Chinese Style Vegetable Stir Fry is a quick & easy Chinese dish.  This style of cooking vegetables adds a whole new dimension to the all plain vegetables.  But the secret behind perfect Chinese Style Stir Fry is the techniques you need to follow to get it right.  Keep in mind that the vegetables in the stir-fry should retain the colour, crunchiness and freshness of the vegetables.  When perfectly done, this Chinese Style Vegetable Stir Fry is going to be lustrous, gorgeously beautiful, presenting itself with a cornucopia of colours with a remarkable texture.  I love this stir-fry whatsoever.

    Just follow these simple tips and techniques for perfectly cooked Vegetable Stir-fry.

CHINESE VEGETABLE STIR FRY

VEGETABLES:

    As we need to stir-fry the vegetable in one quick movement in a high heat, it is always advisable to keep all the needed items ready side by side.  First clean, peel & cut the vegetables and when it comes to the Vegetables which you can add into this stir-fry, I mostly use Carrots, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Capsicums & Snow peas. Can add Baby Corn too. If using mushrooms, use varieties like Button Mushrooms, Crimino Mushrooms, Shitake or Oyster Mushrooms.  Small Beech or Bunapi Mushrooms also suits well for Vegetable stir fries.

BLANCHING THE VEGETABLES:

    Then I blanch the vegetables before stir-frying them.  Blanching shortens the time required for stir-frying.  And also the vegetables are cooked half way, retaining the shape & colour.  Then, while stir-frying, the idea is just to mix them up with the sautéed garlic and the sauces on a high heat.  This way the Stir Fry turns out to be perfectly cooked through, retaining the texture, colour, and all the more the nutrition. Once the Vegetables are blanched, you can straight away go with the stir-frying process.

    Then mince the Garlic, Cut the Onions into big pieces and then thinly slice the bird's eye chillies.  Well, I do add a Bird's eye chilli into this Stir Fry.  After all, the taste buds of Indian ethnicity asks for a bit of heat in everything.  You can totally skip it in this recipe.

SAUCE:

    The next step is to get the sauce ready.  The idea of a sauce in a stir-fry is to add taste and flavour into the bland vegetables.  So you can get easy with the type of sauce you use.  Commonly Oyster Sauce is used along with seasoning like salt, sugar and a dash of white pepper powder.  I love to add the popular locally available ABC Sauce, which is a sweet thick soy sauce with caramelized palm sugar in it. Alternatively, can add Dark Soy Sauce.  I have added the Corn Flour slurry into the sauce mix.  So, you do not need to add ‘cornflour slurry’  during stir-frying.  Corn flour slurry glazes & gives a sheen to the stir-fried vegetables.  You can prepare this sauce and refrigerate it for a few days.  The same sauce can be used while stir-frying Chinese greens like bok choy, choy sum, kai lan, napa cabbages etc., 

STIR-FRYING:

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Cuisine - Chinese; Southeast Asian
Recipe Type - Stir Fry
Spice Level  - Low
Difficulty - Easy
 Serves - 2- 3
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 15 - 20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 5-10 Minutes
 

HOW TO MAKE CHINESE VEGETABLE STIR FRY

CHINESE VEGETABLE STIR FRY

INGREDIENTS:

Vegetables:

For Blanching:

For the Sauce:

Sautéing:

For Vegetable Stir-fry:

METHOD:

Preparing the Vegetables:

• Carrots - Peel, wash and cut Carrots into Wedges or thick slices.

• Snow peas - Wash & then remove the ‘string’ of the snow peas on both the sides and snap it off into two or three pieces.  No need to cut it, just snap it off using your hands.

• Broccoli - Wash & then cut the florets into medium or large sized ones. Discard the lower part of the stem, which is hard & fibrous. Use the tender part of the stem, cut them into slices or wedges. The tender stem is full of flavour, so do not throw them away.

• Cauliflower- Wash & then cut the cauliflower into florets, preferably into medium or large florets.

• Mushroom - Cut off the ends, wash them and then cut the Mushroom into slices.
  

• Capsicum - Wash & then snip off the tip and then remove the core and seeds. Cut the capsicum into large slices.

