Vegetable Manchuria

It’s quite easy to make Vegetable Manchuria

Ingredients

• Cabbage – 100 grams (grated)
• Carrots – 100 grams (grated)
• Capsicum – 50 grams (finely chopped)
• Coriander – 50 grams (finely chopped)
• Paneer – 100 grams grated
• Green Chili – 4-5, finely chopped
• Ginger – 1 inch – grated
• Corn Flour – 1 tbsp
• Maida Flour – 2 tbsp
• Soya Sauce – 1 tbsp
• Curry Leaves – 10 – 15, finely chopped
• Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• For the Dumplings
• Mix Cabbage, Carrots, Capsicum, half the coriander, a little curry leaves, Paneer, Green Chili along with Salt, a little Soya Sauce, Ginger, 1/2 tbsp of Corn floor and 1 tbsp of Maida flour.
• Knead to a thick consistency by adding water little by little.
• Roll them into balls and deep fry and drain out excess oil (if any)
• For the Gravy
• Take some oil in a pan and heat.
• Add the remaining green chili, ginger and curry leaves.
• Once done add sufficient water and mix
• To this mixture add water mixed with corn flour.
• Add the remaining soya sauce and Red Chili powder & salt.
• Mix slowly on low heat until the gravy thickens.
• Drop in the dry Manchuria into the gravy and toss.

Your Vegetable Manchuria is now ready. Serve with fried rice or noodles. See the pics for the details.

Veggie Spring Rolls

Ingredients

1) Maida Flour - 200 grams
2) Carrots - 100 grams
3) Cabbage - 100 grams
4) Green Chilies - 3-4 (per taste)
5) Ginger - 1 inch long
6) Soya Sauce - 2 tbl spoons
7) Vinegar - 1 tsp
8) Salt to taste
9) Oil to deep fry

Figure 1: Sauté the veggies length-wise for best results.

Method of Preparation

1) Mix Maida with warm water and salt and slowly knead. It must be well knead for at least 15 mins. Cover it with cloth for 30 mins.

2) Cut all the veggies including chilies and Ginger length wise as shown in Figure 1.

3) Heat some oil in a pan and sauté all the veggies for about 2-3 minutes.

4) Add soya sauce and vinegar and cook for 2 more minutes.

5) Add salt to taste. Remove this from pan and allow it to cool.
This is your filling.

6) Take small balls of Maida and roll them into small chappatis. It should be at least 8-10 inches in diameter.

7) Take a little amount of the prepared filling and place it at one end of the chappati and roll them over while closing the ends.

8) Deep fry till golden brown in medium hot oil.

9) Pat out any excess oil with a kitchen towel. Cut them to shape and serve with grated Carrots, Cabbage and Tomato Ketchup.

Dahi Vada / Mosaru Vade

Ingredients for Vada (Serves 2 people)

1) Urad Dal – 1/2 cup (about 50gms)
1a) Toor Dal (or Moong Dal) – 1/2 cup (about 50 gms)
2) Black Pepper - 1 tsp
3) Green Chile - 3-4 (as per taste)
4) Jeera (Cumin) - 1 tsp
5) Hing - a pinch
6) Salt to taste
7) Finely chopped fresh coconut pieces (not grated)


Ingredients for Dahi (Mosaru)

1) Curds – 200 grams
2) Coriander leaves – 1 bunch
3) Jeera – 1 tsp
4) Green Chilies – 2 nos
5) Red Chilies powder – 1 pinch (as per taste)
6) Sugar – 1 tsp
7) Salt – to taste

Method Of Preparation

1) Soak Urad Dal & Toor (Moong) Dal overnight (or at least for 4 hours)
2) Grind the Dals into a thick paste by draining out most of the water.
3) Add finely chopped Green Chilies, Crushed Pepper and other ingredients and mix.
4) Deep Fry the Vadas by dropping them in hot Oil on medium.
5) Transfer the Vadas immediately into cold water (taken in a vessel) for about a minute and keep them aside (this will make them soft and allow them to soak the flavors)
6) Take Curds and beat it well to make it consistent (don’t add water).
7) To the curds add finely chopped coriander, chilies, salt, red chilies power and sugar and mix well. You could add some amchur and garam masala if desired.
8) Prepare Tadka with Ghee and Jeera, add it to the curds, and mix well.
9) Pour the curds over the Vadas and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Leave it for 10-15 mins.
10) Refrigerate it for best results.

