Dish of Cauliflower Manchurian
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Cauliflower Manchurian


India, All   -   Gobi Manchurian
Makes:
Effort:
1-2/3:
DoAhead:  		 2 #
***
1 hr
Prep		 "Manchurian" is an Indo-Chinese fusion cooking style popular all over India. It has nothing to do with actual Manchuria. Intensely Indian in flavor. See also Comments.

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Cauliflower (1)

Manchurian Sauce  
-- Vegies
Onion
Garlic
Ginger root
Bell Pepper
Chili green (2)
Oil
-- Seasonings
Chili Garlic (3)
Tomato Sauce (4)
Sugar
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Chili Powder (5)
Salt
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Water

Batter
Flour
Cornstarch
Chili Powder (5)
Pepper blk
Salt
Water

Finish
Oil deep fry
-- Garnish
Scallions and/or
    Cilantro
-- Serve With
Rice - Basmati
    or Jasmine
Cauliflower   -   (25)
  1. Cut CAULIFLOWER into bite size florets. Measure is before cutting.
  2. Bring plenty of water to a boil. Stir in Cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes, no longer. Drain and refresh with Cold Water.
  3. Drain very well. Spread out on paper towels to dry. Set aside.
Manchurian Sauce   -   (40)
  1. Chop ONION small. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice GINGER very thin, cut slices into threads and chop threads fine. Chop PEPPER small. Chop CHILI fine. Mix All.
  2. Mix together all Seasonings items.
  3. In a sauté pan or similar, heat 1 T Oil. Stir in Vegies mix and fry stirring over moderate heat until Onions are translucent and Peppers softened, but no browning.
  4. Stir in Seasonings mix and continue to fry stirring for another 5 minutes.
  5. Stir in Water. Add more if needed to have a thick but pourable sauce. At this point you can keep warm, or let cool to be re-warmed when needed for the Cauliflower.
Batter   -   (10 min)
  1. Mix together all Batter items. Stir well. Cautiously add more water until your batter it similar to a thin pancake batter.
Finish   -   (20 min)
  1. For Garnish, chop Scallions and/or Cilantro.
  2. In a pan of sufficient size to hold all the Cauliflower, reheat Manchurian Sauce and keep warm.
  3. In a Wok, Kadhai, or other suitable pan, heat Oil to 370°F/188°C.
  4. Drop some of the Cauliflower into the Batter. Tumble to coat, then scoop them out with a sloted spoon and drop carefully into the hot Oil.
  5. Fry stirring until crispy and light golden. Remove from the oil with a Spider and place directly into the Manchurian Sauce. Repeat with more Cauliflower until all is done.
  6. Gently fold the Sauce over the Cauliflower to coat well.
  7. Garnish with Scallions and/or Cilantro. Serve hot with plenty of steamed Basmati or Jasmine Rice.
NOTES:

  1. Cauliflower

      Measure is before cutting. Cauliflower in India was developed from European varieties, but is now somewhat different. It tends to be light yellow to cream colored, and has a stronger flavor, but cooking qualities are similar. European types work well in Indian recipes.

  2. Green Chili:

      Indian Green Chilis are quite imperfectly available even here in Southern California. We generally use Serranos. Core and remove veins if you are very chili adverse.

  3. Chili Garlic Sauce:

      The easily available Huy Fong sauce will work fine. For details see Huy Fong Chili Sauces.

  4. Tomato Sauce:

      This should be a very simple sauce. My favorite is Faraon Spanish Style, which comes in convenient 8oz cans, but other simple sauces will also work.

  5. Chili Powder:

      What you use and how much is up to you. For very mild, Aleppo Mild. For not quite so mild, Kashmir or Aleppo Extra Hot. Beyond that, use your own best judgement. For details see our Chili Powders & Flake page.

  6. Comments:

      This recipe is divided into sections which can be treated as separate recipes. The first two can be done well ahead, but Batter and Finish are done together just before serving.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
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