Manchow Soup

It is always hard to replicate the flavours of a foreign cuisine at home. I have always struggled with Chinese dishes and was almost about to give up when I came across a recipe for Manchow soup. This is a great dish and I found it very versatile as it can be used as the base for veg ball manchurian dish or you can add fried paneer and capsicum to make it a chilli paneer dish. It would go perfectly with fried noodles to make it American chopsuey or can be eaten with fried rice as well. Just adjust the consistency.

Here is my version of Manchow soup.

Ingredients

1 carrot

¼ head cabbage

1 capsicum

8-10 french beans

1 large onion

8-10 garlic cloves

1 inch ginger

1 Green chilli

2 tbsp oil

3-4 cups water or vegetable stock

1 tbsp chilli sauce

2 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp vinegar

4-5 tbsp cornflour

Salt and Pepper to taste

Manchow Soup

The first step is to prep the vegetables. Some people like to chop them into tiny bits. However, it is easier to shred them in a food processor. It will give better texture and the process itself is very fast. So shred the carrot, cabbage and capsicum to get about 2 cups of vegetables. Chop or julienne the french beans. Keep aside.

Chop the onion, garlic and ginger as well as the green chillies.

Heat oil in a large pan and saute the onions, garlic and ginger followed by the rest of the vegetables.

Add the water or if you prefer, vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and then let it simmer on low.

Add soya sauce, ketchup and chilli sauce.

Add salt and pepper.

Mix cornflour in a few spoonfuls of water and add to the soup. Let the soup thicken. Keep stirring continuously when adding cornflour to avoid forming lumps.

Add vinegar and let the soup simmer for 10-15 mins.

Serve hot with croutons and cream.

Crispy Sabudana Vada

Potato might be a staple but it is very difficult to use it sometimes. Take the example of sabudana vada. Various recipes suggest using boiled and mashed potatoes but it is very difficult to form perfect vada with them. There are many problems. First of all, the vada sometimes breaks off in the oil and does not hold its shape. This dirties the oil and also spoils vada. Second, the vada ends up being very soggy and oily. Here is a recipe which rescues the vada and makes it crisp as well as makes sure the shape is held together.

Ingredients

1/2 cup soaked sabudana

1 medium potato

2 tbsp peanut powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp red chilli

1 tsp chaat masala

1 tbsp chopped coriander

Oil for frying

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup soaked sabudana and not the dry version. This will make around 10 vada. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the sabudana.

Peel and grate the potato. Again, squeeze out as much water as possible.

Mix sabudana, grated potato, peanut powder and the rest of the dry ingredients. Make 10 equal sized balls and press slightly to form disks.

Heat the oil in a skillet or a pan. Make sure the oil is boiling hot before frying the vada in it or they might break.

Fry the vada till golden brown turning once. Drain the vada on a tissue and serve hot.

Homemade Garlic Bread

Life is so simple that everything is available ready made these days. However, a home cooked meal is the best thing in the world. Simply because the smaller the quantity, the greater the attention to detail and hence, better the taste. Also, you can vary the ingredients as you choose. One such dish is garlic bread. Having never made it myself, till yesterday, I always thought it tastes best when ordered at Pizza Hut. Only, it gets cold and tasteless by the time it gets home. Try this recipe at home and you will never purchase garlic bread from the market.

 

Garlic bread served with pasta

Ingredients

1 ciabatta or small baguette

3-4 galic cloves

4 tbsp butter

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Salt and pepper for seasoning

 

Garlic Bread

Peel and chop the garlic cloves and mix with the butter. Keep aside.

Slice the baguette along its width to get 1 inch thick circular slices.

Pre-heat the oven to grill.

Spread the garlic butter on the baguette slices. Sprinkle mozarella cheese and salt and pepper.

Pop the slices in the oven and grill for 5 minutes.

Serve hot.

Tip: You can add chopped veggies on top of the mozarella cheese  for some color and extra flavor.

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.

French ‘melt in your mouth’ Meringues

Meringue is a French dessert made by whipping egg whites. There are various types of meringues, the sweetened uncooked beaten egg whites, the partly cooked ones or the classic dry light featherweight ones. Different techniques are used for each one of these but the most commonly used by home bakers is French meringue. These resemble cookies and are like candy fluff which melt as soon as you place them in your mouth.

Meringues used like cookies are baked at a very low heat for a long time. One name for them is ‘Forgotten Cookies’ as they can be left in a gas oven for long periods of time after the cooking is done. They are not supposed to be tanned at all, but they need to be very crisp and dry.

Meringues are actually very easy to make. All you need is eggs, an electric whisk (do not try to beat eggs by hand – it is too time consuming and not worth it) and clean utensils. Yes, clean bowls and spoons are required because the beaten egg whites will not hold if any grease or water is present. For the same reason, so not use plastic utensils. Stainless steel or glass bowls are best.

