Name: Veg Crispy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ⅔ cup Cauliflower, small florets; ⅓ cup Baby Corn, cut diagonally; ⅓ cup Button Mushrooms, quartered; ⅓ cup Green Bell Pepper, cut into square petals; ⅓ cup Corn Flour, for the batter; 2¾ tbsp All-Purpose Flour, maida; ⅓ tsp Ground Black Pepper; ⅔ tsp Salt, divided; ⅓ cup Water, ice cold, adjust for batter; as needed Cooking Oil, for deep frying; 1 tbsp Garlic, finely minced; ⅔ tsp Ginger, finely minced; 1⅓ Green Chili Pepper, slit; 1⅓ tbsp Schezwan Sauce, readymade or homemade; ⅔ tsp Soy Sauce, dark; ⅔ tsp Vinegar; 1⅓ tbsp Spring Onion Greens, chopped

35 mintotal

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Spicy

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Method

Make the batter: in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornflour, all-purpose flour (maida), black pepper and some of the salt. Add ice-cold water a little at a time, whisking well, to get a smooth batter thick enough to cling to the vegetables.
Drive frying oil to a robust medium-high thermal threshold within a massive commercial kadhai.
Dip the raw cauliflower florets, diagonally cut baby corn and quartered mushrooms into the batter, coating each piece completely. Lower them carefully into the hot oil in loose batches so the oil does not lose its heat.
Deep-fry for 5-6 minutes. They are ready only when the coating turns very crisp and light golden. Lift them out with a wire skimmer and drain on kitchen paper.
5–6 min
Make the glaze: heat a little oil in a wide wok over high heat. Flash-fry the crushed garlic, ginger and slit chillies, tossing quickly for about 10 seconds to bring out the aroma.
10 sec
Add the raw capsicum petals to the wok. Stir-fry over high heat for 30 seconds so they keep their bite.
30 sec
Throttle the thermal input. Swiftly blast the concentrated Schezwan sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and a micro-pinch of salt into the wok. Force a rapid homogenization. (The absolute omission of external water is mandatory to maintain a hyper-dry, sticky glaze).
Instantaneously barrage the wok with the entire payload of hyper-crisp, deep-fried vegetables.
Turn the heat back to high. Toss well so the hot, garlicky Schezwan sauce coats every piece in a sticky glaze without soaking into the crust.
Finalize the structure with an aggressive scattering of fresh spring onion greens. Serve with absolute thermal urgency.

How to tell it's done

A loud, glassy crunch on every piece of vegetable, all of it wrapped in a fiery, thick, tangy chilli-garlic paste.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: What makes a real 'Veg Crispy' is ice-cold batter meeting hot oil, and no water at all in the final sauce. The glaze should stay dry and very sticky so it clings to the fried coating instead of soaking it.

What to serve it with

The definitive Mumbai culinary export. Commands the table as a legendary standalone bar snack or functions as a hyper-textural side to classic Fried Rice.

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Ingredients