, onion, carrots, corn or any other veggies of your choice. You can even put chicken but make sure the chicken is cooked before it goes into your pizza.
- Now add some more grated cheese on top of the veggies.
- Put the pizza in microwave for a min on high so that the cheese melts and the veggies are cooked a bit. Veggies should be crispy that is not totally cooked. If you do not have a microwave put the pizza on a tava and cover it with lid. It will take 2-3 mins to be ready.
- Add some more cheese if you want, add chilli flakes and oregano flakes.

Enjoy your pizza.. :)

This goes off to :
Say Cheese event at daily cuppa , LunchBox Ideas at Cuisine delights and Recipe Junction,
Kids delight at Rujuta and Srivalli at Spice your life and Cook Click and Devour.