NO FRY CORN - CAULIFLOWER MANCHURIAN

Chinese Fooooood - Yummmmmmmmm,Cauliflower manchurian - YUM YUM YUMMMMM.How much ever i love having this dish i do feel guilty eating it thinking of the amount of oil that goes in making it.But that shouldnt deprive one from enjoying it. So here is a healthy way of preparing this dish and then eating it feeling guiltless about it :). This version is as good as the restaurant versions i have eaten with a big Bonus - No Frying Required and can be made in a Jiffy.Now lets go straight to the recipe.

 INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower florets - 4 cups
Corn kernels - 1 cup
Green pepper - 1 medium size, diced small
Green onion - 3-4 nos, chopped small
Ginger-garlic - 1 tbsp, chopped fine
Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Soya Sauce - 1/4 cup
Ketchup - 1/4 cup(use more or less according to your taste)
Chilli-garlic sauce - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

METHOD

Preheat oven to 425 deg F.Coat each of the florets with some oil and season with salt and pepper.Bake for 25- 30 mins or until it turns brown.Keep aside.To make the sauce,heat some oil in a pan.Add ginger-garlic, cook for a minute.Then add green onions, stir for a minute as well. Spice it up a little with some chilli flakes.Now add the diced green peppers and corn kernels.Seaon with salt.Cook until its soft.Now add the soya sauce,ketchup and chilli garlic sauce.Cook it for a couple of minutes and then add the baked cauliflower florets.Mix it in the sauce well. Let it simmer for 5 mins.Serve warm with fried rice or rotis.

ENJOY!!!

SWEET CORN SOUP

On a cold ,rainy day nothings more comforting than slurping on a bowl of hot soup.A bowl of any soup is the best thing to have when one wants a light meal for dinner.My all time favorite is tomato soup and sweet corn soup.When my mom was here she prepared sweet corn soup for us.It was one of the best.
This soup is my post on day 5 of RM.

INGREDIENTS

Baby corn - 3-4 pieces,thinly sliced
carrot, beans -1 cup each, cut into small pieces
cabbage - 1 cup, shredded
mushroom - 1 cup , sliced
cream of corn - 1 can
green peas - 1/2 cup
water/vegetable stock - 6 cups
garlic - 1 tbsp,chopped
flour - 1 tbsp
cream - 1 tbsp
butter - 1 tbsp ,divided into 3 parts
salt and pepper

METHOD

In a large flat bottom pot,melt 1st part of the butter , fry half of the mushroom ,cool and grind it to a paste.Keep aside.In the same pot melt the 2nd part of the butter and fry all the vegetables slightly and keep aside. In the same pot melt the remaining butter, add garlic and fry for sometime.Then add the flour .Cook the flour till its raw taste disappears.Pour water/vegetable stock slowly and bring to boil. Add the grinded mushroom paste and the fried vegetables. Pour in a can of cream of corn.Season it with salt and pepper(I add a lot of pepper since it goes really well with corn and tastes fantastic).Cover and let it simmer for 5 mins.Serve hot in a bowl with a swirl of cream on top.

Chk what my marathon buddies are upto!!

1) DK

2) Siri

3) Srivalli

5)PJ

6)Curry Leaf

7)Medha

8)Priya

9)Bhawna

10)Raaji

11)Ruchii

12)Anu

13)Kamala

14)Roopa

15)Divya Kudua

16)Rekha

17)Divya M

18)Lakshmi

19)Raaga

20)Lakshmi Venkatesh

21)Sripriya

22)Viji

CHINESE STYLE POTATO STIR FRY for T&C and PEPPER TOMATO ROLLS for BBD

I have combined 2 posts in one because for the next 2 months even though i will be blogging, i am not sure if i will be posting frequently.The reason is simply because my parents are coming here this weekend and our reunion is after a gap of 3 1/2 yrs.So i am sure you all know how excited i am and so want to spend each and every minute with them.So before that i wanted to finish the post for the 2 events i wanted to participate - Taste and create hosted by nicole and Bread baking day - small breads hosted by aparna this month.





