Gobhi Manchurian

There were days when I used to order in Gobhi Manchurian every week and order it whenever I would go out without fail. Unfortunately, it is not available in London. So I thought why not try it at home. It is quite easy to make but requires a lot of ingredients. As this is a very spicy dish, you need all the ingredients to make it a success.

Ingredients

1 medium-sized cauliflower

4 tbsp plain flour

4 tbsp cornflour

1 onion

4-5 cloves garlic

1 green chilli

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp red chilli sauce

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 sprig green onions

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil

 

Gobhi Manchurian

To Fry Gobhi

Cut the cauliflower into bite sized florets and wash properly.

Mix flour with 2 tbsp cornflour. Add a little salt and pepper and slowly add water to make a paste of pouring consistency.

Heat oil in a skillet or a large saucepan. When the oil is hot, dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and fry them in it till they are golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and keep aside for later.

Gravy

Chop the onion and garlic. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan and saute the onion and garlic in it. Chop the green chilli and add to it.

Add the tomato ketchup and saute for 2-3 mins till everything holds together. Add the soya sauce, vinegar, red chilli sauce, salt and pepper and mix.

If you want to serve dry gobhi manchurian, mix the fried cauliflower and fold it in till it coats all the florets completely. Chop the green onions and sprinkle on the gobhi manchurian before serving.

If you want to serve gobhi manchurian with gravy, mix cornflour with 1 cup water and add to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-3 mins to get a nice consistency. Add the florets right before serving to keep them crispy. Don’t forget to garnish with chopped green onions.

Mini-Crostata

Winters in London means chilly wind and nightfall at 4 pm. Passing time at home is difficult. Suddenly I remembered I did not check the Daring Bakers’ challenge for November and I was just in time as the posting date is 27 Nov. Getting bored is sometimes useful too

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

The original recipe in Daring Baker’s challenge called for a 9” tart pan for this Italian dessert but I did not have one. So I made mini-crostatas in silicon muffin tray. Good thing is everything was at hand. I had some Nutella chocolate spread also which came in handy. So I made a few mixes fruit jam and a few Nutella crostatas. You can make a crostata with fruit preserves (traditional) or pastry cream or any other filling of your choice also.

The main challenge is to make the pasta frolla or the shortcrust pastry for the crostata. I have adapted the recipe according which is presented below. The pastry is really soft and buttery and goes well for mini-crostatas.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup + 1/4 cup all purpose flour

4 tbsp cold unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp superfine sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup Mixed fruit jam

1/2 cup Nutella chocolate spread

Mixed Fruit Jam Crostata

Shortcrust Pastry

Mix flour, salt, sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add 1 egg and vanilla essence and mix well to get a crumbly mixture. Add the butter and mix slowly till the dough comes together. Make a tight ball and wrap in cling film. Freeze it for atleast two hours.

Assorted Mini-Crostatas

Assemble the Crostata

Pre-heat the oven for 5 mins at 190C.

Roll the pasta frolla on a properly dusted surface till it is 1 mm thick. Cut it into circles big enough to fit your tartlet pans so that about 1 cm of pastry dough is raised against the edges to form a bowl. Press the dough against the edges of the pan to remove any trapped air.

Spread 2 tbsp jam or chocolate spread in the pastry dough in the pan.

With the remaining pastry, cut small strips and form a lattice on the crostata. Beat the remaining egg and carefully spread it on the exposed pastry.

Bake for 20 mins at 190C. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

 

Pizza Dough Recipe

Pizza Dough

So many times we order pizza from these big brands and it is an easy thing to do. However, making pizza at home is equally easy although it requires a little preparation beforehand. If you have your pizza dough and pizza sauce prepared and frozen, even that possibility is eliminated. This philosophy is inspired by Hubby Dearest and out recent trip to Venice where we saw the pizza being made from scratch in front of our eyes. Another chat with Mom and a little convincing by Hubby made me walk the path of pizza at home from scratch. It was not half as bad as I thought it to be. I did use tomato ketchup and chilli sauce instead of making my pizza sauce but you can go the extra mile in that department too.

Here I am discussing how to make pizza dough. It will be enough to make 3 thin crust 10” pizza bases.

Ingredients

2 cups + 1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

1 cup warm water

Mix dry yeast, sugar and a little water in a container till the yeast dissolves. Add the salt and 2 cups flour and remaining water to mix well till the dough comes together. If it looks sticky, add more flour. Cover the container and let the dough rise for 2 hours.

Pizza Dough – needs more flour

Once the dough has risen, take it out of the container and place it on a well dusted surface. Punch it to take out the air and knead it for 5 mins. If it is sticky, add more flour as required.

Place the dough in a well oiled container and spread some oil on the exposed surface of dough also. Cover it and place it in the fridge till further use.

When ready to make pizza, take out the dough on a well dusted surface. Divide it into three equal sized balls. Roll each one into a circle about 10” in diameter. The base is ready.

Rolled Pizza Base

Assemble Pizza

Assembling the pizza is the most fun part of the whole process. You can involve even children as they will enjoy making their own pizza.

Ingredients

1 Pizza base

1/2 cup Pizza sauce (or use tomato ketchup or ready made sauce)

1 cup chopped vegetables of your choice (onion, mixed peppers, sweet corn, paneer, jalapenos, olives)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt/Pepper/Seasoning of your choice

1 tsp oil

Ready to eat Pizza

Pre-heat the oven for 5 mins at 200 C.

Oil the pizza tray well with oil. Place the pizza base on the tray.

Spread the pizza sauce on the pizza base as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the veggies and the seasoning. Spread the mozzarella on top.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins at 200 C till the cheese has melted and is golden brown. The crust should be cooked through and will be deep golden brown at the edges and soft in the middle.

Cut the pizza into wedges and serve hot.

Tip: You can vary the pizza deep dish by making the base thicker. You can also make a stuffed pizza by baking  two bases separately for 5 mins and then placing them on top of the other with cheese or any stuffing of your choice in between.