Veggies Bundled in Crispy Noodles

Few recipes become past soon. New recipes and ingredients sometimes replace the old ones and eventually we forget about them. But there are always moments that make us nostalgic and remind us of good times.

12 years back this was my prize winning recipe at our Community Cooking Competition. I so enjoyed making this deep fried crispy snack for my friends and family. My sister so loved my crispy Noodle Pakoras. And with my recipe of Schezwan sauce...they were absolutely fabulous!! I would make these in bulk for my colleagues too and take them to work. They make such cute appetizers for potlucks and parties. It is a bit of work at first, but they are totally worth the effort.

With 2 potlucks back-to-back over the weekend, I was planning on menu that would help me prep for both the days. So for day 1 Potluck in the Park: I made my Crispy Fried Veggie Balls, minced veggies rolled in cornflakes and fried. For day 2 potluck: I used the minced veggie mixture that I had saved in the refrigerator to bundle them with noodles.

I missed my sister a lot yesterday. I know she just loves these and I love to cook for her. I also missed my niece and nephew who would quietly eat in all the veggies just for the crisp and delicious noodle texture :)

Ingredients:
4 cups minced veggies (onions, bell pepper, carrots, green beans, cabbage)
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1+1/2 cup all-purpose flour (as needed)
3/4 cup rice flour
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. chilli sauce (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 pack Ching's Hakka Noodle
Oil for frying

• Take 4 cups of finely chopped/ minced veggies like onions, bell pepper, carrot, green beans, cabbage, ginger and garlic in a large bowl. You could always adjust the amount of veggies you would like to use.
• Add salt and pepper powder and let the veggies rest and sweat for 10-15 minutes.
• Add 1 cup all purpose flour/maida and 3/4 cup of rice flour to bind the veggies and make a soft dough. Add more flour if needed. Amount of flour depends on the water content of the veggies.
• Add soy sauce and chilli sauce (optional) and mix well. Keep the dough aside.
• Boil Hakka Noodles as per the instructions on the pack and keep them aside. Do not over cook noodles or make them mushy. Strain and wash hot noodles with cold tap water to stop the cooking process. That way noodles will not get sticky and mushy.
• Take a tbsp. of veggie mixture in your palm. Wrap handful of cooked noodles around and using both your press the noodles well into the dough. 
• Gently drop the dough wrapped in noodles into medium hot oil. 
• Fry till it turns golden brown and crisp.
• Serve with spicy schezwan sauce.
• Enjoy!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Take 4 cups of finely chopped/ minced veggies like onions, bell pepper, carrot, green beans, cabbage, ginger, and garlic in a large bowl. 

Add salt and pepper powder and let the veggies rest and sweat for 10-15 minutes.
Add 1 cup all purpose flour/maida and 3/4 cup of rice flour to bind the veggies and make a soft dough. Add more flour if needed. Amount of flour depends on the water content of the veggies.
Add soy sauce and chilli sauce (optional) and mix well. Keep the dough aside.
Boil Hakka Noodles as per the instructions on the pack and keep them aside. Do not over cook noodles or make them mushy. Strain and wash hot noodles with cold tap water to stop the cooking process. That way noodles will not get sticky and mushy.

Take a tbsp. of veggie mixture in your palm. Wrap handful of cooked noodles around and using both your press the noodles well into the dough. If the noodles are not pressed in well they will separate out while frying.
Gently drop the dough wrapped in noodles into medium hot oil.
Fry till it turns golden brown and crisp.

Serve with spicy schezwan sauce.

Enjoy Rains with
Veggies Bundled in Crispy Noodles!!

Gobi Manchurian

It's been a week since school is out and I am on summer break. I somehow tend get more busy during the first week of the break working on all the postponed projects and appointments, and with my cooking workshops at the district, last week got a bit hectic. In fact I did not have enough time to put anything interesting on my Facebook page too.

So finally yesterday I cooked my favorite meal for dinner. Yes it was Indo-Chinese, and my husband loves appetizers. With 3 cauliflowers in my refrigerator I had to make delicious Gobi Manchurian.

