Gobi Manchurian Recipe - Restaurant style

Gobi Manchurian is one of the most popular starters from the Indo-Chinese cuisine. It was made popular by all the small Chinese restaurants and street side food carts all across India and more specifically in the Kolkata region where the recipe was created by the small Chinese community.

This scrumptious recipe is made with cauliflower florets dipped in flour batter, deep fried and mixed in a slightly sweet, spicy tangy sauce. The sauce itself is made with garlic, green chilly, ginger and onion cooked in soya sauce, chilly sauce and tomato ketchup to give the restaurant-style taste.

Gobi Manchurian Ingredients

• Cauliflower - 1 (medium sized cut into florets)
• Oil for deep fry

For making the batter:

• Corn flour - 2 tbsp
• All purpose flour / maida - 2tbsp
• Egg - 1 no
  NOTE: If you are a vegetarian (vegan) instead of egg use 1/4 cup of water and 1 1/2 tbsp rice flour.
  
• Chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
• Baking powder - 2 pinch
• Orange food color - 2 pinch
• Salt - 1/2 tsp

For making the sauce:

• Onion - 1/2 (medium size chopped)
• Green chilly - 8 no (finely chopped)
• Garlic - 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Chopped ginger - 2 tsp (finely chopped)
• Tomato ketchup - 3 tbsp
• Red chilly sauce - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Soya sauce - 1 tbsp
• Spring onion - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Corn flour - 2 tsp
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Sugar - 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Ajinomoto - 1 pinch (optional)
• Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Gobi Manchurian Cooking Method:

1. First bring water to a boil in a vessel on medium heat. When the water starts boiling add 1/4 tsp salt and cauliflower florets. Cook for 4 min.Then drain the water and set aside.
2. To make the batter take a bowl and mix all-purpose flour, corn flour, chilly powder, salt, baking powder and food color.
3. Add egg into mixture and mix well into a thick paste.
   NOTE: If you are a vegetarian (vegan) instead of egg you can use 1/4 cup of water and 1 1/2 tbsp rice flour to make the thick paste.
4. Add the cauliflower florets and mix slowly. Make sure all the florets are well coated with the batter.
5. Heat oil for deep frying in pan on medium heat. When oil is hot put coated cauliflower florets.
6. Deep fry till the florets turn golden brown. Fry for around 15 to 20 min to ensure there is no rawness in the cauliflower.Take out the cauliflower and put them on paper towel to drain excess oil and set aside.
7. Take another pan or a wok on medium to high heat. Add 1 1/2 tbsp oil. When the pan is hot add onion, green chilly, ginger, garlic and stir fry till the onion turns translucent.
8. Then add tomato ketchup, red chilly sauce and cook till oil starts to separate from the mixture.
9. Add soya sauce, ajinomoto (optional) and cook for 2 more minutes.
10. Meanwhile mix corn flour in a few tablespoons of water. This will be used as the thickening agent.
11. At this stage you can taste the sauce and adjust the salt and/or chilly sauce as per your taste requirement. If you want to make it a little bit sweet then add sugar.
12. Now increase the heat a little. Add cornflour water mixture to it and mix well. As soon the sauce starts to thicken throw in the fried gobi florets.
13. Slowly mix the contents such that all the cauliflower florets are fully coated with the sauce.
14. Now add finely chopped spring onion and toss or just mix the contents. Gobi Manchurian is now done and ready to be served.

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Spicy Chilli Chicken Recipe

Need a break from everyday Indian meals? Then look no further than Indo-chinese recipes. Popular among them are Gobi manchurian, Chicken manchurian and one of my favorites Chilli Chicken. For beginners Indo-chinese cuisine is basically the usage of chinese seasoning, sauces and cooking techniques mixed in with some indian spices to suit Indian tastes.

The Chilli chicken recipe here is a dry and spicy version where marinated chicken pieces are deep fried then cooked in a mixture of green chilly, capsicum, soya sauce & red chili sauce and finally garnished with spring onion. So lets get cooking!

Ingredients for Chilli Chicken Recipe

• Boneless Chicken – 1/2 kilogram (1 inch pieces)
• Green Chilly – 15-20 (cut length-wise)
• Onion – 1 small (thin long slices or short thick cubed slices)
• Capsicum (Bell Pepper) – 1 (thin long slices or short thick cubed slices)
• Soya Sauce – 1 tablespoon
• Red Chili Sauce –  1 1/2 teaspoons
• Ajinomoto – 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
• Sugar – 1/4 teaspoon
• Garlic – 8-10 cloves(chopped finely)
• Ginger – 1 teaspoon (finely chopped pieces)
• Pepper Powder – 3/4 teaspoon
• Corn Flour – 3 tablespoon
• Egg – 1
• Spring Onion – 4 chopped
• Water – 1 1/2 cup
• Food color (red or orange) – 1 pinch
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 30 min

Serving: 4 people

Chicken Marinade

1. In a bowl take the chicken pieces and add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Add 2 tablespoon corn flour, 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder (rest will be used later).
3. Mix the ingredients well and set the bowl aside for 10 minutes.

Cooking method for Chilly Chicken Recipe

1. In a frying pan or a heavy bottomed vessel take sufficient oil for deep frying on medium heat.
2. When the oil is hot put the marinated chicken pieces into it and deep fry them for around 8 minutes.
3. After 8 minutes take the chicken pieces out and put them on tissue paper to remove the excess oil.
4. Take another pan on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil.
5. When the pan is hot add chopped ginger and garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
6. Now add green chilly and mix for another minute.
7. Toss in onion and capsicum and fry for 3 more minutes.
8. Its time now to put in the soya sauce and red chilly sauce. Mix the contents well.
9. Add 1 cup water, stir the contents and wait till it starts to boil.
10. Now add food color, salt to taste and mix again. At this stage you can now taste a few drops of liquid to check for salt and also for spice level. You can add more salt or more red chilly sauce based on your taste needs. Be careful to not overdo it.
11. Add a pinch of food color and mix well.
12. Its time for the star of the the dish the chicken to go in . Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper powder, ajinomoto (optional) and sugar.
13. In a separate vessel or a cup, add 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon corn flour and stir. This will be used as the thickening agent.
14. Now increase the heat from medium to high. Add the corn flour water mixture little by little and stir the contents slowly. You will see that the contents starts to thicken.
15. When there is no liquid left, the chilli chicken recipe is almost done. Take the pan off the heat and add finely chopped  fresh spring onion and mix gently.

Serve hot as a starter/appetizer or as a side dish. Enjoy!

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