Winter Warmers - Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup with Garlic Baguettes

BEAUTIFUL Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,
Game, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two
Pennyworth only of Beautiful Soup?
Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,
Beautiful, beauti--FUL SOUP!

-Lewis Carroll

Remember this poem from Lewis Carroll’s magnificent creativity Alice in Wonderland? The story has always intrigued me ever since I was a small kid. I loved the strange and absurd things that happens in the wonderland and the amazing creativity behind it that never failed to take me to my own wonderland, playing with Dinah and singing and dancing with bizarre characters from Wonderland. Oh yes!!! I grew up as a kid with wild imaginations, just like Alice. I laughed at absurdity and loved Alice’s curiosity and cheered her courage when faced with difficult phases. Carroll opened the new world, a wonderland, to me and made me see the beauty in the unknown.

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“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?”

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At first, the story of Alice in Wonderland would sound quite mundane. However, if you read the story carefully you will realise its not just any ordinary child fiction. Alice in Wonderland is a story filled with underlying philosophy and many secrets. It’s these strangeness and nonsensical ideas which are quite compelling. Remember the annoyingly witty Cheshire Cat? That’s one character I loved to hate. He would put Alice in trouble and yet his wittiness and that stupid grin never failed me to grudgingly adore him. Some characters made me laugh and some scared me, some of them are funny and others are rude. However, all the characters are quite colourful and will always remain part of my childhood memories be it stupid Dodo or foul tempered Queen of Hearts and her diminutive husband the King of Hearts or eccentric White Rabbit and many more…

Coming back to present from my wonderland, I was singing “Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!“ while making Cream of Broccoli Soup and soon hubby dear joined me when slurping this warm and delicious bowl of soup. Simple soup with few ingredients and very little preparation needed is a joyous song to my soul ;) Little chunks of broccoli are simmered in hearty vegetable stock and milk and lightly flavoured with garlic and a peppercorn is sure to win everyone’s heart. When served with herbed garlic baguette it becomes one satisfying meal all together.

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Cream of Broccoli Soup
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
1 small Broccoli (approx 3 tightly packed cups)
½ medium Onion, very finely chopped
1-2 Garlic Flakes, very finely chopped
1-1½ tbsp Corn Flour
1 tbsp Butter/Oil
¼ cup Cream (optional, I used single cream)
1 cup Milk
4-5 cups Vegetable Stock (Broth)/2-3 Veg Stock Cubes
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Method:
Chop the broccoli head and stems to very fine pieces and keep them aside.
Heat butter/oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic flakes and sauté them till they turn light golden.
Now add very finely chopped onions and sauté them for 2-3 minutes over a medium flame till the raw smell disappears and they turn light golden.
To this add vegetable broth and finely chopped broccoli. Cover and cook for 10 minutes till the broccoli becomes tender.
At this stage you can cool the stock completely and blend it into smooth puree without any lumps. Or else if you like some body to the soup and don’t mind the broccoli pieces like me continue the following steps.
Add milk, salt and pepper to taste and simmer the flame. Keep stirring the soup for few more minutes so that the milk doesn’t curdle.
Dissolve cornflour in ¼ cup of cold water without forming any lumps and pour slowly to the soup. Keep stirring the soup so that no lumps are formed.
Add cream and simmer and cook for another 5-10 minutes till the soup thickens and bubbles are formed on the surface. Serve hot with garlic baguettes and enjoy.

Cream of Broccoli Soup with Garlic Baguettes

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Tips:
If you prefer thick soup then increase the amount of corn flour used.
Adding fresh cream gives extra smoothness and body to the soup. Addition of cream is optional if you don't prefer heavy soups.

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Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum Soup

Yeah, yeah… It’s still soupy soup season for us here. Unlike other parts of the world where everyone is basking in golden sun and sand, we, not so privileged ones are snuggling under cosy blanket with a bowl of hot soup and dreaming of all that glorious sunshine. I just have to close my eyes to feel that cool breeze from palm-fringed beaches and lush green fields in my native. We are almost there… Right now while writing this post I can see the sun peeping out of the clouds and smiling. Oh!!! When will he grow up and stop playing that silly peek-a-boo. May be he did hear me grumbling about the same thing again and again. It’s strange as how the weather can be so deceptive. We had early spring in this part of the world and according to the weather forecast (here they come) we are on the way to one of the hottest summers in the history and I am waiting for the day when I can start grumbling about hot and sweaty summer days. Oh!!! Let me stop sulking and come back to my favourite subject.

