Vegetable Sweet and Sour

Vegetable Sweet and Sour

I had this dish in a restaurant, so thats when i decided to try this at home. I found this to be the easiest way of making Vegetable Sweet and Sour. We don't like it very sweet so I add a bit of chilly sauce.

Do not overcook the vegetables. The vegetables should retain it colour and crunchiness.

Ingredients:

• 8 french beans cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8-10 cauliflower florets
• 1 medium carrot, cut into thin rounds
• 4 baby corn cobs cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 big onion cut into 1 inch square pieces and separate the layers
• 1 green capsicum cut into 1 inch square pieces
• 1/4 medium cabbage cut into 1 inch squares
• 1 slice tinned pineapple cut into 1/2 inch pieces (optional)
• 3 table spoons tomato ketchup
• 1-2 tea spoon red chilly sauce
• 2 table spoon sugar
• 1/4 tea spoon MSG (optional)
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper powder
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
• 3 table spoons cornflour
• 1/2 inch ginger finely chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 table spoon finely chopped spring onion greens
• 3 table spoons white vinegar
• 2 table spoons oil
• salt to taste

Method:

Mix tomato sauce, red chilly sauce, sugar, MSG, pepper powder and salt in one cup of water or vegetable stock and keep aside.

Mix corn flour in 1 cup of water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok, add ginger and garlic and saute for a minute. Now add onions and saute for another minute. Add carrots, cauliflower, beans, cabbage and fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add capsicum and fry for another minute.

Now add in the water mixed with sauce and spices. Then add the remaining water and cook on low heat for 2 minutes. Now add the corn flour mixture and cook until the sauce starts to thicken, stirring continuously.

Add pineapple pieces and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar and serve hot with Chinese fried rice or noodles.

Chinese Egg Fried Rice

Chinese Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 250 gms basmati rice or any good quality rice or 5-6 cups cooked rice
• 1/2 cup oil
• 10 beans finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots finely chopped
• 3-4 spring onions finely chopped
• 1 table spoon finely chopped cabbage
• 1 capsicum finely chopped
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper
• 1 tea spoon ajinomoto (optional) (I have not used)
• 1/2 table spoon soya sauce

Method:

First wash and soak rice for 1/2 hour. Boil it with salt, 1 tea spoon oil and water till rice is more than half cooked. Drain water and spread the rice on a plate and let it cool completely or alternatively cook the rice in a rice cooker. The rice should be cooked a bit grainy.

Heat oil in a wok, add salt and pepper. Add beans, carrots, spring onions and cabbage. Saute on a high flame for 1 or 2 minutes.

Add the cooked and cooled rice. Mix it properly. Add soya sauce, ajinomoto and salt if required. Fry for 2-3 minutes on high flame.

Now add spring onion greens. Mix properly and turn off the heat.

Serve hot with any Chinese gravy dishes.

Masala Bhath



Masala Bhath

Masala Bhath is a popular Maharashtrian rice specially made during festivals, pujas and marriages. I love to eat this rice with ghee and freshly grated coconut.The speciality of this dish is the goda/kala masala which we use. Kaala masala is a Maharashtrian spice mixture which distinguishes Maharashtrian food from other aromas and flavours of India.

You can add any vegetables like cauliflower, beans, carrot, cabbage, tendli/Ivy Gourd, brinjal, potato or matar. In this recipe I have used cabbage, potato and matar/green peas.

You will find different recipes of masala bhath but this is how I make it.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 1 potato peeled and cubed
• 2 table spoon green peas
• 3/4 cup chopped cabbage
• 1 table spoon cashew nuts
• 2 tablespoon Maharashtrian goda masala
• 1-2 tea spoon red chili powder
• 1 table spoon Jaggery
• salt to taste
• 1 table spoon grated dry coconut
• 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 tea spoon black cumin seeds/shahi jeera
• 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder/haldi
• 1/2 tea spoon asafoetida/hing
• fresh grated coconut for garnishing
• finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
• 5 1/2 cups hot water
• 2-3 table spoon oil

Method:

Wash and soak rice for 20 minutes.Then drain off the water.

Heat 1 tea spoon ghee in a pan and fry the grated dry coconut and 1/2 tea spoon black cumin seeds. Cool it and then grind into a fine powder.

