Recipes

Spring Rolls | Veg Spring Rolls

Published

3 years ago

December 21, 2022

Diaspora

Prep Time : 15 mins

Cook Time : 30 mins

Total Time : 45 mins

Ingredients

For vegetable stuffing

2 tablespoon oil – any neutral oil or sesame oil (not toasted sesame oil)
2.25 to 2.5 cups shredded cabbage – 150 grams
½ cup shredded carrots – 80 grams
⅓ cup thinly sliced capsicum (green bell pepper), small to medium-sized
¼ cup finely chopped french beans – 7 to 8 french beans
⅓ cup chopped spring onion whites (scallion whites) – 2 to 3 small to medium-sized scallions
½ teaspoon crushed black pepper or black pepper powder or add as per taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce – naturally fermented
1 teaspoon finely chopped celery – optional
1 cup cooked noodles or about 75 grams uncooked noodles – optional
3 tablespoon bean sprouts – optional
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped spring onion greens (scallion greens)
salt as required
oil as required, for deep frying

For the sealing paste

6 tablespoon all purpose flour or cornstarch
4 to 5 tablespoon water or add as required to make a thick paste

Other ingredients

24 to 30 spring roll wrappers or as required

Instructions

Preparation

First cook noodles as per package instructions. Add the noodles in hot boiling water and cook them.
Once the noodles are cooked al dente, then drain the water from the noodles and rinse them thoroughly in water.
Drain any water and set aside.
Chop the veggies in thin long strips or matchsticks. For cabbage and carrot, you can shred them. Slice the green bell pepper (capsicum) in thin strips or matchsticks. For the french beans you can slice them very thinly, diagonally or finely chop them. Chopping takes time, so you can use a food processor to ease up the work.
Please note you can use your choice of veggies.

Making stuffing

Now heat oil in a wok or frying pan. Keep the heat to medium and add the spring onion whites.
Stir and then add all the chopped veggies.
Increase the heat to high and stir fry the veggies for 4 to 5 minutes. If the heat becomes too high while stir-frying, then reduce it and continue to stir-fry
Add crushed black pepper powder, finely chopped celery (optional) and soy sauce.
Both black pepper and soy sauce can be adjusted as per your taste.
Mix everything very well. Then add the cooked noodles.
Season with salt. Add less salt as soy sauce is already salty. Stir again very well. The filling has to be dry.
Switch off the heat and add the spring onion greens. Stir and keep the vegetable filling aside. Let it cool at room temperature.

Preparing sealing paste

In a bowl, mix the all purpose flour or cornstarch and water.
Whisk very well to make a thick paste without any lumps.

Stuffing Spring Rolls

Now take the spring roll wrapper. If you are using the wrapper recipe which I have shared, then keep the cooked side facing you. Make sure that the wrappers are at room temperature before using them.
Now with your fingertip or a pastry brush, apply the paste on the edges of the wrapper. Then place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the veggie stuffing on one side. For a larger sized wrapper add more of the vegetable stuffing.

Wrapping Method 1

Gently but tightly roll till the end. Seal the end part to the roll and place the roll with the sealed side downwards.
Now spread some of the paste on the sides. Bring one side touching the roll and press gently.
Do the same with the other side. Again spread the batter on both the closed edges.
If you are using square wrappers, then do check the recipe video in the post to see the wrapping and folding.

Wrapping Method 2

Another method is to roll halfway. Then spread the batter on the sides.
Seal both the sides from sideways. Spread some batter on the sealed edges.
Then bring the open side on top of the spring roll. Press gently and seal it.
While working with the spring roll wrappers, use light force from your hands, otherwise they may break. If there is any small tear then just spread some of the batter on it to close it.
Now place all the spring rolls with the sealed edges facing down on a plate. Your hands will become messy when stuffing the spring rolls.

Deep frying veg spring rolls

Heat oil at the deep frying temperature (180 to 190 degrees Celsius/356 to 374 degrees Fahrenheit).
Gently slid a spring roll in the hot oil. Keep the heat to medium. If the oil is not hot enough, then they absorb oil and become soggy.
Depending on the size of the pan or wok, you can fry 2 to 3 veg spring rolls at a time.
Once they become light golden, turn them over and fry the other side.
Fry till they are crisp and golden turning over as needed. These spring rolls get fried quickly.
Remove the fried veg spring rolls with a slotted spoon.
Drain them on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil. Fry the remaining rolls in batches.
Garnish veg spring rolls with some chopped spring onion greens or coriander leaves (cilantro) if you like. Serve fried spring rolls hot with any dipping sauce of your choice like chili garlic sauce, hoisin sauce or tomato ketchup.