Pepper Poppy Hakka Noodles

In the pic: Pepper Poppy Hakka Noodles

Ingredients

1. Hakka Noodles - 400 grams (wheat noodles, you could use rice noodles as well)
2. Pepper Kernels - 10-15 kernels (crushed coarsely)
3. Poppy Seeds - 1 tsp
4. Green Chilly - 2-3 slit length wise
5. Capsicum - 150 grams
6. Carrot - 100 grams
7. French Beans - 100 grams
8. Capsicum - 100 grams (chopped)
9. Tomato Sauce - 3 table spoons
10. Vinegar - 1 tsp
11. Oil - 2-3 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Take a large wok and heat about 10-12 glasses of water and bring it to boil.
2. Add about 3-4 tsp of oil and continue to boil.
3. Add Hakka Noodles and stir for about 2 minutes ensuring that its partly cooked.
4. Strain the water away and toss the Noodles with some more oil so that it does not stick to each other.
5. In a large pan take 2 tsp oil and heat.
6. Add pepper and poppy seeds and stir.
7. Add all the vegetables (cut length wise, 1/2 cm x 1 inch long) and quickly stir fry.
8. Add Salt to taste and then immediately add tomato sauce & Vinegar and continue stir fry.
9. Add the Noodles to this mixture and mix well.
10. Serve with tomato ketchup.

Quicky Vada & Pongal

Vada
Ingredients (Serves 2 people)
1) Urad Dal – 1 large cup (about 150gms) (whole, de-skinned)
2) Black Pepper - 1 tsp
3) Green Chile - 3-4 (as per taste)
4) Jeera (Cumin) - 1 tsp
5) Hing - a pinch
6) Salt to taste

Method Of Preparation
1) Soak Urad Dal overnight (or at least for 4 hours)
2) Grind the Urad Dal into a thick paste by draining out most of the water.
3) Add finely chopped Green Chile and other ingredients and mix.
4) Deep Fry the Vadas by dropping them in hot Oil on medium with a hole (if possible). [Dip your hands in water to avoid batter sticking to your hands]
5) Serve with chutney and Sambar.



Pongal
Ingredients (Serves 2 people)
1) Moong Dal - 1 Cup (De-skinned Split Green Gram)
2) Rice – 1 cup.
3) 10-15 pepper corns
4) Jeera - 2 tsp
5) Green Chille - 3-4 (to taste)
6) Hing (Asafetedia) - pinch
7) Salt - to taste
8) Ghee
9) Curry Leaves (Karibevu) - 10-15
10) Grated fresh Ginger - 1 tsp

Method of Preparation
1) Wash Moong Dal & Rice well.
2) Take some ghee in a pan, make tadka of Jeera, Pepper Corns, Curry Leaves, Ginger & Green Chillies until a pleasent aroma emanates.
3) Add this Tadka to Moong Dal & Rice and pressure-cook with 1:3 ratio of water. (don’t add salt)
4) After 4-5 whistles and the cooker releases, take a pan of about 1/2 cup of water, bring it boil & add salt. Add the boiling salt water to the pongal. Mix well and it should have a batter like consistency.
5) Add fried/roasted Cashews if needed.
6) Pongal tastes best with a generous helping of Ghee and a well made chutney.

