GOBI MANCHURIAN / CAULIFLOWER MANCHURIAN

Indo-Chinese cuisine; is an immensely popular and widespread cuisine in India. They are actually not authentic Chinese dish but a creation inspired from Chinese cooking, seasoned to suit Indian taste palate. These are ever popular dishes that aren’t just served in restaurants big and small but also by street vendors. Being one of the favorite kind of cuisine in our home,i cook lot of indo-Chinese and i will be posting the recipes over time. For today its GobiManchurian; crispy cauliflower fritters tossed in sweet sour spicy Manchurian sauce. Gobi Manchurian is a starter/appetizer falling under indo- Chinese category that is equally enjoyed by every age group among all classes of people.

My first exposure to Gobi Manchurian was when I was in class 7.One of our friend forced us to try them at a restaurant. My mom was initially skeptical tasting these red color Manchurian .She was doubting was it really a veg dish. But since it was a pure veg restaurant, we pricked and tasted our first bite of Manchurian Wow!!! They were amazing…Since then, this juicy spicy lip smacking Manchurians have remained one of my all time favorites.

Manchurian used to be the first word my eyes would search for while going through a menu card – be it cauliflower, baby corn, mushroom, paneer, nuggets or any other veggie. But now no more. Why have them at restaurants when it can be prepared at home ?I agree that they are high on calories but once in a while forget that word and just relish want you crave for .Ive been preparing Manchurian since a long time and over the trials ive perfected them. It does take some time to prepare them, but it’s worth the effort. The best thing about home made Manchurian is that – no MSG, no artificial colors, no additives – pure homemade, hygienic, lip smacking Manchurians suiting perfectly to your taste buds. Next time do make this restaurant style Gobi Manchurian right in you kitchen and surprise every one…

GOBI MANCHURIAN

Smitha Kalluraya

Popular indo Chinese starter

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Course Snack

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4

Ingredients

 

• 1 small size cauliflower

For batter :

• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp Maida All purpose flour
• 1 tbsp Rice flour, ( optional ) ; for extra crispiness
• 1/4 tsp Soya sauce
• 1 tsp Garlic paste
• 1 tsp Green Chilly, very finely chopped or paste
• 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder, (optional) ; adds some color to the batter
• Salt, - as per taste

For the Manchurian Sauce:

• 1 Big onion, finely chopped
• 2 - 4 Spring Onions, greens- finely chopped
• 6 - 7 Garlic flakes, ,very finely chopped
• 2 Green Chilli, - slit length wise
• 1 small capsicum
• Coriander leaves, to garnish - little (optional )
• 1 tsp Vinegar
• 2 tsp Soya sauce
• 2 tsp Red Chilli Sauce
• 3 tsp Tomato Sauce / ketchup
• 1 tsp Red chilli powder
• 1 - 2 tsp cornflour, (Optional) .See NOTES below .
• 1 - 2 tbsp Oil
• Salt, little

Instructions

 

• Frying Cauliflower florets:
• Clean and cut cauliflower to Small - medium bite size florets.
  
• In a large saucepan / vessel boil water. When the water boils, switch off the flame and add salt and a pinch of turmeric. To that throw cauliflower and keep it closed for abt 5-10 mins.This step is always important while cooking cauliflower as it ensures 100 % cleanliness.Drain water and keep aside.
• Mix all ingredients except oil mentioned under "batter " with little water and make a medium consistency batter (like dosa batter).
  
• Heat oil in a frying pan or kadai.
• When oil is hot , dip each cauliflower florets into the batter . Make sure that each part is quoted well with the batter.Deep fry on medium flame till they are golden brown and crisp.Take them out from frying pan and remove excess oil.
  
• Repeat the process with the remaining cauliflower florets.You might require 2-3 batches to fry the above quantity cauliflower. So have some patience and dont overload the frying pan to finish it off soon. By doing so , the end result will not be crispy but soggy. Hence frying cauliflower is a very important step.
  
• After all the florets have been fried, proceed to make manchurian sauce.
• Preparing Manchurian Sauce
• Whisk cornflour in 1/4-1/2 cup of water till it dissolves and no lumps are formed.Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a large wok. When the oil is piping hot, throw in garlic, green chilli and onion. Saute for 1 -2 mins till lightly brown. Then add capsicum. Saute for another 1 -2 mins. Capsicum should retain its crunchiness. The flame should be high in this process .
  
• Simmer the flame. Add all the sauces 1 by 1. Add salt ,red chilli powder and cornflour water mixture. Mix well.If you feel, you can add few more tbsps of water.Cook for 2-3 minutes,let it boil so that sauce consistency is obtained.Manchurian sauce is ready.
  
• 
• Preparing Gobi Manchurian
• Keep the flame on high .Add the fried gobi pieces to the manchurian gravy ,combine and toss them on a high flame for 1-2 minutes.Add chopped spring onions.Toss once more .Switch off the flame.
  
• Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve immediately and enjoyy piping hot crispy spicy Gobi Manchurian.
  

Notes

1. If you want dry gobhi manchurian , then omit the step of adding cornflour mixed in water. Alos dont add any extra water. Just toss the fried gobhi pcs in the combined mix of sauces.
2. It can take a while to cauliflower to brown up.Be patient and don't remove from oil soon.Also don't overcrowd the frying pan .
3. Do not put fried cauliflower florets into the manchurian sauce unless you are serving and eating immediately.Put them into the gravy right before you serve , else theyl turn soggy.
4. Chinese cooking is all about tossing everything in high flame and retaining the crunchiness of veggies.So do remember this.