Chilli Baby Corn

It has been a year since I started this blog. How time flies. I want to thank you all for your support and well wishes and hope I can continue to count on it in the future.

Most people would choose a sweet dish to celebrate an anniversary, but given that I like savory dishes more, I decided to go with that.


Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:


Baby corn : about 150 gms (20 numbers), cut in half width-wise

For the batter:
Corn flour(corn starch): 1/4 cup
All-purpose flour: 1/4 cup
Soy sauce: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste, if needed (soy sauce already has salt, so keep that in mind)
Oil: for deep-frying
Water

For the gravy:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Ginger: 1" cube, cut into long thin strips
Garlic: 2 big cloves, cut into long thin strips
Bell peppers/ capsicum: 1/4 cup, chopped into about the same size as baby corn
Soy sauce: 1 tbsp
Green onions/ spring onions: 1/4cup, chopped
Red chilli paste: 1 1/2 tbsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Corn flour/ corn starch: 1 1/2 tbsp, mixed with 3 tbsp water (making sure there are no lumps)
Salt: to taste

Heat oil in a skillet. In the meantime, mix the ingredients for the batter with enough water to make a slightly thick batter. Drop the cut baby corn pieces and mix to coat. Deep fry until light golden brown. Drain onto platter lined with paper towel. Keep aside.

In a skillet, heat the oil and saute the ginger and garlic slices. Once it starts to turn colour, add the bell pepper pieces and saute for a minute. Add the sauces and saute for another minute. Add the corn flour syrup and allow to boil. Add the sugar and fried baby corn. Mix well. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, until it gets to desired consistency. Add the green onions and remove from fire. Serve immediately topped with more spring onions. Perfect as an appetizer for any gathering. Dig in!!!!

Indo-Chinese Sesame Potato

This is a dish that I came up with one evening as I was wondering what to make. It actually turned out quite well.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:


Potato: 1 1/2 cups, chopped (3 small nos.)
Onion: 1 small, finely chopped
Oil: 2 tbsp
Green chillies: 3, cut in half length-wise
Toasted white sesame seeds: 2 tsp
Soy sauce: 2 tsp
Chilli paste: 3 tsp
Tomato ketchup: 2 tsp
Cilantro: 1/4 cup, chopped
Salt: to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet, and on a medium-high flame saute the potatoes until light brown (the potatoes should have completed 80% of its cooking at this stage) in colour. Drain and keep aside.

To the same oil, add the onions and sesame seeds, saute until light brown. Add the green chillies and saute for 2-3 min. Add the sauces and mix well. Add the fried potato and mix until everything is combined well. Add the chopped cilantro and more salt, if needed, at this stage. On a medium-low flame, continue to cook for 4-5 min, stirring occasionally.

Serve warm with chapathi or naan.

Easy Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian

I think I have mentioned before that I am not a fan of Cauliflower. But in an attempt to get my kids to eat vegetables, I seem to end up with a lot of left over vegetables. Here is a handy dish if you ever are,by chance, holding a lot of cauliflower.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Makes: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:


Cauliflower florets: 1 cup
Onion: 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup, thinly sliced
Green chillies: 2, cut into thin rounds
Cornflour/ cornstarch: 4 tbsp
Soy sauce: 2 tsp + 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 3/4 tbsp
Powdered black pepper: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Chilli paste: 1 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup: 2 1/2 tbsp
Oil: 1 tbsp + for deep-frying

Heat oil in a skillet. In the meantime, mix the cauliflower florets,1/2 cup sliced onions, green chillies, cornflour, 2tsp soy sauce, ginger-garlic paste, salt and pepper to form a tight batter (tight enough to form balls). Make small lime-sized balls and deep fry them until golden brown.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil and saute the rest of the onion until light golden brown. Add the rest of the soy sauce, chilli paste and tomato ketchup and mix well. Add the fried cauliflower balls and mix well, so as to coat the balls with the sauces. Serve warm.

Baby corn pakoda

I have never used baby corn in any thing I have made in the past. I bought a packet of baby corn from the store not knowing what really to do with it. Finally decided to make an appetizer. This was indeed a new experience as I usually have a good idea of what I am making before I buy something.

Usually pakodas are made in a batter made of Besan (Chick pea Flour). This particular recipe uses a mixture of all purpose flour and corn flour

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Makes: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:


Baby corn: 32 (about 200 gms)
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Cornflour/ cornstarch: 4 tbsp
All-purpose flour: 4 tbsp
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp
Cilantro, chopped: 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil: for deep frying

Cut the baby corn in half, widthwise. Make a thick batter, like you would for pakodas with cornflour, all-purpose flour, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. Add the baby corn and mix well. Drop each piece in hot oil until golden brown.

Mushroom Manchurian

Cauliflower Manchurian is a staple of the Vegetarian Indo-Chinese cooking in Kerala. For reasons that I will not go in now, I don't particularly like Cauliflower (Shhh.... please don't tell my kids). My husband suggested I try replacing the Cauliflower with Mushrooms and it actually worked out quite well.

One minor problem was the fact that between the kids and me, we ate so many of the fried mushrooms that the final dish was a bit less than the planned 3 servings.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 45 min
Cooking time: 45 min
Yields: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:


Button mushrooms: 8 oz.(about 225 gms)
All-purpose flour: 3/4 cup
Cornflour/ cornstarch: 1/4 cup + 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 3 tbsp + 1 tsp
Soy sauce: 3 tbsp + 1 tsp + 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tsp + for deep-frying
Chilli sauce: 1 tsp
Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Whole red chilly: 1
Spring onion: 1/4 cup
Salt: to taste

Clean and cut the mushrooms into small pieces. I cut a medium-sized mushroom into 16 pieces lengthwise. Add 3 tbsps each of ginger-garlic paste and soy sauce, along with some salt (be careful with the salt, as the soy sauce contains salt too). Mix well and keep aside for atleast 30 min.

