Gobi Manchurian / Cauliflower Manchurian | Indo-Chinese Appetizers

Gobi Manchurian is our favorite appetizers back in India. Our gang of friends would order this regularly whenever we went for an eat-out and we all love this. Still could cherish those memories when we were doing our final year engineering project in Bangalore when we used to go to our regular eat-out for dinner. We used to eat heartily not worrying about the calories or the ambiance of the place. 

Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 1 medium head - cut into florets

For the batter:
All-purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Corn flour - 1/4 cup
Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Orange food color - a small pinch (optional)
Oil - for deep frying

For the sauce:
Oil - 2 tsp
Onion - chopped fine - 3 tbsp
Spring onion whites - chopped fine - 3 tbsp
Green bell pepper - chopped - 3/4 cup
Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp
Chilli sauce - 1 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Ginger - chopped fine - 1 tbsp
Garlic - chopped fine -  2 tbsp
Spring onion greens - 3 tbsp


Method:
Cut the cauliflower into small florets and blanch it in salted hot water for 2-3 mins. Drain and transfer the cauliflower immediately to a bowl of cold water. This would stop it from cooking further and maintain the crunch. Drain completely and set aside.
Mix the ingredients under 'For the batter' with water without any lumps. The batter should be of thin consistency. Heat oil for deep frying. Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter and drop in the oil for frying. The heat should be medium-high to ensure that the inside cooks and the outside becomes crunchy. Do not crowd the pan while deep frying. Drain in a paper towel and repeat for all the florets.

Now for the sauce, add 2 tsp of oil in a wide pan. When it is hot add the onion and the spring onion whites, ginger and garlic. Saute for 5 mins or until the onions turn light brown. Now add the chopped bell pepper and fry in high heat for 2 to 3 mins. Now add the tomato sauce, chilli sauce, soy sauce and salt.
Mix the fried florets in the sauce when serving. Garnish with spring onion greens/scallions. Enjoy your snack!

Sending this to 'Deep Fried Snacks' event by Tickling Palates.

Cauliflower