Recipes

Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2024

Diaspora

Prep Time : 15 mins

Cook Time : 30 mins

Total Time : 45 mins

Ingredients

For cooking rice

1 cup basmati rice or long grained rice – 190 to 200 grams
4 to 4.5 cups water
½ teaspoon salt or add as required
2 to 3 drops toasted sesame oil or any neutral oil

Other ingredients

3 tablespoons oil – any neutral flavored oil
1 star anise
¾ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 small to medium garlic cloves
½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger or ½ inch ginger – optional
¼ cup chopped spring onion whites (scallions)
¼ cup finely chopped french beans
¼ cup finely chopped carrots
¼ to ½ cup finely chopped cabbage – optional
¼ cup chopped bell pepper or capsicum – red, green or yellow
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery – skip if you do not have
3 tablespoons soy sauce (naturally brewed) or tamari – can add as required
1 teaspoon rice wine or rice vinegar
½ teaspoon black pepper powder or add as required
2 tablespoons chopped spring onions greens
salt as required

Instructions

Cooking rice

Rinse rice very well till the water runs clear of starch. Soak rice in water for 30 mins. Drain and keep aside.
In a pot, bring water to a gentle boil with salt and 2 to 3 drops of toasted sesame oil.
Add the soaked and drained rice to the hot water.
On a low to medium to medium-high heat simmer rice without the lid.
When rice becomes al dente or just about cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Strain the rice in a colander or sieve.
You can also gently rinse cooked rice in water so that they stop cooking and don’t stick to each other. Cover the cooked rice and set aside until the rice cools completely. You can even refrigerate rice with a covered lid for 30 minutes.

Chopping veggies

When the cooked rice is cooling, chop the veggies finely and keep aside.
Remember to chop the french beans very finely. They take more time to cook than other veggies. You can also blanch them first and then cook. Another option is to add the beans first and then add the other vegetables.

Making fried rice

Heat oil in a wok or a pan. First add the star anise and fry for a few seconds or until the oil becomes fragrant.
Add the garlic, ginger and sauté for some seconds. No need to brown the garlic.
Add the spring onions whites and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Then add finely chopped french beans.
Stir fry french beans for 2 to 3 minutes over medium to medium-high heat.
Add the remaining finely chopped veggies, including mushrooms and celery. Increase the heat to a high to thoroughly cook all of the vegetables.
You have to continuously toss and stir while frying so that the veggies are uniformly cooked and do not get burnt.
The vegetables have to be stir-fried, until they are almost cooked and yet retain their crunchiness and crispiness. Stir-frying vegetables on high heat takes about 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir quickly and add cooked and cooled rice. Stir fry for a few minutes until the sauce has coated the rice well. Keep a check when adding salt, as soy sauce already has salt in it.
Serve the fried rice hot as it is or with with your favorite Chinese side.

Serving suggestions

Though fried rice tastes great on its own, you can pair it with Veg Manchurian, Gobi Manchurian, Chilli Paneer, Spring Rolls or Chilli Mushroom. More side recipes for veg fried rice are linked and listed in the main post.

Storing fried rice

Vegetable fried rice stays good for a couple of a days. But I would recommend it to be eaten as soon as you can since many days old rice is not good for health.

Recipes

Methi Matar Malai Recipe

Published

1 year ago

August 4, 2024

Diaspora

Prep Time : 10 mins

Cook Time : 20 mins

Total Time : 30 mins

Ingredients

For the paste

⅓ cup chopped onions or 1 medium-sized onion
¼ cup cashews – whole cashews
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chopped garlic or 4 to 5 medium-sized garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger
1 teaspoon chopped green chilies or serrano peppers or 1 to 2 green chilies

Other ingredients

2 tablespoons oil or ghee
1 cup chopped fenugreek leaves (methi leaves)
½ cup water or the stock/water of boiled green peas – add as required
½ cup green peas – boiled or steamed
½ cup light cream or low-fat cream, check notes below for whipping or heavy cream
½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
salt as required

For garnish

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 to 2 tablespoons green peas boiled or steamed – optional

Instructions

Preparing the ground paste

In a grinder jar or blender, add cumin seeds, chopped onions, cashews, garlic, ginger and green chilies.
Blend or grind to a smooth paste withput adding any water.
If you are not able to blend, then you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
For cooking the green peas, you can either boil them in a pan with 1.5 cups water for 7 to 8 minutes until tender or steam them in an Instant pot for 3 to 5 minutes adding about 1 to 1.25 cups water in the steel insert.
You can also boil the green peas in a stove-top pressure cooker for 5 to 6 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the cooked water if you have boiled the peas.

