Sweet & Sour Dish

Ingredients

1 green pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 carrot, shredded
2 tomatoes, quartered
5 water chestnuts, peeled and quartered
6 Vegetarian pork chop, sliced thickly
Tomato ketup
1/2 cup lemon juice
water

Method

1. Preheat the pan with oil, slightly brown the vegetarian pork chop and set aside. In the same pan, stir fry the tomatoes for 1-2 minutes. Add in the carrot shred and pepper chunks, swirl and let it coat with oil.

2. Pour in the brown vegetarian pork chop and water chestnuts and mix well.

3. Add in the tomato ketup, lemon juice and sufficient water. Stir and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

4. Off fire and serve hot.

Lek Tow Suan

Ingredients:

500g split green bean, washed and soaked for four hours
4 cups water
6-8 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
200g caster sugar
2 1/2 tbsp sweet potato flour (55g) mixed with 100ml water
4-6 pieces you tiou (dough fritters), cut into 1 cm pieces

Method

1. Rinse soaked split green beans and drain.

2. Place a muslin cloth in a steaming tray. Put the drained split green beans on it. Cover and steam for about 20 mins or until the beans are cooked.

3. Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Put in the pandan leaves and the sugar and boil till the sugar dissovles.

4. Add the sweet potato flour mixed with water and cook, stirring all the time till it thickens.

5. Transfer the steamed split green beans and mix well.

6. Serve with cut you tiou pieces.

Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients:

100g Chinese cabbage
100g carrots
100g French beans
5-6 dried Chinese mushrooms
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp water

Preparation

Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for 20-30 minutes. Squeeze them dry, discard the hard stalks and cut into thin slices. Trim the french beans and cut the Chinese cabbage and carrots into slices.

Method

Heat the oil in a preheated pan. Add the chinese cabbage, carrots, mange-tout peas and dried mushroom and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the salt and sugar and stir for another minute or so with a little water if necessary. Do not overcook or the vegetables will lose their crunchiness. Serve hot.

Note: Alternatively you can use any ingredients that you can offer.

Potato Curry

Ingredients
(serve 4)

4 tbsp vegetable oil
500 g potatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 gound coriander
2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
1 fresh red chilli, chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled and quartered
75 g frozen peas
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
300ml water
shredded fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a cooking frying pan. Add the potato chunks and fry over a low heat, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the tumeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, ginger and chilli to the pan, mixing the spices into the vegetables until they are will coated. Fry over a low heat heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes, peas, chopped fresh corriander and water to the curry mixture.

4. Cook the potato curry over a low heat for 30-40 minutes or until the potaotes are tender and completely cooked through.

5. Garnish the potato curry with fresh coriander and serve.

(Note: Alternatively you can partially cooked the potatoes first and reserve the stock for the curry mixture. )

Meat is expensive in India and much of the population is vegetarian, so the cuisine is typified by tasty ways of cooking with vegetables.

Potato Fritters

Ingredients

100 g plain flour
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
some water
350 g potatoes, peeled
1/2 carrot, peeled
vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Method

1. Place the flour in a bowl, stir in the spices and salt and make a well in the centre. Add the water and mix to form a fairly thick batter.

2. Coarsely grate the potatoes and carrot. Place the potatoes in a sieve and rinse well under cold running water. Drain and squeeze dry, then stir them into the batter and mix to combine thoroughly.

3. Heat about 5mm/1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large frying pan and add a few tablespoonfuls of the mixture at a time, flattening each one to form a thin cake. Fry over a low heat, turning frequently, for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

4. Drain the fritters on absorbent kitchen paper and keep them hot while frying the remaining mixture in the same way. Serve the potato fritters with chilli sauce.


These are incredibly simple to make and sure to be popular served as a tempting snack.

Brussels Sprout Casserole

Ingredients

500 g Brussels sprouts
100 g shredded black fungus
1 carrot, slice slanting
1 cake beancurd, cut into cubes
200 g fresh white mushrooms
3 tbsp vegetable oil
vegetable cube
1 tsp sesame oil
water

Method

1. Wash the Brussels sprouts and discard all the tough outer leaves. Trim the roots and make a cross-cut at the base.

2. Heat the pan with oil, slightly brown the beancurd and set aside. In the same pan add the sprouts and stir for 1-1/2 minutes. When all the sprouts are well covered with oil, add in the fungus and carrots and mushrooms.

3. Add sufficient water and seasoning. Transfer it to a casserole with the beancurd and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. Off fire, and serve hot.