Gobi Manchurian Recipe

Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian has always been on the top of my 'most-difficult-to-prepare recipe' list for reasons unknown to me. We used to always buy this dish from restaurants whenever my family felt like eating it.

I looked up the recipe of this all-time favorite on the web only to feel intimidated by the lengthy procedure (at least I thought so) and postponed trying it out. The need to deep fry the cauliflower florets particularly dissuaded me from making this tasty dish as I am a health freak and want to keep out too much oil in my cooking.

I don't use the microwave too often except in times of necessity and urgency. A sudden idea that I could try Gobi Manchurian in the microwave with very little oil prompted me to try it out and the result was amazing. Of course now I prepare this delicacy twice a week (cauliflower is a seasonal vegetable, so is available only for 2 to 3 months in a year) much to my daughter's surprise and she is very happy about this change in me.

I call Gobi Manchurian one of the 'easiest-to-prepare-recipes' now !! It takes all of 45 minutes to prepare this dish of which marinating the cauliflower and flour mixture is done for 30 minutes. So the actual dish can be prepared in fifteen minutes flat.

Small cauliflower 1
Green chilli 1
Finely cut onions 2
Ginger garlic paste 3 tsp
Soya sauce 2 tbsp
Tomato ketchup 3 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Oil 3 tbsp.
Chilli powder 1 1/2 + 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Rice flour or all purpose flour 1 tbsp
Corn flour 1 tbsp (optional)
Cilantro for garnishing

Separate the cauliflower into small florets and keep them immersed in salt water for a few minutes. Keeping them immersed in slightly hot water can also be done for faster cooking. In a broad plate (preferably with a high edge) mix rice (or all-purpose) and corn flours. Mix in chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and coriander powder and then finally the florets and mix well. Keep this mixture aside for as much time as you can, at least for fifteen minutes.

An alternative to mixing all the dry ingredients with the florets would be to make a wet mixture of all the ingredients using a little water and then adding the florets. This will help in cooking the mixture better.

Now, there are two methods to make the Manchurian, one by the deep fry method and another by the microwave method.

One is the deep fry method. If you really don't mind the calories from deep frying, then you can use this method. It also gives you a crispy Manchurian.

The second is the micro wave method. This is relatively quicker, less tedious and gives you a soft Manchurian. More than anything else, you need to use very little oil for this method. My family prefers the soft and smooth texture, so I prepare Manchurian in the microwave.

Okay, now back to making Manchurian. Microwave the marinated cauliflower mixture with 1 tbsp oil (covered) on high for 8 minutes, removing the dish to stir it once in between.

By the time it is done, you can cut the onions finely and keep the ginger garlic paste ready. In a non-stick pan, fry the ginger garlic paste followed by onions in the remaining oil. Mix in a little chilli powder, salt and the slit green chilli and stir fry till the onions are well-fried.

Add soya sauce and tomato ketchup. Remove the cauliflower mixture from the microwave and add it to this mixture. Mix well once on low heat and remove.

Serve hot with chapati. It can be used as a starter or a snack too because of its unique and excellent taste. Children love this dish. An Indo-Chinese delicacy, Gobi Manchurian is a favorite in most Indian homes.

Instead of the green chilli you can use a little chilli sauce. This will make the manchurian spicier. You can make several variations in the flour mixture too. Some people use maida (all-purpose flour) and corn flour and some others use rice flour and corn flour. I think the rice and corn flour mixture worked well for me. A second preparation with the all-purpose flour and rice flour also turned out well.

Once you try preparing this dish, you'll want to try out many variations as every variation gives it a unique flavor and it just doesn't go wrong at all.