Vegetable Manchuria

I think this recipe for vegetable manchuria is long due. Infact, I had wanted to post it along with these Indo-Chinese recipes and could not do it. So, I prepared a fresh batch of veggie manchuria and here comes the recipe.

Vegetable Manchuria

Ingredients for the manchuria1 cup finely chopped or grated cabbage
1/2 cup grated carrots
Salt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
All purpose flour as needed to mix the veggies (app. 1/2 cup)
Water as needed to combine the flour and veggies
Oil for frying

Ingredients for the sauce/gravy1 tbsp - cornstarch (if using corn flour use 2 tbsp)
2 to 3 cups of water (as much as you need gravy)
1/2 tsp of Sriracha hot chilli sauce
1/2 tsp of Sambal Oelek
2 cloves of garlic chopped finely
1 bunch of green onions chopped finely (reserve some for garnish)
Soy sauce - 2 or 3 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish

Method for the manchuria1. Combine the cabbage, carrot, salt and red chilli powder in a bowl. Add as much all purpose flour as you need to bind the veggies together.
2. Shape into round balls and deep fry in oil until brown on all sides.
3. Drain on a paper towel.

Method for the gravy1. Dissolve the corn starch in water and set aside.
2. Pour oil in a pan and add the green onions and garlic and sauté.
3. Add the cornstarch liquid, Sambal Olek, hot chilli sauce, soy sauce and vinegar and bring to a boil. If you find the cornstarch thickening up then add a little more water. The sauce should have a watery consistency otherwise it will thicken up when cooled.
4. Check the taste and add salt if required.
5. Reduce the flame and add the fried manchuria. Mix until the manchuria is blended in the sauce.
6. Remove from the flame and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
7. Serve hot with vegetable noodles or vegetable fried rice.

Vegetable Manchuria in gravy

Vegetable Chow Mein - MBP Event - January 2007

This is my contribution to the 'Monthly Blog Patrolling' event hosted by Coffee from 'My Khazana of Recipes'. The moment I read her blog I jumped with excitement. So very true - there are so many recipes that I have saved from fellow bloggers which I would like to try and share through my blog. But, somewhere in the process of posting our own creations we miss giving credit to all the hundreds and thousands of recipes that are posted day after day on other food blogs. You can read about this event in detail on Coffee's blog. However, here is a brief note.

All through 2007 there will be a unique theme chosen for each month and you have to wade through recipes posted on other food blogs, cook and post pictures of the recipe on your own blog as well as send the pictures to 'My Khazana of Recipes' (check this blog for the procedure). Of course, you can come up with your own variations of the recipe but make sure you post the link and credits to the original recipe. As simple as that. The theme for January 2007 is 'Around the World'. So, choose a recipe from any international cuisine and get cooking!

Here is my recipe from the Chinese cuisine for Vegetable Chow Mein. The original recipe was posted by Meenakshi Agarwal from 'Hooked on Heat'. I made a few variations to the recipe. Please click here for the original recipe.

Ingredients1 packet of Hakka noodles
1 medium onion sliced (you can used spring onions too)
1 cup of shredded cabbage
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of shredded green bell peppers
1 tsp of ginger garlic paste
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 tbsp of Soya sauce (I used light Soya sauce because it has less sodium)
1 tsp of Sambal Oelek (red chilli paste), use more if you want to add more spice
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

Method

1. Boil the noodles, drain and drizzle the sesame oil on the noodles and mix well. Set aside.
2. Pour oil in a pan and sauté the onions and ginger garlic paste.
3. Next add all the veggies - cabbage, carrots and bell peppers - sauté till slightly tender (not mushy).
4. Add the Sambal Oelek and mix well.
5. Add the Soya sauce and mix till it blends with the veggies.
6. Then add the boiled noodles and salt and mix to coat the noodles with the veggies and Soya sauce.
7. Serve hot or warm.

Vegetable Chow Mein

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings - 4 or 5

Stir-Fried Vegetables

Ingredients1 red onion sliced into wedges
2 heads of broccoli separated into florets
2 medium carrots peel skin and cut into rounds
A handful of snow peas or sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoons cornstarch
2-3 pods of fresh garlic sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
A few drops of hot sauce
Salt
2 tbps canola/olive oil
You can add other veggies like cabbage and beans too

Method1. Place a large pan over high heat.
2. Pour 2 tsps of oil and add the garlic and chilli flakes and fry for about 30 seconds.
3. Next add the onions and sauté for about a minute and add the broccoli, carrots and snow peas.
4. Add salt and sprinkle a little water and stir-fry till vegetables until tender-crisp. Don't overcook the veggies as they will become mushy.

5. Dissolve the cornstarch in a tbsp of water. Add the red wine vinegar, soy sauce and hot sauce to this and mix well.

6. Pour this mixture over the vegetables and stir-fry till they all look lightly glazed with the sauce.

Serve hot.

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings - 4 or 5
Recipe adapted from Wolfgang Puck's Food cooking class

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Ingredients 

For the stuffing1/2 cup of shredded cabbage
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of beans cut lengthwise
1/4 cup of boiled hakka/chinese noodles
1 medium onion
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

For the covering
1 cup all purpose flour
A pinch of salt
2 tsps oil
Water for making the dough

Oil as needed (for deep frying)

Method1. To prepare the filling - pour oil in a pan and sauté the onions till transparent. Next add all the veggies and sauté until tender and add the boiled noodles. Finish off with red chilli powder and salt.
2. To make the covering - make a dough with all-purpose flour, salt, oil and water (just like the dough for making rotis). Set aside for atleast 30 minutes.

3. To make the spring rolls - roll out the dough as given below.

4. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center.

5. Moist all the sides of the covering and fold it as shown below.

6. Deep fry the spring rolls until brown.

7. Let the spring rolls cool. Cut them into 2-inch pieces and serve with chilli sauce.

Spring rolls go well along with Chinese noodles or vegetable fried rice.

Recipe adapted from Tarla Dalal's 'The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking'

Chinese vegetable soft noodles

Ingredients 1 pound of Chinese noodles/Hakka noodles (I used two 200 gms packets Hakka noodles from the Indian store)
1/2 cup of green onions/scallions (cut them into long pieces)
1/2 cup of green beans
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of shredded cabbage
3 or 4 green chillies slit
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

Method1. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the noodles. The noodles will cook in 3 to 4 minutes unlike pasta. Drain the noodles and set aside. Add a tsp of oil to the cooked noodles and mix well or else it will stick and become a big lump.
2. Pour oil in a pan and sauté the green onions and green chillies.
3. Next add all the veggies, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. The veggies should remain crisp even after cooking. Do not cook until very soft.
4. Add the cooked noodles and salt and mix until all the veggies and salt are blended with the noodles.

Vegetable soft noodles

I did not add Ajinomoto/MSG. Adding Soya sauce is optional.

Serving size - 1 cup
Number of servings - 4 or 5

Chinese takeout...the saga continues

It all started with these two heads of broccoli that were in my fridge.

I got them from the grocery store to make Vegetable Stir Fry. Then I thought why not make an entire Chinese meal.

So I used the essentials

And these veggies

To make this

Will post the recipes soon.

Chinese takeout?