Here is the recipe of Green Pepper Soup which I found in one of my cook books by an anonymous author. I tweaked it to suite my taste and preference, as I usually do most of the times, to create a filling, good tasting bowl of soup. Although it’s little fattening with that cream I sneaked into it, you can always lighten it my using milk in place of cream and modify it to suit your needs. The peppery taste of green capsicum is mellowed with cream which gives it extra richness and taste. Serve this hot bowl of soup with some bread and boiled vegetables tossed in your favourite herb/spice mix. The recipe below makes 3-4 servings of soup.

Green Bell Pepper Soup

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Green Bell Pepper Soup
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:

3 Green Peppers/Capsicum, finely chopped
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
¾ tbsp Maida/All purpose flour
4-5 cups Vegetable Broth (or use 2-3 cubes of Veg Stock)
½ cup Fresh Cream(adjust as per taste)
1 tbsp Lime/Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Butter/Oil
1tsp Dry Mixed Herbs
Black Pepper & Salt to taste

Green Bell Pepper Soup

Method:
Heat butter/oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic and onions. Sauté it at medium flame till onion turns translucent.
Now add chopped green peppers and sauté them continuously for about 5-6 minutes till the pepper become soft and skin starts to wilt.
Mix the Maida and cook on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of Maida is gone.
Next add about 2 cups of vegetable broth and bring it to boil. Remove the pan from flame and let it completely cool down a bit.
Transfer the contents to a food processor and puree the mixture to smooth consistency without adding any more of water.
Transfer this puree back to the pan and add vegetable broth, dry mixed herbs and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Simmer and cook uncovered till the bubbles are formed at the surface, stirring in between.
When the bubbles are formed, mix the fresh cream, lime/lemon juice and adjust the seasoning per taste. Cook this for further 4-5 minutes in medium flame.
Garnish with microwaved pepper rings and serve with boiled vegetables and roasted new potatoes and bread of your choice.

Green Bell Pepper Soup

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Did You Know?
The bell pepper is low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium and high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Manganese, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Pantothenic Acid and Magnesium.
Green, sweet bell peppers have 2 times as much vitamin C as oranges; red and yellow bell peppers have 4 times as much.
The nutritional value and health benefit of bell pepper makes it ideal for maintaining optimum health and weight loss. So don’t include too much bell pepper in your diet if you are interested in weight gain.
(Source: www.great-workout.com)

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Green Bell Pepper Soup

PS: Have you noticed a new Foodie Blogroll created by lovely Jenn of Leftover Queen which is for people who have a passion for food? Click here for more information about Foodie Blogroll and join the ever growing community of all the Foodies around the world.

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Red Pepper/Capsicum Soup

Have you heard of a famous quote which goes like “It’s difficult to predict three W’s in life: Wine, Weather and Woman”. I am not sure about first W because I can’t handle any drinks which have above 0.1% of alcohol. I don’t agree with third W because I am one among them. As for the second W is concerned I don’t have any issue because it is something which changes faster than my mood swings especially where I live;)
Last couple of days we were blessed with bright and clear sky which really cheered me despite the fact that I had badly sprained my ankle during our weekend trekking. Just when I started enjoying the warmth and ice cream, the weather changed as if some witch has spread her black magic. I was duped into thinking that the dark and gloomy days are over. I needed something really good to cheer myself and I was not ready to surrender myself to the temptation of munching my favorite Pringles. To distract my mind and eyes I opened a cook book which I had recently acquired from thrift store and voila, I couldn’t take my eyes off from one particular picture. Red Pepper Soup was the exact thing I wanted for brightening up the gloomy day and gloomy mood. All the magic ingredients were there to make bright, hot, spicy and tasty yummylicious pot of soup.

