Keya Chinese Seasoning

This is one of my favorite seasoning when it comes to Indo-Chinese cooking. It is very difficult to get the authentic taste for an Indo Chinese food that matches with the Indian Chinese restaurants here. The reason being - there are few must have ingredients for Chinese cooking which if we skip, will not give us that authentic flavor and taste. It is at times very difficult for me to get hold of celery,chives etc. That s when this product comes in handy for me. So I add a tbsp of this seasoning to my Indo Chinese cooking and the the outcome is really super and authentic. This is definitely one of my favorite in the kitchen.

Ingredients

This is a coarse mixture that also contains Chinese herbs.As you can see, they have used dehydrated garlic,onions,soy,chives,celery and ginger apart from other ingredients. You can add a tbsp of this while sauteing in oil so that it blends beautifully with the dish and the aroma is absorbed. This can also be added to soups, sauces and chilli chutneys and it will enhance the taste brilliantly.

DISCLAIMER:

One other important thing which I would like to highlight is the HVP- Hydrolyzed vegetable Protein. This is a taste enhancer much similar to MSG -Mono soda glutamate. I was concerned about the health facts associated with HVP and how different and healthy is it from MSG. I did understand that it is again another from of HVP. So , I suggest that use this very rarely and limit its usage to only Indo- Chinese cooking and not as a daily food routine. In case you are preparing for kids and you are skeptical about using this, you can very well skip it. I use it very occasionally. One bottle lasts me for about 2-2.5 months. 

Baby Corn Manchurian

One of my favorite crispy dish from Indo-chinese cuisine.This is a very simple and easy to make recipe.You can serve it whenever you have unexpected guests at home.

Tastes best when used as an accompaniment for Veg Hakka Noodles and Veg. Fried Rice.

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

1. Baby corn- 8-10 (chopped as shown in pic)
2. Oil for deep frying
3. Salt as needed

Batter Ingredients

1. Cornflour - 1/4 cup
2. Maida/All Purpose flour - 1/4 cup
3. Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
4. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
5. Black pepper powder- 2 tsp
6. Salt needed

Manchurian Sauce

1. Garlic Pods-5-6 (Chopped finely)
2. Ginger- 1 inch (chopped finely)
3. Green Chilies-2 (chopped finely)
4. Soy Sauce - 2 tsp
5. Vinegar - 1 tsp (Rice vinegar or any)
6. Spring Onions-Finely chopped(Both leaf and the onion part)
7. Cornflour paste- 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp water
8. Tomato Ketchup- 1 tbsp
9. Red Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp
10. Pepper Powder - 2 tsp

Garnishing

Spring Onion leaves &  the spring Onions bulb- Chopped

Method

1. Mix the ingredients under batter with required amount of water.The batter should be of thick pouring consistency.

2. Chop the baby corns into medium sized length.Boil the cut Baby corns in water for 5 mins with a tsp of salt.Pat dry them.

3. Dip the Baby corns in the batter and coat them well with batter.

4. Deep fry the coated Baby corns in hot oil till the color turns light golden brown and keep it aside.

5. Heat some oil in a pan.Add spring onions and normal onion,garlic,ginger, chilies and saute till the onions turn transparent and the garlic turns light brown in color.

6. Add soy sauce,tomato sauce,vinegar and red chili sauce sauce and cook for about a minute.

7.  Add 1/4  cup water,salt,pepper powder and cook for another few minutes.Add cornflour paste for thickening and also to get a glaze saucy texture.

8. Add the fried  baby corns and saute well till they are coated completely with the sauce.

9. Add chopped spring onion leaves and serve hot.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. Soy sauce already has salt and hence adjust the salt accordingly.
2. You can also garnish with normal onions and capsicum after sauteing them for a min with salt for additional add-on's.
3. Make sure the oil is hot before frying the baby corns,else the masala mixture may come off
4. Tomato ketchup can be adjusted according to the taste.

Gobi Manchurian

This is one of the most important recipe from the Chinese Cuisine and always kid's favourite.Goes very well as a starter and also as a side dish.Tastes best when used as an accompaniment for Veg Hakka Noodles and Veg. Fried Rice. This recipe is very similar to my recipe Baby Corn Manchurian.

