Mix-Veg Dry Manchurian

Ingredients: 1 Cup Finely chopped or grated carrots, 1 Cup Finely chopped cabbage, 1/4 Cup All purpose flour/Maida , Crushed Garlic 1 tbsp, Crushed Ginger 1 tbsp, Finely chopped Onions 1 Cup, Finely chopped Tomato 1 Cup, Finely chopped Capsicum ½ cup , Soya Sauce ½ tsp, Vinegar 1 tbsp, Red Chilli sauce 1 tbsp, Tomato Sauce 1 tbsp, 2 Red dried whole chillies, Ajinomoto/Chinese salt 1 tsp, Black Pepper per taste, Salt per taste, Chopped coriander leaves and spring Onions for garnishing, Oil for frying.

Method: Mix carrots, cabbage, All purpose flour, corn starch, salt together to make a dough. There will be no water or a little water required to make the dough as the chopped vegetables will be enough to wet the flours. Make small balls with the prepared dough and deep fry them on medium heat till they are crispy. Keep the fried dumplings aside. In a big Pan heat 1 tbsp oil on high. Put whole chillies in hot oil for the spicy aroma. Now put the crushed garlic in the oil. After 1 min add the chopped Onions , capsicum and ginger . Add Ajinomoto salt, black pepper and little plain salt per taste. When the capsicum is tender add the tomato. When the tomatoes are little tender add soya sauce, vinegar, chilly sauce and tomato sauce and mix it properly. In the last add the fried dumplings and coat the dumplings properly with the fried masala and cook for another 2 minutes.

Serve the Manchurian with little garnishing of chopped coriander leaves and chopped spring onions with paranthas or as starters.

Chilli Chicken

Ingredients for marinating Chicken: 2 lbs Boneless chicken cut into medium size pieces, Egg White of 2 eggs, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 tsp garlic powder or very fine minced garlic, 1 tsp ginger powder or very fine minced ginger, ½ tsp Red chilli powder, salt per taste.

Ingredients for Gravy: 1 Capsicum finely chopped, 1 Cup onion paste, ½ cup tomato paste, 1 tbsp crushed garlic, 1 tbsp crushed ginger, 1 tsp corn starch, Chilli sauce 1 tbsp, 1 Red dried whole chillies, Ajinomoto/Chinese salt 1 tsp, Black Pepper per taste, Soya Sauce ½ tsp, Vinegar 1 tbsp, Salt per taste, Oil for frying.

Method: Whisk together egg white, corn starch, garlic powder, ginger powder, salt per taste and make medium consistency batter. Marinate the chicken pieces in the batter for at least 30 minutes. In a wide pan Shallow fry chicken pieces on medium heat till the chicken is cooked from inside but not too crispy from outside. Keep the fried chicken pieces aside. In a big Pan heat 1 tbsp oil on high. Put whole chillies in hot oil for the spicy aroma. Now add the crushed garlic, Onion paste , capsicum and crushed ginger. Add Ajinomoto salt, black pepper and little plain salt per taste. When the capsicum is tender mix 1 tsp corn starch in 1 1/2 cups of water and add to the fried masala. Let the gravy simmer for 2 minutes. Now add soya sauce, vinegar, chili sauce and mix it properly. In the last add the fried chicken pieces and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve Chilli Chicken with Naan/Parantha or Rice.

Chicken Manchurian

Ingredients: 2 lbs Boneless chicken cut into small pieces, 1 Capsicum cut into big square pieces, 1 Onion cut into big square pieces, Egg White of 2 eggs, 1 tbsp corn starch, Soya Sauce ½ tsp, Vinegar 1 tbsp, Red Chilli sauce 1 tbsp, Tomato Sauce 1 tbsp, 1 Red dried whole chillies, Ajinomoto/Chinese salt 1 tsp, Black Pepper per taste, Salt per taste, Oil for frying.

Method: Whisk together egg white, corn starch,salt per taste and a pinch of red food color and make medium consistency batter. Lightly Coat the chicken pieces with the batter and shallow fry them on medium heat till the chicken is cooked from inside. Keep the fried chicken pieces aside. In a big Pan heat 1 tbsp oil on high. Put whole chillies in hot oil for the spicy aroma. Now add the chopped Onions , capsicum . Add Ajinomoto salt, black pepper and little plain salt per taste. When the capsicum is tender add soya sauce, vinegar, chilly sauce and tomato sauce and mix it properly. In the last add the fried chicken pieces and coat the pieces properly with the fried masala and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve Chicken Manchurian as starters.

Gobhi Manchurian

Ingredients:  Cauliflower Florets medium size 12-15,   ¼ Cup All purpose flour/Maida

½ cup Corn starch, Crushed Garlic 1 tbsp, Crushed Ginger 1 tbsp, Finely chopped Onions 1 Cup, Soya Sauce ½ tsp, Vinegar 1 tbsp, Red Chilli sauce 1 tbsp, Tomato Sauce 1 tbsp, 2 Red dried whole chillies
Ajinomoto/Chinese salt, Pinch of red or orange food color, Black Pepper per taste, Salt per taste, Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing, Oil for frying.

