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

Source :itrcenvis.nic

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!

Sending this to Refreshing Drinks event for Summer hosted by Anu of Chandrabaga

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!

Cauliflower Kurma/Korma and a poem...

ELIXIRS OF KITCHEN

  --------------------------

The humid, summer evening sapped my vigor

impelling my kitchen wares to be geared

There I ingressed the larder to cook my repast

and my hunger from now would hardly last..

Spices, oil, vegetables and sauces

kitchen wares of steel, ceramic and glasses

Friends and neighbours gathered in mass

to heedfully look at my cooking process..

Onion, tomato, garlic and pepper

adumbrating an unrivaled soup as an appetizer

Croutons of bread, cheese and butter

aggravating its sapidity into a wonder..

Flour, milk, salt and yeast

auspicating a mouth watery pizza as feast

Aroma of tomatoes, cheese and onion topping

made my kitchen an resistless stopping..

At last, time to go for the terminating touch

deeply seeks my mind a surmounting match

Finally I cottoned on to a cup of romantic hot chocolate 

not to elide the empyrean cresting of marshmallows..

                                                                                       --- Shravan

Yesterday, when I opened my inbox there was a lovely gift from my very good friend and classmate Shravan Kumar.Yeah,the above poem which you have read is written by him and sent to me as a gift.I became speechless.His poetic talent is something incredible…During our college days,he used to write b'ful poems and novels and take part in many competitions .I must not forget to say that he is soo much interested in cooking as well  and will never hesitate to try any new recipes.He tries out many of the recipes which I post here and gives me feedback immediately.Its my fortune to get such a sweet and kind  friend.He told me that the above poem was written with the inspiration he derived from my cooking.Thats a big honor for me.

A week before he shared with me a wonderful recipe of Cauliflower Kurma. I made that kurma and it’s a great hit in our home.Usually,my grandma doesn’t like kurmas/briyani kinda dishes as they have the garam masala flavor.But to my surprise ,she enjoyed this cauliflower kurma as its perfectly spiced and the flavor is mild. I had it as a main dish ..I loved it and I swear that this is what I m gonna make when I buy cauliflower next time.Thank you very much ,Shravan for the b’ful poem and the wonderful recipe J

Here goes his recipe…

 You will need :

1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large onion, cut into cubes
3 medium tomatoes, cut into cubes
1 tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cardamom
3 whole cloves
3 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste
10 curry leaves
1 fistful coriander leaves
3 tsp. poppy seeds or khus khus seeds

Powder together cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, poppy seeds and keep aside.

Mix onion and tomato pieces and grind to a smooth paste.

To the paste add the ground powder, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric, salt, yogurt and run the mixer once  to get them all mixed..

Pour the paste over the cauliflower florets and mix well making sure that the paste is coated well..Keep aside for 5-10 mins .. 

In a deep non-stick skillet, heat oil, add curry leaves and coriander leaves. Immediately add the above cauliflower mixture and fry for five minutes on high heat.

Now reduce the heat to just below medium and add one cup of water, stir and cover. Cook until the sauce thickens.

 Serve hot with any kind of rice, paratha, dosa and puri.

Sending the first pic to Gayatri's Magnificient Click event at Just Urs!!

This is my entry for JFI :Cauliflower event intiated by Indira of Mahanandi  and hosted by Paajaka recipes..

I also send this as my entry to FIC-ORANGE hosted by Aparna which is originally initiated by Sunshinemom

Rajma Chawal

Rajma Chawal (Red Kidney beans curry with Rice) is an awesome combination.Its a must-in-a-menu in every Punjabi feasts.The prefix 'Raj' in this name rajma is itself giving a kind of royalty to this dish..Long ago,I was served a biryani called 'Raja Biryani' in a restaurant called 'Rangoli' (Saravana Bhavans).Before seeing the biryani,I was thinking with what this biryani would have been made.I was wondering whether it contains various exotic nuts and dried fruits?!I was so curious until the biryani arrived.To my surprise it was actually made with Rajma(Kidney beans) and basmati rice.I guess Rajma is the 'King of beans' and hence it got the name 'Raj'ma.

Whatever the name be..it really tastes so good that we don't have to worry about its baptism.

This rajma is very tricky you know..It takes lot of time to cook well.I pressure cooked it 2 times with 4 whistles each time...

Sometimes the bean gets well cooked in just 3 whistles.It all depends on the quality of beans you get.Its best if you could get the canned red kidney beans.They don't need the soaking process and can be used on the go!

But me in the middle of an old town can't reach for canned beans :(

Eventhough I managed to make a really tasty ,rajma curry :)

This curry is so easy to prepare and calls for the usual onion,tomato, and ginger as its base.

You will need:

1 cup of Red kidney beans (Soaked overnight,pressure cooked without salt)

1 big onion ,finely chopped

3 tomatoes,pureed

1 green chilly,chopped

1 inch ginger,finely chopped

1 tsp red chilly powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

A pinch of Aji-ni-moto

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 inch cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp of sugar

Salt as per taste

oil

Coriander leaves for garnish

Start by chopping the onions,ginger and green chilly.

In a heavy bottom frying pan,heat 1 tbsp of oil.Add the cumin seeds and cinnamon.

Add chopped onions,ginger and chilly.Fry for a couple of mins

Add the pureed tomato and all the spices except garam masala.Fry till the oil seperates.

Add the cooked beans.Add the salt,sugar ,aji-no-moto and garam masala.Mix well.Add 1/4 cup of water(water used for boiling rajma can be retained and used).

Cook covered for 4-5 mins.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with boiled plain rice.

Rajma curry with boiled rice served with fryams.

A Chunky Curry...

For a quite a long time I was posting only cake recipes.So here comes for a change a very rich n spicy Chunky curry.This would be a real treat for the chilly weather and nutritious too.I assume everyone is aware of the nutritious benefits of Soya chunks.Its a great substitute for meat.

Many don't like Soya chunks.But when made in a proper way,it would be a keeper.A week ago one of my friend asked me for some recipes of 'Soya Chunks'.As i was away from home,I couldn't post or send the recipes at that time .Long before I was thinking of posting a recipe of soya chunks.Thanks to him for reminding of it.Surprisingly,my male friends follow my blog regularly than my female friends!Its a sign of good change that men are into cooking too ;)..

Many of us do not like the smell of the Soya Chunks.Thats why its always recommended to wash the boiled  chunks for so many times.I have pressure cooked the soya chunks with 2 cloves of garlic,1 stick of cinnamon and 2 cloves.By doing this,we can get rid of the awful smell of the soya and instead we get good smell of the spices infused in it.

You will need:

1 Cup of Soya Chunks

1 Big onion

2 Big tomatoes

1 cup green peas

1/4 cup grated coconut

1 tbsp chilly powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp pepper

1 tbsp coriander seeds

A pinch of Saunf(fennel) Powder (optional)

2 cloves garlic

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 Cloves

Salt

oil

Pressure cook the Soya chunks with 3 cups water,2 cloves of garlic,cinnamom and cloves as I have mentioned earlier.

Squeeze the excess water from the chunks completely..

Grind together onion,tomato,coconut,coriander seeds,pepper,ginger-garlic paste,chilly powder,turmeric powder ,salt and garam masala to a smooth paste.(tip:Frist grind the coriander seeds n pepper.Then add the rest and grind in the same jar)

Heat 3-4 tbsp of oil.Add the paste and cook until the oil separates.

Add the green peas and chunks.Cook until the peas are done.

Sprinkle the fennel powder and serve.

This spicy curry was accompained with the milder Saffron Pulao and sliced carrots.It was indeed a visual treat too!

Have a great weekend :)