SCHEZWAN/SZECHUAN/SICHUAN STYLE VEGETABLE HOT AND SOUR SOUP

            SCHEZWAN/SZECHUAN/SICHUAN  

        STYLE VEGETABLE HOT AND

                       SOUR SOUP

                                                          (Serves 3)

This is an Indo-Chinese Hot and sour soup. Nothing beats the winter chill like a steaming bowl of soup. This soup is so delicious and comforting that you’ll love the cold weather. You can add vegetables of your choice to make this Indian style Chinese Soup.

INGREDIENTS:

·      1 T Sesame Oil or 1 T Canola Oil or 1 T Butter (I used Canola Oil)

·      1 cm size Ginger, thinly sliced

·      1 medium size Garlic, finely chopped

·      1/3 cup Onions, finely chopped

·      ½ cup Carrots, thinly sliced

·      1/8 cup French Beans, finely chopped

·      ½ cup Cabbage, finely chopped

·      ¼ cup Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped

·      ¼ cup Corn fresh or frozen (I used frozen), boiled

·      2-3 sprigs of Coriander Leaves, chopped

·      2 cups Vegetable Stoke or Water (I used water)

·      1 ½ tsp. Corn Starch + 3 T Water

·      1 ½ T Schezwan Sauce

·      1 ½ T Tomato Ketchup

·      2 tsp. Duck Sauce (Duck Sauce is a sweet fruit puree, you can use any sweet fruit puree sauce)

·      1 tsp. Soy Sauce

·      1 tsp. Sugar or as per taste

·      Salt as per taste

·      2 tsp. White Vinegar or vinegar of your choice

·      1 Pinch Black Pepper Powder

·      Scallion, green part only for garnishing

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LET’S COOK:

Heat oil in a pan/wok on medium heat.

Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry for few seconds.

Ad chopped onions and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add carrots and French beans and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add cabbage and green bell pepper and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add boiled corn and chopped coriander leaves and stir-fry until carrots turn tender. Add salt and mix.

Add 2 cups of water and cornstarch–water mixture and bring soup to boil.

Add schezwan sauce, tomato ketchup, duck sauce, soy sauce and sugar and cook for 2 minutes.

Switch off the heat and add white vinegar and black pepper powder and mix.

Transfer in a serving bowl and garnish with green part of scallions.

Soup tastes best-served hot/warm.

Enjoy…

NOTE:

You could add Fresh Button Mushrooms, Sprouts, Tofu Strip etc.Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page.

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CHORA FALI

                                                      CHORA FALI  

                                       (Yield: 14-15 Chora Fali Poori)

Chora Fali is a very festive snack, prepared during the Diwali. Chora Fali is a crispy savory snack; goes best with besan kadhi chutney, mint raita and even with Masala Chai/Tea.         

INGREDIENTS:

·      1 cup Besan Flour/Bengal Gram Flour

·      1/3 cup Chora Flour/Cowpeas Flour (also known as Black Eyed Peas Flour)

·      1/3 cup Urad Flour (also known as Black Matpe Beans Flour)

·      ¾ tsp. Salt or as per taste

·      ¼ tsp. + 2 pinches of Baking Soda (Traditionally Papad Khar is added in the recipe but I used Arm and Hammer Baking Soda and result was amazing)

·      1/8 tsp. Turmeric Powder (OPTIONAL) I used it.

·      ¼ tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder (OPTIONAL) I used it.

·      2 T Oil

·      Luke Warm water as needed to make tough dough

·      1-teaspoon oil to rub on dough balls.

·      1-2 teaspoons urad flour to dust/coat dough balls.

·      Oil for deep frying

·      Mixture of 2 tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder and 1 tsp. Black Salt (Use Chat Masala if you do not have black salt), to sprinkle on hot fried chora fali

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LET’S FRY:

In a bowl combine all three flours and mix well. Keep aside.

In a separate small bowl combine salt, baking soda, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder and oil and 3 tablespoon warm water and whisk to form emulsion type liquid.

Add oil water mixture into the flour and mix.

Add extra water as needed to make tough dough. At this point dough might be dry but after pounding it dough will turn smooth like play dough.

Now place dough in tough zip lock bag (may be double the bag if necessary) and pound dough with KITCHEN HAMMER (Do not use metal tool box hammer else you will crack floor or kitchen counter) until smooth play dough consistency dough forms.

Once dough turns smooth roll it into a big cylinder/pipe and with knife cut it into 15 equal parts.

Sprinkle some oil and roll all balls.

Sprinkle some dry urad flour and coat all balls with flour to avoid sticking with each other and keep them covered with lid in bowl for 15-20 minutes.

Rub 1 to 2 drops of oil on rolling surface and roll each dough ball into a THIN poori.

Keep it covered to avoid getting it dry. Keep plastic wrap/sheet between each poori to avoid sticking with each other while you finish rolling rest of all dough balls.

Meanwhile heat enough oil in dip pan on medium heat.