Rice & Ragi Idly with Red & Green Chutney

I. Normal Idly (makes 24-30 idlies) - Figure 1
1) 1.25 cups of Whole Urad Dal
2) 4 cups of Par-boiled rice

II. Ragi Idly (makes 24-30 idlies) - Figure 2
1) 1.5 cups of Whole Urad Dal
2) 2 cups of ragi millets.
3) 2 cups of par-boiled rice

Method of preparation
1) Soak all ingredients separately for at least 4 hours
2) Grind in a wet grinder for good 40 minutes
3) In case of Ragi Idly grind the ragi initially for 20 minutes before transferring it to the combined mixture. This is to make sure you take care of the more fibrous nature of ragi.
4) The mixture will ferment on its own quickly (maybe 2-3 hours in summer) and 6-7 hours in winter. Transfer the batter into a clean container and store it in the fridge.
5) Just before keeping into the idly plates, add a pinch of salt. Ensure to bring the batter to room temperature for best results.
6) To spice it up and make them as Vegetable idlies, just add chopped coriander, grated carrots, grated ginger, cut karibevu. You could also add boiled peas and some cashews to enhance the taste significantly.

Figure 1: Vegetable Idly with Allam (Ginger) Chutney & Amaranthus Sambar

Figure 2: Ragi Idly with Green Chutney

III. Red (Allam) Chutney - Figure 1
1) 2 inches of fresh Ginger.
2) 7-8 Byadige Red Chilies (gives the unique color and vary this as Byadige does not have half the heat as Guntur Chilies)
3) Half a coconut
4) Tamarind – 1 inch
5) Salt to taste.
6) 1 tsp of Jaggery.

For Tadka (Vaggarene)
7) Urad Dal – 1 tsp
8) Channa Dal – 1 tsp
9) Sasive (Mustard Seeds) – 1 tsp
10) Hing – pinch.
11) Ghee – 1 tsp
12) Curry leaves (Karibevu) – a few

Method of preparation
1) Roast the Byadige Red Chilies till it gives out a slight aroma.
2) Mix all the ingredients in a mixer grinder with sufficient water.
3) Add Vaggarene (Tadka) with a good helping of Ghee.


IV. Green (Kotambri) Chutney - Figure 2
1) Coriender – 1 big bunch (chopped)
2) Curry leaves – 10-15 leaves.
3) Green Chilies – 4-5 nos.
4) Tamarind – 1 inch
5) Salt to taste
6) Hurugalle (Roasted Bengal Gram) – 100 grams
7) Coconut – 1/2

For Tadka (Vaggarene)
8) Urad Dal – 1 tsp
9) Channa Dal – 1 tsp
10) Sasive (Mustard Seeds) – 1 tsp
11) Hing – pinch.
12) Ghee – 1 tsp
13) Curry leaves (Karibevu) – a few

Method of preparation
1) Mix all the ingredients in a mixer grinder with sufficient water.
2) Add Vaggarene (Tadka) with a good helping of Ghee.

Qubani Ka Meetha

Qubani Ka Meetha (Hyderabadi special sweet from Dried Apricot)

Ingredients

• 1) Dried Apricot (Qubani) – 250 gms
• 2) Sugar – 250 gms
• 3) Milk Cream – 100 gms.

Method

• 1) Soak the Apricots in water overnight.
• 2) Remove the seed (note that the kernel inside appears and tastes like Badam, though small in size). This kernel can be used for garnishing.
• 3) Now take the deseeded soaked Apricots and puree it by running it through a mixer grinder.
• 4) Take a deep bottomed pan and heat it. Add a tsp of water. To this add Sugar.
• 5) Boil the sugar and bring it to a 1-string consistency.
• 6) Add the ground apricots, cook on low flame; keep stirring.
• 7) After about 20 mins or so, the mixture assumes a jam like consistency and a dark brown color. You know now that it is done.
• 8) Garnish it with Apricot kernels.
• 9) Refrigerate the mixture and serve with Cream or Ice Cream.

