Gobi Manchurian | Cauliflower manchurian : With step by step pictures!

Because of the terrible weather & wind chills, we are under house arrest. Hubby was working from home & my son is enjoying his extended holiday. Hope the weather gets better soon. To keep myself going & motivated, I am having a cooking marathon. Despite our diet, I cooked many unhealthy dishes. Good thing is that I made most of them during lunch & our dinner's are very simple even now.

Back to the recipe. Gobi Manchurian is a Indo-Chinese dish & a street food of India. Gobi manchurian can be served as a appetizer(dry version) or made like a gravy to go with Fried rice or other rice varieties. This post is a dry version & is served as a appetizer.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
For the manchurian:
Gobi | Cauliflower : 1 small cauliflower (about 25-30 florets)
Corn starch: 1/4 cup
AP flour/Maida: 1/2 cup
Pepper powder: 1 tsp
Water: As needed (I used 1 cup + 2 tbsp)
Salt: As needed
Oil: For deep frying

For the manchurian sauce:
Corn starch: 1 tbsp
Water: 1/2 cup
Tomato ketchup: 2 tbsp
Red chilli sauce or sriracha: 2 tsp
Soya sauce: 2 tbsp
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Finely chopped cabbage: 1/4 cup
Finely chopped onion: 1/4 cup
Bell peppers: 1/4 cup
Finely chopped green chillies: 1 tsp, more or less (I used 1/2 tsp of green chilli paste)
Salt: As needed (Be extra careful as all the sauces contain salt & in fact I do not add any extra salt)

For the garnish:
Spring onion greens: 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Method:
Wash the cauliflower florets & keep it aside.

Mix the corn starch, maida, pepper powder, salt in a medium bowl.

Add few tablespoons of water at a time & make a smooth batter. Whisk the batter well & ensure no lumps. Batter should be little thinner than the pakora batter or pancake batter. We want the batter to coat the cauliflower florets lightly.

Heat oil in a broad pan or kadai or deep fryer. When oil is hot, dip the cauliflower florets in the batter & deep fry the florets until lightly golden. Each batch takes about 3-5 mins.
Drain the deep fried cauliflower florets & place them on a paper towel.

For the Manchurian sauce:
Add the corn starch, water, tomato ketchup, red chilli sauce, soya sauce, vinegar to a small bowl & whisk well. Let the sauce mixture sit for 3-5 mins.
Heat oil in a wok. When oil is hot, add the finely chopped garlic & toss till garlic is golden brown. Follow garlic by onions & cabbage. Toss on high heat until the cabbage & onions are translucent, cooked & yet crunchy. It might take about 3-4 mins

Add the bell peppers, finely chopped green chillies & toss again.

Add the sauce mixture to the wok. Keep mixing until the sauce becomes thick.

Throw in the deep fried cauliflower florets & toss. Let the sauce coat the cauliflower florets.
Turn off the heat.

Garnish it with onion greens (I did not have them handy, so skipped adding!) & serve it immediately.

Notes:

• You should mix the sauce & the florets just before serving. The manchurian does not stay crisp if you soak it for a long time.
• If you plan to make it for a party, prepare the sauce & deep fry the florets in advance. Heat the sauce & toss in the florets just before serving.
• Other manchurian ideas. Instead of cauliflower, you could use mushroom, cabbage, baby corn or paneer (Indian cottage cheese).

Indo Chinese Tortilla | Tortilla Noodles | Masala Tortilla

I buy a pack of tortilla once a while to make the breakfast burritos or the cheese quesadilla. I pack the burritos to my hubby's lunch box too. Most of the times after making a couple of burritos, I forget about the remaining tortillas. They rot in the fridge for many days & one fine day, tortillas find its way to our tummies in the form of Tortilla noodles or this masala tortilla.
I couldn't think of a proper name to this recipe. Could you guys suggest me something? It is similar to the noodles but I cut the tortilla into bite sized pieces. I call it masala tortilla at home, but I haven't used any Indian spices. Request you guys to come up with an apt name.
If you like Indo Chinese recipes, you will love this for sure. For a healthier alternative, use whole wheat or multigrain tortilla.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Tortilla* : 3 nos, cut into bite sized pieces (about 1 inch long)
Oil: 2 tsp
Onion: 2 tbsp, chopped fine
Cabbage: 1/4th cup
Garlic: 1 pod, minced
Bell pepper: 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Vinegar**: 2 tsp
Soya sauce: 2 tsp
Chilli sauce: 2 tsp (I have used Sriracha sauce)
Salt: As needed
Pepper powder: a pinch

* I have used flour tortilla. Feel free to use any kind of tortilla you have at hand.
** I have used distilled white vinegar.

For the garnish:
Spring onion greens finely chopped (I did not have it & so skipped it)

Method:
Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add the onions. Saute the onions on a medium-high heat for 2 mins until the onions are slightly browned & crunchy.
Add the garlic & saute. Throw in the finely chopped cabbage & toss.
When cabbage is cooked, add in the bell peppers & toss. Always maintain the medium-high heat.
Add in the chopped tortilla, vinegar, soya sauce, chilli sauce, salt, pepper powder & toss until the sauces blend in. 
Turn off the heat & serve it hot.