Battered vegetable – Tempura style (Indian Bhaji)

Ingredients:

• Potatoes                      2 (round cuts like crisps but thicker)
• Cauliflower                  ¼ of a flower (cut into small nodes)
• Onion                          2 (cut into rings)
• Long green beans       (cut into 2 inch pieces)

Ingredients Batter:

• Plain Flour                   300g
• Yeast                          1tsp
• Salt                             1tsp
• Cajun Spice                2tsp
• Coriander Powder      1tsp
• Water                         1 Mug
• Oil                              2-3  Mugs           

Method:

1. To make the batter, mix all ingredients in a large bowl. The consistency should be pouring custard like and cover for 30 mins and stand aside. 
2. Heat the oil in medium heat. A good way to check whether the oil is ready is to dip one end of a chopstick and check whether bubbles arise. If bubbles arise, then the oil is ready. 
3. Dip the vegetables into the batter and drop them in hot oil. Make sure the vegetables are covered fully with the batter. 
4. For a batch to cook would take 3-5 mins. 
5. Take it out of the oil and place it on paper towel lined plate.

Tips: Brush the pot with lemon juice before you add the oil to heat. This helps reduce the tempura from absorbing too much oil but still crispy.

Pickled lemon cabbage curry

Ingredients:

 

• Sliced cabbage                  300 g.
• Sliced carrot                     100 g.
• Soaked lentils                   100 g.
• Pickled lemon                   2 table spoons
• Chopped onion                2 table spoons
• Chopped garlic                 1 table spoon    
• Chopped ginger                1 table spoon

• Mustard seeds                  ½ teaspoon
• Cumin seeds                     1 teaspoon 
•  Chilli flakes                       2 teaspoons
• Salt                                   2 teaspoons 
•  Chopped tomato             1 small cup
• Oil                                   2 table spoons
• Water                              1 small cup

Method:

1.   Heat oil in a pot using medium heat, and then add chopped garlic, ginger and onion to fry for 1 minute. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds into the pot and fry them for another 1 minute and then follow with chili flake.
2. Add chopped tomato and water into the pot and follow with the rest of the ingredients.  Mix them well, cover it and let it simmer for 15 minutes. (Stir it every 5 minutes)
3. Now this dish is ready and it’s best to eat with rice.

Northern Thai Style Mixed Beans Baked in Foil Wrap

Ingredients:

•  Cooked Mix-beans                300 g
•  Peas                                      100 g.
•  Thai Basils                             1 handful
• Oil                                         2 table spoons
• Water                                    3 table spoons
• Corn starch                            2 teaspoons

Chili paste ingredients:

• Green chilli                         10
• Garlic                                 3 cloves
• Chopped onion                  1 table spoon
• Salt                                    1 ½ teaspoons
• Soy sauce                          2 teaspoons
• Sugar                                1 ½ teaspoons
• Coriander  seed                 1 teaspoon
• Fresh turmeric                   1 tablespoon
•  Lemongrass                      2 tablespoons   

Method:

1.  To make chilli paste, put all chilli paste ingredients into the spice grinder and grind them well.

 2. Preheat the oven at 200 Celsius.

3.Put all ingredients into a big bowl and then follow with chilli paste and mix them well.

4.Prepare the foil and make it like a pouch. Pour all mixed ingredients into the foil pouch and close it. Bake it in the oven for 35 minutes.

Vegetarian Pizza

Ingredients – Topping

• Paneer  cheese               ½ cup
• Green peas                    ½ cup
• Onion (diced)                ½
• Chili flake                      1 teaspoon
• Mozzarella cheese         1 cup

Ingredients – Sauce

• Tomato sauce                2-3 table spoons
• Cajun spice                   2 teaspoons
• Salt                               1 pinch
• Olive oil                        2 table spoons

Ingredients – Pizza dough

• Plain flour                      1 ½ cups
• Salt                               1 pinch
• Sugar                            1 table spoons
• Yoghurt                         1 table spoon
• Olive oil                        2 table spoons
• Yeast                            1 teaspoon
• Warm water                  ½ cup

Method

1.       To make pizza dough, mix yeast in warm water and wait for 30 minutes, then mix the yeast mixture with all the rest of the ingredients. Mix them well or until it’s not sticky, then leave it covered for 30 minutes. Knead the dough again and then keep it covered for another 30 minutes and repeat this step one more time. The dough is ready for making pizza base. 

2.       To make pizza sauce, just mix all the ingredients together.

3.       Turn on the oven to 200 Celsius degree and preheat it for 20 minutes.

4.       Make pizza base by rolling the dough into a flat circle sheet, then place it on pizza tray or stone. Add pizza sauce on the base and spread it well, then put all topping on top of the pizza.

5.       Put the pizza into the oven and bake it for 10-15 minutes or until it turn golden brown.

Chapatti Bread - Flat Bread

Chapatti bread

Ingredients:

-Plain flour         500 g.

-Plain yogurt      2-3 table spoons

-Oil                   2 table spoons

-Sugar               1 table spoon

-Salt                  1 teaspoon

-Warm water     1 mug

-Dried yeast       1 teaspoon

Method

1.Mix yeast and water together and keep aside for 30 minutes.

2.Put all the rest of the ingredients into a big bowl, then add yeast and water mixture into the bowl little by little.

3.Keep kneading the dough until it doesn't stick to the bowl or hands, then keep it covered inside the bowl for 30 minutes. Repeat the kneading and keeping aside process for two more times.

4.Separate the dough into small ball size or egg size and you would get around 12-15 balls of dough.

