I emphasis on pure because Dad says that there can't be a status of pure vegetarianism, it's either you are or you are not! I remind him gently that some include eggs in vegetarian diet. And this has caused me being ever precarious to check the labels or ask couple of times to confirm if the dish offered contains eggs in disguise or not.
Necessity is the mother of creation, somebody said right! I finally resorted to finding out ways to taste those temptations. Since I don't know how that original dish should taste, I conclude that whatever I created substituting the eggs, are the best created dishes! Talk about inflated egos
Coming to the recipe for today, I know many of you must be making this White sauce regularly. This was one of those first recipes I started making trying to replace egg based recipes. Works so very well all the time.
I use this for Burgers, Pastas. Previously I used to make this and store.
Basic Recipe for White Sauce:
All purpose flour / Maida - 1 cup
Milk - 3 cups
Butter 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Method to prepare:
Mix the flour with milk, add salt and pepper. The mix should be watery and without lumps.
When the sauce starts boiling remove, and allow it to cool before storing it in a bowl.
Once it cooled down, I pulsed it couple of times to get a smooth thick sauce.
I only added salt and pepper, but you can add as many other spices you want.
It really gave such a wonderful taste to the burgers!
Check for the Vegetarian Burger Step by Step Recipe, Indian Style at Beyond Curries, which happens to be the 100th post!!!
The Short (dis)Order Cook says
Interesting. You have a sort of reverse bechemel. I'll have to try this sometime.
Rachana Kothari says
Thats a helpful post!
notyet100 says
nice post,,..:-)
nivedita says
Valli,
This is the most useful post which I never thought I could make it at home. Thank you so much!
I have bookmarked it to make it.
J says
lovely sauce..use it often in pasta.. loved ur burger too. Cheers
Shama Nagarajan says
delicious yummy sauce
simply.food says
White sauce very versatile nad can be used in many dishes.Lovely step by step instructions.
Uma says
that's a nice post. I am also like those people who are ok with egg if they won't see it (like in cakes, pizzas etc.) 🙂
Jayashree says
Valli, why do you say it is difficult to be a pure vegetarian in India? Indian cuisine is predominantly veg-friendly and nowhere else do you get to see such a wide variety of vegetarian dishes.
Srivalli says
Thank you Rachel, Rachana
Jayashree, I meant when we eat in Non Veg hotels we are never sure of it. But then we have many Veg hotels, unfortunately we don't visit them often. Maybe I will change it to mean what I meant..thanks for pointing it out. I was thinking differently of course!..:))..
http://elaichietcetera.wordpress.com/ says
We have a saying here: "Anything tastes good in a white sauce"... 🙂
Do you want some tips from the white-sauce pro? (I used to make these constantly)
Srivalli says
, Thanks Priyanka,
Nive, I am glad, of course you can spice it up more too..:)
Pel, I can certainly use more tips..do share away..:))
Happy Cook says
True white sauce is something i make here regularly especially for making sauces for fishes etc........
Next time try adding a bit of grated nutmeg, it will give a nice taste too.
Agree with the shrort about the revrse bechemel sauce.
Jennifer says
Srivalli, I love this sauce!!!
In Indian hotels there in Chennai what is this sauce served with? How does one eat it?
Here in US, this sauce can be served for breakfast with egg/and biscuit. I like to pour this sauce (Gravy) on the biscuit (bread, not tea cookie!). In Restaurants here, this sauce often has meat (pork) in it, rather than egg, so I have to make it at home.
Fathima says
Was looking for a white sauce recipe... thanks for sharing...
jayasree says
Agree with you regd getting veg food in a non-veg hotel. Have had a bad experience since we were not sure if they gave us veg inspite of specific about it. When confirmed, it was indeed mixed up.
Tina says
Very interesting recipe..Looks so creamy...
sahiti says
As you are on a restricted diet...I'd like to suggest you to replace maida and butter( both Big No...No) with whole wheat flour and refind oil.....It won't effect the taste much.
Srivalli says
Thanks friends!
Finla, will surely try that way..I normally make by roasting the flour in butter first, but this time to save the work of getting lumpless mix, I did this. But then this may not be the authentic way of making White sauce, this is something I have come to make to adapt my taste..:)
Jennifer, I am not sure if this sauce gets served just as such in hotels here. maybe in multicuisine restauarant it is served. Mostly I see it being served with fish fries etc. but then that may have egg in it, I am not sure. Like your suggestion..will try it sometime..
sahiti, thanks for the suggestion. As I said I made this for my daughter..so I felt it was ok with that..:))
Mamatha says
srivalli,
Interesting recipe, Like to try it
One more thing, dont answer if u dont want to, How come u prepare so amny yummy Non veg dishes and yourself became vegetarian , what made u to be vegetarian, dont u feel like eating when u cook, i mean NV dishes?
Mamatha
Nags says
very helpful!
Srivalli says
Hello Mamatha, sorry for the late reply..thought I did..
Thank you for your thoughts, I became vegetarian when I was about 16 or so. Basically I was never a meat person so converting was easy. Only I missed eggs for a while..now it is not a problem and I don't miss any of it. No I have never felt the want to eat, not even fish which was my favorite when I was eating.
These days cooking non veg almost feels like any other vegetable only those that I don't eat..heheh..
steff bridger says
Great easy recipe. Just made it with my 17 yr old daughter to go in her vegetarian lasagna. Another cheap idea for her to take to University in September. Well chuffed. 😀
Lizy Benzigar says
Can the sauce be stored?
Srivalli says
Yes it can be refrigerated for a week.