Heat oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds when they splutter add asafoetida/hing, turmeric powder. Now add cabbage, potato, green peas and cashew nuts and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add rice and saute for another 1-2 minutes.

Now add goda masala, red chilli powder, jaggery, salt, dry coconut and cumin powder. Mix properly and fry for another 2 minutes and then add 5 1/2 cups of hot water.

Once it starts boiling, give a nice stir, then cover and cook till it is done. Keep stirring in between.

Serve hot garnished with ghee, coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut.

Egg/Anda Bhurji

Egg/Anda Bhurji

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 big onion finely chopped
• 1 big tomato finely chopped
• 2 finely chopped green chillies
• 1 table spoon finely chopped coriander
• 2 table spoon oil
• 1 tea spoon red chilly powder
• 1/2 tea spoon haldi/turmeric powder
• 1/2 tea spoon garam masala or chicken masala
• salt to taste

Method:

Beat eggs in a bowl and keep aside

Heat oil in a pan, add finely chopped green chillies and onion. Fry till onions turn golden brown. Now add tomato and cook till it turns tender.

Add red chilly powder, haldi, salt and chicken masala or garam masala. Saute for a minute.

Then add the beaten eggs and stir till it separates into small pieces.

Now add coriander leaves and saute for a minute. Your yummy Anda/Egg Bhurji is now ready.

Serve hot with bread or chapati.

Palak Puri / Spinach Puri

Palak Puri / Spinach Puri



Palak Puri is referred as deep fried indian bread prepared using spinach/palak. People usually consider puri to be unhealthy as it is deep fried and contains lots of fat but palak puri is an healthier version of puri.

Though it contains fat, but because of palak it is healthier. Palak has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants. It is a rich source of vitamins, iron, calcium etc.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1 bunch of palak
• 3 tea spoon rice flour
• 1 tea spoon besan
• 1 tea spoon cumin seeds/jeera
• 3-4 green chillies
• 1-2 tea spoon sugar
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

Method:

Wash and chop palak. Grind palak, green chillies, cumin seeds, sugar and salt together in a blender and turn it into a fine paste.

Take all the flours together in a large plate and add palak paste and one tea spoon oil, mix all of it together to make a soft dough, add water only if needed.

Divide the dough into lemon sized balls and roll each of them by dusting some flour or with oil into small puris with a rolling pin.

Heat oil in a kadai. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a piece of the dough to the oil and if it goes to the base and rises immediately on the surface of the oil and starts browning, then the oil is of the right temperature to fry the puris.

Fry all the puris one by one from both the sides until they turn slightly brown in colour.

Serve hot with chutney or aloo subji

Bottle Gourd/Doodhi/Lauki/Sorakaya Paratha

Bottle Gourd/Doodhi/Lauki/Sorakaya Paratha





Lauki, dudhi or bottle gourd contains lot of water, so it is light on the stomach and good for digestion. It is ideal for those who are watching their weight.

Bottle gourd is not only rich in essential minerals, iron, protein etc; it is also rich in fibre. Fibre helps in preventing constipation and other digestive disorders.

Many of us may not want to try bottle gourd but because it has lot of health benefits it is always good to include it in our diet. So for those who still don't want to eat bottle gourd, paratha is a nice option.


Ingredients:

• 2 cups peeled and grated bottle gourd
• 2 cups wheat flour
• 2 tea spoon rice flour
• 1 tea spoon besan
• salt to taste
• 1-2 tea spoon red chilli powder
• 2 tea spoon garam masala powder
• 1-2 tea spoon ginger garlic paste
• oil for frying
• 3 table spoon finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Take all the flours together in a large plate, add grated bottle gourd along with its water, salt, red chilly powder, garam masala powder, ginger garlic paste and two tea spoon oil. Mix all of it together to make a soft dough, the grated bottle gourd contains lot of water so there is no need of adding water to the dough. If the dough becomes sticky you can add some more wheat flour.

Now make equal sized balls out of it and dust the surface to roll out the balls into round shaped chapatis.

Heat a tawa and put the rolled out parathas on it and cook by sprinkling oil until both sides are golden brown.

Serve hot with curd,butter,pickle or sauce.