Brandon
It’s summertime! Which means a time for potlucks, picnics, and really just about any type of gathering that you are expected to bring a dish of your own to share. There sets in the panic — the share. What if they’re all vegan? You don’t want to bring a turducken to the box social! I’ve got the perfect Gluten-Free AND Vegan dish guaranteed to be a huge hit at your next mutual gathering of food consumption with like-minded individuals.
Gobi Manchurian is an Indian/Chinese dish made with fried cauliflower that is relatively popular in India. Fun Fact: Gobi actually means cauliflower in Hindi — Now you know 😀
I’ve made this dish plenty of times, and I like to play with the recipe whenever I do… I once burned habanero peppers at a friends home making this, even the smoke was spicy! — I learned to always add the hot peppers to the pan AFTER the onions have cooked.
So this recipe is a culmination of learned mistakes and my own taste preferences:
- 1 Cup Rice Flour
- 1 Tbsp. Curry Powder
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 Cauliflower head chopped
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 Jalapeños chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. Ginger minced
- ½ Cup Ketchup
- ½ Cup Coconut Aminos
- Corn Oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- In a large mixing bowl – combine flour, curry powder, salt & pepper, 1 Tbsp. garlic, ½ Tbsp. ginger.
- Stir in water until you get a batter-like consistency (you may need more than a cup of water)
- evenly coat cauliflower florets with batter
- Fry coated cauliflower in corn oil until golden brown and set aside on a plate layered with paper towels to dry.
- In a large skillet – Sauté onion in 2 Tbsp corn oil until translucent
- Stir in jalapeños
- Stir in 1 Tbsp. garlic and ½ Tbsp. ginger
- Add ketchup and coconut aminos
- Bring sauce to a boil, stirring occasionally to reduce
- Let simmer until it reaches desired consistency
- Remove from heat and stir in fried cauliflower
- Enjoy!
Frying the cauliflower after it’s been dipped in the batter gives it almost the same consistency as fried chicken — even your carnivorous friends will enjoy it. I guarantee you, this dish does NOT need meat. To keep it gluten-free, I used rice flour, if gluten isn’t an issue any flour you have in your pantry will do.
The sauce (or gravy) is traditionally made with soy sauce and tomato sauce. I like to use coconut aminos (to keep it free of gluten) and ketchup — because you probably have it in your fridge somewhere 😉
I like to keep it relatively spicy and serve it on a bed of white rice. If you’re not worried about gluten, I would serve it with naan bread. If you don’t want it too spicy, just mince a green pepper instead of two jalapenos, and use less ginger, garlic, and curry powder. If you want more heat, I’d use habanero peppers (or any of your favorite hot peppers) and don’t wash the seeds off.
This is definitely one of my all time favorite dishes, and is much less expensive than ordering take out or hitting up the local Indian restaurant. Not only is it great for potlucks, but you can still feel cultured with this home cooked meal and have the perfect night IN!
Nom Nom!
Brandon
Coborn’s Inc. Web Designer
