Sweet and Sour Vegetables

Indo Chinese food has always been a favorite at home and with so many variations which can be done in this cuisine, there is no dearth of recipes to come up with. This sweet and sour vegetables is a very old recipe of mine and I have been making it since a long time. Every time I clean my refrigerator and the half of that red bell pepper or a few of those mushrooms needs to be cooked soon, this recipe comes in handy. Throw in which ever vegetable you have at hand and a few sauces along and you have a delicious meal ready with no effort. This dish gets it's sweet taste from the brown sugar and the sourness comes from the vinegar and lemon juice. Pair it with some steamed rice and trust me you will have a restaurant style Indo Chinese dish to relish in the comfort of your home. Here is how to make this recipe.

All you need is

Red capsicum - 2 ( cut into cubes )
Yellow capsicum - 2 ( cut into cubes )
Green capsicum - 1 ( cut into cubes )
Mushroom - 200 g ( sliced )
Carrot - 2 ( sliced )
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 2 tbsp ( chopped )
Ginger - 1 tbsp ( finely chopped )
Tofu or Paneer - 200 g ( cut into cubes )
Peanuts - 1\4 cup
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Red chili sauce - 2 tbsp
Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
Red chili paste - 1 tbsp
MSG - 1 tsp ( optional )
Salt to taste
White pepper powder - 1\2 tsp
Cornflour - 2 tbsp
Green onions for garnishing

Method of preparation

Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a wok.
When the oil is very hot, add ginger and garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Add the chopped vegetables and saute for a few minutes on high heat.
Add tofu and peanuts.
Add 2 cups of water in the wok.
Add soy sauce, red chili sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, red chili paste, MSG, salt and white pepper powder and let the mixture come to a boil.
Mix cornflour with a little water and add it in the wok.
Cook till the sauce thickens.
Garnish with spring onion greens.
Serve with either plain rice or Pineapple fried rice as I did. Recipe of Pineapple fried rice coming soon.