• Onions - Peel, wash and cut Onions into fours and then cut them into small cubes.  We need some square shaped Onions in this Vegetable stir-fry.

• Garlic - Peel, wash and mince the garlic cloves and keep them aside.

• Bird's eye Chillies - Remove the stalk and then cut it into thin slices. Alternatively, you can mince it.
  

Blanching the Vegetables:

• Boil enough water in a large pot, let the amount of water be good enough to cover the vegetables.
• Add a dash of Salt and a pinch of Sugar into it.
• Let it boil.
• First add the Carrot Wedges into the water and cook them for about 2-3 minutes.
• Once the Carrots are cooked halfway through,  add Cauliflower & Broccoli florets and blanch them for about 2 minutes.
• Then follow it with snow peas, mushrooms and blanch it for about a minute.
• I usually do not blanch Capsicums.
• Once done, drain it through a colander and keep it aside.

For the Sauce:

• Mix all the ingredients mentioned under "For the Sauce" in cold water & keep it aside.
• Make sure there are no lumps in the sauce.

CHINESE VEGETABLE STIR FRY

Sautéing & Stir frying the Vegetables:

• Heat oil in a Wok/Pan over high heat.
• Add minced Garlic and Bird's-eye Chillies, stir-fry for about 10 seconds until fragrant(should not be browned).
  
• Then add Onion chunks & Capsicums and sauté it for a while. 
• Now add, the blanched Vegetables and give a quick stir.
  
• Immediately pour in the Sauce and mix well.
• Let it cook for about 2 minutes or until it thickens
• Stir-fry until well combined on a high flame, & the vegetables are glazed.
• Immediately, serve Chinese Vegetable Stir Fry hot.
• Chinese Vegetable Stir Fry goes well with Fragrant Rice or any Rice/Noodles recipe.
  

NOTES:

• 
  
• Use your preferred combination of vegetables in this stir-fry.
• Do not cover the pan while cooking.
• Once the sauce thickens, stir-fry the vegetables on high heat for a short time.  This will retain its nutrients & texture.
• Do not brown the garlic, as they would tend to give a bitter taste to the dish.
• Adding Bird's eye Chilli is purely optional.
• Cook the vegetables to suit your preference. I like to keep it crunchy & tender, and mainly love to retain the colours in the vegetables.

MINI VEG PUFFS

    Vegetable Puffs or popularly called Veg Puff is one popular snack sold in Indian Bakeries.  It is a default to have a Bakery outside college or school or there would exist a college/school canteen which were hanging out places for most of the youngsters during their school/college days.  A puff or a vadai or a Bajji along with a Kadak Chai or Coffee would have remained a spectator for most of the events and talks which happened during the time. Sharing is caring days, "a single Puff" would go into many mouths. Most of us would have fond memories of this snack.

    Even we had JM & Sons, a popular Bakery chain in Coimbatore outside our college, and most of our lunchtime or evening snack happened to be these wonderful Puffs & Pepsi.  Pepsi(Leher Pepsi) was just out in the market with all bang and catchy ads with Amir Khan and Aishwarya Rai, with the famous slogan "Yehi Hai Right Choice Baby" -  Ah Ah!!! Fond memories flocking through my mind...  Sitting in the steps in front of the shop with small chit-chats were a small kind of time pass during our college days.

    So, when talking about Puff, as a matter of fact it would have surely been a Bakery(store) bought one and in my opinion, mostly it is not a home-made snack.  As years passed and living far from your home country, most of the old memories, tastes & preferences embedded into our hearts turns into NOSTALGIA.  And when it comes to snacking, Puffs takes a special place in the line of Nostalgia.  When such things hit to the core, I try replicating them at home and have tried making Puff with Pastry Sheets.  Making from scratch is absolutely not convincing in my terms with long preparation time and above all the loads of Butter or Margarine needed to make Pastry sheets makes me cringe to the idea.  So when it comes in a disguise my brain accepts it, convincing to the facts.

