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

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

Love Thy Neighbour... And their food;)

The unique tang of fresh ginger combined with the pungent flavor of Garlic in Chinese food is some thing I love. It is not just pleasant to one’s tongue abut also to one's the eyes, nose and imagination. For me best Chinese food is the one which has color, aroma and unique fragrance. The aesthetic presentation of food itself is an art and I’m still learning to master this unique food style. Today I am posting my favorite side dish Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce. This is my favorite side dish which goes very well with veg noodles or steam cooked rice. Well, this is my own recipe which I shaped to match my taste.
Check the recipe of Veg Fried Rice.

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:
For Veg Balls:
¼ cup Carrots
¼ cup Cabbage
¼ cup Beans
¼ cup Mushrooms
½ cup Fresh Bread Crumbs
2 tbsp Corn Flour
¼ tsp Ajinomoto
¾ tsp White Pepper Powder
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
Salt to Taste
Oil for deep frying

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

For Garlic Sauce:
6-7 Cloves of Garlic, chopped finely
3 spring Onions, chopped finely
3-4 Green Chillies, de-seeded and chopped finely
½ tsp Ajinomoto (Optional)
1 tsp Sugar
¼ cup Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp Soya Sauce
2 tsp White Pepper Powder
1½ tbsp Corn flour
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce served with Veg Fried Rice

Method:
For Veg Balls:
Cut the vegetables into very small pieces.
Heat oil in wok and stir fry the vegetables with ajinomoto for 2-3 minutes.
Turn of the gas and keep it aside to cool.
To these vegetables add salt, soya sauce, pepper powder, bread crumbs, corn flour and mix well. Add water only if required.
Make small lime sized balls and deep fry in oil till they turn golden brown.
Drain them in paper towel and keep them aside.

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

For Garlic Sauce:
Heat oil in wok and add finely chopped garlic, spring onion, green chillies and ajinomoto and fry for 2-3 minutes.
To this add tomato sauce, soya sauce, salt, sugar, pepper powder and enough water.
Add water to corn flour and make thin paste and add this into wok slowly.
Keep stirring the sauce till it thickens. Usually it takes 5-7 minutes.
Dip veg balls into the hot garlic sauce just before serving.
Serve this hot with veg noodles or veg fried rice and enjoy!

Hot Pot of Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

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Some Facts about Garlic:
Garlic was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, chewed by Greek Olympian athletes and thought to be essential for keeping vampires at bay! But it is also good for zapping bacteria, keeping your heart healthy, warding off coughs and colds.

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:)

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
4-5 Green Beans
2 tbsp Green Peas
1/4 cup Cabbage
1 small Carrot, grated
1 small Capsicum/Bell Peppers
1/4 cup Bean Sprouts
2 tbsp Spring Onions
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.

Crispy and Tastey Veg Spring Rolls

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

Ingredients:
250 g Cauliflower, cut into florets
3-4 tbsp Refined flour/maida
2 tbsp Cornflour
1 tsp dry red chilli powder
1 inch Ginger, chopped finely
3-4 pods garlic, chopped finely
3-4 spring onions, diced
1/2 cup capsicum/Bell pepper,diced(any colour)
2-3 Green chillies, chopped
4 tbsp Tomato sauce
1 tbsp Soyasauce
2 tbsp Coriander leaves,finely chopped
Oil to deep fry
Salt to taste

Gobi Manchurian

Method:
In a pan take little oil and fry chopped garlic, chillies and ginger.
To this add spring onions and capsicum and saute till onions turn translucent.
Add Coriander leaves,tomato sauce and soyasauce(if you want it to be more spicier add chilli sauce)
Add 1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 1/4 cup water, mix well and keep it aside.
Wash the cauliflower florets in water with a little salt dissolved in it.
Make a little thick batter with cornflour and refined flour dissolved in water.
Add 1 tsp red chilli powder,salt.
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 the fried cauliflower florets with the sauce you have prepared and mix well.
Garnish them with chopped coriander or greens of spring onion and serve hot.

Gobi Manchurian

Variations:
Same recipe can be used to make paneer and mushroom manchurian.

Tip:
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.

Veg Fried Rice

There are many ways of cooking fried rice. Me n K usually like ours simple and with lots of greens in it. For me food not only should tastes good but it should also look inviting. I love fried rice because of its presenatation:), thats will colourful veggies which look like precious stones. Red pepper loooks like ruby, carrots like coral, green peas and spring onion like sparkling emeralds... They are the feast to one's eyes... The method I cook veg fried rice takes less than 15 minutes. Its a quick recipe when you are short of time or feeling bit lazy and want to eat some good food too:)

Bowl of Veg Fried Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups Long grained rice
3 tbsp Oil
2 Capsicums/Peppers (I have used half each of green, red, yellow and orange)
100 gms Beans Finely Chopped
2 Carrot Finely Chopped
1/4 cup of green peas
100 gms Cabbage Finely Chopped
2 Spring Onions Finely Chopped
2-3 Green Chilies cut lenghtwise
1 tsp Ginger Chopped Finely
1 tsp Garlic Finely Chopped
2 tbsp Soya Sauce
3 tbsp chilli Dippping Sauce/tomato sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Veg Fried Rice

Method:
Pick, wash and soak the rice in enough water for 10-15 minutes and drain.
Boil water, add rice and little salt.
Cook uncovered on low heat till rice is tender.
Take care not to overcook the rice. Each grain of rice should be separate.
When rice is done, drain and add some cold water and drain again using a large seive and set aside.
Heat oil in a kadhai/large pan and add chopped garlic and ginger.
Then add all the chopped vegetables and stir fry.
Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Take care that vegetables are not overdone, they should be crisp.
Mix salt and pepper to taste.
Add the cooked rice and mix well. Now mix the soya sauce and chilli sauce to it.
Cook the chinese fried rice for 2-3 minutes and serve hot.

Bowl of Crystals

Variations:
Try useing different vegetables.