mushroom manchurian ...indo chinese style

i had promised Anju to post a recipe of mushroom manchurian .....it took me so long to post the recipe though i made it a couple of weeks back.........better late that never and here i am with the yummy recipe.

this time i made the fried version , just for Anju , as she said she loved the dish in her college days so i guess it was served in the restaurants .......i usually skip the frying step and since i love mushrooms in any form i like the low fat version too.........but frying it in hot oil after dipping it in batter makes it really delicious and can be enjoyed once in a while......it is definitely healthier than the restaurants as you use fresh n healthy ingredients............i just hope Anju likes it n finds it similar to the one she enjoyed during her stay in India....

fresh mushrooms make all the difference here but mine were waiting in the fridge for a week.......

they were still in good form so i went ahead....

step 1.

mushrooms are cleaned and halved, and they were tossed with some salt , pepper and red chilly powder ( i normally do not use red chilly powder but the resto's use it so i added just to copy that.....though it's better to avoid red chilly i realized...it's better without them) and some minced ginger and garlic ( i used a tsp of each for 150 gm of mushrooms) ......also when i do not use red chilly powder i add some minced green chillies too ...that gives a nice aroma to it.........

step 2.

in the meanwhile, make a batter by mixing 3-4 tbsp of all purpose flour with salt and pepper , an egg and 1-2 tbsp of water....dip the mushroom pieces into the batter and deep fry in hot oil quickly.........take care that the oil is very hot , drop the mushroom pieces in small batches so that the oil temperature does not drop , and drain the mushroom pieces quickly on kitchen tissue..........this helps in minimizing oil content and it prevents the mushroom pieces from becoming soggy while frying.............you can wrap the fried mushroom in the tissue for a while so that most of the oil is absorbed into the tissue....

step 3.

chop some green chillies finely or in strips...as you like ........if you like it hot , the chillies should be finely chopped or you can have a lot of green chillies...as you like....

and you need minced ginger and garlic...as much s you want.....i used a tbsp of each...
and a big onion sliced finely....

heat a tsp of oil in a pan and throw in the ginger garlic and green chilies and just after a minute throw in the onion slices too......stir and fry on high flame till the onion is translucent....( i use spring onions normally but that is not in season right now.......if using that , the sliced bulbs are added with the ginger garlic and the chopped leaves are added for finishing the dish)...

add 1-2 tbsp of soya sauce and 1-2 tbsp of tomato ketchup ( i use 2 tbsp each) , stir and add a cup of water let it boil and then add 2 tsp of corn flour dissolved in 1/4 cup of water......wait till the sauce becomes thick n boils....throw in all the fried mushrooms ...mix well to coat them with the sauce....

( if you want a little more sauce you can add some more water).....add chopped greens of spring onions and serve immediately.........

it's good with plain boiled rice or noodles or even with roti......
i'll post my healthier low fat version very soon as that is what i make all the time when mushrooms are in season here...........

khoye ka paratha | sweet khoya and nuts stuffed paratha for the sweet tooth

This khoye ka paratha is certainly a unique Banaras ka khana as I had never heard of it till we shifted to Banaras in the mis 80s. The people of Banaras are so obsessed with mithai and khoya (evaporated, dehydrated milk) that they can have it all the time.

There is a khoya gali in Banaras where only khoya is sold and it smells like khoya all over when you walk through that gali. I do not like khoya much and feel nauseating whenever I go there, but there are people who will come back with a kilo of khoya whenever they will pass through that area.

No one can resist some khoya as it promises gujhias and khoye ka paratha apart from khoya matar ki subzi. Now that we don't get good khoya in Delhi I have started making it at home. The home made khoya has become my savior. 

The khoye ka paratha paratha recipe has nothing special except that it has a sweet filling and becomes a 'more than special breakfast' on a lazy morning. The khoya is roasted in a deep kadhai till light brownso it keeps well for some time in the fridge. Some prepared khoya helps making such treats instantly.

Some sugar is added to taste if you like but we prefer it without the sugar. Some nuts and raisins are added and the mixture is used to stuff regular whole wheat dough to make parathas. Just stuff, roll and fry the paratha in ghee (nothing else will do).

And be ready for some smiles.

The raisins and the natural sweetness of the khoya is enough to sweeten this khoye ka paratha but you can add some crystal sugar if you like it really sweet.

Enjoy a khoye ka paratha on a weekend morning and see how happy everyone around is. These parathas can become a dessert if the size of the paratha is smaller or the regular paratha is quartered and served like a wedge of khoya stuffed paratha. This is actually one of the few rare sweet things that I like myself.