    So let's cut the crap and get into making Veg Puffs and this recipe is a Mini or Bite sized version of Vegetable Puffs with Frozen Parotta Sheets.  The ultimate snack with all of its perfection - flaky, crispy and tasty.  This recipe came out to be as a process to clear off the left-over from the prominent recipe which I was into - The Egg Puff.  When I had a few side cutting of frozen Parotta sheets from making Egg Puff, I saved them in the freezer, made the Vegetable Filling and followed the suit.  

    What was hit at home were these Bite-sized Veg Puffs rather than the Egg Puff. Kindling the memory of mini Puffs we get at Thangu Cake Shop in Lawley Road. These Veg Puffs could be made in regular size too.  I have used Frozen Parotta sheets, you can even get easy with Pastry sheets to make these Veg Puffs.  Puffs made out of Frozen Parotta sheets are going to foolproof - it turns out perfectly flaky and crispy every time you make it.  And for the filling I  have used some classic vegetable combination like Carrots, Potatoes & Green Peas, can add veggies like Beans, Beetroot, Cauliflower etc.,  Go along with your preference or simply convert it into Chicken/Meat Puffs. 

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Cuisine - Indian
Recipe - Snack
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 3-4
Author - SM

For BAKERY STYLE SNACKS, Click here...

HOW TO MAKE MINI VEG PUFFS WITH FROZEN PAROTTA SHEETS

MINI VEG PUFFS

INGREDIENTS:

To Boil the Veggies:

For Mini Veg Puff:

Frozen Parotta - 2 -3 Sheets 

 

MINI VEG PUFFS

*(I have used the side cutting from the whole frozen parotta sheet which I used for Egg Puff.  I just placed 3-4 side cuttings side by side and added the veggie filling into it and tightly secured it into bite-sized Puff packets).

 

For Egg Wash:

Egg - 1 No. 

METHOD:

To Boil the Veggies:

• Clean, peel & wash the Potatoes and Carrots.
• Cut them into small cubes and leave them aside.
• In a saucepan, add the Carrots & Potatoes along with the Green peas.
• Add a dash of Salt and a pinch of Sugar.  Pour in enough water and cook the vegetables until they are cooked and turns soft.
• Alternatively, can cook the Vegetables in a pressure cooker for a whistle.  If cooking in a pressure cooker, use just 1/4 cup of water.
• Can drain any excess water left in the vegetables once cooked.

For Veggie Masala Filling:

• Heat oil in a pan, sauté finely chopped Onions, Curry Leaves, Green Chillies until Onions turn translucent.
• Add Ginger-Garlic Paste and sauté it until aromatic.
• Add Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder and Garam Masala to the above.
• Fry for a while until the raw flavour goes and sauté it until oil separate from the mix.
• Add in the Tomato Ketchup and give a quick stir.
  
• Add a dash of Salt, a pinch of Sugar and mix well.
• Sprinkle some water, if necessary, and cook on a low flame for about 5 minutes.
• Add boiled Vegetables into it and cook them on a low flame for a few more minutes.
• Let the Veggie Masala Filling be dry.
  
• Switch off the flame and garnish it with Coriander Leaves.
  

MINI VEG PUFFS

For Mini Veg Puff:

• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 200 °C.
• Take the frozen Parottas from the freezer just before making the Veg Puffs.
• No need to thaw them.  Thawing can make the process cumbersome.
• Gently peel off the plastic sheets from the Parottas and place it on a cutting board.
• Cut the Frozen Parotta sheet into two and then make 2-3 thin strips out of it.
• Take a strip of Frozen Parotta sheet and place about 1 teaspoon of Veg Masala Filling over it.
  
• Gently fold the frozen parotta sheet and cover the Veg masala.  No need to cover the sides.
• Follow the suit for the rest of the fillings.
• *If using the side cuttings of the Frozen Parotta sheets - Place 3-4 side cuttings side by side and add about 1 teaspoon of veggie filling into it. Then, tightly secured it into bite-sized Puff packets. 
• When the Puffs are packed and ready, place the Mini Veg Puffs on a greased baking tray.  
• Leave enough space in between. 
• Meanwhile, beat the Egg with a teaspoon of water for the Egg Wash.
• Gently brush the Mini Veg Puffs placed on the baking tray with the Egg Wash.
• Now, place the baking tray with the Mini Veg Puffs into the Electric Oven.
• Bake the Mini Veg Puffs at 200 °C for about 25 -30 minutes.
• You need to bake the Mini Veg Puffs until the crust turns golden brown & until it turns crispy & flaky.
  