Red Pepper Soup

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Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Prep Time: 20-30 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
4 medium Red Peppers/Capsicums
4 medium Tomatoes
1 medium Red Onion Sliced
½ tsp Dried mixed Herbs
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 tsp Curry Paste
½ tsp Red Chilli Paste
4 cups Vegetable Stock/Water
1 tsp Sweet Chilli Sauce
1-2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper for Taste

Red Pepper Soup

Method:
Cut the red peppers into quarter. Remove the seeds and grill or roast them in an oven until its skin blackens and blisters.
Cool the peppers slightly before peeling its skin.
In a mean while, mark a small cross on top of each tomato and place them in a bowl of boiling water for about 3-4 minutes.
Drain, cool and peel the skin of tomatoes. Cut these tomatoes in half and gently scoop out the seeds using a small spoon.
Heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic and sliced onions and sauté it on low flame for 1-2 minutes.
To this add dried herbs, curry paste, chilli paste, chopped tomatoes, red pepper and vegetable broth and mix well.
Bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for another 5-6 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat and allow it to cool.
Place the soup in small batches in a food processor and process it to make a smooth puree.
Return this puree to a pan and add sweet chilli sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
Reheat the soup before serving with bread croutons.

Red Pepper Soup

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Did You Know?
Red peppers are one of the few foods that contain lycopene, a carotenoid whose consumption has been inversely correlated with prostate cancer and cancers of the cervix, bladder and pancreas.

In general, all peppers are a good source of vitamin A and C; the red ones are bursting with these two antioxidants. Antioxidants are a group of nutrients that neutralize free radicals in the body fluids reducing the risk of disease.

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Red Pepper Soup

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Creamy Corn & Tomato Soup

There are sometimes, or should I say many times, when both feel very lazy to cook. We crave for home made food and yet too lazy to budge from a couch. Having food in restaurants or ordering food from take-away was not very appealing to us. So we decided to make soup thinking it will need very little effort from both sides. It just took few minutes to realise that it was not as easy as we thought. You see, in our home we take more time in deciding what to cook than the whole cooking process itself. And this time again was no exception. My much better half wanted to have sweet corn soup and I wanted to have tomato soup. So the end result after heated discussion was this tangy and sweet Creamy Corn and Tomato Soup. If you like simple, no nonsense recipe which requires few ingredients, little cooking time, and very delicious pot of soup, then friends look no further:)

Creamy Corn and Tomato Soup

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Creamy Corn & Tomato Soup
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients:
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 cube Vegetable Stock Powder
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2 medium Tomatoes, finely chopped
1 canned Tomato Puree
1 canned Cream of Corn
1 cup Canned/Fresh Corn Kernels
1 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt to taste

Creamy Corn and Tomato Soup

Method:
Heat oil in a large pan and chopped onion and cook until soft.
To this add finely chopped tomatoes and cook till it turns tender.
Now add tomato puree, creamed corn, corn kernels and vegetable stock.
Add half a cup of water, salt and chilli powder to it and mix well.
Cook this on a medium-low heat and bring it to boil.
Serve this hot with dollop of sour cream and crisp bread bites.

Creamy Corn and Tomato Soup

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Here is my contribution to "Kitchen Safety Moments" event hosted by lovely Jyotsna of "Curry Bazaar".
Be careful when pureeing hot soup in the blender or food processor as it can shoot out of the top and scald you (Been there and done that). If possible, cool the soup before pureeing. If you must puree while the soup is hot, do it in small batches. Thin soups may also leak from the processor. The best way to deal with this is to remove the vegetables from the soup with a slotted spoon and process with a spoonful or two of the liquid. Mix the pureed vegetables back into the liquid in the pan.

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Crispy Stuffed Mushroom Cups

One question always pops in mind when I cook Chinese cuisine. What's the difference between Chinese food cooked in India and Chinese food cooked in China? Is it the food, method, ingredients or the seasoning? Well… We know the answer. Surprisingly everything :) I prefer Chinese food cooked in Indian way. Blame it on the taste bud we have. It is almost impossible for me to like bland, almost spice less food. That’s why even when I cook Chinese food at home I call it my Indo-Chinese cuisine. I make lot of changes to suit our palette.