Being a Mumbaite I had no idea what a Gobi Manchurian was. When I got married and moved to Bangalore with my husband I encountered this dish which was every around, in the restaurants, parties, buffets, I mean everywhere. I don't know why this dish was so important, but I just loved it. Crisp deep fried cauliflower florets coated in delicious sweet and sour sauce. Yes I love it that way. Freshly done and served immediately is the right way to enjoy this dish.

Gobi Manchurian in the Indian buffet always excites me. But I have still not come across a restaurant in the Bay Area where I can say I love their Gobi Manchurian. Most of the Gobi Manchurians look like Gobi ki sabzi, small florets of cauliflower soaking in the sauce and fall into pieces before you can enjoy it. Some are soft and and some are with overly sweet sauce. So you know I am not happy with the restaurant style so I always make mine at home :)

Firstly, these make a great appetizer or party food. They are perfect to take to potlucks of tea parties. With a cute pick arranged on each floret it is easy to pick and eat. I have done that earlier, and they are showstoppers. Secondly, I like large floret as it does not break and fall apart easily. It can hold it's shape well and look pretty too. Thirdly, I like the floret crisp and perfectly coated with sauce. So here is my recipe that I love.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized cauliflower that yields 3-4 cups florets.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
2 tbsp. cornstarch/corn flour
Oil for frying
2 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper
Chopped green chillies (to your spice level)
1/4 cup chilli garlic sauce
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
2 tbsp. soy sauce
Salt to taste
Chopped spring greens to garnish 

• Clean cauliflower and remove florets. I like to keep mine as big florets. Extremely large ones are cut into half. Soak them in water with 2 tbsp. salt for 20-30 minutes. I like to do that to make sure the cauliflowers are properly clean and worm free.
• In a zip-lock bag add all-purpose flour, rice flour, cornstarch, and 1 tsp. salt. Mix well. Add around 1+1/2 cup water to form a thick batter. You can make this in a container too. Zip-lock makes it easy to mix and is mess-free too.
• Remove cauliflower florets from salt water and add to the batter. Seal the bag well. Twist and turn it around for the batter to coat all the florets well. 
• Heat oil for deep frying.
• Using your fingers or tongs, drop each well coated floret in hot oil to fry till it is slightly brown. We will deep fry it again later. Fry all the keep it aside while we prepare the sauce.
• Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a wok. Saute ginger, garlic, chopped onions, chopped scallions for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped bell pepper and chopped green chillies and saute for few minutes.
• In a separate bowl mix chilli garlic sauce, soy sauce, and tomato ketchup. 
• Add mixed sauces to sauteing veggies. Add 2 tbsp water and bring it to boil. Turn off the heat. If you prefer your Gobi Manchurian soft and soggy, heat the sauce again before adding the re-fried florets. If you like your Gobi Manchurian crisp, let the sauce cool down a bit before mixing in the florets.
• Meanwhile re-fry the florets till they turn golden brown. Double frying them will make it crisp and stay crisp longer.
• Add all re-fried florets into the sauce. Mix well for the sauce to coat the florets well. 
• Remove in a platter, garnish with spring greens, and serve with cute picks.

Here is my step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Clean cauliflower and remove florets. I like to keep mine as big florets. Extremely large ones are cut into half. Soak them in water with 2 tbsp. salt for 20-30 minutes. I like to do that to make sure the cauliflowers are properly clean and worm free.

In a zip-lock bag add all-purpose flour, rice flour, cornstarch, and 1 tsp. salt. Mix well. Add around 1+1/2 cup water to form a thick batter. You can make this in a container too. Zip-lock makes it easy to mix and is mess-free too.
Remove cauliflower florets from salt water and add to the batter. Seal the bag well. Twist and turn it around for the batter to coat all the florets well. 

Remove cauliflower florets from salt water and add to the batter. Lock the bag. Twist and turn it around for the batter to coat all the florets well.

Heat oil for deep frying.

Using your fingers or tongs, drop each well coated floret in hot oil to fry till it is slightly brown. We will deep fry it again later.

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a wok. Saute ginger, garlic, chopped onions, chopped scallions for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped bell pepper and chopped green chillies and saute for few minutes.

In a separate bowl mix chilli garlic sauce, soy sauce, and tomato ketchup. 

