Quick Gobi (Cauliflower) Manchurian

Of the many cuisines I have tried so far, the one cuisine that has a special place in my heart is Indian Chinese a.k.a. Chindian. The food that for many years passed off as Chinese food in India. The chowmein from the roadside seller to the exotic(!) veg Munchurian with gravy, we have all had it at some point or another and we have liked it too. The Chinese may not recognise it but us desis do and sometimes that is all that matters.

So when I picked up a cauliflower in an attempt to include more vegetables in my daily diet, the only thing that popped in my head was to make some really quick Gobi (Cauliflower) manchurian, which teamed perfectly with the winter chill. And all it took was 20 mins. Here's how it goes, lazy cooks:  

For Florets
1 medium size cauliflower, broken into medium sized florets
1/2 cup corn flour
5 tablespoons all purpose flour (maida)
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
Oil, for deep frying
Salt to taste
Approximately 1/2 cup water

For the Sauce
1½ teaspoons garlic paste
2 teaspoons ginger paste
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 small green capsicum, finely chopped
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon chilli sauce
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup or tomato sauce
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons spring onion, finely chopped (for garnishing, optional)
Salt as per taste

Method
For the florets
1. Boil the florets in salted water for 4 mins, drain water and set aside
2. In a bowl, mix all purpose flour, corn flour, ginger paste, garlic paste and salt. Add water little by little and stir to make a batter. the thickness of the batter should be similar to thickness of dosa batter. Add all florets in batter and mix well. Ensure that the batter coats the florets evenly.
3. Heat oil in pan over medium flame and deep fry the florets in small batches of 6 to 8 till they turn golden brown. Drain and transfer the deep fried florets to plate with paper napkin on it to soak excess oil.

For the sauce
1. Heat 2-tablespoons of oil in a wide, thin-bottomed pan or wok on medium flame. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, chopped green chillies, chopped capsicum and chopped onion.
2. Sauté them on high flame for 3-4 minutes to eliminate the raw flavour of ginger and garlic.
3. Add soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and salt. Stir continuous and cook for a minute
4. Toss in the deep fried florets and mix all ingredients (florets and the sauce) on high flame for a minute.

Voila! it's ready to be plated and served hot with a generous sprinkling of finely chopped spring onions.