Also, make sure that the egg yolk does not mix with the egg whites otherwise the peaks will not form. Use separate bowls to carefully remove the egg yolk. If any egg shells fall into the egg whites, use a clean dry spoon to remove them.

When egg whites are beaten you will get soft, firm and then stiff peaks. Some of the hydrogen bonds in the proteinbreak, causing the protein’s structure to unfold. This change in structure leads to the stiff consistency required for meringues. Cream of tartar may be required to additionally denature the proteins to create the firm peaks.

Cooked meringue cannot be refrigerated or it will become soggy. They will keep for at least a week if stored in an airtight container.

French Meringues

Ingredients

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

1 tsp food coloring (optional)

Separate the egg whites. Whisk them into stiff peaks. The peaks should not fold when the whisk is lifted.

Mix both the sugars and add a little at a time to the egg whites while whisking. The egg whites will change texture and become shiny and soft. Add the vanilla essence and mix.

Drop the food coloring and give it a swirl.

Set the oven at the lowest gas mark (Gas mark 1 or 110 C). Line a baking try with cookie sheet. Drop the egg whites with a dessert spoon forming little peaks on top. Bake for 1 hour and then let cool in the oven itself for another hour.

The meringues will be light and airy and will give a hollow sound when tapped at the bottom. Remove from oven and store in an air tight container.

 

Mini Chocolate Croissants

My mother always encouraged me to cook and gave me various ideas to work with. Now that I am married, it is my hubby who has taken up the role. These mini chocolate croissants were his idea completely. Right from getting puff pastry roll to making chocolate croissants out of them instead of boring old veg puffs. Good for me the goods were in the house….he he he. Well, I had always fancied making them after seeing It’s Complicated….but them who hasn’t

Ingredients

Puff pastry dough (I used ready-made)

Chocolate spread

1/2 cup Walnuts (chopped)

Plain flour

1 egg + 2 tsp milk for egg wash

Thaw the pastry dough as mentioned on the cover and roll it out to the required specification.

Cut it into squares and then the squares into halves to get triangles.

Chocolate Croissants

Place 1 tbsp chocolate spread and a few walnut pieces near the largest edge of the triangle. Roll from this largest edge till the very tip of the triangle. Press lightly all over the croissant to make sure all the edges are sealed so the chocolate does not seep out. Form a crescent and place on the cookie sheet/baking tray with the triangle tip facing downwards. This will prevent the croissant from unravelling while baking.

Whisk an egg with 2 tsp milk and give an egg wash to the croissants to get a shiny surface.

Bake for 35 mins at 165 C in a preheated oven. Leave to cool on a wire rack before storing in an air tight container.

Choco Vanilla Pinwheels

Cookies are a great snack. The best thing is you can make some and keep them for later for the snack attack. Chocolate and vanilla cookies are beautiful to look at and taste great too.

Ingredients

2 cups and 1 1/2 tbsp plain flour

13 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 pinch salt

1 1/2 cocoa powder

1 egg

2/3 cup sugar

Chocolate and Vanilla Pinwheels

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg and vanilla essence. Mix in the baking powder, salt and flour to get a firm dough.

Divide the dough in half. To one half add the cocoa and to the other, add the remaining flour.

Roll the vanilla dough and cocoa dough separately into equal rectangles on plastic wrap. Place either vanilla or cocoa dough on top of the other depending on which flavor you want on top.

Slowly roll the layered dough with the help of the plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge overnight.

Heat the oven to 170 C. Cut the chilled dough into 2 mm width circles and bake for 25-35 mins.

Cool on a wire rack and store in an air tight container.

Dahi Vade with Total Greek Yoghurt

Everyone has their signature dishes and one of mine is Dahi Vade. It is a classic North Indian accompaniment which you will definitely find at all events. I have not met a single person till now who has not liked Dahi Vade. They are basically fritters made with urad daal (lentils) and served with a lot of curd. They act as cooling agents and when served with the classic Indian toppings, they make a very good and filling dish on their own.

If making from scratch, you can soak urad daal overnight and then grind it to make a coarse paste. However, these days everything is available in the market making things easier when you have little time to prepare. Gits is a very popular brand which has the dahi vada mix already prepared. You just need to soak it in water as prescribed and make fritters.

Gits Dahi Vada mix

Ingredients

1 GITS Dahi Vada pack

1 cup Total Greek Yoghurt

Tamarind chutney

Salt

Black salt

Red chilli powder

Roasted cumin powder

Oil for frying

Ready to serve Dahi Vade

Soak GITS Dahi Vada mix with water as mentioned on pack to get a thick batter. Drop spoonfuls of the batter in hot oil. Once the fritters are golden brown, drain them on paper. Soak them in plain tap water for 10 mins till soft. Squeeze out the water gently without breaking the vada.

