Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Veg Kothe : An Indo-Chinese delight


















Veg Kothe is a new Indo-Chinese appetizer/snack dish. I personally savored Veg Kothe at a wedding reception in India recently. I, then, went to the chef to know the details of this tangy spicy delight. The chef was kind enough to give me the detailed recipe, with all the ingredients and method, the very next day. The recipe is accurate, as I tried making Veg Kothe in my kitchen few times and each time it comes out perfect. So for this recipe the credit goes to;

Mr. Bansilalji Chaudhary
Master Chef, Hotel Rhythm Palace
Ratlam (MP) India

Ingredients:
For Veg Kothe: [6 servings approx.]
Cauliflower (Gobhi) - 1 cup very small pieces
Mushroom - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Green bell pepper - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Cabbage - 1/2cup finely chopped
Onions - 2 cups finely chopped
Ginger - 1.5 tbsp finely chopped
Garlic - 1.5 tbsp finely chopped
Green spring onions - 1 bunch chopped
Fresh green chilies - 2 minced
Fresh cilantro -2 tbsp fine chopped (for garnish)
Maida (All purpose flour) - 1 cup
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Tomato ketchup -2 tbsp
Honey - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp freshly squeezed
Black pepper - 1 tsp freshly ground
Orange food color - 1 pinch
Cooking oil for frying
Salt as per taste

Method:
  • Cut cauliflower, cabbage, green bell pepper, mushrooms accordingly. Keep aside.
  • In a bowl, add maida, salt, baking powder, all the above chopped vegetables and 1 cup chopped onions. Now add water to make a thick batter. Mix well.
  • In a pan heat cooking oil to fry. Make fritters of this batter, deep fry till they turn light golden. Drain on a kitchen towel and keep aside.
  • In another pan heat 2 tbsp cooking oil. Add remaining chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies. Sauté till it turns golden brown. Now add tomato ketchup, honey,  salt, lemon juice, freshly grounded black pepper powder and orange food color. Mix well and it’s ready to serve.
Garnish:
Garnish Veg Kothe with freshly chopped green spring onions and chopped cilantro. Enjoy as an appetizer or anytime snack.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Chocolate covered Strawberries

Celebrating Health
Good news for all health conscious people. I’ll be celebrating health for a month by posting healthy, low calorie, low sugar recipes. It will give you a kick start to get in shape for the summer. It will also energize your more for outdoor activities. I’ll also try to provide you the nutritional facts about the ingredients.
Hope you enjoy eating healthy, living happy.
I am starting the series with the simplest, mouth watering fruit dessert recipe.


















A chocolate lover’s delight!


Nutritional facts: 
Strawberries : One cup (144 g) of strawberries contains approximately 45 calories (188 kJ) and is an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_strawberry

Chocolate :Chocolate is often spoken of as being good for the heart, in more ways than one. Not only does it have a chemical said to mimic being in love, but studies indicate that chocolate can improve blood vessel responsiveness (important for the prevention of heart disease), blood pressure, and cholesterol. Other studies have shown it has potential for improving glucose tolerance, which is important to those of us who are using low-carb diets to minimize blood glucose spikes.

Ingredients: [For 12 pieces]
Low Sugar or Sugar free chocolate : 12 oz [ I prefer 12 oz Ghirardelli dark chocolate]
Fresh Strawberries      : 1 lbs
Parchment p
aper
Toothpicks
















Method:
  • Wash and dry thoroughly all the strawberries. Do not remove the green leaves form the strawberries.
  • Insert toothpick in each strawberry. Keep them aside.
  • In a double boiler [place a pot with some water on the heat and now place another pot on it with the chocolate], melt the semi sweet chocolate. Water in the pot below should not touch the pot sitting above it. Stir it till it becomes smooth and shiny.
  • Dip the strawberries more than half way in the melted chocolate by holding them with toothpicks. Double dip to coat evenly. Let the excess chocolate drip in the pot.
  • Now arrange all the strawberries on the parchment paper. Refrigerate them for 4-6 hours.
Enjoy these chocolate covered strawberries after your meals.