Sautéing ground paste

Heat ghee (clarified butter) or oil in a pan or kadai.
When the ghee melts or becomes lightly hot, add the ground paste.
Sauté the paste for 6 to 7 minutes on a low heat until you see the fat separating from the sides.
Stir often when sautéing so that the paste does not stick to the pan. You should see fat releasing from the sides and the paste will also have a nice aroma.
You will see the paste coming together and becoming glossy. Do not brown the paste.
If the ground paste sticks to the pan or gets browned add a few splashes of water. Mix, deglaze and continue to sauté.

Making methi matar malai

Add in the chopped fenugreek leaves and sauté further for 2 to 3 minutes.
Then add ½ cup water or the stock/water in which the green peas were cooked in two parts. Mix thoroughly and simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir at intervals.
Add the boiled peas and cream.
Simmer the gravy for 5 to 6 minutes on a low heat.
Finally add the sugar and salt. Mix again. At this step, you can opt to sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of garam masala powder.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve methi matar malai hot or warm with naan, paratha or roti.

Recipes

Rava Idli | Suji ki Idli

Published

2 years ago

May 28, 2024

Diaspora

Prep Time : 35 mins

Cook Time : 12 mins

Total Time : 47 mins

Ingredients

For frying & roasting

2 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter)
14 halved cashews
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon chana dal (husked and split bengal gram or split & husked chickpeas)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
10 curry leaves – chopped
1 pinch asafoetida – optional
1 teaspoon or 1 inch finely chopped ginger
1 green chilli – finely chopped

For batter

2 tablespoons finely grated carrots – optional
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
½ teaspoon salt or add as required
1 cup or 175 grams cup rava (sooji, semolina, cream of wheat)
½ cup Curd (yogurt)
½ to ¾ cup water or add as required
1 teaspoon eno (fruit salt) or ¼ teaspoon or 2 to 3 pinches of baking soda

Instructions

Frying & Roasting

Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan. Keep the heat to low or medium-low. Add the halved cashews. Stirring often fry the cashews till golden. Remove fried cashews with a slotted spoon draining the ghee and keep aside.
To the same pan add mustard seeds and let them begin to splutter. Keep the heat to low or medium-low
When the mustard seeds begin to splutter add the chana dal. Stirring often fry chana dal till they look golden and crunchy. Then add the cumin seeds and fry for 4 to 5 seconds.
Now add the chopped curry leaves, asafoetida, finely chopped ginger and green chillies. Mix well and fry for 10 seconds. Keep the heat to a low.
Next add rava (cream of wheat, suji, semolina).
Mix well and stirring often roast the rava till they become aromatic, change color a bit (but should not get browned or golden) and the grains look separate. Roasting rava will takes about 5 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness and heaviness of the pan, and the flame intensity. Once the rava is well roasted, keep the pan aside. Let the rava become warm.

Making Batter

To the roasted rava, add 2 tablespoons finely grated carrots, 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and ½ teaspoon salt or add as required.
Next add curd (yogurt) and water as required. Depending on the quality of rava and the thickness of curd, you can adjust the water from ½ to ¾ cup. If the curd is liquid and has whey in it, then add ½ cup water. If the curd is very thick, then add ¾ cup water. Basically you need to get a medium consistency batter.
Mix very well and let the batter rest covered for 20 minutes. The rava idli batter is neither thick nor thin in consistency and has a medium consistency.
Brush oil or ghee on the idli pan moulds. Place a fried halved cashew in the center of the moulds. Also heat 2 to 2.5 cups water in a pot. Keep a small length trivet stand or a rack in the pot. Heat the water till it comes to a boil.
After 20 minutes this is the consistency of the batter after resting. If in case the batter looks thick, rava idli batter looks thick, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to get a medium consistency. Rava absorbs water and so the batter might thicken after 20 minutes. If the curd is thick, then also you may need to add more water. If you have added more water in the beginning, then you may not need to any water at this step.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon eno or ¼ teaspoon baking soda evenly over the batter. Quickly mix very well.

Steaming

Pour the batter in the idli moulds. Place them in the pot with the hot water. Cover with a lid and steam rava idli for 10 to 12 minutes.
To check the doneness, a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted in the rava idli should come out clean. Remove the idli plates carefully and let them rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Then with a spoon remove the rava idli.
Serve the steaming hot rava idli with sambar and your favorite coconut chutney.