Add a little water and a pinch of salt to Total Greek Yoghurt to make it thin. Soak the vade in it for 2-3 mins so they absorb the yoghurt and puff up. Line them in a container or a plate. Once all the vade are prepared, coat them with the remaining yoghurt evenly.

Decorate with tamarind chutney and garnish with salt, black salt, red chilli powder and cumin powder before serving.

Prepared vade can be stored in air tight container in the fridge for upto 15 days.

Corn Wrap with Total Greek Yoghurt

My husband and I have got into the habit of carrying our snacks with us when we go out. They are healthier and tastier than ready made ones and cheaper to boot. They also give vent to my creative juices as I keep trying out new things which is an added plus. The other time we carried these corn wraps with us when we went out. They are delicious whether hot or not and quite filling too.

Serving – 2 persons

Ingredients

4 Tortillas

2 cups sweet corn

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 onion

2-3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp oil

1/2 cup Total Greek Yoghurt

1 tbsp mint chutney (optional)

1 tbsp tamarind chutney (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Corn Wrap made with Total Greek Yoghurt

Heat 2 cups of water in a pot and add the sweet corn. Simmer for 5 mins to release the starch. Drain the water. I use packages sweet corn so this is also a good way of defrosting them.

Mix Total Greek Yoghurt with mint and tamarind chutney and keep aside. I use ready made chutneys as they are easily available in the market. You can also simply add salt and pepper or any other sauce you like. There is no need to add sugar as Total Greek Yoghurt imparts its natural flavor and the corn lends its sweetness to the dish.

Heat oil in a pan. Chop onion and garlic and saute them. Chop red, green and yellow peppers and mix them. Add 1/2 cup of the pepper mix to the onions and saute for 2 mins till they are soft. Add the sweet corn along with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 mins.

Heat the tortillas slightly so they are warm to touch if using ready made ones. You can also make tortillas at home.

Place a tortilla on a plate. Spread a generous spoonful of yoghurt on it. Top it with the sweet corn prepared above. Wrap and serve.

Bringing Lebanese to Chennai with Hummus, Falafel and Pita Bread

The 2010 February Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

The February 2010 Daring Kitchen challenge was to make Lebanese food. It came as a coincidence that my hubby has recently taken a liking to the falafel wrap. So what better time to try a hand at making some exotic Middle East food than now. The good thing is it is quite close to Indian food. The ingredients were easily available and Sunday lunch was substituted with Lebanese. Best of all, I got to finally use my Tandoor (oven) to make the bread.

Mezze Table

The challenge is to prepare a Mezze (pronounced “mez-ay”) Table which is a bunch of small dishes served all at once. I chose to make Pita Bread, Hummus, Falafel and preserved ginger. The challenge called for preserved lemons but I kinda thought preserved ginger would be a better twist and go well with the chickpea dishes.

Pita Bread - Ingredients

1 cup lukewarm water

1/4 tsp dry yeast (khamir)

3 cups all purpose flour (maida)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

Pita Bread

1. In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 2 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.

2. Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

3. Preheat the oven.

4. Gently punch down the dough.  Divide the other half into equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.

5. Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn’t puff up, don’t worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

Hummus – Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas

1 lemon

a big pinch of salt

4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)

Flavoring – 1/2 cup dry coconut and 1/2 cup yoghurt (optional)

Tempering with 1 tsp mustard seeds and dried red chilies in 2 tbsp oil (optional)

Hummus

1. Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. Drain and boil the soaked chickpeas in water for about half and hour, or until tender. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.

2. Puree the beans in a food processor adding the cooking water as needed until you have a smooth paste.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

4. Heat the oil and put mustard seeds and red chili in it. Once the mustard starts to pop, pour it over the hummus.

Note: You can cook the hummus in 2 tbsp oil for 10 mins. This changes the taste completely and removes the rawness from the dish.

Falafel – Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp red chili powder

1 tsp dry mango powder

Oil for frying

Falafel

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Boil the chickpeas for 1/2 hour and keep the chickpea liquid.

2. Blend chickpeas with the rest of the ingredients except baking powder and flour.

3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands.

4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.

5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees (190C) in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

6. Drain on paper towels.

Preserved Ginger – Ingredients

1 cup fresh ginger

3-4 lemons

1 tbsp salt

2 green chilies

Preserved Ginger

1. Scrape the skin off ginger. Chop it into fine pieces of 1 cm each with a thickness of 1 mm.

2. Chop the green chilies into small pieces.

3. Mix ginger, chilies, salt and squeeze lemon juice on top.

4. Mix properly and keep refrigerated.

5. Serve with all kinds of dishes. The mix keeps for 1 month.