Indian cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Gobi Manchurian

Crispy fried cauliflower florets in a dark sauce of garlic, ginger, soy sauce and chili.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 cauliflower (approx. 900 g)
• 100 g flour
• 60 g cornstarch
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 piece ginger (3 cm)
• 4 scallions
• 1 green chili
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• Oil for frying, salt

Instructions

1. Break the cauliflower into bite-sized florets, blanch in salted water for 3 min., drain and pat very thoroughly dry – wet florets never turn crispy in the batter.
2. Mix flour, cornstarch, Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tsp salt and about 150 ml cold water into a thick batter that coats the florets completely.
3. Heat oil to 180 °C and deep-fry the florets in batches for 4–5 min. until golden brown, then drain on paper towels.
4. Finely chop the garlic and ginger, cut the chili into rings and separate the scallions into white and green parts; finely slice the white parts.
5. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok until very hot, stir-fry the garlic, ginger, chili and white scallion parts for 1 min., then add tomato paste, soy sauce, vinegar and 100 ml water and simmer for 3–4 min. until the sauce clings glossily to the spoon.
6. Toss the hot florets in until each one is coated, sprinkle with the green scallion rings and serve immediately while the crust still crackles.