Chinese Fried rice (Vegan) - The original way

A little background about Chinese Fried Rice: It evolved as a way to use up left-over rice and hence, it's still considered informal (in some parts of China) to serve Fried Rice to guests. There's no strict formula for fried rice and it can be done with whatever veggies (and meat) are available.

I got the recipe from a Chinese colleague (she's a fantastic cook!), so its gotta be as authentic as it is. Here are her tips : 

1. DO NOT use freshly cooked rice. For best results, use rice that has been sitting in the fridge for atleast a few hours. (If you're using fresh rice, let it cool down by spreading it on a greased plate so that the grains don't stick to each other).
2. Start with garlic but NO onions.
3. Add mushrooms, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, celery, peas, beans. Garnish with spring onions.
4. Spices - only soy sauce, salt and pepper. 

Chinese Fried Rice

Egg is also good to add, but I haven't used any. Knowing me, she specifically emphasized that no Indian spice powders are to be added :)

Here's the recipe, in pictures this time :)

Veggies chopped and ready

A closer look at Bean Sprouts

Bean sprouts are actually from Green Mung beans. When the sprouts become very long, the nutrients in the bean itself are almost reduced to nil, which is why you see only the sprouts. These are extensively used in Asian cuisine and are easily available in super-markets here. They are thick and crunchy and quick to cook! Sprouts are an inexpensive way of obtaining a concentration of vitamins, mineral and enzymes, without the risk of harmful insecticides. 

Heat a little oil in a wok/deep pan and fry garlic

  

Chopped beans

Bean sprouts

Mushrooms

Shredded Carrots

Green peas

Rice , from the fridge

So far...
The veggies are first stir-fried in a wok and then seasoned with soy sauce.
=> Increase heat to high and then add Soy Sauce (~1 tbsp). Quickly stir in cold rice (while heat is on HIGH) and toss with the veggies.

I have used dark soy sauce and hence the dark tone you see here, in the fried rice. You could use light soy sauce too. Start with 1 tablespoon, taste and add more, if you want. Soy sauce generally is very salty (that you hardly need any extra salt) but there are also low-sodium versions available these days. Adjust salt and pepper, after tasting.

Be vigilant to pick the bottle that does not come with MSG aka Ajinomoto. I tend to avoid MSG as much as possible; over the years, it's bad for your health, in many ways.  Most restaurants do add atleast 1/2 teaspoon of Ajinomoto and hence their food tastes remarkably wonderful! :) 

Finally, Garnish with Spring onions/ Green onions.

Spring Onions for garnish

Yummy Chinese Fried Rice - a complete meal!

This is a quick meal, complete by itself! All it takes is about 15 minutes, including time to chop the veggies! :)

Schezwan Fried Rice

"Schezwan" means "spicy" but I toned down the spice level by adding more tomato ketch-up. This is yet another Chinese dish that we find easily available in Indian restaurants claiming to serve Indo-Chinese cuisine. Making the Schezwan sauce is the crucial part of this recipe. I didn't want to go with the store-bought ones as I couldn't find any brand that didn't contain ajinomoto/MSG.  Do let me know if you know of any :)

How to Make Schezwan sauce:

• Soak 10 red chillies(after removing the seeds) in hot water for 10 minutes. 
• Grind it together with 5 garlic pods, a piece of ginger and some chopped celery.
• Take 2 tsp oil in a pan, saute this paste for a minute.
• Add 1 tsp vinegar, 2 tbsp of tomato ketch-up, 1/2 tsp sugar , some salt and pepper to taste. 
• Increase heat to high and stir-fry for a minute and then switch-off.  Let stand for another minute until it thickens.
• Store the sauce and refrigerate. You can use it to make Schezwan noodles as well.

