Friday, April 17, 2009

Veg Kulchara ,Veg Manchurian balls(Gravy) & Sarsaparilla(Nannari) Sherbet!!





Veg Kulchara was introduced to me by my friends during college days.Here, in a restaurant they serve this delicious chinese starter which is irresistable.Most of us love chinese food esp the manchurians.Kulchara is kinda manchurian that has lots of cashews and its drizzled with butter.Can you imagine how tasty it could be?Though I had this dish many times in restaurant,I never thought of recreating it at home.When I saw the theme for Lets go Nuts event for this month-'Cashew Nuts'..I  determined to make this Kulchara..Non-vegeterians can try chicken and fish Kulchara too.
Veg Manchurian Balls in gravy is very popular and it pairs very well with Noodles/Fried rice.We had with plain boiled rice.I have used Caramel for sweetening the gravy instead of sugar.This not only gives a nice color but also enhances the flavor.

Veg Kulchara :

You will need :

For Kulchara

1 cup grated cabbage
1 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup onion chopped 
1/2 tsp Ginger -Garlic paste
2 Tbsp Maida
2 Tbsp Corn flour
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Cashew Nuts,chopped

Oil for frying


For the sauce
 
1/2 tsp Ginger -Garlic paste
1 Tbsp Onion,Chopped
1 tbsp caramel(See note below to make caramel)
1 tsp chilli sauce
1 tsp soya sauce
1/2 tsp Vinegar
1 tsp corn flour 
A pinch of Aji-no-moto
Salt
1/2 tsp red chilly flakes


For garnish :

1 tbsp chopped Cashews
1 tbsp butter
chopped spring onions

NOTE :
For making caramel, add 2 tbsp of Sugar and 1/2 Tbsp of lime juice in a skillet.Keep in med heat until the sugar gets melted completely.Leave in low heat without stirring until you get a good amber color.
Remove the skillet from heat and pour 1/4 cup of water immediately (Be careful as it splatters! )



Caramel



Chop cashew nuts finely..



Mix together the ingredients of 'For Kulchara' together except cashew nuts.Do not add water,the water from the grated cabbage/carrot itself is enough to bind the mixture.




Make small  balls from this mixture and place them in a plate.




Heat oil for deep frying..Coat each kulchara balls with the chopped cashews .Make sure that all the cashew bits are adhereing to the kulchara balls.




Gently drop 2 or 3 kulcharas at a time,depending on the size of the skillet.And fry them in med heat until golden brown.




Do not fry them in high heat or else the inside of the kulchara will not get cooked properly.




In a pan,heat 1 tsp oil and fry onion,ginger garlic paste,and red chilly flakes..Add all the sauces,salt,aji-no-moto,vinegar.Let it bubble for 30-40 seconds.Add caramel ,corn flour mixed in 1 tbsp of water.Let it simmer for a min.Check for salt,sweetness or spicyiness.Add whatever sauce you want according to your taste.



The sauce is ready.Coat the fried kulchara balls in this sauce.Pour remaining sauce over the Kulcharas.

Fry 1 tbsp of chopped cashews in  butter. Sprinkle this roasted cashews over the kulchara .Pour the remaining butter  over the kulchara.Garnish with spring onions.






Sending this to Lets go nuts with Cashew nuts event guest hosted by Poornima Nair and intiated by Aquadaze.

Veg Manchurain in gravy :





The recipe is same as the kulchara except the use of cashews.

Only the measurements for preparing the sauce/gravy varies here.

For Manchurian balls :

1 cup grated cabbage
1 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup onion chopped 
1/2 tsp Ginger -Garlic paste
2 Tbsp Maida
2 Tbsp Corn flour
1 tsp Salt

Oil for frying

For the sauce/gravy :

1 tsp Ginger -Garlic paste
1 Onion,Chopped
1/2 cup capsicum,cut into strips
2 tbsp caramel
2 tsp chilli sauce
2 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp Vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp corn flour 
1 cup water
A  pinch of Aji-no-moto
Salt
1 tsp red chilly flakes



Mix all ingredients of manchurian balls and make a dough.Shape into uniformly sized balls and deep fry them in oil.