Crispy Stuffed Mushroom Cups

I was some what shocked when my Chinese colleague told me there is “No deep frying” in Chinese cuisine. Oh yes, you’ll never find a deep fryer in a real Chinese kitchen. Besides the health factor, deep frying saturates the food with oil, strips it of its individuality. What really goes on in Chinese culinary is stir fried, boiled or steamed. Now I am not a person who follows rules;) No deep frying means no Manchurians which we both love. So I guess I better stick to my Indo-Chinese culinary adventure for some more time and enjoy what it has got to offer:)

Crispy Stuffed Mushroom Cups

Here is the recipe for making crispy mushroom cups which is actually stuffed mushrooms with vegetables blended with sweet, spicy and tangy sauces. I got this recipe from Tarla Dalal’s website and made some alterations according to my preference. I made a big mistake of frying them in open kadai which was indeed a big blunder. Because of moist blanched mushrooms and sauces, it was bit difficult to fry as oil started splashing around. The electric fryer, which came to my rescue, is the best one for frying these. So if you don’t have electric fryer, be careful while frying these stuffed mushrooms. You can also make thick coating of corn flour paste which will help to bind these stuffed mushrooms.

Crispy Stuffed Mushroom Cups

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Crispy Stuffed Mushrooms
Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Cooking time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients:
1 pack Mushrooms(Choose Medium Mushrooms)
Oil for deep frying
For Stuffing:
2 cloves Garlic, very finely chopped
2 stalks Spring Onion, very finely chopped
½ Green Pepper, very finely chopped
½ Red Pepper, very finely chopped
1 small Carrot, grated
3-4 French Beans, very finely chopped
¼ cup Cabbage, shredded or grated
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tbsp Chilli Sauce
1 tbsp Tomato Sauce/Ketchup
½ tbsp Rice Vinegar
½ tsp Ajinomoto (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
For Batter:
¼ cup Maida
½ cup Corn Flour
1 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
Bread Crumbs

Crispy Stuffed Mushroom Cups

Method:
Place mushrooms in boiling water and leave them there for 2-3 minutes.
Pat dry and remove their stems. Squeeze out excess water and keep them aside.
In a mean while, heat about 1 tbsp of oil in wok and add chopped garlic.
Sauté it for few seconds and then add spring onions, very finely chopped capsicum/peppers, carrot, beans, cabbage and ajinomoto.
Sauté them for 1 minute and add soya sauce, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, rice vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix well and remove from fire to cool.
Stuff this mixture in each mushrooms and pin up two mushrooms with tooth pick so that the filling doesn’t spill out.
Prepare thick batter of corn flour, maida, chilli powder and salt with enough water. Make sure that you get the consistency of thick dosa batter.
Dip each pinned up mushrooms in this batter so that they are coated evenly.
Roll them over bread crumbs and deep fry in electric fryer till they turn golden brown.
Serve immediately with any dipping/sauces of your choice.
These can be served as appetizers or as a side dish with Shezwan Rice/Noodles(Will post the recipe soon) and enjoy.

Crispy Stuffed Mushroom Cups served with Shezwan Noodles

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Did You Know?
Macao and Woosung, founded by Chinese immigrant Norman Asing in 1849 is the first recorded Chinese restaurant in the U.S.
When KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) first translated its advertising slogan "finger lickin' good" into Chinese, it came out as "eat your fingers off."
MSG has very little flavor of its own, but it 'improves' or enhances the flavor of other foods it is used with.
Some individuals seem to be sensitive to MSG, and exhibit what is known as 'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' (because of its use in Asian cooking). The symptoms include headaches, chest pains, facial pressure, burning sensations, and sweating. The FDA continues to list it as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), but all foods containing MSG must state so on the label.
Although it is true that Ancient Chinese warlords would send messages hidden inside cakes, fortune cookies are not Chinese, they were invented in Los Angeles around 1920.
(Source: www.foodreference.com)

