This week too we will present a vegetarian delight that can add a winter flavour to your Sunday menu. Cabbage is a regular vegetable in winter and needs some value addition for making it a more exciting culinary choice. Toshali Mandal gives an oriental touch to the common man’s vegetable but keeps it simple for easy cooking.
Gobi (cabbage)
Manchurian
Ingredients
For Manchurian balls
2 cups of grated cabbage;
1/2 cup of finely chopped onions; 1/2 cup of finely chopped capsicum; 1/2 cup of finely chopped carrot; 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala; 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder; 1 teaspoon of black pepper powder; 1 teaspoon of salt; 1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste; 3-4 tablespoons of cornflour; 3-4 tablespoons of maida; oil for deep frying
For the sauce
2 tablespoons of oil; 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic; 1 tablespoons of finely chopped green chilli; 1 tablespoon of onion or spring onion whites, finely chopped; 1 half capsicum julienned; 2 tablespoons of red chilli sauce; 1 teaspoon of soya sauce; 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup; 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper powder; a handful of finely chopped spring onion green; 1/2 cup water
For the slurry
1 teaspoon of corn flour
2 tablespoons of water
For garnishing
A handful of finely chopped spring onion green
Direction
For the Manchurian balls, take a large mixing bowl and combine the grated cabbage, finely chopped onion, capsicum and carrot with garam masala, red chilli powder, salt, ginger garlic paste, corn flour and maida. Using your hands, start to knead the mixture to form dough. You can add more cornflour or maida if the mixture is too wet. Make the Manchurian balls with this mixture. In a large deep pan, heat the oil and fry the Manchurian balls in batches over medium flame for 6-8 minutes or until they are light golden brown. Once done, refry all the Manchurian balls once again until they are golden brown.
For the Manchurian sauce, heat a wok over high heat, pour two tablespoons of oil in the wok. Add garlic, green chillies, onions and capsicum and quickly stir fry for 10 seconds. Next add the red chilli sauce, light soya sauce and tomato ketchup and cook for one minute. In a small bowl, combine cornflour and water to make a slurry. Stir to make a paste. Add one teaspoon at a time to the Manchurian sauce and cook for 30 seconds.
Once the sauce has thickened, add the Manchurian balls, Give it a good mix and coat all the Manchurian balls with the sauce. Garnish with spring onions green.
Rainbow Mocktail
You can also add some colours to your Sunday afternoon with a beautiful rainbow mocktail, a perfect way to relax under the lazy sun.
Ingredients
Orange juice -160ml; 3 spoons of strawberry juice/extract/crush; soda; a drop of blue food colour; lemon rings; mint leaves; juicy cherries for decoration
Direction
Take a mocktail glass and add 160ml of orange juice. Add about three spoons of strawberry juice/extract/crush. Make a mixture of a drop of blue food colour and plain soda. Now slowly add eight spoons of this mixture over the mango/orange juice and your rainbow mocktail is ready. Insert the pipe just before sipping or else the layers will get disturbed. Decorate with lemon rings, some pudina leaves and juicy cherries.