Chatpata Mango Chutney (Tokku)

Chatpata Mango Chutney (Tokku)
This is one Mango chutney (Tokku) I personally relish. Fortunately Raw Mangoes are available these days even during offseason (but not as sour as desired). This Mango chutney goes best with rice and a generous spoon of ghee! You can refrigerate this Chutney for close to 1 week in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 1) Raw Mangoes – 2 nos
• 2) Fenugreek Seeds (Methi/Menthya beeja) – 2 tsp
• 3) Dried Red Chilies (Bedige if available) – 6-7 pieces
• 4) Green Chilies – 2 nos
• 5) Curry leaves – a few
• 6) Salt to taste
• 7) Oil – 1 tbsp
• 8) Sugar – 1 pinch
• 9) Asafetida (Hing/Hingoo) – 1 pinch
• 10) Turmeric (Haldi/Arashina) – 1 pinch
• 11) Mustard Seeds (Sasive) – 1 tsp

Method

• 1) Take Fenugreek Seeds (Menthya) and Red Chilies (Byadige Menasinakai) and roast it till the seeds turn deep brown.
• 2) Grind the above mixture along with Turmeric and Hing into a coarse powder and keep aside.
• 3) Grate the mangoes and keep aside.
• 4) Take a deep pan and heat the oil. Add Mustard Seeds (Sasive) till it splutters. Add some Hing. To this directly add the grated mangoes and mix well.
• 5) Add Curry leaves and mix well. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
• 6) To this add the Chili/Fenugreek powder and mix well.
• 7) Add Salt to taste
• 8) Your chutney is ready when the mixture does not stick to the pan.

Veggi-Fruity Grilled Chat

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 1) Capsicum – 2 nos (Medium)
• 2) Tomatoes – 3 nos (large)
• 3) Potatoes – 2 nos
• 4) Paneer – 200 gms
• 5) Banana – 2 nos
• 6) Papaya – 2 cups (diced)
• 7) Coriander leaves – 1 cup
• 8) Green Chilly – 2 nos (medium)
• 9) Other fruits of your choice (diced)
• 10) Chopped Lettuce (optional)
• 11) Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
• 12) Salt to taste
• 13) 2 tbsp oil

Method

• 1) Grind Coriander, Chilly and Salt together like fine chutney, keep aside.
• 2) Cut Potatoes, Paneer and Capsicum in to 1x1 inch squares, for potato the thickness should not be more than 1/2 cm.
• 3) Take some oil in a fry pan and shallow fry Potatoes on low flame. To this add 1 tsp of Coriander Chutney prepared earlier.
• 4) Take off potatoes and add Paneer and shallow fry along with some Coriander Chutney, generally the paneer will assume a greenish tinge. Sprinkle some salt to taste.
• 5) Add some oil to the pan and stir fry Capsicum and Tomato separately. Don’t overheat the tomatoes as it can easily become saucy and tender. Sprinkle some salt.
• 6) Cut fruits and set aside.
• 7) Toss all the items with a good dash of Chat Masala, your Veggi-Fruity Chat is now ready!

Paani-Puri (Sans Onions)

Five things we require for Paani-Puri (Sans Onions) include
1) Pani
2) Puri
3) Sev
4) Palya
5) Tomatoes



Pani: It’s difficult to prepare Pani, so best it is get 'Everest' Pani-puri instant mix. Just add 2-3 tbl spoons of to cold water along with chopped coriander.

Puri: Again, difficult to make, available at Food world, Hypercity, etc. Just get it ready-made.

Sev: Again Haldirams will do.

Palya:
Ingredients
1) Aloo - 2 big
2) Coriander - 1 bunch chopped
3) Peas - 1 cup
4) Jeera - 1 tsp
5) Jeera Powder - 1 tsp
6) Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
7) Green Chilly - Finely chopped
8) Oil - for Tadka
9) Ginger - 1 inch


Method:

• Boil and mash potatoes & peas with some salt.
• Take some oil in a pan and add Jeera, Jeera Power, Coriander Powder, Green Chilly and Shredded Ginger.
• To this add the mashed potatoes and mix.
• Add Chopped fresh coriander and mix.
• Your Palya is now ready!