Make a batter slightly loose, with the all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cornflour, 1/2 tsp chilli powder and 1 tsp soy sauce. Transfer the marinated mushrooms into this mixture. Deep fry in hot oil, in batches. Drain to a platter lined with paper towel.

In a skillet, add 1 tsp oil. Saute 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste and a split whole red chilly. Add 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp chilli sauce,  finely chopped spring onions and fried mushrooms. Sprinkle 1 tsp cornflour uniformly on top and saute for 2 minutes.

Serve hot as appetizer ,with chilligarlic sauce or tomato sauce. Or if you are like me, have it with noodles or chapathi.

Variation:

If you prefer this with gravy (Sauce), right after you saute the ginger-garlic paste and red chillies,  add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Gradually add 1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 1/4 cup water, stirring continuosly until it resumes boiling. Boil till the gravy becomes transparent and reaches your desired consistency. Add the fried mushrooms, along with soy sauce and chilli sauce. Boil for 2 minutes and remove. Serve with noodles or rice.

Mixed Hakka Noodles

This is one of the most versatile of noodles. So every time I make it, I use different veggies. Here I've used chicken and eggs in addition to the vegetables I had in hand. You can use mushrooms, cabbage(red or green), kale, celery, asparagus, corn, bell peppers(Shimla peppers/capsicum), sprouts, nuts, other meats like prawns, mutton, beef etc. in addition to the usual carrots, beans we use while preparing noodles. Just be creative!

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 15min(plus 1-2 hrs for marinating meat)
Cooking time:  30 min

Ingredients

Chow mein noddles- 100 gms,cooked according to package directions
Chicken- 4 breast tenderloins(about 250gms)
Corn kernels- 5 tbsp
Edamame(shelled soy beans)- 5 tbsp
Celery- half of a stalk, cut into thin slices or about 5 tbsp
Asparagus- 3 stalks, cut into 2 " length or about 5 tbsp
Whole red chillies- 2 nos.
White pepper powder(or coarse ground black pepper powder)- 1/8 tsp+ a pinch
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Oil- 2 tbsp
Red chilli paste- 2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste:1 1/2 tsp
Soy sauce: 2 tbsp+3/4 tsp
Eggs- 2
Salt- to taste


Marinate the chicken(cut into long thin strips) in 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch, salt, 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste and 3/4 tsp soy sauce. Keep aside for 1-2 hrs. You can do the rest of the meat separately  in a similar way.

Scramble the eggs with salt and a pinch of  coarse ground black pepper and keep aside.
Deep fry or shallow fry the chicken pieces  and keep aside. I used 1 tbsp oil and cooked the chicken pieces- a healthier option. Cook the vegetables in boiled salt water for 4 min and keep aside. If you like to bite into the raw vegetable pieces, you can skip this.

In a skillet, add 1 tbsp oil and add the whole red chillies, along with 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste. Saute until the raw taste of the ginger-garlic paste has gone. Add the onion and saute until it turns light brown. Add the chilli paste and white pepper(or black pepper) powder and saute for a while. Add the cooked vegetables and mix well. Add the scrambled eggs and fried chicken. Mix well. Add the 2 tbsp soy sauce and mix well. Add the cooked & drained noodles. Toss well using two wooden spatulas. Serve warm topped with spring onions/ green onions.

Sweet corn chicken soup

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup may be the most popular dish in the Indo-Chinese genre. For those who don't know, Indo-Chinese cooking is an assimilation of Chinese cooking with Indian spices. Most of the dishes won't resemble the original Chinese versions but are much better suited to the Indian palatte that is used to spicy food.

My husband orders a bowl of sweet corn chicken soup at every restaurant that offers it with out fail. Usually though he laments at how poor the soup is and how he has had better. I have also tried different versions at home and this recipe from Tarla Dalal comes closest to the idealized version that he remembers.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5min
Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients:
Chicken stock (or vegetable stock, for the vegetarian version) - 4 cups
Whole sweet corn kernels- 2/3 cup
Whole sweet corn kernels, crushed or grated- 2/3 cup
Chicken- 1/2 cup, cooked and shredded
Egg- 1, beaten slightly
Cornflour (cornstarch,as it is called in this part of the world)- 2 tbsp dissolved in 1/4 cup water
Sugar- 1 tsp(optional)
Salt to taste

Add the stock to a saucepan and add the whole sweet corn kernels. Cook on medium flame until the corn is cooked and tender (about 10 min). Add the crushed or grated corn and chicken and simmer for another 5 minutes. Make sure your cornflour paste has no lumps and add that in, stirring continuously until it is mixed uniformly. Allow to simmer for some time. On a high flame, add the slightly beaten egg as a steady thin stream (the thinner the stream, the more lacy you get it in the soup) while stirring continuously. Switch off the flame and keep stirring for about 2-3 min, just to make sure the egg laces are cooked through. Add the salt and sugar and serve.

You can serve it with chillies in vinegar (if you can make this a few hours ahead of time, it would taste nice and spicy), soy sauce, chilli sauce etc,.

You can just skip the chicken and egg, and you have the vegetarian version. Also, if you want the colourless/ almost creamish colour (like what you get in restaurants), you have to start with clear stock (I have used Swanson's organic chicken broth here).