Masoor gobhi nimona

I wanted to try something different with gobhi.I thought of Sangeeta Khanna's banaras ka khana .I came across one masoor dal ka nimona.I decided to try it out .Also winter is getting late to Mumbai.I thought, if i tried this winter dish,maybe winter will be tempted to arrive soon !

I had whole masoor at home.I used whole masoor in place of masoor dal .I made very little as it was just for one person that is me.

Ingredients : 1/4 cup whole masoor ,1/2 cup washed cauliflower florets,1 small potato peeled & cubed,i roughly chopped tomato,1 tsp grated ginger,cumin powder 1/4 tsp,coriander powder 1/4 tsp,haldi 1/4 tsp,jeera 1/4 tsp,1 tbsp oil,salt to taste.

Method : Pressure cook whole masoor ( 1/4 cup masoor with 1/2 cup water ) with chopped tomatoes,haldi & salt for 2- 3 whistles.Then slow down the gas.Cook on slow flame for 5 minutes.Put off gas.

Take oil in kadhai.Heat it.Add jeera.When they crackle,add cubed potatoes.Slow the gas to low flame.Saute for 4-5 minutes.Add cauliflower florets & grated ginger .Mix nicely.I added 1 tbsp water as I found all veggies had started sticking to the kadhai bottom.Saute for another five minutes.Add jeera powder & dhania powder now.Mix nicely.Add salt. Mix. Put off gas.Transfer the contents of kadhai to the masoor tomato mix. Simmer the masoor tomato mix with added veggies on slow gas for 10-15 minutes.Put off gas. Whole masoor nimona is ready.

I skipped adding fresh hara dhania as I did not have it.Yes, loved the flavours.The dish becomes thicker as it cooks & water evaporates.

Veg manchurian.

I have made vegetarian manchurian balls in gravy before.They had become hard balls.They could be cut with fork & yet they were hard.So,I googled & came across this recipe here .

I made some changes.And the dish turned out better than last time.Yes,even my kid agreed that this time around,this was a good dish !

Ingredients :

For Manchurian balls :1/4 cup mashed boiled potato,1/4 cup grated cabbage,1/4 cup grated carrot,1/4 cup cornflour ,1 /4 cup  maida,1 tsp grated ginger,2-3 tbsp oil,salt to taste .

For gravy : 1/4 cup finely chopped & washed spring onion greens,1 tsp grated ginger,1 tbsp soya sauce,1tbsp corn flour,1 cup water,salt to taste.

Method :

Manchurian Balls: In a bowl mix all ingredients that is mix mashed boiled  potato,grated carrots,grated cabbage,ginger ,corn flour,maida & salt .Leave 1 tbsp maida asde to roll the veg balls in before frying them.

After mixing all ingredients nicely,shape small balls of the size of small lemons from the veg flour mix.Keep aside.

Start heating a paniyaram vessel.I prefer paniyaram vessel as it uses less oil.Moreover,I am afraid of spilling oil in large kadahis.Put oil drops in each of the inlets of the paniyaram vessel.Drop the balls -one each in each inlet.After sometime,turn the balls all upside down one by one.They will have browned bottpoms.After some time,check if the bottoms have browned.Sides may look light coloured & unfroed.Turn them around in the inlets so that they also get fried.In short,see that alls ides of balls are evenly fried.Put off the gas.Take out the balls & keep aside.

In another vessel,take 1tbsp corn flour & water.Mix nicely & start heating up the vessel.Add spring onion shoots & grated ginger to the vessel.Add soya sauce & mix.Keep stirring to see that no lumps are formed.Add salt to taste always remembering that soya sauce & balls both have salt in them.Add the veg balls that have been kept aside into this vessel.After it has boiled,put it off.If it is too watery,add more corn flour & boil it stirring constantly.If it is too thick,add more water & boil it once.

The veg manchurian is ready.This is a good side dish for veg fried rice as also veg hakka noodles .

Veg hakka noodles

I have made hakka noodles many times before.Yet ,when I wanted to make this dish & put it up on my blog,I decided to check out the recipe on the net.

I liked the step by step method  here.I have used less veggies as my kid will try best to remove all veggies.By default,some veggies, do end up in my kid's tummy.Thank God for that !

Ingredients : 1 packet Veg Hakka noodles,1/ 4 -1/3  finely shredded cabbage,1 medium carrot grated ,1 green capsicum finely chopped, 6-8 French beans  finely chopped, 1 tbsp spring onion green stems finely chopped, 1tsp grated ginger,2  tbsp oil,1/2 tbsp soya sauce,1/4 tsp black pepper powder ( my kid will eat less spicy food,that's why ),salt to taste.

Method : Take water in a pan & bring it to boil.Put the Hakka noodles into the boiling water.Cook as per instructions on the Hakka noodles packet.Add some oil drops to the boiling water as noodles get cooked.Put off gas after the Hakka noodles have been cooked as per instructions on the packet.Now drain the water by straining it in a big strainer.Let tap water run through the cooked noodles .Then add some oil drops & toss noodles so that oil coats the noodles & they do not stick to each other.Keep aside the noodles.

In a pan ,take some oil.Heat it.Add all shredded &  grated veggies except spring onion shoots.Fry the veggies nicely for 4-5 minutes.nicely.Add 1 tbsp soya sauce to the veggie mix .Mix nicely.Fry again for a minute.Now add the cooked noodles to it.Add pepper powder.Toss the noodles well so that all veggies & pepper & noodles get nicely mixed.Add salt.Remember that soya sauce has salt So add less salt..Toss noodle veggie mix nicely.Add spring onion shoots.Toss all nicely.Cook for a minute.Put off gas.

Serve noodles with raita and or veg manchurian.