Method: Cut the cauliflower in medium size florets. Wash and drain the florets properly. Mix All purpose flour, corn starch, salt and food color together. Now slowly add water to make a thick batter. Heat the oil for frying. Coat the Cauliflower florets individually with above batter and deep fry them on medium heat till they are crispy. Keep the fried florets aside. In a big Pan heat 1 tbsp oil on high. Put whole chillies in hot oil for the spicy aroma. Now put the crushed garlic in the oil. After 1 min put the chopped Onions, crushed ginger. When Onions are little translucent add Ajinomoto salt, black pepper, soya sauce, vinegar, chilly sauce and tomato sauce in the fried mixture and mix it properly. Add the fried florets in the above fried mixture so that florets are properly coated with the masala.

Serve the Manchurian with little garnishing of chopped coriander leaves as snacks/starters or serve with Paranthas. You may use Broccoli instead of cauliflower to make it more healthier.

Chilli Paneer

Ingredients: Paneer Cubes medium size 8-10, 1 Capsicum cut into big pieces, 1 Onion cut into big pieces, 1 tbsp All purpose flour/Maida , 1 tbsp corn starch, Soya Sauce ½ tsp, Vinegar 1 tbsp, Red Chilli sauce 1 tbsp, Tomato Sauce 1 tbsp, 1 Red dried whole chillies, Ajinomoto/Chinese salt 1 tsp, Black Pepper per taste, Salt per taste, Oil for frying.

Method: Make medium consistency batter with corn starch, all purpose flour, food color and salt. Lightly Coat the paneer cubes with the batter and shallow fry them on medium heat till they are crispy. Keep the fried paneer cubes aside. In a big Pan heat 1 tbsp oil on high. Put whole chillies in hot oil for the spicy aroma. Now add the chopped Onions , capsicum . Add Ajinomoto salt, black pepper and little plain salt per taste. When the capsicum is tender add soya sauce, vinegar, chilly sauce and tomato sauce and mix it properly. In the last add the fried paneer cubes and coat the pieces properly with the fried masala and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve Chilli Paneer with paranthas or as starters.

Mix-Veg Gravy Manchurian

Ingredients: 1 Cup Finely chopped or grated carrots, 1 Cup Finely chopped cabbage, 1/4 Cup All purpose flour/Maida , 1/4 Cup Corn starch, 1 tsp corn starch for gravy, Crushed Garlic 1 tbsp, Crushed Ginger 1 tbsp, Coarse Onions Paste 1 Cup, Coarse Tomato Paste 1 Cup, Soya Sauce ½ tsp, Vinegar 1 tbsp, Red Chilli sauce 1 tbsp, Tomato Sauce 1 tbsp, 2 Red dried whole chillies, Ajinomoto/Chinese salt 1 tsp, Black Pepper per taste, Salt per taste, Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing, Oil for frying.

Method: Mix carrots, cabbage, All purpose flour, corn starch, salt together to make a dough. There will be no water or a little water required to make the dough as the chopped vegetables will be enough to wet the flours. Make small balls with the prepared dough and deep fry them on medium heat till they are crispy. Keep the fried dumplings aside. In a big Pan heat 1 tbsp oil on high. Put whole chillies in hot oil for the spicy aroma. Now put the crushed garlic in the oil. After 1 min add the Onions , tomato and ginger paste. When the masala is translucent put Ajinomoto salt, black pepper. Mix 1 tsp corn starch in 1 Cup of water and add to the above fried masala. Let the gravy simmer for 4 minutes with stirring it continuously. Add soya sauce, vinegar, chilly sauce and tomato sauce in the gravy and mix it properly. In the last add the fried dumplings and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve the Manchurian with little garnishing of chopped coriander leaves with rice or paranthas.

Some simple Gifting Ideas

Sometimes we get invitations for informal parties at a very short notice . But we dont want to go with empty hands and also their is no time for shopping. So here I am putting some simple wraping and Gifting Ideas that you can put together with the things found in every household.

Stuffed Gatte

Tips to stay Slim

Let's confess, who don’t want to keep oneself in shape and look great in every outfit. Every one of us would probably like to improve something about our bodies. Whether it's the size, shape, proportions, or health and fitness level, we all have things that are important to us and things we would like to work on! Keeping ourselves in shape is not only important for looking attractive but also important for the health of the heart and organs that keep us functioning every day! I will share some simple tips that everyone can incorporate in their daily routine. I know these tips will appear very small for few people but my article is for the people, who have not heard about it.

1. Every time befor eating just think that your stomach is an apple size bag so you should eat just the amount that can be easily fitted in this little bag. If you overfill it, it won’t do it functioning properly.

2. Calories count does matter a lot. At the end of the day just take a rough idea of your total calories intake.

3. Try taking six small meals throughout the day instead of taking three big meals. But make sure these six meals just remain small meals and don't become big meals otherwise you will end up eating more than the three meals. Do not go longer than 3 hours without eating.

4. 8 glasses or 2 liter water are must for a day as water flushes the toxins and avoid fat building in body. Always drink a glass full of water befor eating your food so that you eat little. Also sometimes we falsely take the thirst signal as hunger signal and if you drink a glass of water whenever you feel hungry you will see that your hunger feeling goes away with a glass of water.

5. Start your day with a warm glass of water mixed with honey and lemon as this. Definitely it works as it cuts the fat.

6. Avoid overcooked vegetables and easily digestible food as our body also burns some calories itself digesting the food that we eat. So instead of eating easily digestible food, eat the food thats burns more calories while digesting it . I know not all the vegetables can be eaten half cooked but vegetables like cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, sprouts, salads tastes good even if half cooked.

7. If a big workout session is not possible due to small kids, job and other household work, just grab the opportunity of small sessions. Even the 5 minutes of workout counts to total weight loss.