Gobi Manchurian

Indo-Chinese cuisine has recently gained popularity in the last decade or so.
Gobi Manchurian is one such dish adapted from Chinese seasoning and modified to suit Indian taste buds. It is a favorite among both kids and adults. I have become a great fan of Indo- Chinese cuisine. I have cooked few dishes in this category and plan to try more.

Gobi Manchurian is a dish that I have cooked many a times after marriage. It so happened that once when me and mummy(mil) were going to the Mangalore store we bought a packet of Gobi Manchuri mix(yes it is called Manchuri in our native place). It contained a powder for the Gobi and also a recipe for manchurian. I followed the recipe with minor changes and it was a hit with everyone at home. My hubby who was initially skeptical was the one who enjoyed it the most. My fil who never eats Chinese also complimented my dish.

After that I never purchased the mix and started making it from scratch . I still have that piece of paper with the recipe and all the stains of soya sauce that i have decorated it with. I refer to it everytime i make it. Mummy always says that this dish which requires lots of efforts. But I feel once u keep all the ingredients handy it doesn't take more time than any other dish.

Ingredients:

Gobi(Cauliflower)cut into pieces - 2 cups
Maida/all purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Corn starch - 1/2 cup
Salt
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Garlic - 2 big, grated
Baking soda - pinch (optional)
Orange-red colour (optional)

Clean the gobi and keep aside. Mix all other ingredients with water and form a thick batter. Heat oil in a kadai. Dip the gobi florets in the batter and deep fry. Drain on kitchen towel. Set aside.

For the sauce:
Onions - 2 medium size, chopped
Capsicum - 1 small or half of the big one, chopped
Garlic - 2 chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, chopped or grated
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Green chillies - 1-2 finely chopped, depending on the hotness
Soya Sauce - 2 tsp
Tomato ketchup - 2-3 tbsp
Oil - 3tsp
Salt
Coriander leaves - for garnish
Lemon juice

Heat oil and fry onions, garlic, green chillies, ginger and finally capsicum. The capsicum should be crunchy. Then add soya sauce and tomato ketchup and salt. Few min before serving add the fried gobi. Mix it well with the sauces and sprinkle some water (1-2 tbsp) and mix well. Sprinkle lemon juice and mix. Garnish with coriander leaves.


Note: Add red chilli powder or chilli sauce for more spicy flavour. I have used Ching's Dark Soy Sauce in this. This dish gets a nice orange-red colour from the tomato sauce even when food coloring is not used.