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Crispy Stuffed Mushroom Cups

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Baby Corn Manchurian

Have I mentioned that I'm a lover of Indo-Chinese Food? Oh yes, I am and so is my better half when it comes to Manchurian:) Although its a uses Chinese ingredients, Manchurian is an Indian creation and has become part and parcel of many fast food joints in India. Even in five star hotels it's served with glitz and blitz. It has shaped into Indian istyle to match the taste of mass audience.
For me its a comfort food. Although I dont prefer deep fried food and try to avoid cooking them as much as possible, manchurian always managed to change my mind. Combined with my love for manchurian and little persuasion from my hubby(which was unnecessary;) I made Baby Corn Manchurian which I actually brought to make Baby Corn Masala... And it turned out just yummmyyyyyyyy....

Baby Corn Manchurian

Ingredients:
10-12 Baby Corns
3-4 tbsp Flour/maida
1 tbsp Cornflour
1 tsp Dry Red Chilli powder (Adjust acc to taste)
1 inch Ginger, chopped finely
3-4 flakes Garlic, chopped finely
3-4 spring onions, diced
1 small Green Capsicum/Bell pepper,diced
2-3 Green chillies, chopped (Adjust acc to taste)
3 tbsp Tomato Sauce/Ketchup
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves,finely chopped
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Crisp 'n Crunchy Baby Corn Manchurian

Method:
In a pan take little oil and fry chopped garlic, chillies and ginger.
To this add Capsicum and saute it for 1-2 minutes.
Add Spring Onions, Coriander leaves,tomato sauce and soyasauce(if you want it to be more spicier add chilli sauce)
Cut Baby Corns length wise and keep aside.
Make a little thick batter with maida, cornflour, chilli powder, salt with water.
Coat the baby corn with the batter and then deep fry at medium flame till they turns golden brown.
Drain them in paper towel to remove excess oil.
Add the fried babycorns with the sauce you have prepared and mix well.
Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and greens of spring onion and serve hot.

Baby Corn Manchurian

Final Verdict:
Baby Corn Manchurian turned out much better than my expectation. It was crisp, crunchy, saucy, spicy and delicious...Mama mia... Me n my hubby felt that we should have brought another pack of baby corns:( May be next time we will:)

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Cream of Tomato Soup

Every winter,

When the great sun has turned his face away,

The earth goes down into a vale of grief,

And fasts, and weeps, and shrouds herself in sables,

Leaving her wedding-garlands to decay

Then leaps in spring to his returning kisses.

~Charles Kingsley

Cream of Tomato Soup

People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy. And I’m happy when I’m snuggling with my hubby in a couch with warm blanket and slurping a hot cuppa or piping hot bowl of soup watching the world go around slowly… Winter is the best season to enjoy soups with warm freshly baked bread right out of oven. Who says winter is cold and boring? Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories. And we both have so many warm memories to share which makes our days turn into beautiful sunny day.

Mmmm... Winter is beautiful...Cozy...Comforting...Relaxing...AND Soups....

I love soups...but love them more at this time of year. I'm going to post lots of soup recipes and today its Cream of Tomato Soup's turn. My all time favourite... I love it because of its bright sunny colour which always brings smile on my face. It reminds me of bright, lovely sunny days... Its been my favourite soup and will always remain. I dont think I'll ever get bored of this:)

Bright and Sunny... Cream of Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
1/2 Kg ripe red Tomatoes, chopped (Now you know how much I love this soup:)
2 small tender Carrots, grated
2 Bay Leaves
2 tsp Corn Flour
1/4 cup Milk
1 tbsp Butter
Salt+Pepper+Sugar to taste

Cream of Tomato Soup with Poppy Seed Bread

Method
Heat butter in a pan and add bay leaf and chopped onions
Fry them for 2-3 minutes and add grated carrots
Stir this for a minute or two and then add chopped tomatoes.
Add enough water to cover the pieces and cook till tomatoes become tender
Take the pan from heat and cool down the mixture and blend it in a mixi and starin well.
Make a white sauce with milk and corn flour.
Heat the soup with salt & sugar till boiling point in reduced flame stirring in between.
Add white sauce slowly while strirring the soup.
Cook in reduced flame for few more minutes.
Serve hot sprinkled with pepper powder along with bread croutons.