5.Flatten the dough and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a thin flat circle.  Use enough flour to ensure the dough does not stick to the rolling pin.

6.Transfer the thin dough to a heated pan. Cook the flat thin dough in low heat for 1 minute. You should see the bread rising with air inside.

7.Steps 5 &6 above should be conducted in tandem for best results.

8.Use a wet cloth to wipe out any excess flour from the pan.

***Note- The dough recipe can be used for a pizza base as well. 

              - Don't add yogurt too much because it can make the bread rubbery.

Mushroom salad

Mushroom salad

Ingredients :

-Oyster mushroom              3-5 (grilled and cut into small chunks)

-Carrot                               1 (Thinly slice)

-Spring onion                      3 (chopped roughly)

-Mint                                  10 leaves (chopped roughly)

-Toasted peanut                  2-3 table spoons

Salad dressing :

-Green chilli                            3 (Finely chopped)

-Garlic                                    2 cloves (Finely chopped)

-Palm sugar                            1 table spoons

-Lemon juice                          1 ½  table spoons

-Soy sauce                             1 ½ table spoons

-Sesame oil                            1 tea spoon

Method :

1.To prepare salad dressing, mix all of the salad dressing ingredients together and stir them until palm sugar dissolve or until they mix together well.

2.To prepare mushrooms, cut the head of the mushrooms out, then cut mushroom’s legs into two halves  through the length. Grill the heads and the cut legs of the mushroom for 3 minutes each side,  after that cut them into small chunks and keep aside.

3.Mix all ingredients with salad dressing by tossing it two or three times and it’s ready to eat.

Stir-fry Mashed Eggplants

Stir-fry Mashed Eggplants

Ingredients :

-Purple eggplant                      2 (peeled and cut into big cubes)  

-Green peas                            1 cup

-Spring onion                          3 (Finely chopped)

-Coriander                              2 (Finely chopped)

-Oil                                         2-3 table spoons

Chilli paste :

-Green chilli                           5

-Garlic                                   3 cloves

-Pickled soybean                   1 table spoon

Seasoning :

-Sugar                                        1 teaspoon

-salt                                            1 pinch

-Vegetarian oyster sauce             1 table spoon (Optional)

Method :

1. To make chilli paste, grind all chilli paste ingredients together until the paste becomes very fine.

2. To prepare eggplants, peel and cube them, then steam them for 10 minutes. After steaming, pour the eggplants into a big bowl and smash them till they become very fine.

3. Pour oil into the pan and heat it for 1 minute, then add chilli paste into the  pan and fry it for 2 minutes.

4. Add smashed eggplant (prepared in no.2) into the pan and stir it well. (Fry for another 2-3 minutes)

5. Add all seasoning into the pan and mix it well. Fry for 2 minutes, then take the pan out from the stove.

Lemongrass Chilli Tofu

Lemongrass Chilli Tofu

Ingredients : 

- Firm Tofu   250 g. (Cut into 1 inch long, finger shape)                   
- Carrot  1  (Thinly slice, 1 inch long)
- Onion   1  (Thinly slice)
- Capsicum 1 (Thinly slice)
- Oil        2  table spoons

Chilli paste :

- Chilli flake 2 table spoon
- Garlic   3 cloves
- Fresh turmeric  2 teaspoons
- Lemongrass   1 (Finely chopped)

Seasoning :

- Vegetarian Stir Fry sauce  2 table spoons
- Sugar  1 teaspoon
- Salt   1/2 teaspoon
- Lemon juice  1 teaspoon (optional)
- Water  3 table spoons
- Corn starch  1 table spoon
   (Mix with 2 table spoons of water to thicken the dish)

Method :

1.To make chilli paste, grind all chilli paste ingredients together until the paste become very fine.

2. Pour oil into the pan and heat it for one minute, then put chilli paste into the pan and fry for another 2-3 minutes.

3. Add onion, capsicum and carrot into the pan and fry them for 2-3 minutes, then add tofu into the pan and fry for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Add water, sugar and salt into the pan and mix them well.

5. Add vegetarian stir fry sauce into the pan and before taking the pan out from the stove, add mixed cornstarch into the pan and mix them well. Amount of cornstarch desired depends on the consistency you like.

6. After taking the pan out from the stove, you can add lemon juice if you like. Lemon juice helps harmonize the food's taste.

** I really hope that everybody will like that dish as it is a delicious and healthy food. It is easy and as well as very quick to cook. Enjoy cooking!

Vegetatian Green Curry

Vegetarian Green Curry

Ingredients:

- Firm tofu                               250 g. (Diced)

- Thai eggplant                        3-5 (Cut into 4 pieces each)

- Long bean                             3-5 (Cut into 1 inch long)

- Green pea                              1/2 cup (small cup)

- Basil                                      10 leaves

- Oil                                         2 table spoons

- Soy milk                                2 cups

- Water                                    1/2 cup

Curry paste:

- Green curry paste      2 table spoons

Seasoning:

- Salt                            1 tea spoon

- Sugar                         1 tea spoon

- Lemon juice              1 tea spoon (optional)

Method:

1. Pour oil into the pot and heat it for 1 minute, then add green curry paste and fry for 1-2 minutes.

2. Add water into the pot and follow with firm tofu, Thai eggplant, long bean and green pea. Let it boil for 1-2 minutes, then add soy milk into the pot and let it boil for another 3-5 minutes.

3.When all vegetables are cooked, add all seasoning into the pot and mix them well. Before taking the pot out of the stove, add basil leaves.