So go ahead and relish your paani-puri with chopped tomatoes!

Veg Burger

I have prepared Burgers for quite sometime now, but somehow the recipe has not made its way here. I found the recipe from an old mail I had sent to several of my close people years back when I first made burgers. There was an urgent need to publish it here as it so happened that about a week ago, my mom called me up and asked me that she urgently needed the recipe for Veg Burger and she could not find it in this blog - what a pity !

Based on Popular Demand I am herewith reproducing the Recipe for Veg Burger

Ingredients for Veg Patty

1) 1/2 kg Potato (Cubed)
2) 100 gms Peas
3) 100 gms Carrot (Chopped)
4) 2 Capsicum (optional)
5) 2 tomatoes (finely chopped)
6) Finely chopped Coriander Leaves.
7) Half Loaf of Sandwich Bread (not whole wheat bread)
8) 1 tsp of Jeera Powder
9) 1 tsp of Dhaniya Power
10) 1/2 tsp of Garam Masala
11) 1/4 tsp of Turmeric Power
12) 1 tsp of Shah Jeera
13) 1 tsp of Chilly Power
14) 1 green chilly (finely chopped)
15) 1 inch Ginger (finely chopped)
16) 1 tblsp Corn Flour
17) Salt to taste
18) Buns
19) Cheese Slices

The patties.

Method

1) Bread Crumbs: Put the bread slices into the microwave for 2 mins on high so that it becomes crusty. You could also toast the bread to make it crusty. Crush the toasted/brittle bread to make breadcrumbs. You could also use Rusk and crush it to make breadcrumbs.

2) Boil all the vegetables with little water in the pressure cooker and keep aside (if there is excessive stock, keep it aside and use it)

3) Take about 2-3 tsp of oil in a non-stick pan and Shah Jeera and wait till it splutters. To this add all the spice powders (Jeera, Dhaniya, Garam, Turmeric & Chilly) and quickly stir [note it will froth]. To this swiftly add chopped Ginger and Green Chilly and stir well. Finally add tomatoes and ensure it is well cooked. This forms the basic Patty Masala paste.

4) Now mash the boiled vegetables and to this add the Patty Masala paste, Breadcrumbs, Salt, Coriander leaves and Corn Flour so the entire mixture has a consistency of Chapati Flour mix - knead as much as possible. You could add a spoon of butter this mix to enhance the flavor.

5) Now make patties to the size of the bun’s circumference and desired thickness. Dip the patty once in breadcrumbs so that it covers the patty.

6) Take a flat-bottomed pan (tava) and smear it with a tablespoon of oil. Now shallow fry the patties till they turn golden brown. Keep turning it around to achieve a consistent look.

7) Now toast the Buns on the sides after cutting into two. You could use butter/ghee on the Tawa to toast the Buns with Sesame seeds (if desired)

8) Just ahead of serving, add a slice of Cheese on top of the Patty and keep it in between the buns and serve. Adding a thin slice of tomato and some lettuce adds an great touch of crunchiness into the bite.

Shaka Vratha Huri-Uddina Chutney

Ingredients

• Urad Dal (Uddina Bele) – 1 cup
• Pepper Corns – 1 tsp
• Amla Power (preferred) or Amchoor Powder – 1 tbsp
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste.

Method

• Take a pan, add Ghee and roast Urad Dal and Pepper Corns together.
• Once roasted add Amla (or Amchoor) Power and mix the roasted Dal while hot. Allow the mixture to cool.
• Grind the mixture with a little water & salt to make it into a paste.
• Your Huri-Uddina Chutney is now ready.

Shaka Vratha Saaru (Rasam)

Ingredients

• Pepper (Black Corns) – 1 tsp
• Jeera (Cumin Seeds) – 2 tsp
• Amchoor (Dry Mango Powder) – 1 tbsp
• Toor Dal – 1 cup
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Jaggery (Optional) – As per taste
• Salt as per taste.

