Cauliflower Manchurian

Serves 2-3

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Also known as Gobi Manchurian, this popular Indo-Chinese dish has crispy cauliflower florets tossed in a spicy sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 tbsp oil, plus extra for deep-frying
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 fresh green chilli, chopped
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced, plus extra to garnish
• ½ red pepper, diced
• ½ green pepper, diced
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt

For the batter:

• 100g plain flour
• 20g cornflour
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 200ml water

Method

1. Cook the cauliflower florets in a large saucepan of boiling water for 8–10 minutes, then drain in a colander and set aside.
2. For the batter, mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then slowly add the water, stirring all the time to make a smooth batter thick enough to coat the cauliflower. Drop the florets into the batter and stir gently to coat.
3. Heat the oil for deep-frying in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat until it reaches 180°C. Fry the cauliflower florets in batches for about 6 minutes until golden and crisp, then drain in a colander to remove excess oil.
4. Heat the oil in a large wok on a low heat, add the garlic, chopped chilli, red onion, spring onions and red and green peppers and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the ketchup, chilli sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli flakes, black pepper and salt and heat through for 1 minute.
5. Toss the fried florets in the sauce, making sure to coat them properly. Serve the cauliflower in a bowl, garnished with sliced spring onions.