Gobi Manchurian

Seems like a trip down memory lane today, back to my life in Long Island City and my favorite Indian restaurant. How good was it? My roomates who were extremely taste and quality critical made it a once a week excursion.

These days those excursions are just not in the cards, but I can produce this for the SheWolf.

I’ll use my air fryer to resolve the “health” issues of deep frying.

A side note on air fryers, they are great but most totally annoy me with the small capacity. The lack of capacity leads to crowding of the basket, and a lack of crispness. Some of the later, (as in the unit I purchased) are combination toaster ovens and air fryers with a large rectangular basket allowing food to be spread out, cook and crisp properly.

From Wikipedia:

Indian Chinese cuisine, Indo-Chinese cuisine, Desi-Chinese cuisine, Sino-Indian cuisine, or Chindian cuisine is a distinct culinary style that combines aspects of Indian and Chinese foods and flavors. Though the cuisines have mixed throughout history both through trade and geographical influence, the most popular origin story of the fusion food resides with the original Chinese ethnic community of Kolkata, who immigrated to India looking for better prospects and a better life around 250 years ago. Opening restaurant businesses in the area; these early Chinese immigrants adapted their culinary styles to suit their Indian patrons’ tastes.

Its ingredients generally characterize Chinese Indian food: Indian vegetables and spices are used, along with a heavy amount of pungent Chinese sauces, thickening agents, and oil. Stir-fried in a wok, Indo-Chinese food takes Chinese culinary styles and adds spices and flavors familiar to the Indian tongue. This idea of flavorful, saucy Chinese food cooked with Indian spices and vegetables has become integral to the mainstream culinary scenes of both India and Bangladesh, and its diffusion to nations like America, Great Britain, and Canada have shaped and altered the global view of Chinese, Indian, and Asian cuisines.

Gobi Manchurian

Indo Chinese at its best. The gravy is the star.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Ingredient, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese, Indian, Indo-Chinese, SouthEast Asia

Servings 2

Calories 268 kcal

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Gobi

• 1/2 head Cauliflower washed, cored, broken into florets
• 1/4 cup Flour AP, Rice or Chickpea
• 1/4 cup Corn Starch
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Tumeric
• Salt / Pepper To taste
• Water To thick consistancy

Gravy

• 1/2 Cup Tomato puree
• 1 tbsp Red Chili Paste
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce Low Sodium
• 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
• 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1/4 cup Celery Washed, Minced very fine
• 1/4 cup Green Onion Washed, Minced very fine
• 1/4 cup Bell Pepper Washed, cored, Minced very fine
• 2 tbsp Corn Starch

Instructions

 

Gobi

• Mix all but cauliflower into a thick consistancy
• Preheat air fry to 350
• Mix cauliflower florets with prepared batter and make sure they're well coated with the batter.
• Add battered florettes to fryer bask in single layer, (use batches if necessaery)
• Spray or grease batter coated cauliflower florets with oil
• Air fry ~8 minutes, and turn
• Air Fry an additional 8 minutes until crisp and brown
• Keep warm

Machurian Gravy

• In a medium sautee pan over medium high heat
• Add 1 tbsp oil, when the oil shimmers
• Add onion, ginger, garlic, bell pepper, celery
• Mix corn starch with 1/4 cup water, reserve
• Whence veggies, just start to soften, Add Tomato, chili & soy sauce
• Cook an additinal minute until sauce starts to bubble
• Add corn starch mixture to the sauce and cook for another minute.
• The sauce should be nappe (coat the back of a spoon) thickness, adjust with water if necessary
• Toss Cauliflower fritters in sauce serve immediatly.

Notes

This post is like the cauliflower in this recipe. 

Nothing but a flavor carrier for the gravy.  (One does not serve gravy alone, nor does one post a gravy recipe without a use.)

One could use this as a noodle sauce, or a sauce for crispy tofu or god forbid, “Chicken Nuggets”.

The “punch” of the gravy is the red chili paste and tomatoes.  One could dance this with a sweet and sour sauce or my spicy ketchup.

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 9gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1088mgPotassium: 972mgFiber: 6gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1099IUVitamin C: 106mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!