Colorful Veggie Stir Fry – Indian Chinese Style

Some days the sun shines brilliantly and makes for the best day to click some good pictures – especially of food – A day like that presented itself and I was beside myself with joy since I had invited some friends over for lunch and I was planning on making this veggie stir fry. Colorful veggies can be a big turn on for the gastric juices and a visual treat. And I hope to achieve this with this recipe. For those who see my FB page, you will have seen this as my "cover photo" and on the slide above on my homepage :)

This is an all too simple recipe, the only hard or interesting part (depending on how you view it) is the veggie cutting – I made this a fun chore and you can see the result of it in the pictures below.  A few ingredients to spice it up and I was good to go.

Here now is my recipe

Ingredients

Veggies of your choice

Hot stir fry sauce

1tsp Sambar powder

1 tsp or squirt of Sirarcha sauce

1tbsp Ginger

1tbsp Garlic

1tsp sesame seeds

1tsp of Asian spices

Nuts (optional)

1tbsp +2tsp of sesame oil
Fresh green Thyme to garnish (can use basil or other too)

Method

Heat 1tbsp oil

Add the garlic and ginger and sesame seeds

Roast till garlic is golden

Add the chopped veggies
Add all the spice powders – The sambar powder infuses a fine Indian aroma to this dish while the Asian Spices confirms that it is indeed a Chinese dish with an Indian twist JThe addition of Potatoes also lends some Indianness to the dish.

NOTE: If you are using potatoes, like I did, you may want to cook it for a few minutes in the microwave or steam them ahead of time for a 3-4 minutes

Cook on high flame stirring/tossing them

Once they are tender, but still crisp, add the sauce

IMPORTANT – The veggies should be Al dente and retain their shapes and their own individual flavors – that’s what makes this dish special

Serve HOT Over noodles or as a side with Jasmine Rice J

Serving with Whole Masoor dal "soup" & Pappads

This is my week 3 Cuisine of the month at AGC posting- Do check out my co-AGCians recipes - Anusha, Jayanthi,Kavi, Priya, Radhika, Roshni and Veena

Idli Manchurian

This part 2 of the leftover idli saga :) So those of you who read my post on Idli Bajjis, I saved some of those Idli Bajjis and made an Indian- Chinese dish out of it - Please do try - I assure you that you will LOVE it.

I added 1 tbsp each of  Spricy Szechwan stir-fry sauce and Asian hot sauce;
2tbsp each of garlic chives and spring onions
3 spicy red chilies
1 tsp of sesame oil

Prepare
Saute the above ingredients (except the sauces) in hot oil and add the idli bajjis and stir.
Add the sauces last and mix it in well -
Hear the sizzle of the sauces evaporating  - its time to switch off the stove. Serve piping hot :)

There you have it - the new and exotic avatars of a rather seeda sada and chammathu idlis :)

Paneer Manchurian

Paneer Manchurian

This is a dish I make often but never think to blog – like we never end up seeing the local sites of our town, this one has been bypassed by other newer recipes that I’ve either concocted or learned! This is a house fav and gets demolished almost as soon as it is prepared!!! The last time I made it for a party and it was enjoyed by all – If you are looking for a quick, exotic and gourmet Indian-Chinese paneer recipe, look no further! I would like you to make this and give me some feedback! That would be the best compliment of all J

Preparation time: approx 15 minutes

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb. paneer (cubed)

1 tbsp. Maggi Hot and Sweet Sauce

1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp Asian spice mix

1 tbsp. spicy Szechuan stir-fry sauce

2 tsp. honey

1 tsp. sesame seeds

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

¼ cup of: fresh onion chives, fresh garlic chives

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. corn starch

PREPARATION

1)      Heat the olive oil and gently toss the paneer on high heat until slightly brown

2)      Whisk all ingredients except chives and corn starch

3)      Pour over the paneer and lightly turn

4)      Allow to cook on low heat

 In the mean time…

5)      add tbsp. water to cornstarch and mix well

6)      Now, add the cornstarch slowly into the bubbling sauce. It will start to thicken almost immediately

7)      When it has reached the desired consistency, add the chives and toss.

8)      Serve hot with ginger garlic rice (recipe given below)

The ingredients

Whisk the liquid ingredients together

Garlic and onion Chives (homegrown)

Saute the Asian spice mix and the sesame

Add the paneer

Now the sauce

The corn starch and the chives

 Ginger Jeera Rice

Ginger Jeera Rice

Ginger Jeera (cumin) rice is a quick and flavorful rice and is a beautiful accompaniment to almost any kind of Indian-Chinese dish.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups Basmati rice

1 inch of ginger (grated fine)

2 tsp. cumin seeds

3 tbsp. butter (I used garlic and herbs butter)

PREPARATION

1) In a shallow pan, heat the butter and add the ginger, chives, and cumin and sauté.

2) Wash 3 cups of rice, adding exactly six cups of water

3) Now add sautéed ingredients into water with salt to taste

4) Cook in rice cooker for a fluffy and soft texture

Enjoy the aromatic rice with a tongue-tickling Paneer Manchurian….