Add mixed sauces to sauteing veggies. Add 2 tbsp water and bring it to boil. Turn off the heat. If you prefer your Gobi Manchurian soft and soggy, heat the sauce again before adding the re-fried florets. If you like your Gobi Manchurian crisp, let the sauce cool down a bit before mixing in the florets.

Meanwhile re-fry the florets till they turn golden brown. Double frying them will make it crisp and stay crisp longer. 

Add all re-fried florets into the sauce. Mix well for the sauce to coat the florets well. 

Place some cute picks or simple tooth picks. I love these palm tree picks. 

Click here to buy these Palm tree picks

They are perfect for potlucks and parties. They look cute and perfect of the season too.

If you have a next potluck planned in a park or a backyard, you should use these cute picks.

Garnish with spring greens and serve.

Happy Entertaining!!

Kara Masala Dosa

We love dosas...yes so many varieties and so much fun!! Dosa party has always been one of our favorite ways of entertaining. Once the batter is ready and topping laid out, it is so easy to prepare dosas of one's choice. Check out my Dosa Party series for more recipes.

While we wee in India, Cafe Madras was our favorite South Indian restaurant. Idli, rasam wada, curry wada, and the best dosas every. Now that we are in the Bay area Madras cafe is once again our favorite South Indian restaurant. As soon as we enter Madras cafe, the aroma of food reminds us of Mumbai. No other restaurant in the Bay Area has made me so nostalgic. We are almost addicted to that place :)

Almost a year back one of my South Indian friends introduced me to Kara Masala Dosa at Madras Cafe. It was a regular masala dosa with spicy chilli and garlic paste and as soon as I took a bite, I knew I would make this at home. Ever since, I make sure to order this spicy dosa at Madras cafe. The chilli garlic paste in this recipe is my recipe of Schezwan Sauce. This is one of the versatile sauce that I use in endless dishes not just for Indo-Chinese cooking.

To make Schezwan Sauce (Spicy Chilli Garlic Sauce):
Dry red chillies (deseed and devein them well) 6-7 large or around a cup of small ones.
Garlic (pealed) 5-6 cloves
Oil 1/2 cup
Vinegar 1 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste

• Deseed and devein dry red chillies and keep them aside. Heat oil in a frying pan till it is luck warm. oil should not be very hot or smoking. Soak the red chillies in the lukewarm oil for 3-4 hours. In a blender, coarsely grind all ingredients together. 
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use as needed.

To make potato masala: (to make 8-10 masala Dosas)
4 large boiled potatoes
1 large chopped onion
4 tsp. oil
1 tbsp. urad dal/white lentil
1 tbso. mustard seeds
1-2 chopped green chillies
Few curry leaves
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of asoefoetida 
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro

• To start with 4 large potatoes, boiled, pealed and cut into small pieces.
•  Heat 3-4 tsp. oil in a pan. Fry 1 tbsp. urad dal/white lentil, 1 tbsp. mustard seeds, few chopped green chillies or dry red chillies, curry leaves, pinch of turmeric and pinch of asoefoetida.
• Add 1 large chopped onion. Add a pinch of salt and saute till it turns soft.
• Add boiled, chopped potatoes, salt and turmeric if needed.
• Mix well. Add 2-3 tbsp water. Cover and let the flavors blend well.
• Add chopped cilantro and you are ready to make Masala Dosa!

To make Kara Masala Dosa

• Spread Dosa batter onto hot griddles. Add few drops of oil or butter. 
• When dosa is about to be cooked, spread a tbsp. of chilli garlic on the dosa.
• Add 3-4 tbsp. of Potato masala in the center of the dosa. Sprinkle some chopped onions over it. fold the dosa from the sides.
• Serve Kara Masala Dosa with Sambar and Coconut chutney.

Here is my well fermented easy to make dosa batter.

Click here to check the recipe of dosa batter.

Spread Dosa batter onto hot griddles. Add few drops of oil or butter. 

When dosa is about to be cooked, spread a tbsp. of chilli garlic on the dosa.

Add 3-4 tbsp. of Potato masala in the center of the dosa. Sprinkle some chopped onions over it. fold the dosa from the sides.

Serve Kara Masala Dosa with Sambar and Coconut chutney.

Enjoy Spicy Kara Masala Dosa!!