For gravy,heat a tsp of oil.Fry onion and capsicum for a 1 min or so.Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 secs.Add the sauces,vinegar,salt,aji-no-moto,red chilly flakes.Let it bubble in low heat for a 40 secs.Add the caramel and corn flour mixed in water.Let it simmer for 1/2 min or until the gravy appears glossy.Add the manchurian balls to the gravy.Garnish with spirng onions and serve.




Sarasaparilla/Nannari Sherbet :





'Nannari' Sherbet is a refreshing drink sold in carts during summer season in India.Nannari is a root which has the medicinal property of protecting the body from common summer aliments.It is a natural coolant and it  purifies blood,prevents stone formation in kidneys,controls tonsillitis and solve acidity and constipation problems.


Nannari root




Nannari Syrup

The Nannari Syrup is easily available in India.So if you have the syrup in hand the drink can be easily prepared. 

You will need :

1/4 cup Nannari Syrup
Juice of one small lemon
A pinch of salt
2 glasses of water
Ice cubes


Mix all the above and check for sweetness.Add sugar if its not sweet enough.




Sip and enjoy the summer!






I tried out the following recipes this week,



Asha's Bell pepper Korma - Bell peppers are my fav! And a rich korma with it is mind blowing.I wanted to try it immediately after I saw it at her blog.But I can't find the colorful Bell peppers in my town.So finally I made with the regular green ones.It was superb!We had with rotis .I also had this as a sauce for pasta.. The almond gravy with bell pepper flavor goes very well with pasta!Thank you very much!.





Priya of Sourahstrian Kitchen's Peanut Ladoos- This is the easiest ladoo recipe I have ever came across.I love peanut ladoos but making them at home is a real complicated thing.But this peanut ladoo is not only easy to make but also to eat.I would call it 'Melting-in-mouth' Ladoo.Instead of grinding them coarse and I powdered them finely.But there is no compromise in taste.I enjoyed it.Thank you very much!




Food Fanatic's Arbi fry -I love arbi but we always make only one recipe with it.And that is 'Arbi podimass' .Her Arbi fry looks crispy and yum.So I wanna try it.Yesterday ,we made this as a side dish for Rasam Rice.I boiled the arbi to peel the skins and it got mushy.By mistake I added spices and then baked it instead of baking first .But it was nice..The arbi got a nice curst on outside and mushy inside..I can't stop eating them..Finally me and my sis end up fighting for this yummy Arbi fry.Thanks a lot for the recipe,FF! 

Prathiba , Priya, Adlak and Shama shared with me this lovely award..Thank you,buddies :) 
Thats a sweet gesture!



I'm passing it to all my blogging buddies...I love all your blogs.All of you are so sweet and are really talented chefs.Kindly accpet this award,friends..

Now for the rules:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs (Only if you like).
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog.


Asha,Food Fanatic,Priya of Easy n tasty recipes,Vishali,Mangala bhat,Varsha,Cham,Deesha,Sriharivatsan,Uma,SuperChef,Lavanya,Divya Vikram,Indhu,Priya Sriram,
Srikars,Soma,Sia,Trupti,Sanghi,Suparna,Pooja,Jayasree,Raks Kitchen,Rekha,Akal,Usha Nandhini,Vrinda,Simran,Gayatri,Mahimaa,Ann,Rachel,Lisa,Pavithra,Ramya Vijayakumar,Kitchen flavours,Ranjani,Nithiya Praveen,Notyet01,n33ma,Aparna,Sharmilee,Swapna,Archy,Viki,Aruna,Vibaas,Sathya Sankar,Madhuram,Malar,Poornima Nair,Laavanya,Lavi,Nazarina,Anu Sriram,Aquadaze

Have a nice weekend!


53 comments:

  1. The disshes looks lovely and delicious....
    Love the kulchara recipe, quite a different one!
    congrats on your award !

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  2. WOW!! Madhu, I love your Chinese dish and that Chinese figurine too. Unique name and dish looks mouthwatering. Nannari, new to me. cooler looks refreshing.Great post sweetie.

    Thanks for trying the Korma, looks delicious with green peppers too.Glad you loved it. Laddoos and Arbi looks great too.