• Adjust the baking time according to your oven settings.
• Serve flaky & crispy Mini Veg Puffs hot with your choice of Sauce or Ketchup.
  

For Normal sized Veg Puff:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 °C.
• Take the frozen Parottas from the freezer just before making the Veg Puffs.
• No need to thaw them.  Thawing can make the process cumbersome.
• Gently peel off the plastic sheets from the Parottas and place it on a cutting board.
• Cut the Frozen Parotta sheet into two.
• Take one part of the Frozen Parotta sheet and place 2-3 teaspoons of Veg Masala Filling.
  
• Gently fold it and cover the Veg masala.  No need to cover the sides.
• Follow the suit for the rest of the fillings.
  
• When the Puffs are packed and ready, place the Veg Puffs on a greased baking tray.  
• Leave enough space in between. 
• Meanwhile, beat the Egg with a teaspoon of water for the Egg Wash.
• Gently brush the Veg Puffs placed on the baking tray with the Egg Wash.
• Now, place the baking tray with the Veg Puffs into the Electric Oven.
• Bake the normal-sized Veg Puffs at 200 °C for about 30-45 minutes.
• You need to bake the Veg Puffs until the crust turns golden brown & until it turns crispy & flaky.
  
• Adjust the baking time according to your oven settings.
  

MINI VEG PUFFS

NOTES:

• Adjust the amount of Spices to suit your taste preference.
• Use your preferred combination of classic vegetables.
• Make sure that the Veggie Masala filling is dry, otherwise you may end up with Soggy, wet Puffs.
• Adding Sugar & tomato ketchup are totally optional. 
• Adjust the baking time accordingly -  25 -30 minutes at 200 °C for Mini Veg Puffs   &                                                         30-45 minutes at 200 °C for normal-sized Veg Puffs. 
• If you are doing a total vegetarian version, you can use milk or cream instead of Egg wash to glaze the Puffs,  just before baking.
  

EGG PUFFS WITH FROZEN PAROTTA

    Well, this Egg Puff recipe was inspired by Chef Pillai's Youtube Video and vis-à-vis the craving for a typical Bakery style Puffs.  Have tried making them with Pastry Sheets, but I never felt them as good as the ones sold in the Bakeries.  And the moment I saw the video by Chef Pillai, I had no doubt and right away went ahead with the recipe.  The results were amazing, and I was overwhelmed with the flaky texture, as good as the ones we get in the bakeries.

    So, now no looking back, and I have started to store up frozen Parottas now with the sole intention of making puffs out of it.  As the original recipe was made with eggs, went with the flow and made Egg Puffs.  And when I had a few side cuttings of the frozen Parotta sheets left around from making Egg Puffs, converted them into Mini Vegetable Puffs.  What went hit at home were the tiny Vegetable Puffs.  As usual, anything bite sized comes under my daughter's arena. 

    With all good efforts and not much satisfying trials & errors with Puff recipe, frozen parotta sheets came out to be a bliss out of the blue.  And now this Puff recipe with Frozen Parotta sheets is surely going to be one of the most frequented snack at home.  The moment we land in India, my husband always says, we should have a Puff and a Tea in the roadside Bakery.  So much is his love for this snack.  And my daughter on the other hand have a few craving anecdotes of tasty Puffs she ate when she was in India for a few days.  So for all the love and overwhelming craving of Puffs, here comes one of the easiest and foolproof Puff recipe.  

EGG PUFFS WITH FROZEN PAROTTA

    All the more today, 17th January happens to be the 6th Anniversary of my Blog, Essence of Life - Food.  And this Puff recipe happens to be the 750th Post - another favourite recipe to mark the milestone.  After 6 years of consistency and never waning passion I hold for my blog, let me give myself a pat on my back.   I recently have started to feel that people I know relate me to food and never forget to appreciate my work. Especially my food photos and when a few come up saying that they have tried some recipes, and they liked it, I feel humbled and overwhelmed, all at the same time.  

