Gobi Manchurian (Cauliflower 65)
Crunchy coated, tender-crisp cauliflower florets covered in sauce that defies the laws of flavor….gobi manchurian
The ingredients may not be laying in your pantry but if you’re up for a trip to the store, this is an amazingly rewarding dish. Spicy, sweet, savory, fragrant, delicious.
Ingredients
Prep time: 60 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Fried Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower
½ cup rice flower
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ cup water
Oil for frying (peanut or safflower)
Manchurian Sauce
3 tbsp neutral oil (ex: Conola oil)
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger root
2 green chilies, chopped (I used serrano….medium sized)
½ white onion chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp gochujang sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar (adjust more to taste but be sure to balance by increasing rice vinegar as well)
¼ cup water
1 tsp corn starch
1 tbsp lemon grass paste
Green onions (chopped) for garnish
Manchurian Sauce
Prep the garlic, ginger, green chilies and onion.
Garlic: Using a fresh head of garlic mince 3-5 cloves. Do not try to save time by using a jar of pre-minced garlic. The sauce will thank you for your efforts
Ginger: Peel ginger root and use a micro plane for best results. Powdered ginger is no substitute for fresh grated ginger
Chilies: I couldn’t find actual green chilies so I used serrano as a replacement. If you do the same be sure to purchase peppers on the smaller/medium sized. Green chilies are small compared to serrano peppers.
Onion: Size should be somewhere between minced and chopped. If the onion pieces are too large, they will dominate the texture of the sauce.
2. Mix all ingredients except for the water, corn starch, lemon grass, and green onion, and gently simmer on the stove for about 10 mins
A note about the gochujang sauce…So you may be asking what is a Korean condiment doing in an Indian dish? Well I ask what is cuisine if not a never-ending series of culinary appropriation? Perhaps a simpler red chili sauce would provide for a more authentic recipe, or perhaps the complexity of the gochujang is what was always needed.
3. At this point the sauce should look a bit like mush and rather unappetizing but worry not, amazing flavor awaits. If the sauce is too chunky give it a quick whirl in a food processor
(although we are using the term sauce, you want to maintain a lot of texture and the final sauce should resemble a hearty bolognese).
4. Add the 1 tsp corn start to the water and stir to combine. Add water/corn starch mixture to the sauce. Bring to a vigorous simmer, stirring constantly. Sauce will thicken slightly.
5. Remove sauce from heat and stir in lemon grass paste.
Set aside (Sauce can be prepared a day ahead if needed).
Fried Cauliflower
Heat oil for frying.
a. Ideally use a pot that allows for deep frying but if you’re like me, and shallow frying is all you can manage, ensure that oil is at least 1.5inches deep. The goal is to use enough oil so the cauliflower florets are at least 50-60% submerged, while not using so much oil that it overflows the pan and starts a grease fire….life is all about balance.
b. Oil temp needs to be 350-375F
2. Break down the head of cauliflower into individual florets. They do not need to be perfectly even in size, but no individual floret should be larger than 1-2 bites.
3. Mix rice flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda. Add 3/4 cup water and stir. Batter will be a thin paste and generate a crunching coating when fried.
4. Add about half the florets into the bowl of batter and stir to coat evenly.
5. Once oil reaches 350-375F add the coated florets one by one. Cooking until a light golden brown, turning once during frying. Repeat with remaining cauliflower florets.
a. A note about the oil temp…The flavor of the dish is carried by the manchurian sauce but the texture is set by the fried cauliflower, and the textured of the fried cauliflower is governed mainly by the oil temp. Frying at anything less than 350 will turn the cauliflower to mush by the time the batter crisps up. Frying higher than 375 will burn the coating before cooking the cauliflower, resulting in burnt flavor and the mealy texture of the raw cauliflower.
b. When cooked properly the coating will a have crunchy lightness without being greasy, and the cauliflower flower will be perfect tender-crisp
Assembling
To a large bowl, spoon in about half the sauce and add about half the fried cauliflower. Toss to fully coat the florets. Repeat with remaining sauce and fired cauliflower.
2. Add coated florets to serving dish and spoon over any remaining sauce. Add chopped green onion for garnish