    Enjoy well deserved award, thanks for thinking of me as well. Hugs, have a great weekend! :)

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  3. Madhu send me some veg kulchara, wat a delicious dish dear,veg manchurian balls looks gorgeous...and coming to Nannari sherbet my all time fav, love with soaked basil seeds..whenever we go to India, i'll have daily this sherbet, brings me loads of memories, love nannari sherbet that much...prefect entries Madhu.. congrats on ur award, am happy n touched for sharing ur award with me..ur all T&T dishes looks yummy!

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  4. Girl u are back again with more delicious dishes as ever :). Love all of them and admire ur hardwork dear. Manchurian looks delicious so as others. OMG I think I will die with happiness seeing all those beautiful dishes :).
    I got to try Asha's Bell Pepper Kurma too :).

    And my heartful congrats on winning the award. Keep rocking!

    And, have a nice weekend.

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  5. Looking lovely madhu..Delicious post..Congrats and thanks for thinking of me..

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  6. Kulchara is something i'm hearing for the first time and being an indo-chinese food fan, i'm drooling and can't wait to try it some day soon. Delicious. Veg manchurian balls look perfect Madhu and the nannari syrup - perfect summer drink.
    Bell pepper korma went well with pasta? will remember that for next time.

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  7. Great post! Lovely recipe. And finally I adore the drink recipe!!

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  8. Madhu..I really fell for that kulchara's..sooner or later am gonna try it for sure..mebe minus the sauces...just those fried balls will do for me...:)..My..i loved those sweet chinese couples..so cute..:)
    Nannari sharbat is sure refreshing..remember having it in Kerala..:)

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  9. Gal the first ball made with cashew I never even heard or tasted! Beautiful manchurian u make me drool over ur page! Enjoy ur award! Thanks to share with us.

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  10. thanks, madhu! and congrats to u as well. i didnt know at this award and just happened to notice :)

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  11. wow, what a display of food. All the dishes look great and mouth-watering. Congrats on the award dear!

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  12. Thats an awesome spread Madhu.. Looks sooo mouthwatering...! :) Love the doll!
    And thanks for trying out my recipe.. feels really good... :)
    And thanks for accepting the award! :D

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  13. wow! nice pics and recipes Thanks sooo much :)lovely blog

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  14. Hi M,
    What brilliant looking dishes! the kulchara looks yummm...love dishes with sweetish tinge...bookmarked it shall try it sometime :)
    Ur pictorial presentation is damn neat! loved the look of other tried and tasted dishes too!good work there!Haven't heard of Nannari...the drink loooks healthy and well suited for summer :)
    Congratulation on the well deserved award!
    Thanks for generously sharing it with me dear.
    Have a wonderful weekend!
    TC

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  15. Madhu, I was Scrolling up and down, eppadi ppa, ivlo samaikka mudiyuthu? Kalakkal! Veg Kulchura look's absolutely Delicious!!

    Nannari vanganum, i was thinking to prepare a sorbet, to beat this summer..urs is a nice idea..

    Thanks for the Award:)

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  16. hi madhu, first time here, u have a nice blog.Recipes look yumm.Veg manchurian & nannari loooks perfect!!Planning to make it;)do visit my blog at ur free time.

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  17. Madhu am gonna grab the plate of koftas ;) lol they have come out really well and the caramel too... So are the other dishes that you have tried... But the koftas are simply amazing... Congrats on your award, and thanks for sharing dear...

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  18. wow..my god, how many dishes girl... everything looks lip smacking. and yeah, i am also gonna try this peanut laddoo.

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  19. Great dishes dear!!
    when i read kulchara, i had to repeat reading it again...looking yummy..bookmarked!!
    i like the way it is presented..
    Even nannari is in my list for the RD-summer's event..
    Congrats on the award too...

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  20. madhu mithaaaaa!!!!!!keep rocking ,,,Have a nice weekened :)

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  21. The manchurian looks fantastic.:)
    I remember having a sarsaparilla something a while ago and disliking it immensely.:D

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  22. Woow,your kulchara looks very refreshing and yummy Madhu...Would love to try..real professional clicks ..