Cream of Tomato Soup

Note:
After adding white sauce do not heat the soup for long time.
Always heat any soup in reduced flame to avoid milk curdling.

“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”

-Albert Camus

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Mangalore Aloo Bonda

Well...The winter has started to crawl slowly... The days are shortening... Sun is hiding behind the black-gloomy clouds. This is not a best part of the time for me. I'm not sure if its just me who feels this way. But no denying the fact that winter has its own charm...

Yesterday was one of those days...Dark, dingy and gloomy... By the time me and my hubby reached home it felt like 9 O'Clock at night, when actually it was just few minutes past 5. Both of were craving for something hot and spicy. I didn't have all that energy to start cooking after tiring day in office and long walk back home. But my fridge didn't put me down. I had potato bhaji which we had prepared for Masala Dosa for our breakfast and first thing came to my mind was Aloo Bonda. As the stuffing for Bonda is same as Bhaji for Dosa, all I had to do was prepare just batter and fry them.

Mangalore Aloo Bonda

Well... Aloo Bonda are deep fried balls made of potatoes, dipped in spicy gram flour batter. Aloo Bonda is similar to a samosa in that it's a fried spiced potato fritter-y thing. That's where the similarities end. The Aloo Bonda is a stunner when dipped into the coconut chutney. They are very popular in my home town Mangalore. When it comes to popularity, this street food is as popular as any other chats and chatpatas. In every nook and corner you will find Aloo Bonda Gaadi with Gaadiwala busy making these amazing hot bondas and dozens of people slurping hot cup of 'Kaapi' and enjoying Bondas.

Aloo Bonda

Ingredients:
2 medium Potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed
1/2 tsp of Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
3-4 Green Chillies, chopped finely
1/2 tsp Ginger, finely chopped
1 small Onion, finely chopped (optional)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
Oil for Deep frying

For Batter:
1 cup Gram Flour/Besan
1 tbsp Rice Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Soda(optional)
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder

Chai ke saath...Aloo Bonda

Method:
Heat about two tbls of oil.
Add mustard seeds and when the seeds start to crackle, add the cumin seeds, green chili, salt, ginger and garlic and fry for few seconds.
To this add chopped onion and turmeric powder.
When the onions tuen transparent add mashed potatoes, coriander leaves and lemon juice. Mix well and turn off the heat.
Let the mixture cool and then shape them into lemon sized balls.
Make a thick batter with Besan/Gram flour, rice flour, salt, red chili powder, baking soda and water.
Dip the potato balls into the batter and carefully drop in the oil.
Turn it every four minutes and remove from oil when it turns golden brown.
Serve with tamarind or green chutney or tomato sauce.

Aloo Bonda Filling

Variations:
Add few pieces of Cashew nuts with mashed potatoes. They make a big difference.
You can also add cooked green peas to it.
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Veg Spring Rolls

I'm a big fan of Spring Rolls. Spring rolls are the best appetizers/snacks (sometimes it’s a main course) for us. I love them for their simple, uncomplicated look and great taste. If you have spring roll wrappers tucked in your freezer then it’s a child’s play to make them. You can use just about anything you’d like as a filling for spring rolls. Vegetables should be either lightly steamed or sauteed and sliced into thin slivers. If you’re using noodles, I find it works best to break them in half before cooking so they’re not too long. Fresh herbs are wonderful to use in spring rolls as well. Be sure to make a dipping sauce to serve along with your spring rolls. Well I dont have to say that they disappeared from plates quckly:)

Veg Spring Rolls

Ingredients:
2-3 Mushrooms, thinly sliced
4-5 Green Beans, finely chopped
2 tbsp Green Peas
1/4 cup Cabbage, finely chopped
1 small Carrot, grated
1 small Capsicum/Bell Peppers, finely chopped
1/4 cup Bean Sprouts
2 tbsp Spring Onions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Ginger, grated
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp Pepper Powder (Adjuest acc to taste)
2 tsp Tomato Sauce
2 tsp Hot Chilli Sauce
2 tsp Soya Sauce
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsps Corn Flour
Few Spring Roll Wrappers

