Gobi Manchurian: Cauliflower as Decadent Street Food

This recipe comes from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian," and I highly recommend "How to Cook Everything" for the basics of cooking. Gobi Manchurian is a popular street food in Calcutta's Chinatown, blending Indian and Chinese cuisine. Even if you insist you don't like cauliflower, you gotta try it. It's sweet and spicy, with a crispy batter not unlike western "Chinese" food staples such as lemon chicken (but this is much better).

Most of what I'll be sharing on this blog is at least partially seasonal. The cauliflower came in our CSA farm share box, grown in Freedom, Ca. (Santa Cruz County).

Okay, so here's what you'll need to gather:

• Grapeseed, corn, or other neutral oil for deep frying
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large (or 2 small) heads of cauliflower, cored, trimmed, separated into florets
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup ketchup (use good quality organic ketchup -- this is important)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or paprika, if you prefer a milder taste)

And here's how you make it:

1. Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a deep pan (I use a wok) and turn temperature to medium-high (350 degrees, give or take)
2. Beat eggs with corn starch until blended; add salt and pepper; stir in cauliflower florets until they are evenly coated.
3. Fry cauliflower until florets are a golden color, with some brown mottling (maybe 5 minutes or so), and transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry in small enough batches to prevent crowding in the pan.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large pan and add the  garlic, cooking it for a couple of minutes; add ketchup and stir for about 5 minutes, until sauce thickens and begins to caramelize at the edges; add cayenne (or paprika) and then toss fried florets in with the sauce, mix until coated evenly, and serve. 

You can serve this with rice, something green and light (like a salad or steamed broccoli) to counterbalance the heaviness of this dish, and a protein of some kind. Or, you can eat it Calcutta-style, with toothpicks. Enjoy!

-Steve