Method

• Pressure-cook Toor Dal (Togari Bele) and sift it a little – keep aside.
• Take a pan, add 1tsp of Jeera and Pepper and roast them. Coarsely powder the roasted Jeera and Pepper using a pestle.
• Take a pan, add water, to this add the Jeera & Pepper powder, Salt and Amchoor powder and bring it to boil.
• Add the Toor Dal and continue to boil. Add Jaggery at this stage.
• Heat the Ghee in a ladle and add Jeera to make Vaggarane (Tadka).
• Add this to the Saaru (Rasam).
• Your Vratha Saaru is now ready. (Happy Chaturmaasa!)

Fusion Chitranna !

Fusion Chitranna

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• Rice – 1 cup (washed & soaked)
• Peanuts – ½ a cup
• Capsicum – 1 cup diced
• Paneer – ½ cup cut into cubes.
• Channa Dal – 1 tsp
• Urad Dal – 1 tsp
• Hing – A small pinch
• Turmeric – A small pinch
• Pepper Corns – A few
• Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
• Jeera – 1 tbsp
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Cinnamon - 1 piece
• Green Chilies – 2
• Amchur Power – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Take a pan add Ghee, to this add Jeera and Cinnamon.
• Add soaked rice and fry. Add water and Pressure-cook the rice. Ensure is not overcooked and sticky, cool cooked rice and keep aside.
• Take a pan and add oil and heat.
• Make Vaggarane (tadaka) of Hing (Asafetida), Mustard Seeds, Urad Dal, Channa Dal & Pepper until Mustard Seeds splutter.
• To this add peanuts and roast (adding Cashews at this stage enhances taste)
• To this mixture add sliced Green Chilies.
• Now add Capsicum and stir fry. Add Salt. Add Paneer and mildly stir so that you don’t break the paneer. Keep this mixture aside. Add Amchur to add a zing of sourness.
• Add the mixture to cooled rice and mix.
• Your Fusion Chitranna is ready.

I call this ‘Fusion’ as the ingredients are a blend of North Indian Style Fried rice mixed with the key ingredients of South Indian chitraanna (mixed/coloured rice).

Fusion Chitranna packed for lunch !

How to prepare Hakka Noodles?

Folks, here is my simple recipe to prepare fantastic Hakka Noodles ! It's taken me 2.5 years to come back to this blog!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 pack (400gms) of White Hakka Veg Noodles
• Cabbage - 1 cup (diced)
  
• Capsicum - 1 cup (cut length wise - about 3-4 cms to resemble noodles ;) )
  
• Carrots - 1 cup (sticks - length wise)
  
• French Beans - 1 cup cut length wise
  
• 2 Green Chillies
  
• 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce (without garlic/chillies)
  
• 1 tbsp White Vinegar
• Salt to taste
  
• White pepper power to taste
  
• Oil to stir fry

Method

• Take about 1200 ml of water and bring it to boil in a large pan.
  
• Add Hakka Noodles + 1 tbsp of oil to the boiling water.
  
• Just stir for about 1 min or so and remove the noodles strain and toss (important to note that Noodles should be par-boiled at this time, otherwise they will stick to each other)
  
• Now take a pan, add the required quantity of oil
• Add the Chillies first and all the Vegetables and Stir fry on high flame with a little salt.
  
• Add Soy Sauce to the veggies and continue to stir
• Add the noodles, pepper & salt at this stage and toss.
  
• Add Vinegar if needed and toss again
  
• Your Vegetarian Hakka Noodles is now ready !
  

Hakka Noodles as usual tastes best with Pure Tomato sauce but a dash of Tabasco & Green Chillies sauces does not hurt !

That's Fried Rice, Gobi Manchuria & Hakka Noodles (with the ladle)

Thanks
Aditya Rao