Gobi Manchurian: No, you won't find any of this in China

         One of the most popular starters in India; Gobi Manchurian is a brilliant recipe culminating from the Indo-Chinese style of cooking. It's fusion cooking at its best and Bangalore (India) is one of the places where I have found some of the best tasting variations of this dish. And you are right... next time, all you Gobi Manchurian fans decide to order this dish while on your holiday in China: be aware you can't get any of these. However, there are pockets in Hong Kong where you might be able to taste some of these crispy cauliflower delights, particularly in areas where the Indian community has its presence. 

         It's well known that Kolkatta is the home to a substantial Chinese community. And this where they whisked up a culinary genius of Indo-Chinese style of cooking. The style marks the use of locally available and common produce and spices, and beautifully adapting the same to Chinese way of cooking... like use of high heat to stir fry, use of batter mixes, soya sauce, garlic, ginger and spring onion...  

         In the UK, I have been on a pursuit for the best Gobi Manchurian... Alas, in vain... until  yesterday. Yes, you can enjoy a well prepared dish; very much similar to the dish you would find in India. For the foodies, pay a visit to this restaurant called Saravana Bhavan in London for some mouth watering treats... this place is a good one, especially for South Indian dishes. 


         So, here we are... re-creating Gobi Manchurian in our very own kitchen. Serve it dry as a starter and trust me when I say... people will simply love it!

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients:

20                 Cauliflower florets (say golf ball sized)

1 medium     Onion, cut into large chunks and layers  

                    separate

                    layers

2 tsp             Garlic, finely chopped

1 handful      Spring onions, chopped

1 tsp             Ginger, julienne

1 tsp             Fresh Coriander, finely chopped

1 medium     Green bell pepper, julienne

1/2 tsp         Pepper, freshly ground

3 tbsp           Dark soy sauce

1 tbsp           Hot and sweet sauce or tomato ketchup

4 tbsp           Cornflour

5 tbsp           Plain flour or all purpose flour

1/4 tsp         Red chili flakes (adjust as you prefer)

                    Oil for deep frying and a little for the sauce

                    Salt to taste

Method:

Deep fried cauliflower florets

1. In a large bowl, take some boiling water; add 1 tsp salt. Mix up and tip in the cauliflower florets. Keep submerged for around 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry the florets using a clean kitchen towel. 
2. Next up-prepare the batter: Shift cornflower and plain flower (Cornflower:3 tbsp+5 tbsp pain flower). Add room temperature water to form a thick batter (its best to use a little water at a time to get to the required consistency). Dip a tiny cauliflower floret into it and check if the floret holds the batter. Add more water if required. Then add in 1 tbsp soya sauce and salt to taste. 
3. Fry up: Heat enough oil to deep fry florets individually. Today I am going to use my wok. Now dip the cauliflower florets into the batter; no hurrying up here-go one at a time and carefully deep fry the florets in batches. Make sure the florets are evenly cooked. On low to medium heat, I take approximately 3-4 mins to get perfectly golden crispy florets. Remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper to drain excess oil. Repeat  until all florets are done with.
4. The hot and sweet sticky sauce: First lets take about 70 ml water (or vegetable stock), add 1 tbsp cornflower and the remaining soy sauce. Whisk it up ensuring there aren't any lumps.  Love Bytes: Rem'er you can store the oil that was used for deep frying. All you have to do is transfer it to an airtight container when it has cooled a bit. Do not put on the lids until its completely cooled to the room temperature :)
5. For the finale... I am using the same wok; leaving bout 1 tbsp of oil in it. On medium high flame, I tip in the separated onion  layers, chopped garlic, red chili flakes.. Mix well, then add the bell green pepper and the ginger julienne. One quick mix... pour the cornflower and soy sauce mixture. Keep mixing, so that the sauce is evenly cooked and starts thickening. Do this for a minute. Then tip in the cauliflower florets. Mix well, ensuring the florets are coated with the sauce. In about 3 minutes time; the dish is ready. 
6. To serve: Tip in the ketchup or the hot and sweet chilli sauce to the dish; mix well and for the final garnish sprinkle chopped spring onions and freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Love Bytes: Know your soya sauce- Soya sauce is typically make from fermented soya beans, water, barley or wheat flour. Soya or Soy sauce is widely used in Chinese, Japanese and Asian cooking. Contrary to popular beliefs, there are 3 variations of this condiment: the light, dark and the very dark variety. The light soya sauce is lighter in colour, watery and saltier then the other two. The dark variety is thicker and more flavoursome. The thickest version is the Indonesian kedjap made from black soya beans. Hence, if you are using light soya sauce... go frugal with your seasoning :)

Soya Sauce; picture from www.bbc.co.uk/food

Do try this one out and I'd love to read your comments. ...Love to all and happy cooking.... 

Maverick Cook :)