Cauliflower Manchurian Recipe

When I was younger, probably in my early teens, my older sister showed me how to make a really tasty Chicken Manchurian recipe. This delightfully spicy, slightly tangy dish was said to have been introduced to the Indian population, by the Chinese people who’d settled in India. (much appreciated, folks)

Once I learned to cook this dish, I started making it all the time. So much so, much to my dear sister’s chagrin, people started crediting her recipe to me. I suppose the time has come to set matters right, and give my sister her due credit. Habibti, this one’s for you <3

Although I’ve used cauliflower here instead of chicken, you may use either. Or be daring and try both. On occasion, I’ve also tried it with halved baby bella mushrooms. Delightful stuff them mushrooms, but I digress. 

Here’s what you need to do :

1. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. We need half a head or about 4 cups. Wash and dry.

2. Mix together 2 tbsp chili sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/4 cup rice flour, 1/4 cup corn starch, 1/4 cup all purpose flour and 1 tsp salt. Add up to 1/2 cup water slowly to form a thick paste – the consistency of pancake batter.

3. Marinate the cauliflower with the above mix for about 30 minutes. 

4. Heat oil. Deep fry the cauliflower in batches. Put one batch in the oil. DO NOT TOUCH. Wait for two minutes and then flip them over. Cook the cauliflower for a total of 6 minutes per batch, until they are golden and crispy.

Now you could actually eat them just like these ( like my little one was), with a  sweet chili dipping sauce if you like. My kids prefer to do that and they’re quite tasty. But my sister has taught me better, so today I went ahead and made a lovely sauce to stir fry these darlins in. So, moving on :

5. Chop 1/2 cup each of green bell pepper, green onion and cilantro. Mince 2 cloves of garlic.

6. Whisk together 2 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp ketchup and 1 tsp soy sauce. For those of you who like to spice things up, add a tbsp of chili sauce.

7. Heat a pan/wok on medium. Pour 1 tbsp oil. Put in the garlic. Stir for a few seconds. Add the chopped veg. Stir for a few seconds. Pour in the sauce mix. Stir for a few seconds. Add the fried cauliflower. Stir to coat the sauce all around the cauliflower. Turn off the heat and serve immediately.

Note : Because a lot of these ingredients have salt in them, make sure to taste the first batch cauliflower once its fried, and add more if needed. Same goes for the sauce before you add in the cauliflower.