The Manchurian (Gobi)

Hello,

Gobi (or Gopi as one of my mates would call it) Manchurian is one dish that I definitely did not grow up as a kid. It probably started from my late teens and upwards (and still going). A staple appetizer / starter that one would order in any Chinese restaurant in India. There are 2 variations to this -  dark brownish version found in propah Chinese restaurants (in India) and the orangish version more popular in the non-chinese restaurants. This one I tried is the later.
And of course there is the other choice you need to make whether it is the dry or the gravy or saucy version. Coming out of India, this is one dish that I've always longed for because you don't find that normally in Indian restaurants in US. However in Australia  I can find it more frequently.

What goes in:


For the batter:
1) All purpose flour (Maida) - 2 Cups
2) Corn Flour - 2 Table spoons
3) Eggs - 2
4) Salt
5) Food colouring - A pinch or so... Completely optional. I tried a saffron colouring, turned out OK.

As mentioned earlier I would attempt to give as accurate measurements as possible with anything involving  flour and egg, . The batter is a very important aspect which makes or breaks a good manchurian. Sometimes it gets too water, or too crispy or too floury. I found that the above measurement worked out just fine. If you need more or less apply your ratios as required.

Main Ingredient - Gobi (Cauliflower) florets. This of course can be replaced with pretty much anything you want. The only difference would be in the time it takes to deep fry. You can try a bite size piece of chicken, paneer, fish.

For manchurian kick:

1) Garlic - thinly minced
2) Green chillies
3) Soy sauce
4) Tomato sauce (skip this if you prefer the brown version)
5) Vinegar - 1 tablespoon - try not to overboard on this - you might have to give a different name to the dish then. ;-)

6) Spring Onions

The process:

1) Cut the cauliflower into bite size florets. Too big or too small will cause a problem with deep frying.
2) Prepare the batter by whisking in all the ingredients with about half a cup of water. Keep adding water only as much as needed. The result should be a fairly thick batter which would cover up the Gobi and stick together.
3) Leave the batter to settle down.
4) Mince the garlic, chillies and the spring onions.
5) Deep fry the Gobi in batter. It normally takes about 2-3 minutes for a batch. Try not to under or overcook it. Got to watch the temperature of the oil and control the flame (or heat) setting accordingly.
6) In a large wok, sautee the garlic, chillies and the bottom part of the spring onions. Use about 3/4th of the garlic you have to sautee.
7) Add in the sauces - tomato, soy and vinegar and mix it up for about a minute.
8) Toss in the deep fried Gobi and stir fry until the sauce is evenly mixed.
9) Add a little of the remaining garlic and stir.
10) Garnish with finely chopped spring onions.

For the saucy version:
1) Before you toss in the Gobi, add as much water you need and get the mixture to boil.
2) Add corn flour water. Can't measure this since completely depends on how much sauce you need.
3) Once the sauce is thick enough add in the deep fried Gobi.

Warning: Gobi Manchurian is Addictive - Enjoy Responsibly!! ;-) (Our guests last night almost did not eat dinner after the starter).

Enjoy.. :-)