Thanks for all the support and encouragement.

 

For more SNACKS & SAVOURIES, Click here... 

Cuisine - Indian
Recipe - Snack
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 3-4
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 15 - 20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 15 - 20 Minutes
Baking Time  - 30 - 45 Minutes.

For BAKERY STYLE SNACKS, Click here...

 

HOW TO MAKE EGG PUFFS WITH FROZEN PAROTTA SHEETS

EGG PUFFS WITH FROZEN PAROTTA

INGREDIENTS:

For the Egg Filling:

Eggs - 4 Nos.

Onion - 2 Nos.
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tablespoon
Green Chillies - 3–4 Nos.
Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder - 1–11/2 Teaspoons
Garam Masala - 1 Teaspoon
Tomato Ketchup - 1 Tablespoon (Optional)
Oil - 2 Tablespoons
Salt - to Taste
Sugar - a Pinch
Coriander Leaves - a few (Optional) 

For 'HOW TO MAKE PERFECT HARD BOILED EGGS, Click here ...

 

EGG PUFFS WITH FROZEN PAROTTA

 

For Egg Puff:

Frozen Parotta - 8 Sheets 

 

For Egg Wash:

Egg - 1 No. 

Water - 2 Teaspoons

 

METHOD:

For Egg Masala:

• Hard-boil the eggs and keep them aside.  Peel them and cut it into two halves.
• Heat oil in a pan, sauté finely chopped Onions, Curry Leaves, Green Chillies until Onions turn translucent.
• Add Ginger-Garlic Paste and sauté it until aromatic.
• Add Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder and Garam Masala to the above.
• Fry for a while until the raw flavour goes and sauté it until oil separate from the mix.
• Add in the Tomato Ketchup and give a quick stir.
  
• Add a dash of Salt, a pinch of Sugar and mix well.
• Sprinkle some water, if necessary, and cook on a low flame for about 5 minutes.
• Add boiled Eggs into it and cook them on a low flame for a few more minutes.
• Switch off the flame and garnish it with Coriander Leaves.
  

EGG PUFFS WITH FROZEN PAROTTA

For Egg Puff:

• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 200 °C.
• Take the frozen Parottas from the freezer just before making the Egg Puffs.
• No need to thaw them.  Thawing can make the process cumbersome.
• Gently peel off the plastic sheets from the Parottas and place it on a cutting board.
• Cut off the sides and make a square out of it.
• Leave the cut-off sides in the freezer.  Can use it to make mini puffs.
• Now, place an Egg (place the yolk side down) from the Egg Masala, top it up with a few teaspoons of the Masala.
• Gently fold the sides and cover the Egg & the masala, making a square shaped packet.
• Follow the suit for the rest of the Eggs.
• When the Puffs are packed and ready, place the Egg Puffs on a greased baking tray.  
• Leave enough space in between. 
• Meanwhile, beat the Egg with a teaspoon of water for the Egg Wash.
• Gently brush the Egg Puffs placed on the baking tray with the Egg Wash.
• Now, place the baking tray with the Egg Puffs into the Electric Oven.
• Bake the Egg Puffs at 200 °C for about 30–45 minutes.
• You need to bake the Egg Puffs until the crust turns golden brown & until it turns crispy & flaky.
  
• Adjust the baking time according to your oven settings.
• Serve flaky & crispy Egg Puffs hot with your choice of Sauce or Ketchup.
  

EGG PUFFS WITH FROZEN PAROTTA

NOTES:

• Adjust the amount of Spices to suit your taste preference.
• Can add whole hard-boiled eggs or cut them into halves.
• If adding full eggs, then cut small slits over the egg whites, so that the egg absorbs the flavour of the masala.
• Adding Sugar & tomato ketchup are totally optional.

