2 Easy To Cook Interesting Remakes of Bidesi Dishes With Yummy Indian Tadka!

Different countries of the world have their own interesting cuisines to offer.

Some are really exotic and some merely bearable.

But we Indians are really innovative when it comes to food. Give us anything and we can cut, peel, pulp, knead, cook, roast, fry, boil, shape… well basically…transform it completely to suit our Indian taste-buds! Well what to say, we love spice in life and in our food…Right?

Here are 2 tantalizing dishes those are Indian versions of internationally renowned scrumptious preparations, but totally and completely renovated for Indian tongues!

Gobhi Manchurian: Dry or With Gravy

So you heard of and ate Chinese Manchurian. Quite exotic! Here is a Hindustani remake of our beloved Manchurian, the Gobi Manchurian! A Chindian (Indo-Chinese) dish where cauliflower florets, also known as Gobhi in India replaces the fried vegetable and batter balls used in Chinese Manchurian. We all love gobhi and it is easily available in all parts of India, in almost all the seasons. Hence, for this one, Gobhi is deep fried and tossed in a spicy sweet and sour Indian Chinese sauce. This recipe is said to have been developed by the tiny Chinese community that lived in Kolkata for over a century. And the best part is that it is very easy to cook, and stay-alone bachelors can always try it for that little different treat to break the daily monotonous eating routine.

Here is the recipe for 4 to 5 servings

Main Ingredients

• 15 cauliflower florets of lemon size
• 3 tablespoons corn flour
• 5 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• Salt to taste oil for deep frying

Ingredients for Manchurian Sauce

• 1/2 cup chopped spring onions
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped green chillies
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
• 1 tablespoon corn flour
• 1 cup water or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon red chilli sauce (Asian style)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable/sunflower oil
• Salt to taste

Method

For Gobhi Manchurian

• Heat oil in a wok or a deep fryer.
• In the meanwhile, dissolve the corn flour and all purpose flour along with pepper and salt in water.
• Add the cauliflower florets and mix until the florets get coated with the flour mixture. Add about 5 florets (or the amount your deep fryer /wok can hold) at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain in paper towels. Keep aside.

For Sauce

• Mix the corn flour with 1/4 cup of water.
• Add soya sauce, ketchup, chilli sauce and salt.
• Heat oil in a wok or frying pan on high heat; add garlic, ginger, green chillies, spring onions and stir fry for a few seconds.
• Add the corn flour mixture to the above and cook for a few minutes until thick and the corn flour is cooked. Turn off heat.
• Toss the Fried Cauliflower with the Manchurian Sauce and serve.
• Garnish with spring onion leaves and extra green chillies if you like it spicy.
• Serve the Gobi Manchurian pricked with toothpicks on top of each floret and serve it as an appetizer for your parties along with many other Chindian recipes.

As Dry Snack

Guess what, if you do not want to make the sauce, you can serve and eat the fried Gobhi Manchurian as a dry snack with your tea or coffee. Just sprinkle a little oregano or Italian herbs over them before you serve, and BINGO, an innovative snack is ready that will fetch loads of claps. Collar-up!

Hamara Pasta-De-Indiano (This is how we love to call it)

Bored of all those Italian pasta dishes? No problem! Here we have something for you that is far better than the videshi pasta and yet absolutely easy and fun to cook. Why fun? Well well, to Indianize anything at all is all the way fun for an AUTHENTIC INDIAN. Right? Here you go guys, make that pasta treat a real Indian spicy one for you and floor your friends with your culinary skills.

Here is the recipe for 4-5 servings

Ingredients

• Pasta – 1 cup
• Water – 3 cups
• Chopped onions – ¼ cup (Finely chopped)
• Tomatoes- ¼ cup (finely chopped)
• Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Green Chilly- 1 (finely chopped)
• Chilli powder/ hot sauce – 1 tsp
• Garam masala – ¼ tsp
• All purpose flour (Maida) – 1 tblsp
• Milk – 3 tblsp
• Oil- 2 tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Coriander leaves- for garnishing

Method

• In a deep pan heat water and bring it to a boil.
• Add pasta and let cook for 8 minutes, until it is fully cooked (soft but firm).
• Drain the water and keep aside.
• In a pan heat oil. Saute the onions and green chilly till golden brown.
• Next add the ginger garlic paste. Next add tomatoes and sauté the mixture.
• Now add the flour and cook for a minute. Next add the milk, chilli powder/chilli sauce, salt and garam masala.
• Mix well and then add the pasta.
• Toss everything together and garnish with coriander leaves.

If you do not wish to add refined flour (maida), you can always replace it with tomato ketchup, easy to use and it will also give a tangy taste to your pasta.

So here you go my friends. Try these fun munch recipes and you will forget their Bidesi versions forever!