DO NOT CUT POORI COMPLETELY INTO STRIPS.

Cut poori with pizza cutter or knife into ¾” wide strips LEAVING BOTH EDGE OF THE POORI INTACT for easy flipping/frying of chora fali.

Once oil is hot place cut poori in hot oil and flip within 5-6 seconds and fry other side for 5-6 seconds only or until light golden brown in color.

Sprinkle mixture of Kashmiri red chili powder and black salt on hot fried chora fali as soon as you take it out from the fryer.

Repeat with rest of all chora fali balls.

Snap chora fali poori with both hands to separate strips of chora fali.

Store in an airtight container, it should stay good for 1 to 2 weeks.

Enjoy…

Hope you will enjoy making this snack for this Diwali.

VARIATION:

Instead of mixing 3 separate flours, use store bought chrafali flour.Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page.
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STUFFED KHANDVI

             STUFFED KHANDVI

                                                    (Yield: 8 Big Rolls)

INGREDIENTS:

·      1 cup Besan Flour (Chickpea Flour)

·      1 cup Yogurt, room temperature yogurt

·      1 ½ cup Water (NOTE: Usually I add 1 ¾ cups of water for PLAIN KHANDVI, but I add 1 ½ cup water for stuffed khandvi to make slightly thicker khandvi compare to plain khandvi, so it can hold stuffing well)

·      2 Pinch Turmeric Powder

·      ½ tsp. Salt or as per taste

·      NOTE: I add ½ tsp. Green Chili Paste and ½ tsp. Ginger paste for PLAIN KHANDVI but since I am going to spread stuffing mixture with green chili in it so I skipped adding in batter.

MAKE SURFACE READY FOR SPREADING KHANDVI:

Place aluminum foil on the kitchen counter and stick foils from 4 corners with plastic tap on the kitchen counter and grease foil LIGHTLY with the oil

OR

Use the back of large flat greased steel thali/plate

OR

Use clean kitchen counter top to spread khandvi

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LET’S ROLL:

If you are using cold yogurt kept in the refrigerator and do not have time to bring it to room temperature then use cold yogurt but heat water for 2 minutes in microwave and use. That’s what I do all the time.

COLD MIXTURE WON’T THICKEN WELL.

In a mixing bowl combine besan, yogurt, water, turmeric powder, and salt and whisk mixture to prepare lump free batter.

Transfer into a heavy bottom non-stick pan and heat besan mixture on medium heat and cook with constant stirring, after 3-4 minutes solid lumps will begin to form.

Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking with constant stirring till you see ribbon forming from besan mixture while stirring or when you lift spoon you will see strip of besan mixture, it takes about 3-5 minute. It should not take more then 10 minutes total to prepare khandvi. Test small amount of khandvi mixture and spread thin layer on the greased surface and blow air to let it cook faster and try rolling it with fingers. If it does not roll, instead it sticks to your finger then continue cooking mixture for few more minutes on LOW HEAT.

Switch off the heat.

Pour mixture on greased aluminum foil and spread evenly with the flat edge of the spatula while mixture is hot.

Let khandvi cool completely. Meanwhile prepare stuffing.

INGREDIENTS FOR STUFFING:

·      2 tsp. Oil

·      ¼ tsp. Mustard Seeds

·      4 Curry Leaves, torn into small pieces

·      1 Pinch Asafoetida

·      ½ cup White Sweet Onion, chopped

·      ½ cup Green Bell Pepper, chopped

·      ½ cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped

·      2 -3 Green Chilies or as per taste, chopped

·      Salt as per taste

·      ¼ tsp. Sugar or as per taste

·      ¼ tsp. Chat Masala

·      ¼ tsp. Garam Masala

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LET’S MAKE STUFFING:

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.

Add mustard seeds and let it pop.

Add curry leaves, asafoetida and let curry leaves to sizzle for few seconds.

Add chopped onions and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add green and red bell peppers, green chilies, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add salt and sugar and stir fry vegetables until slightly undercooked.

Switch off the heat.

Add chat masala and garam masala and mix well.

Spread this mixture lightly over khandvi sheet. No need to cover entire khandvi sheet.

Gently lift the edge and roll up carefully like a Swiss roll from one end to other.

Cut into desire length roll.

Arrange stuffed khandvi roll on serving plate.

FOR SEASONING/TADKA:

·      1 ½ tsp. Oil (If you take more oil then mustard seeds will swim in the oil and it won’t stay on the khandvi when you pour seasoning on top)

·      ¼ tsp. Mustard Seeds

·      Pinch Asafoetida

·      2-3 Curry Leaves

·      1 tsp. Coconut shreds for garnishing

·      1 Sprigs of Coriander leaves, for garnishing

Heat oil in a pan. Once oil is hot add mustard seeds and let them pop.

Add asafoetida, curry leaves and let curry leaves to sizzle.

Pour this seasoning over rolled khandvi.

Garnish with coconut shreds and coriander leaves

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