Mock Watermelon Mint Mojito

 So...I had this mocktail at one of the restaurants and it was not the best . So I came home and made my own Mock Watermelon Mojito since I has all the ingredients for it and it was so super delicious. I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I did

Mock Watermelon Mint Mojito

Mock Watermelon Mint Mojito

Ingredients:

1. 2-3 cups of either frozen water melon or a water water melon which was in the fridge (to make it cold)
2. 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves + more for garnish
3. 1/2 tablespoon or more agave or your sweetener of choice (You can increase or decrease the quantity depending on how sweet your water melon is)
4. a pinch of salt
5. 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice
6. 2 slices of pickled jalapenos (if you want to make a spicy Mojito)

Take out the seeds from the water melon and crush it or grind it into juice along with the mint and salt and lime juice. In a glass crush the jalapenos if using. Add the sweetener liquid and add the watermelon juice and stir to combine. Garnish with mint and serve or if you want some fizz add a cup of lemon-lime soda. Enjoy on a hot summer day

Steamed vegetable manchurian

 Vegetable manchurian, gobi manchurian any type of manchurian is one of my favorite Indo-Chinese dishes. I think may be just the presence of Soya sauce in it makes it "chinese" because other than that there is nothing "Chinese" about it. Anyway, did I tell you it is one of my fav dishes?

But making it was always such a challenge. If you do not put enough flour in it and make it into balls with good amount of pressure, and if the oil for deep frying was not at the right temperature, they all dissolve into the oil :(

Then I found this dish online and gooshhhh its a game changer.  The "manchurian balls" now become squares and instead of deep frying them, these delicious veggie mancgurian squares are steamed and then shallow fried (or not) and then add them to a delicious silky sauce.

Steamed Vegetable Manchurian (Steamed vegetable balls in a spicy Indo-Chinese sauce)

Steamed vegetable manchurian

Ingredients

1. 2 cups thinly sliced or grated cabbage
2. 1 medium large carrot grated
3. 2 tablespoon spoons canned black beans drained (optional)
4. 2 tablespoon grated spoons paneer (optional)
5. 1 big or 2 medium cauliflower florets grated
6. 1/2 each of teaspoon salt, chilli powder, baking soda, cumin, carom seeds
7. 1 teaspoon chat masala, lemon juice, sesame seeds
8. 1/4 cup corn starch
9. 1/2 cup all purpose flour
10. oil for applying to the baking dish
11. 2 stalks green onions (green parts only) chopped
12. handful of finely chopped coriander

Ingredients for sauce

1. 1/2 cup each of finely chopped onions, bell pepper
2. 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3. 1 tablespoon each of chilli garlic sauce, soya sauce, white vinegar, oil
4. 1 stalk green onion + the white part from the stalk above chopped
5. 2 teaspoons corn starch +1 cup water

Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to cabbage +carrots+ cauliflower mix and set aside for 10 minutes. Squeeze as much water from the vegetables as possible.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix is gentle. Heat about 1 -2 inches water in a wide pan. In a dish which will fit in the wide pan, apply some oil and add the vegetable mix and spread it evenly. Cover and steam on medium low flame for 15 minutes.

Take the dish out and set it aside for 10 minutes to cool and cut into bite size squares.

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions for 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and fry for 3 more minutes. Add garlic and fry for 1 more minute. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir well and cook for 3 minutes. Add the manchurian pieces and mix well and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Garnish with green onions and cilantro and enjoy

NOTE: the manchurian pieces and be eaten dry without the sauce also. They are super delicios