Indian Cauliflower Manchurian Food

GOBI MANCHURIAN RECIPE | CAULIFLOWER MANCHURIAN

Steps:

• Clean 250 grams of gobi and cut the florets to medium size.
• Add them to 3 cups of hot water and rest for 5 minutes.
• Later drain the gobi completely to a colander or spread on a clean cloth until no moisture remains on the gobi.
• You can do this ahead and set aside. Any moisture in the gobi will cook it to soft and not crisp.
• Heat up the oil for deep frying on a medium heat.
• Meanwhile make the batter by adding cornstarch, all-purpose flour, red chilli powder, black pepper and salt to a mixing bowl.
• Mix and add water little by little as needed and make a free flowing lump free batter. The consistency has to be medium and not too thick or very runny. Adjust salt as needed by tasting the batter. (check video)
• Then add the gobi florets to the batter in batches, coat them well.
• When the oil turns hot enough, check by dropping a small amount of batter to the hot oil. The batter has to rise without browning. This is the correct temperature.
• Pick up each cauliflower floret with a spoon or fingers & gently drop them one by one to the hot oil. The flame has to be medium initially and should be increased slightly as more gobi is added. Reduce the flame to medium and fry until the florets turn golden and crisp. Keep stirring in between for even frying.
• Drain them to a kitchen tissue or a steel colander. Repeat the same steps of adding the rest of the cauliflower florets to the batter, coating them well and then frying them in hot oil until crisp.
• For extra crisp gobi manchurian, you can also refry the once fried gobi again in oil. I usually do not do it as frying them once is good enough to get very good crisp manchurian with this recipe.
• Mix together red chili powder with little water to a paste and keep aside. This step is optional and is used mainly for the red color.
• Heat 1½ tablespoons oil in a wide pan.
• When the oil turns hot, add garlic, ginger and green chilies. Saute for a minute or two.
• Then add spring onions & capsicum. Saute them on a high flame for 2 mins.
• Add soya sauce, red chili sauce, tomato ketchup, red chili paste, sugar and vinegar. (for gravy version refer the notes section below).
• Mix and add water. Mix and cook stirring and add pepper.
• Cook on a medium heat until the sauce thickens.
• Turn off the stove and check the taste.
• The sauce has to be slightly sour, sweet & hot. If needed you can adjust the salt & add more sauces as well.
• Allow the sauce to cool for 1 to 2 mins.
• Add the fried cauliflower and stir gently to coat the gobi well with the manchurian sauce.
• Garnish gobi manchurian with spring onion greens.
• Serve immediately as a appetizer or as a side with noodles or fried rice.

AIR-FRYER GOBI MANCHURIAN (INDIAN CHINESE CAULIFLOWER)

Steps:

• For the cauliflower: In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, onion and bell pepper. Drizzle with the vegetable oil and sprinkle with the salt and turmeric. Stir until the cauliflower is well coated.
• Place the cauliflower in the air-fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, stirring the cauliflower halfway through the cooking time.
• Meanwhile, for the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and ginger.
• Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over and toss well to combine. Serve immediately.

MANCHURIAN CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F. Measure out all the spices onto a sheet pan. Place the pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until the spices begin to slightly smoke and turn a little brown. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool. When the spices are fully cooled, grind them in a spice grinder in batches, until all spices are completely ground. Mix them well and keep in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.
• Remove the outer green leaves and stems from the cauliflower, and cut the head down the middle in an X to make four wedges. Lay the wedges cut-side down and make thin cross-sectional slices of each piece. After cutting a cauliflower wedge about halfway, turn the piece and chop the rest of the wedge into bite-size florets. This cutting technique provides different textures of cauliflower.
• Peel the carrot and cut it on the bias into thin slices about 2 inches long.
• Halve and peel the onion. Cut half moon slices of onion.
• Mix all the vegetables together and season with the Mustard Fenugreek Masala, black salt, chili powder, and kosher salt. Set the vegetables aside for 2 to 4 hours.
• Combine the tomato paste, sugar, vinegar, ginger, and chili powder in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
• Combine the flour and cornstarch in a large bowl. Pour 5 cups of water into the bowl a cup at a time and mix with a large whisk until a thick runny pancake batter consistency is reached.
• Heat the oil for deep-frying to 300°F in a heavy-bottom pot. Check the temperature with a thermometer. Dip the cauliflower mix into the batter in batches and drop into the hot oil. Use a mesh "spider" or slotted spoon to move the cauliflower mixture around to keep it from forming large clumps. When the mixture begins to lightly brown-about 3 minutes-remove and place the cauliflower on paper towels to drain any excess oil. Continue cooking the cauliflower mixture in batches. Compost any excess batter.
• Increase the heat in the fryer to 375°F. Check the temperature with a thermometer. Drop the fried cauliflower mix back into the hot oil for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Remove the cauliflower from the oil. In batches, toss the cauliflower mix in a metal bowl with the sweet and sour sauce. Garnish with the cilantro.

GOBI MANCHURIAN (CAULIFLOWER IN A SWEET SOUR SPICY SAUCE)

Steps:

• Cut the cauliflower into medium to large size florets & wash them thoroughly. Allow them to dry completely before adding them to the batter. If there is any water remaining in the florets it will make the batter runny.
• Mix all batter ingredients together. Add the water last, slowly to create a fairly thick batter. Add the dry cauliflower florets & mix well so that each floret gets well coated with the batter. Marinate for between 30 minutes to 4 hours.
• When ready to make the dish, heat oil in a deep sided pan on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium and add the florets a few at a time deep frying until golden brown and crispy. Don't fry them on high flame as the cauliflower needs to be cooked from inside too.
• Remove on absorbent paper to drain any excess oil. Continue frying the remaining florets in similar manner. Keep these crunchy florets aside.
• In a small container, mix the soy sauce, ketchup, sriracha sauce and white vinegar. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a large frying pan or skillet. Add ginger, garlic paste and white part of the spring onions. Saute for two minutes then add the sauce. Mix well and saute for 1 min until the sauce thickens. Add 1/2 tsp sesame seeds (reserve 1/2 tsp sesame seeds for garnishing) along with the salt & pepper, to taste.
• Just before serving, increase the heat to high and add the crunchy florets into the sauce. Stir fry for 2 mins so that the florets get well coated with the sauce. Garnish with the spring onion greens and remaining sesame seeds. Serve hot.