Yummy
It feels like it has been forever since I last blogged. Jagadish would definitely agree (I can almost hear him say, “That’s because it HAS been forever”). But here I am. It was a generally good weekend. I did a lot of clean up around the house. I may (or not) be moving, but I’ve come to realize I have a zillion things I don’t need or use around the house, but that blog is probably for later. I made a scrumptious meal this weekend–one of my all-time favorites: Vegetable Fried Rice with Cauliflower Manchurian. Here is how you can make it yourself: trust me, it is not as painful or time-consuming as it may seem if you use the shortcuts I did!
For the rice, heat some oil and toss in a teaspoon of ginger and garlic, along with half a green chilli, and a couple of red chillies (these are entirely per taste, and I picked the addition of red chillies up from Sanjeev Kapoor). Add onions, but do not brown them. While they turn translucent add sliced green peppers, and frozen carrot/beans/peas. Saute on high with a light sprinkling of salt until the veggies turn bright green, but do not let them brown! Set aside.
For the crispy florets of cauliflower, first steam cauliflower in the microwave (2-3 mins). If you are using frozen cauliflower, make sure it’s thawed out, and then steam it in the microwave. For the batter, I used half cornflour and half all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp of red chilli powderand 1 tsp of soy sauce. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter–not too thin though, because as I’ve learned, that absorbs a lot of oil. Heat the oil until hot enough for deep frying and coat each floret and drop it into the hot oil carefully. Gently turn over until the florets are completely browned on all sides. These are very yummy all by themselves, and I must admit I sampled a little at this point 
For the gravy, heat a tbsp of oil until hot, toss in 1 tbsp of ginger, 1 tsp of garlic, and depending on your taste for spice, 1 green chilli. Add finely chopped onion, and chopped bellpepper, and fry until onions are browned. Add soy sauce, cook for half a minute or so, and then add water. Lower the flame and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. While it’s simmering, add some cornflour to water. While stirring, add the cornflour mixture to the sauce and continue to simmer for another minute or two. This will aid in thickening the sauce to a perfectly edible consistency. Toss in the florets and coat well with the sauce. Top with some freshly chopped coriander/cilantro.
Finally, for the rice, add a tsp of oil and separate the grains. Then combine small amounts of rice gently with the veggies on low heat. Continue until desired amount of rice+veggies is reached–I try and add lots of veggies! Now turn up the heat and continue to gently fry the rice. Remember to use a tsp or two of oil as it is frying, especially if the pan is not non-stick. Sprinkle soy sauce generously (I used Tamari sauce, which had extra flavor I thought), about 1 tbsp for the amount I made. Although I did not use them, spring onions add a definite kick to this rice–if you have them, use them in the veggie step.
Now, that does seem pretty easy does it not? Anyone can make it! And not only is it incredibly delicious, the rice packs in a lot of veggies, so I’m thinking, it can’t be all that bad either.
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