I was very very happy when i saw that i was paired with Rachel of Tangerine Kitchen for taste and create.I love her blog and enjoy seeing her daring bakers challenge posts,always well presented.I went through her recipe index, a good amount of times i must say and finally decided on trying out her Chinese style potato stir fry - Something i have never tried and seen before.I made some minor changes though.Instead of frying I baked the potatoes until golden brown.I used worchestershire sauce instead of soya sauce and also added diced onions and capsicum and a pinch of sugar to the dish.The result was simply delicious.We had it with some white rice.




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For BBD , an event originally started by Zorra , i baked some pepper tomato rolls.I came across this recipe from the book Tastes of home - The baking book which i borrowed from the library.The recipe's original name is Basil tomato rolls but since i used the Sweet pepper pasta sauce here i changed the name to Pepper tomato rolls.I have to say its one of the best rolls i have eaten and we enjoyed eating it for dinner last night - really light , soft and fluffy.




INGREDIENTS

Active dry yeast - 2 tsp
Unbleached flour - 3 1/2 cups
Warm water - 1 1/3 cups
sugar - 1 tbsp
salt - 1 tsp
olive oil - 2 tbsp

For Filling:-

Pasta sauce - use any store bought(i used sweet pepper sauce)
parmasan cheese to sprinkle on top

METHOD

In a small glass bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and let it rest for 10 mins.In a large bowl, sift flour,sugar and salt.Make a well in the center and pour the yeast water and oil in it.Using a wooden spoon mix in enough flour to make a smooth paste and then use the rest to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface,knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 mins.Place in a greased bowl ,turning onesto grease top.Cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in volume,about 1 hr.

Then punch the dough down,turn onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 9-12 pieces.Shape each piece into a ball and place them 3inch apart on a greased baking sheet.make an indentation in the center of each ball, add a tbsp of the filling.Sprinkle with parmasan cheese.Cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled,about 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 375 deg F and abke for 25-30 mins or until golden brown.Let it cool on a wire rack.Serve warm.

Trupthi of recipe center passed me the magic lamp of luck!!!The mighty Genie King and the beautiful Genie Princess from the magical Land of Faraway are back! Upon escaping the clutches of their Evil Master after being held captive for 1000 years, the magical genies have been busy flying on their Magical Flying Carpet, granting wishes and spreading love throughout the blogosphere.And now, the genies are back with a special gift for everyone! Behold the sacred, Magic Lamp of Luck! With this magic lamp, your blog will enjoy much good luck and fortune, warding off all things evil lurking around in the blogosphere. We would like to share this magic lamp with you so please pass on the Magic Lamp of Luck to those in need of some good luck. Remember, do not be greedy or unkind, evil or vengeful and good luck & fortune will always be with you! Join us on another exciting magical adventure as we spread goodwill and good luck to one and all!* Start Copy Here*1. Add your site(s) to the list once you have received the Magic Lamp of Luck.2. Pass on the Magic Lamp of Luck to as many people as you like. After all, everyone needs some good luck!3. Leave a comment HERE once you’ve passed on the Magic Lamp of Luck. Once the Genie King and Genie Princess have visited your site to make sure your links are complete and proper, you will then be added to the Master List.4. To ensure everyone receives equal link benefit, please UPDATE your list regularly!* Start Copy Here*1. Add your site(s) to the list once you have received the Magic Lamp of Luck.2. Pass on the Magic Lamp of Luck to as many people as you like. After all, everyone needs some good luck!3. Leave a comment HERE once you’ve passed on the Magic Lamp of Luck. Once the Genie King and Genie Princess have visited your site to make sure your links are complete and proper, you will then be added to the Master List.4. 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I would like to pass on this magic lamp to Roopa of my kitchen treats, suma of sumas cuisine, JZ of tasty treats and divya of easycooking.

