Gobi Manchurian with Gravy

Ingredients

For Blanching Gobi

• 1 medium gobi (cauliflower) or 500 grams or 3 cups chopped cauliflower

• hot water as required, for blanching

Batter For Frying Gobi

• ¾ cup whole wheat flour

• 3 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch)

• 1 teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste or 1 teaspoon minced ginger-garlic

• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder

• ½ teaspoon black pepper powder

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

• salt as required

• ¾ cup water or add as required

For Frying Gobi

• 6 tablespoons oil

For Corn Flour Paste

• 1 tablespoon corn flour (corn starch)

• 2 tablespoons water

For Making Gobi Manchurian Gravy

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

• ½ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies

• ½ cup chopped spring onions, or 2 small to medium spring onions, chopped

• 1 teaspoon chopped celery, optional

• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or add as per your taste

• ½ tablespoon green chili sauce or red chili sauce

• ½ teaspoon black pepper powder

• 1.5 cups water or add as required

• ½ teaspoon sugar or add as required

• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or regular white vinegar or mirin or rice wine

• salt as required

• 2 tablespoons chopped spring onions

Instructions

Preparation

1. Firstly chop or break 500 grams or 1 medium sized gobi or cauliflower in medium sized florets. You will need 3 cups chopped cauliflower florets. Rinse them very well.

2. Then in a bowl add enough hot boiling water.

3. Add the gobi to the hot water. Let them get blanched in the water for about 10 minutes. Later drain all the water and keep the blanched gobi aside.

4. When the gobi is blanching, you can prep the remaining ingredients like chopping ginger & garlic, chopping spring onions and getting the sauces ready.

Making Batter

1. In a bowl take ¾ cup whole wheat flour (atta), 3 tablespoons corn flour (or corn starch), 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper powder and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Also add salt as required.

2. Add ¾ cup water. whisk to a smooth batter.

3. Add the gobi florets in the batter. There should be no water in the gobi florets. So drain them well of all the water before adding them in the batter. mix well.

Shallow Frying Cauliflower

1. Heat 6 tablespoons oil in a pan or wok or kadai.

2. When the oil becomes medium hot, coat the cauliflower florets well with the batter and add them in hot oil. Fry in batches. You can even deep fry cauliflower.

3. Fry the batter coated cauliflower florets in hot oil on medium flame.

4. When one side becomes light golden and lightly crisp, then turn over each cauliflower floret. Make sure the oil is hot or else while frying the florets may start to stick to each other due to the cornflour. They will also absorb more oil if the oil is not hot.

5. Turn them over a couple of times and fry till they are crisp and golden.

6. Remove the fried cauliflower florets with a slotted spoon and keep them on kitchen paper towels. Continue to fry the cauliflower florets in batches this way.

Making Chinese Gobi Manchurian Gravy

1. When the cauliflower florets are frying, you can mix 1 tablespoon corn flour (corn starch) with 2 tablespoons water and place aside.

2. In the same pan, there will be some oil. So no need to add more oil. Add only if all oil has been used up while frying gobi. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger, 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic and ½ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies.

3. Then add ½ cup chopped spring onions and 1 tsp finely chopped celery (optional). Celery can be skipped if you do not have it.

4. Stir fry on a medium flame till the onions turn translucent.

5. When the onions turn translucent, then add 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup.

6. Add ½ tablespoon chili sauce (green or red). You can use either red chili sauce or green chili sauce.

7. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce. mix well. Now add 1.5 cups water. mix again.

8. Add ½ tsp black pepper powder. stir and let this mixture come to a boil.

9. Now stir the corn flour paste (as the corn flour settles down at the bottom) and add the paste in the pan.

10. As soon as you add corn starch paste, mix very well so that no lumps are formed.

11. Simmer for few minutes till the sauce thickens and the corn flour gets cooked. Its raw taste should go away.

12. Now add the fried gobi. Mix the cauliflower manchurian gravy well.

13. Season with salt as per taste. Do keep in mind that the tomato ketchup, soy sauce and chilli sauce already has salt in them. So add less salt.

14. Add ½ teaspoon sugar or add as required.

15. Add 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or regular vinegar to the gravy. Mix well.

16. Switch off the flame and add 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion greens. Mix again.

17. Serve the chinese gobi manchurian gravy hot garnished with a bit of spring onion greens hot with steamed rice, veg fried rice or hakka noodles. You can also serve it with chapati, parathas or bread.

This article uses material from the article “Gobi Manchurian”, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.