AVAL KALKANDU PONGAL

AVAL KALKANDU PONGAL

INGREDIENTS:

For Aval Kalkandu Pongal:

Ghee - 2 Tablespoons
Aval/Flattened Rice - 1 Cup
Powdered Kalkandu/Rock Candy - 1/2 Cup
Cardamom Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Milk - 3/4 Cup
Water - 1/2 Cup 
Saffron - a few strands
Salt - a Pinch 
Edible Camphor - a Pinch

For Garnishing:

Ghee - 1 Tablespoon
Cashew Nuts - 8-10 Nos.
Raisins - a few

AVAL KALKANDU PONGAL

METHOD:

For Aval Kalkandu Pongal - Beaten Rice & Rock Candy/Sugar Pongal:

• Wash Aval/Beaten Rice for about 2-3 times or until water runs clear.
• Then soak Aval/Beaten Rice for about 10-15 minutes.
• Once soaked drain it and squeeze out any extra water from the Aval/Beaten Rice.
• Can leave it in a kitchen towel to slightly dry for about 10-15 minutes.
  
• Meanwhile, powder the Cardamom along with Rock Candy/Sugar into a fine powder and keep it aside.
• Soak the Saffron strands in 2 tablespoons of milk and keep it aside.
  
• Heat 1 tablespoon of Ghee and roast the Cashew nuts & raisins.
• Remove the Cashews & Raisins from the Ghee & keep them aside.
• Now, add another 2 tablespoons of Ghee and roast the Aval/Beaten Rice on a very low flame for about 3-5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk & water.
• Pour in the boiled milk & water to the Aval/Beaten Rice and cook this on a very low flame for about 5-8 minutes or until it is cooked.
• Now add in the powdered Rock Candy/ Sugar & Cardamoms and mix well until well combined.
• Pour in the  Saffron soaked milk and give a quick stir.
  
• Cook this on a low flame until it reaches the desired consistency.
• Finally, garnish Aval Kalkandu Pongal with ghee roasted Cashew Nuts & Raisins.
• Serve Aval Kalkandu Pongal hot.

AVAL KALKANDU PONGAL

NOTES:

• Use the thick variety of Aval/Beaten Rice for this recipe.
• I have used the White Aval.  You can use the red variety too.

RED AVAL/BEATEN RICE/FLATTENED RICE

• Rock Candy/Sugar takes some time to melt, so adding it directly to the cooked Aval can make the pongal mushy.
• Alternatively, can melt the Rock Candy/Sugar in 1/2 a Cup of water and then add it into the Pongal.
  
• Can substitute Rock Sugar with normal White Sugar, Jaggery or Palm Sugar.
• Adjust the sweetness to suit your preference.
• You can add a few teaspoons of grated coconut if you prefer. Alternatively, can roast small bits of sliced coconuts in Ghee and add it along with Cashew Nuts & Raisins.
  
• Can substitute Milk with Coconut Milk too.
  

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Discovering the Tradition of Moonu Raja Pongal for Epiphany: A South Indian Surprise

    I have to admit, I was a complete novice when it came to the tradition of making Pongal for Epiphany. A few years ago, I stumbled upon a television programme that shed light on the unique celebration of Epiphany by the people of Karaikkal and Pondicherry, the charming French town in India. To say I was intrigued would be an understatement! Imagine my surprise when I learned that there was a dish crafted specifically to mark the day—a recipe that was as traditional as it was uniquely South Indian. Who knew that humble ingredients like raw rice, coconut milk, and sugar could hold such significance?

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Welcome the New Year with a Toast: Homemade Apple Wine Recipe

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Why Kerala is the Ultimate Destination for Christmas and New Year Celebrations

     If there's one place I always dream of visiting during the festive season, it’s Kerala — especially during Christmas or Onam. The charm of Kerala's celebrations is undeniable, and it truly feels like "home" no matter where I am in the world. After all the travel restrictions and the pandemic, I’ve found myself missing India more than ever. As my husband often says, “The true spirit of Christmas can only be felt once you step into God’s Own Country.”

Festive Christmas Fruit Cake with Royal Icing

Christmas Fruit Cake | Kerala Plum Cake with Royal Icing - A Festive Delight You Can’t Miss!"

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