Spicy salt & pepper vegetables
Crispy fried vegetables in a fiery Indo-Chinese masala
Cauliflower, carrots, okra, capsicum and French beans dusted in cornflour and fried crisp, then tossed in a hot masala of onion, spring onion, green and red chilli and garlic. A crunchy, fiery restaurant-style starter. Serve hot with sweet & sour sauce and hot chilli sauce.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 7 oz cauliflowersmall florets
- 7 oz carrotsjulienned
- 7 oz okra (lady fingers)julienned
- 2 medium capsicumsjulienned
- 7 oz French beans2.5 cm pieces
- 1 tsp saltor to taste
- 5 tbsp cornflour
- oilfor deep frying
For the masala
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 medium onionsfinely chopped
- 3 ½ oz spring onions1 cup, finely chopped
- 4 hot green chilliesfinely chopped
- 3 red chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 ½ tsp garlic paste
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (optional)not in the book; add for the pepper in the name
- ½ tsp saltor to taste
- ½ tsp sugaror to taste
For the seasoning
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- ½ tsp MSG (ajinomoto) (optional)
To serve
- sweet & sour sauce and hot chilli sauce (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (9)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Sprinkle 7 oz cauliflower, 7 oz carrots, 7 oz okra (lady fingers), 2 medium capsicums and 7 oz French beans with a little water, then with 1 tsp salt, and dust with 5 tbsp cornflour, tossing so every piece is coated.
Step 2: Heat oil to 350°F and deep fry the vegetables in batches for 3–4 minutes, until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
12 minStep 3: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok, add 2 medium onions and sauté for 2 minutes.
2 minStep 4: Add 3 ½ oz spring onions, 4 hot green chillies, 3 red chillies, 1 ½ tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp sugar and cook for 1 minute.
1 minStep 5: Mix 1 tsp white vinegar and ½ tsp MSG (ajinomoto).
Step 6: Add the fried vegetables and the seasoning to the masala and toss quickly over a high heat. Serve hot with sweet & sour sauce and hot chilli sauce.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does spicy salt & pepper vegetables take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of cauliflower?
- Broccoli, same weight.
- What can I use instead of carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Indian
Yaki onigiriGrilled rice balls
Yaki onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are rice balls grilled until they form a crisp, toasty crust, then brushed with soy sauce glaze. They are eaten all over Japan, at izakaya, at barbecues and from the freezer section, as a snack or with miso soup. The inside stays soft and steamy while the outside crackles. Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: let the shaped rice balls dry for 10 minutes before they go in the pan. A drier surface forms a better crust and won't stick, and the glaze goes on only at the end so it doesn't burn.
Japanese
Taiwanese grilled corn
At Raohe and Shilin night markets the grilled-corn stalls are easy to find: look for the queue and the smoky, sweet smell. Cobs are par-cooked, then turned slowly over charcoal while the cook brushes them with a dark glaze of sacha sauce, thick soy paste, garlic and chilli, layer after layer, until the kernels are sticky, slightly charred and deeply savoury. It is eaten hot from a paper sleeve while walking the market. Sacha (shacha) sauce, a Taiwanese barbecue paste, usually contains dried fish and shrimp; vegetarian sacha is sold in Asian shops. Contains soy, wheat and fish. Chef's tip: brush thin coats and turn often; one thick coat burns before the corn chars.
Taiwanese