Gobi Manchurian dry

Gobi Manchurian is an Indo-Chinese recipe where marinated cauliflower is deep fried and cooked with mixture of sauces.

Ingredients

• 1 medium size cauliflower

• 1-2 tablespoon of all purpose flour or maida

• 2-3 tablespoon of corn flour
  

• 1 medium size onion finely chopped

• 2-3 strands of spring onion

• a block of chopped ginger

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 2 green chilies finely cut

• 2 table spoon of Tomato sauce

• 2 table spoon of soya sauce

• 2 table spoon of Chili sauce

• 1/2 tea spoon of vinegar

• Salt, red chili powder and black pepper

Instructions

• Wash cauliflower thoroughly in warm water and separate the cauliflower florets. 

• Add little salt, red chili powder and a pinch of black pepper so that the cauliflower florets itself doesn't taste blunt. 

• Add around 1 table spoon of corn flour and around 1 table spoon of all purpose flour little by little. Add very little water, only the amount required to make a thick batter. Mix it thoroughly with hands so that the batter coats well the florets. Keep it like this for around 10-15 minutes. 

• Heat oil in a pan and deep fry marinated florets until it is golden brown and crispy. After putting the marinated florets in the oil, don't touch it for first 1-2 minutes so that the coating doesn't come out. You may do this in batches to avoid over crowding as that may result in sogginess. 

• Heat 2-3 table spoons of oil in a pan and add ginger-garlic. Saute till the raw smell goes off. 

• Add the spring onion white, chopped onion, green chilies and saute well for 3-5 minutes. 

• Add tomato sauce, soya sauce, chili sauce and vinegar and mix well. 

• Mix 1 table spoon of corn flour in half a cup of water and add that to the pan. Add little salt and pinch of black pepper. Be cautious while adding salt as the sauce that we added also contain salt. Let it cook for around 1-2 minutes. 

• Add the deep fried cauliflower florets and mix well and let it cook for another 1-2 minutes in low flame. 

• Garnish with spring onion greens and serve gobi manchurian dry hot.
  

Cucumber and Capsicum Grilled Sandwich

Being a full-time working woman and a mother of 2 kids, every morning I have to struggle to prepare something that is healthy, tasty and can be prepared in just few minutes. This is one such recipe. Let's have a look!

Ingredients

• 2 bread slices (I prefer brown bread) 
• 1 chopped capsicum 
• half chopped / grated cucumber 
• 1 small onion chopped 
• 2-3 tablespoon baby corn 
• 2-3 tablespoon grated cheese 
• butter
• 2 big spoon of tomato ketchup
• Spices to taste (Salt, red chili flakes, black pepper, chat masala)
  

Instructions

• Press chopped / grated cucumber between palm to remove extra water and put it in a bowl
  

• Add capsicum, onion, baby corn, grated cheese
  

• Also add spices and tomato ketchup and mix well. You mixture is ready
  

• Apply butter on one side of the bread and spread the mixture on top of it 

• Prepare the sandwich on grill or with sandwich maker
  

Tips

• You can add or remove vegetables as per your choice. 
• Instead of tomato ketchup, coriander or mint chutney can also be used 
• I have used grill to prepare sandwich, it can also be prepared in pan by applying butter on both sides and roasting on top of pan.
  

Chili Cheese Toast

This is a quick recipe for breakfast with loads of cheese and some veggies. Though it is very simple and quick, the taste is awesome. You should at least try it once.

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp butter
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2 slices of bread
• 1 bell pepper very nicely chopped
• 1 small onion very nicely chopped
• shredded cheese
• spices (red chili flakes, salt to taste)

Procedure

• Take butter in a mixing bowl and keep it in room temperature for some time to make it soft
  

• Add garlic
  

• Mix it well
  

• Now apply it on both sides of the bread slices
  

• Add shredded cheese on bread slices
  

• Sprinkle chopped bell pepper, onion. Add chili flakes and sprinkle some salt. You can also optionally add pizza seasoning like oregano etc as per you taste.
  

• Now put pan on lowest flame and keep the bread slice on pan. Cover it with the lid and let it cook for few minutes in lowest flame. (You can also switch off the flame and keep the bread on warm pan so that the cheese becomes soft and melts and we get crispy bread). 
  

• Once done, cut it in half or quarter
  

• Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot
  

Idli

Preparing idli is not difficult when batter is ready. Please check my page on Idli Dosa Batter recipe with lentils and Rice to know step by step Instructions on how to prepare batter. You need idli mould to prepare it and it can be prepared with steam in either in cooker or in microwave. So, in this page, I will not tell about how to make idli, but rather will tell about how to enhance Idli taste or what make it taste special or rich. This is about garnishing Idli batter before preparing Idlis.  

Ingredients

• 4-5 Curry leaves nicely cut
• 1-2 green chilies cut nicely 
• around 1 table spoon of grated ginger
• 5-6 pieces of cashew break in pieces
• pinch of hing or asafoetida
• 1 tsp of mustard seeds or rai
• 1 table spoon of ghee
  

Instructions

• Heat ghee in a pan in low flame. 
• Add mustard seeds. 
• When it starts to crackle, add green chilies, curry leaves and hing. 
• Add grated ginger and let it cook for around 1-2 minutes. 
• Add cashew pieces and give another 1-2 minutes. Keep mixing the ingredients to avoid it from getting burned. 
• Add the mixture in Idli batter and mix the batter softly. 
• Now prepare Idlis from the batter.
  

Veg Manchurian

For a vegetarian people, vegetarian Manchurian with gravy is one of the main option that goes well with almost everything be it either noodles or fried rice. 

Ingredients

For Manchurian Balls:

• 1 grated carrot 
• 1 cup of grated cabbage
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped beans (optional) 
• 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic and ginger each 
• 1-2 tablespoon of all purpose flour
• 1-2 tablespoon of corn flour
• Salt to taste
• pinch of black pepper
• oil for frying
  

For gravy:

• 1 medium size chopped onion
• 1 capsicum finely chopped
• 2-3 strands of spring onion finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 block of grated ginger 
• 1-2 green chilies finely cut
• around 2 tablespoons of corn flour 
• 2 tablespoon of soya sauce 
• 2 tablespoon of chili sauce 
• 2 tablespoon of tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon of vinegar
• 2-3 cups of water 
• salt to taste
• black pepper 
• 2-3 tablespoons of oil

Instructions

For Manchurian Balls:

• Grate carrot, cabbage and beans (optional) in a bowl. 

• Squeeze out water from the grated vegetables (this water can be used in gravy). 

• Now add chopped ginger and garlic, salt and pinch of pepper. Add corn flour and all purpose flour little by little (just enough to form a proper bonding). We don't want to add extra flour else the taste will be more of flour than of vegetables. You don't have to add water as vegetables are moist enough to form a proper bonding. Mix it well.
  

• Now take small portion at a time and form balls. (Apply oil in your palm while doing so). 

• Now deep fry them till it is golden brown.
  

For gravy:

• Heat oil in a pan and add chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies.
  

• Now add chopped onion and spring onion whites. Wait till it is little translucent.

• Add chopped capsicum and cook for 1-2 minutes

• Now add all sauces
  

• Add around 2 tablespoons of corn flour in half a cup of water and mix well. Now add the mixture in the pan. Add another 2 cups of water and let it cook. Add salt to taste (consider sauce that was added as that also contain salt) and pinch of black pepper.
  

• Add vegetable balls in the gravy
  

• Garnish it with spring onion green and server hot