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  23. Kulchara is very new to me Madhu! looks so gud! Veg manchurian is my favorite too! Thinking of making in recent future!

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  24. Manchurian in gravy looks very catchy. Love the way u explained them. Never knew kulchara before. But I m sure it would be worthy to try.
    I miss my favorite nannari syrup a lot.
    what is that leaf under sherbhat glasses ? They too look pretty:)

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  25. Your manchurian reminds me to go back to Noida Sector 18. Looks good. Kulchara is new to me and wonderful.Nannari - perfect summer drink.
    Keep rocking! Happy weekend :P

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  26. nice dishes .. I remember having this juice loong ago & i had totally forgotten abt it .. thanks for reminding me Madhu, I shall look for it

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  27. platter looks so yummy that i just feel like join u for dinner,..shebet is new fro me,..thanks for sharin,...haapy weekend,..

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  28. Oh my goodness! What a delightful array of dishes. And your idea of using caramel in the gravy is inspired indeed!

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  29. awesome spread :)
    looks spicy and delicious :)

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  30. All dishes looks yummy madhu.especially manchurian is mind blowing n nice step by step procedures...nice post worth bookmarking n try these :)

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  31. I too lov chineese food but this Veg kulchara is something new to me..I really wanted to taste this..so will try this and let u know...Nice presentation ..And congrats & thanks a lot for sharing award with me

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  32. The kulchara is something new to me, tho the balls sound like manchurian..the sauce is diiferent esp..with the cashews! we so miss the indian chinese here. The manchurian is our favorite too, & i make it at home somtimes.but the soul craves to go out & eat at some restaurants like we used to do in india. Everything you made is making me very nostalgic!

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  33. Awesome Presentation Madhu!! All look so yummy!! great cooking and wonderful clicks!

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  34. thanks dear for the award and congrats to you.
    i love ur recipes. u r a pro!

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  35. OMG!! if you ask me to pick one, i will not be able to do that. Especially loved the Kulchara. Soo rich and delicious looking. And i soo miss nannari sherbet. Should have bought some during my last trip to india!!

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  36. This does sound very tasty, especially with the cashews!

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  37. Thats a gr8 spread! Fabulous recipes! Looks Mouth-watering!! Thanks for sending a real cooler for my event!

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  38. Madhu I love Chinese food and these pics are making me salivate all over my laptop.Nice step by stp pics.
    congrats on your award and thanks for thinking of me.

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  39. kulchara is something I am hearing for the first time...can't wait to try it!

    Congrats and thanks for thinking of me :)

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  40. Wow, this is quite a post! Everything looks so amazing and delicious, I wish I could taste it all NOW! I have bookmarked!!!

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  41. I am a great fan of chinese food..and you have a real treat here!!!...Lovely recipes :)..and enjoy your award :)

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  42. Awesome spread Madhu!!! Congrats for the award!

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  43. Awesome Madhu...Everything is well explained and nicely presented, though i am new to kulchara. Madhu, nee pesama chennai vanduden...Nan appo appo oru visit adikalam nenaicha udane (nee photo edukaradhu munnadi satuduven ellathiyum)..G8 effort dear...Tx for thinking of me and passing the award...Love to u buddy..

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  44. These look wonderful what a feast to eat!

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  45. they all look sooo yum. love the manchurian and want to have some now :)

    congrats on your award, dear and thx for thinking of me :)

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  46. I love manchurian but have never heard of kulchara. Looks really interesting

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  47. wow this is a amazing post that kulcha is totally new to me and manchurian ball uummm mouthwatering and that is a perfect drink for thia hot summer yum yum every thing

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  48. Very interesting recipe...never heard so far, sure a must try one. Love it. You made me nostalgic almost...miss home and nannaari sorbeth...poor me!:(

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  49. This "nutty" version of manchurian is new to me. I'm sure its very tasty.

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  50. hey Madhu...just now only i noticed a name Swapna in your award nomine list.is that me???

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  51. kulchara is new to me...First time in ur blog.. good recipes..sure to try this recipes

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  52. This recipe is new for me. I will try this. Thanks for sharing.

    Catering Services in West Mambalam

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