Gobi Manchurian dry

I had a dinner party tonight and made a few Indian-Chinese dishes. I am posting my favorite of the lot first - Gobi Manchurian! This dish has been a favorite for a long time but I hadn't made it before. This was my first time making it and the recipe is a keeper. I threw in some broccoli as well since I wanted to try Broccoli Manchurian and it came out well - but not enough to displace the cauliflower in the dish. I had a jar of red chili paste in vinegar and I used that in place of red pepper flakes and vinegar in the sauce. I had fried the cauliflower and made the sauce before hand. When the guests arrived I assembled the dish. So here goes...

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower; (few pieces of broccoli optional)

Water

Oil for frying

Cauliflower coating batter

5 tablespoons AP flour

5 tablespoons corn flour

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 inch knob ginger minced

1 teaspoon chili sauce (I used Sriracha)

Dash of vinegar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Salt

Sauce

1/4 onion cubed

1/3 green pepper cubed

1/3 red pepper cubed

2-3 cloves garlic minced

1 inch knob ginger minced

2 spring onions chopped along with greens

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

1 teaspoon chili sauce (I used Sriracha)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon corn flour mixed in 1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons oil

Salt

Wash and chop the cauliflower into small florets. Microwave these in a bowl of water for about 3 minutes. Drain on towel and pat dry. In bowl, mix all the batter ingredients and add water from the cauliflower to make a thick batter. Dip the cauliflower in the batter and deep fry till golden brown and crispy on the outside.

In a wok, heat oil and add ginger, garlic. Saute for a minute and add the onions (regular and spring) and peppers. Then add the soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chili sauce, red pepper flakes, vinegar and pepper. Saute all this for not more than 2 minutes, else the vegetables will get soft. Adjust for salt.

To finish the dish, heat the sauce and add the corn flour in it. Cook for a minute till it starts thickening and then add the cauliflower to it. Toss well to coat the cauliflower with the sauce. Sprinkle some onion greens for garnish and serve hot!

* Soy sauce has a significant amount of salt in it. Depending upon the type used and your taste preference, you may need to use very little additional salt. Taste the batter and sauce before adding salt.