Veg Manchurian and Manchurian Sauce

The day has started off well with a perfect Sindhi breakfast and a perfect Chinese combo for lunch. We had vegetable fried rice with vegetable manchurian plus mushroom manchurian in sauce. You can find the recipe for the fried rice here.

We had eaten Chinese food the previous week at Shitake at Park Square Mall and were bitterly disappointed. Today, it feels like we ate "Chinese" food.

Ingredients :

1. Mixed vegetables like finely chopped carrots and french beans 
2. 1 cup maida
3. 2 tbsp cornflour
4. Salt to taste
5. 1 tsp red chilli powder
6. 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
7. 1 tsp black pepper powder
8. Water - enough to make a thick dosa batter
9. Oil for deep frying

How I made it :

1. Mix together all ingredients from 1 to 7. 
2. Add water little by little till it resembles a thick pakoda batter.
3. Heat oil and fry tiny balls of this mixture. 
4. Serve hot. 

I had made the sauce below for the mushroom manchurian, which was reused for this.

Manchurian Sauce :

Ingredients :

1. 1 tsp cornflour mixed in 1/2 cup cold water - do not use hot water
2. 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3. 1 tbsp oil
4. 5 spring onions - chopped, green and white separately
5. 2 finely chopped green chillies
6. 2 tbsp soya sauce
7. 1/4 cup Maggi Oriental Sauce - (optional)
8. 1/4 cup tomato ketchup - use 1/2 cup if not using the oriental sauce
9. 1/2 tsp black pepper powder

How I made it :

1. Heat oil in a pan. 
2. Fry the ginger garlic paste.
3. Add the white parts of the spring onion and fry for 3 minutes on low heat
4. Add the green chillies and black pepper
5. After a minute, add the soya sauce taking care to not let it burn. 
6. Add both the oriental as well as tomato ketchup.
7. Once it starts bubbling, put in the water containing dissolved cornflour. 
8. Once the sauce starts to thicken, turn off heat

Here is a picture of the mushroom manchurian in the sauce.

Sindhi Breakfast - Koki - my favorite

Koki is a kind of mixed paratha. Onions, green chillies, chopped coriander, red chilli powder and salt are a must add to the flour while making the dough. Optionally, jeera/cumin or saunf could be added.

I love koki and think that it is a quickie breakfast. Kokis go well with tea, unsalted butter and sugar, pickle, curd and papad. My mom and aunt's kokis are famous amongst my friends and they, mostly men, have taken to cooking kokis when away from home. There must be something about them right?

Ingredients (makes 2 kokis):

1. 1 cup whole wheat flour
2. 1 medium sized onion chopped finely
3. 3 tablespoons oil + extra for cooking
4. 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
5. 1 finely sliced green chilly
6. finely chopped coriander
7. salt to taste
8. Water - enough to make the dough. I used the whey which is left after making homemade panneer this time

How I made it :

1.   In a wide bowl, mix in all ingredients from 1 to 7. 
2. Slowly add water to make a dough. 
3. Roll out into 1/2 cm thick parathas. 
4. Use a knife to draw a criss cross on one side - this helps it cook more evenly and also makes it look more interesting.
5. On a hot tawa/flat pan, on high heat, place the paratha with the criss cross side on top.
6. After 30 seconds, pour some oil on top and flip it. Reduce heat to low.
7. Cook for about 2 minutes and flip it again making the heat high. Add more oil as desired. 
8. When dark brown spots appear, it is done. Serve hot or cold. These stay for about 24 hours in an airtight container and are perfect for travelling. Have it with a hot cup of chai.

No wonder I keep saying that people don't use their common sense! He's dead Jim!

I came across this as a comment on http://crabbyoldfart.wordpress.com/. It reflects how I feel exactly these days when

• I see people honking madly to get through traffic
• I see two wheeler riders trying to get through the four wheelers
• I see the piles of garbage dumped at every corner imaginable
• I see that people still argue about garbage segregation like it is not their responsibility, the garbage is not their responsibility
• I read news about couples suing the builders for not putting proper protective railing in balconies and windows
• Just too many to list out here... but you get the point!

"An Obituary printed in the London Times…….. Interesting and sadly rather true

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn’t always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I’m A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing"

Please note that all thoughts on this blog are mine alone and may or may not change with the passage of time. None of my thoughts are targeted at any one person in particular.

My first gel wax candle

Have got some tips from my teacher to avoid those bubbles.. until next time.