Delicious Veg Spring Rolls

Method:
Heat a tbsp of oil in a wok to sizzling hot. Add finely chopped ginger and garlic.
Immediately add chopped bell peppers, green beans, mushrooms and carrot. Saute it at high flame for about 30 seconds.
Now add chopped cabbage, spring onion and bean sprouts and add all sauces, salt and pepper and saute it on high heat for a minute or two. Make sure that the vegetables remain crisp and crunchy.
Prepare thick Corn Flour Paste adding little water and keep it aside.
Place a tablespoon of the filling across the end of a wrapper, leaving a border of 1 inch on each side.
Start rolling up the wrapper and when you get to 3/4 of the way , fold over the edges to enclose the filling.
Brush the remaining wrapper with a Corn Flour Paste and seal the edges.
Repeat this process with all the wrappers and refrigerate these rolls till needed.
Heat the oil in frying pan and deep fry the spring rolls, a few at a time, until golden and cooked through.
Drain on kitchen towel and keep warm whilst you fry the rest of the rolls. Serve immediately with a dipping sauce.

Now coming to Dipping Sauce. I make this basic dipping sauce which is quick to make and perfect to serve with spring rolls or to use as a sauce for stir-fries.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Water
1 tbsp Corn Starch
2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic, minced and crushed
1 tbsp Sugar

Veg Spring Rolls

Method:
Combine all ingredients in small saucepan and simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring, until sugar dissolves and corn starch is well mixed.
Cool before serving.

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Gobi Manchurian

In every small or big cities and towns in India you will find Chinese fast food centers present in its every nook and corner. I’m not sure when and where it became so popular but people even today are still hooked to manchurians, be it chicken, mushroom, gobi or even Indian version of Paneer manchurian. Most of the times I remember going to restaurants for dinner Gobi Manchurian used to be my favorite dish for starters. First time I tried cooking it when I was in my early teens and till now I’m not bored of it. Thanks to my hubby who is as big foodie (or bigger) as me and its one among his vast section of favourites.

Gobi Manchurian

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Gobi Manchurian
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 4-6

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Ingredients:
Small head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

For Batter:
1 cup Refined flour/maida
2 tbsp Cornflour
1 tsp dry Red Chilli Powder (adjust acc to taste)
1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
Salt to taste

For Sauce:
4-5 Spring Onions, thinly sliced (Keep greens sepated from white)
1 cup Capsicum/Bell pepper, diced(any colour)
1 inch Ginger, chopped finely or grated
3-4 large cloves Garlic, chopped finely
2-3 Green chillies, finely chopped
4 tbsp Tomato Sauce (I used Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato Ketchup)
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
1-2 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce (Optional)

Gobi Manchurian

Method:
Preparing the Base Sauce:
In a pan take little oil and fry chopped garlic and chillies for a minute over mdeium heat.
To this add whites of spring onions, ginger and capsicum and saute till onions turn translucent, about 2-3 mins.
Add tomato sauce, sweet chilli sauce and soyasauce(if you want it to be more spicier add chilli sauce)and stir well. Switch off the flame and keep it aside.

Preparing Batter and Gobi for Deep Frying:
Wash the cauliflower florets in water with a little salt dissolved in it.
Make a little thick batter with cornflour and all purpose flour dissolved in water. Mix in red chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste and salt to taste.
Coat the florets with the batter and then deep fry at medium flame till they turns golden brown.
Drain them in paper towel to remove excess oil.
Add these fried cauliflower florets with the sauce you have prepared just before serving and mix well.
Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and greens of spring onion and serve hot.

Gobi Manchurian

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Notes:

Same recipe can be used to make paneer and mushroom manchurian.
By adding little more of cornflour mixed in water you can make more gravy with gobi manchurian and serve it as a side dish with chinese fried rice.

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