LAYERED POROTTA and GOBI MANCHURI

Layered porotta or kerala porotta is one of my favorite flat breads. Its made with maida ,eggs (optional)and fat.So you can see its less in fibre content compared to other parathas.Unlike other parathas this one involves a special technique in order to get the layers.And so for this very reason i have constantly failed atleast 6-7 times to achieve the layers and also its soft and flaky texture until cham of spice club came to my rescue.She told me exactly what i was doing wrong.So thought of giving 1 more try and the result was more than satisfying.Her recipe and instructions are so easy to follow.Click here for the recipe.I cant thank you enough for this cham.
I am sending this to Srivalli's Roti Mela .

A closer look at the layers

My repeated failures were because i never let the dough rest for 5-6 hrs before rolling and so it had an elastic effect and also to get perfect layers after roasting it on a tawa u should keep the porotta covered in a cotton cloth and let it steam inside for 5-10 mins.This will make it soft and then we can easily pat it to get the layers out.

Since this is a mild tasting bread its usually eaten with some spicy curry.I love to eat this with chilli chicken or gobi manchuri.

GOBI MANCHURI

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower - half of a whole piece, cut into florets
water
salt
oil for frying

Batter:-

All purpose flour - 1/4 cup
corn starch - 1 tbsp
gin-gar - 1 tbsp
red chilli pdr - 1 tsp
worchestershire sauce - 2 tsp
water as needed
salt

Gravy:-

Onion - 1 large onion , diced small
bell pepper(green/red) - 1 medium size,diced small
Fresh ginger - 2 tsp ,chopped fine
garlic cloves - 2 , chopped
green chillies - 3-4 , chopped fine
curry leaves - 1 sprig,roughly chopped
red chilli pdr - 1 tsp
tomato paste - 2 tbsp
ketchup - 2 tsp
worchestershire sauce - 3 tsp
corn starch - 1 1/2 tsp
water - 3 tbsp
sugar - a pinch
salt

METHOD

In a deep vessel bring some water to a boil.Add salt and drop the cauliflower florets and stir.Do not cover the vessel.Let it stand in there until they are tender but firm.Now drain out the water and keep them aside.

In a bowl mix all the ingredients needed to make the batter except water.Add enough water to make a thick batter.Add the florets and combine them well.

Heat oil in a wok.When it reaches the right temperature drop the florets slowly.Be careful not to overcrowd the wok then u wont get it crispy.Fry them till they are brown in color.Remove them and put them on a paper towel to drain off the excess oil.

Mix the cornstarch and water and keep aside. Heat some oil in a pan.Add the chopped ginger and garlic,curry leaves and green chillies.Saute them for a few seconds and then add onion,bell pepper and red chilli pdr.Add salt and saute until the onions get soft.Now add the tomato paste and worchestershire sauce and stir them all together.Sprinkle some water in order to thin out the tomato paste.Add ketchup and stir for couple more mins.Then add the mixture of cornstarch and water into the pan and stir until the gravy thickens.Finally add the fried florets and mix them well until they are combined.Check for salt.I like my manchuri semi dry.If you want more gravy add some more water while adding the cornstarch mixture.Remove from heat and serve with warm soft porottas.
I am sending this to DK's A.W.E.D - chinese event.

I had a few surprises this week -

Asha of Foodie hope and aroma gave me the "blogger with a purpose" award.Thank u so much asha.I was really thrilled to receive this from u :).I would like to pass on this award to
Roopa, Swathi , Suma and JZ .Congrats and enjoy:).




Meeso gave me the "you make my day award" and devi priya gave me the"nice matters award".Thank u so much meeso and devi.You gals really made my day :)



I am also very very happy to say that my rotini stuffed bell pepper won "the most creative recipe" in Pooja's VoW - Bell pepper event.I thank each and every one of u who voted for me.I am really flattered:).I also thank Pooja for hosting such a wonderful event.Congrats to Sia and Alka for winning the other categories.