What You Need To Make Schezwan Fried Rice:

Basmati rice - 1 cup
Schezwan sauce - 1 tbsp
Kashmiri red chillies (long ones that are not spicy) - 3 
Onions - 1 medium (chopped)

Carrot, Beans, Capsicum - cut into slender long pieces  - 1 cup (You can add cabbage, peas, corn, etc. if you like)

Spring onions - plenty!
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cashewnuts - to garnish (optional)

How To:

• Cook Basmati rice such that the grains are separate and non-sticky. I tried many methods and finally found this to be working. Here's how :

Cook rice by adding 1 cup (soaked for 15 minutes) Basmati rice to 4 cups of boiling water for 10 minutes. Let them sit for another 5 minutes. Not all the water would have been absorbed, it's ok.  Just drain the excess water using a colander and spread the cooked rice on a big, slightly oiled plate and let them cool. That way, you get that fluffy, long-grained rice with each grain separate :)

• Heat 1 tsp oil in a deep pan, tear and add Kashmiri chillies (optional), then, fry onions.
• Once onions turn pinkish, add the veggies, add required salt, sprinkle some water, close the pan and cook them for 10 minutes.

• Add Schezwan sauce and  Soy sauce in high heat for a minute. 
• Simmer and mix rice. 
• Garnish with plenty of spring onions and some roasted cashews :)

Cauliflower Manchurian (Gobi manchurian)

Manchurian is one of the popular dishes of Indian-Chinese cuisine. India and China, despite being neighboring countries, have varying spices used, distinct flavors in food and different styles of cooking. This is said to have originated with Chinese immigrants to Calcutta and the eastern parts of India.

So, what are the Chinese attributes of Indian-Chinese cuisine? 1. Stir-frying and 2. Soy sauce.  Stir-frying is just a technique of cooking vegetables faster while retaining its flavor. The Chinese traditionally cook in a deep 'wok' on high heat using a little oil/fat.

Soy sauce is made from soy beans and can be found in the Asian/International section of your stores. There are 2 basic types of soy sauce used in Chinese cooking - light and dark soy sauce. For our recipe, it doesn't really matter which variety we use, but, please make sure your soy sauce does not contain MSG.

A friendly warning - Do not mention "Manchurian" to try to flaunt off your knowledge of Chinese food to your friends from South-East Asia!! They wouldn't have heard of it, unless they had tried it at restaurants serving Indian-Chinese food! :D

Without further ado, let's go on to the recipe :)

Difficulty level - Easy 
Time  - 45 minutes


What You Need -

For the Batter:

Cornflour -120 g
Maida (All-purpose flour) - 80 g
Ginger-Garlic-Green-chillies paste - 1.5 tsp
Finely chopped onions - 1 cup
Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Salt, if needed

For the Gravy:

Capsicum/ Bell pepper - 1 (chopped into 1" squares)
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger-Garlic-Green-chillies paste - 1 tsp
Soy Sauce - 3 tbsp
Tomato ketch up - 3 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Cilantro / Coriander leaves - to garnish

How I Made It:

1. Take a bunch of cauliflower, cut them into florets, cover them with enough water, add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, cover & cook for no more than 5 minutes. The turmeric makes the gobi taste great. 
2. Let them sit for 5 more minutes, then strain the water and keep the florets aside.
3. Make the batter with the ingredients given above, by adding water little by little, till you get the required consistency. It should neither be too watery nor too thick like a paste.
4. Dip the florets into the batter and deep fry them in refined oil. Wait to see the golden-yellow color. Drain on kitchen tissues.

Do you think I missed out salt? Nah! Soy sauce generally comes with salt added and that's good enough. Remember we add soy sauce to the batter as well as to the gravy, therefore, check the taste before adding salt.

We're almost there! The rest of the process takes only about 5 minutes. 

• Take a wok (ok, even an Indian kadai or karahi will do :P). Heat 2 tsp oil, sauté 'Triple G' paste (ginger-garlic-green chillies paste).
• Stir-fry onions followed by capsicum.
• Increase the heat to 'High' and add soy sauce. Sprinkle sugar. Add tomato ketch up. Stir well.
• Add the gobi chunks, mix them together and switch off the flame.
• This dish should have almost no gravy - just a coating sauce. If it is too dry, add 1/4 cup of water and mix well. 
• Garnish with cilantro/ coriander leaves.

Gobi manchurian makes a delicious entrée.  It can also be served as a part of the main course with rice or roti.  Enjoy!