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

1. Chopped Cauliflower - 10 florets 
2. Oil for deep frying
3. Salt as needed

Batter Ingredients

1. Cornflour - 1/4 cup
2. Maida/All Purpose flour - 1/4 cup
3. Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
4. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
5. Black pepper powder- 2 tsp
6. Salt needed

Manchurian Sauce

1. Garlic Pods-5-6 (Chopped finely)
2. Ginger- 1 inch (chopped finely)
3. Green Chilies-2 (chopped finely)
4. Soy Sauce - 2 tsp
5. Vinegar - 1 tsp (Rice Vinegar or any vinegar)
6. Spring Onions-Finely chopped (Both leaf and the onion part)
7. Cornflour paste- 1 tbsp with 2 tbsp water
8. Tomato Ketchup- 1 tbsp
9. Red Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp
10. Pepper Powder - 2 tsp

Garnishing

Spring Onion leaves &  the spring Onions bulb- Chopped

Sauteing of vegetables in sauce

Adding fried Gobi and stir frying

Garnish with spring onions

Method

1. Mix the ingredients under batter with required amount of water.The batter should be of thick pouring consistency.

2. Boil the cut cauliflower in water for 2 mins with a tsp of salt.Pat dry them.

3. Dip the cauliflower in the batter and coat them well with batter.

4. Deep fry the coated cauliflower till the color turns light golden brown and keep it aside.

5. Heat some oil in a pan.Add spring onions,ginger,garlic,chilies and saute till the onions turn transparent and the garlic turns light brown in color.

6. Add soy sauce,tomato sauce,vinegar and red chili sauce sauce and cook for about a minute.

7.  Add 1/4  cup water,salt,pepper powder and cook for another few minutes.Add cornflour paste for thickening and also to get a glaze saucy texture.

8. Add the fried  cauliflower and saute well till they are coated completely with the sauce.

9. Add chopped spring onion leaves and serve hot.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. While deep frying the florets,ensure the oil is at the right temperature and perfectly hot.If the oil is not hot, the florets will draw in more oil and it will become soggy.At the same time, too much heat can cause the florets to burn.
2. Soy sauce already has salt and hence adjust the salt accordingly.
3. You can also garnish with normal onions and capsicum after sauteing them with salt for a minute.

Vegetable Fried Rice

This is an exotic recipe from the Indo-Chinese cuisine.The rice is being fried after cooked.This is also a very popular menu in most of the restaurants. In restaurants, they make small batches by tossing the vegetables and rice in a big wok high in the air. However, this can be done in a very simple way at home and yet get the same taste as that of restaurant. I have used Keya Chinese Seasoning to get the flavor more authentic. However, adding this is completely optional.
Check out Baby Corn Manchurian and Gobi Manchurian which can be used as an amazing accompaniment for this dish.

serves: 3

Ingredients

1. Basmati rice - 1.5 cups
2. Garlic Pods-3-4 (finely chopped)
3. Oil-2 tbsp *You can use either olive oil or any refined oil
4. Sesame oil - 1 tbsp 
5. Keya Chinese Seasoning - 2 tsp (optional)
6. Star Anise-2-3
7. Cloves-2-3
8. Salt to taste
9. Soy sauce-1 tsp
10. Vinegar - 1 tsp (balsamic/apple cider/white/rice vinegar) 
11. Pepper Powder-1 tbsp
12. Sugar-1 tsp

Vegetables used

• Beans-1/4 Cup(finely chopped)
• Carrot- 2 Nos.(shredded finely)
• Onions- 1 big (sliced thinly)
• Spring Onion-5 (finely chopped-both onion and leaf part)
• Cabbage-1/4 cup (shredded)
• Capsicum-1( Red,Green or Yellow -Cut into julienne)

Ready to cook the rice

Vegetables being Fried

After mixing the rice and veggies

Method

1.  Cook Basmati rice as mentioned here with star anise, cloves and 1 tbsp sesame oil.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add spring onions and onions and saute till they become transparent.

3. Add garlic pods and saute till the raw flavor goes off. Add keya chinese seasoning and saute for 2 mins on medium flame.

4. Add all the vegetables with a tsp of sugar and salt. Saute well on medium flame until they are cooked. Make sure the vegetables are not overcooked that they become too soft. The veggies should be crunchy.

5. Add soya sauce,vinegar,pepper and mix well for all the flavors to combine.

6. Add cooked rice to above vegetables and mix well. 

7. Garnish generously with chopped spring onion leaves and serve hot.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. The most important thing in preparing fried rice is that, it is being continuously stirred on a medium flame. Hence,ensure continuous stirring so that the bottom of the pan is not burnt.
2. The vegetables have to be finely chopped so that they are cooked easily and at the same time they are crunchy too.
3. Soy sauce already contains salt and adjust adding salt accordingly.
4. Ensure that the rice is dry,separate and not sticking to each other.