Gobi Manchurian
India and China go to dinner together in this Indo-Chinese gobi manchurian.
Servings: 4
Calories: 264kcal
Ingredients
The batter
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 2 green chilies - finely chopped
- 2 tsp garlic ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup water plus a couple tablespoons
Gobi Manchurian
- 3 cups cauliflower florets - not too big
- 3 tbsp vegetable or other neutral oil
- 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
- 2 green chilies seeded and chopped
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- 1/4 onion chopped
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chili sauce - This is the spicy ketchup stuff. I use Sri Lankan
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt to taste
- 1 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water - you will not need all of it.
- oil to deep fry
Instructions
Parboil the cauliflower
- Bring enough water to cover the cauliflower to a boil. Add some salt. Like you were making pasta. Cook the cauliflower for 3-4 minutes. You want it just barely tender. Remove from the water and set aside to cool.
Make the batter
- Combine all the batter ingredients except the water. Stir to mix thoroughly.
- Add 3/4 cup water and mix to create a smooth batter. I like the batter a little thin so I add a couple extra tablespoons of water. You want the cauliflower coated with batter. You don't want them to turn out like sweet and sour chicken balls in a bad Chinese restaurant. All batter and no filling is not good.
Make the sauce
- Pre-heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the oil, red pepper and onion. Fry aggressively. You want the peppers to blister a bit if you can. This is taking a page out of the jalfrezi playbook. A little bit smoky taste adds a nice touch. You are cooking them until the peppers are soft and the onions start to char a bit. Add the green chilies towards the end. Maybe the last minute or so.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic ginger paste. Stir until it stops spluttering - about 30 seconds.
- Mix in the soy, rice wine vinegar and chili sauce. Stir to combine. Add 1/4 cup water (not the water with the cornstarch) and bring to a simmer.
- At this point you need to decide how sticky you want the sauce. I usually add about a tablespoon of the cornstarch water mix. That works out to a little less than a teaspoon of cornstarch. If you want really thick and gloppy add more.
- Add about a tablespoon of the cornstarch mixture. Bring to a simmer. Now decide if that works for you. If not add a bit more. Do not add it all. You will make glue.
- Taste your sauce for salt. It probably needs about 1/4 tsp.
Get ready to deep fry
- Heat enough oil to deep fry (about 3 inches deep) in a large pot. A dutch oven works well. Pre-heat the oil to 335-350F. Use a candy/frying thermometer.
Cook the cauliflower
- Mix the cauliflower with the batter. Be gentle. Add about half the cauliflower to the oil. Regulate the heat to try to keep it around 325-350F.
- The cauliflower is done before it goes into the oil so you are really just cooking the batter. Remove the cauliflower when it gets golden brown. Place it on a wire rack on a cookie sheet.
- Repeat with the other half of the battered cauliflower.
- At this point stop and taste one of the fritters. Decide if you just want to stop here next time. Serve it up with a little tamarind chutney. I really like this for an appetizer.
Finish it off
- Re-heat your sauce. Add the cauliflower fritters and toss to combine.
- Garnish with green onions (more traditional) or little bits of green chili (tastier). Serve some lemon wedges along side if you want a bit more tang.
Nutrition
Serving: 4servings | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 1180mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 615IU | Vitamin C: 62.3mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1.7mg