High Protein Gobi Manchurian

Cauliflower (gobi), when fried or baked in batter takes on a different taste and texture, one that makes cauliflower-haters enjoy it.  I made this for someone who refers to cauliflower as “broccoli’s evil cousin,” and he liked it a lot.

I’ve made other cauliflower dishes with a chickpea flour batter: pakoras from my first book, and the caesar salad with crispy cauliflower and chickpea fritters from High Protein Vegan.  The Indo Chinese dish gobi manchurian is something I’ve been wanting to make for a while – it usually consists of cauliflower fried in a flavoured wheat and corn starch batter, with a spicy tomato and chili sauce and I thought it would work brilliantly using chickpea flour instead of the other flours.  This makes it gluten-free and high enough in protein to be a satisfying and filling main dish when served alongside some rice or quinoa, and maybe a side salad with plenty of crunchy lettuce.

This recipe has been made soy-free by using coconut aminos and some extra salt where soy sauce would normally be used.  Soy-free chickpea or adzuki miso will also work, and if you have no problems with soy, then regular non-gmo soy tamari, shoyu or another kind of naturally fermented soy sauce can also be used.

This is a hearty and savoury dish that can be made really quickly (or the batter can be soaked overnight, for the best nutrition).

Gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, grain-free, low fat option, under 45 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the battered cauliflower:
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (besan)
3/4 cup water
optional 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
2 teaspoons coconut aminos (or tamari, or naturally fermented soy sauce, or miso)
1 teaspoon finely chopped red chili
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt (use only 1/2 teaspoon if using tamari, soy sauce or miso instead of coconut aminos)
1 small-medium cauliflower (around 500g)
olive oil, for frying

For the sauce:
optional 2-4 teaspoons sesame seeds
2-3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil or olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
1-3 teaspoons finely chopped chili
1/2 cup tomato purée (passata) (to make it yourself, just put some tomatoes in a food processor and process until smooth)
2-3 tablespoons coconut aminos, miso, naturally fermented gmo-free soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons coconut sugar, rapadura, sucanat or jaggery
salt, to taste
2 teaspoons tapioca flour or non-gmo corn starch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Method:

For the best nutrition, combine the chickpea flour with 3/4 cup lukewarm water and the lemon juice and leave it to sit in a large bowl, covered, at room temperature overnight (it should be a thick batter).

Mix through the garlic, ginger, coconut aminos, chili and salt.

Gently divide the cauliflower into florets.  Chop the larger ones in half if you wish.  Thoroughly coat these in the batter*

The rest of this recipe comes together really quickly, so measure out and prechop all the sauce ingredients.

In a large dry saucepan, toast the sesame seeds over medium heat, shaking the pan often, until they taste toasted.  Remove from the pan and set aside until later.

Put around 1cm (1/2″) olive oil in a large pan.  Heat over medium-high heat.  To test the heat, add a piece of the coated cauliflower, the oil should fizz up around the cauliflower right away.  Fry the cauliflower in batches until golden-brown, flipping the pieces over halfway through frying.  It takes 2-3 batches in a 24cm chef pan.  Drain the fritters in a colander lined with a tea towel.

Alternatively, for a lower fat option, bake on greased or lined baking sheets in an oven preheated to 180c (350f) for half an hour, flipping the pieces over after 25 minutes.

When all the cauliflower has finished cooking, heat the toasted sesame oil in a large saucepan over a heat between medium-high and high.  When the oil is hot, stir through the onion for two minutes, then stir through the ginger and garlic for one minute.  Stir through the chili for thirty seconds, then add the tomato purée, coconut aminos and coconut sugar.  Stir through until bubbling then taste, and adjust the seasonings with salt and chili (it should be fairly hot, but still edible and tasty).  Keep stirring for another minute or two, to allow the sauce to reduce, then quickly stir through the tapioca flour and water mixture.  Quickly add the fried cauliflower and stir to coat.  Serve right away, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

*if you have extra batter left over, cut an onion into half moons (or use any other chopped, fast cooking vegetable) and coat in the batter, then fry after the cauliflower has finished.

Zucchini Fritters with Avocado Salsa

At this time of year in Tasmania home veggie gardens are typically full of zucchinis.  If you can pick them fast enough with the flowers still attached they are excellent baked or fried in a chickpea flour batter, when they’re small they are great sautéed or baked in some olive oil and salt, when they’re big they can be grated and used in cakes or breads.  I created this recipe a few weeks ago when my neighbour’s daughter had way more zucchinis in her garden than she could possibly eat, and was trying to find people to eat them for her.  After making chocolate zucchini mud cake I still had some left, and made this from it:

Zucchini fritters, avocado salsa, salad and fresh slow-rise bread made with wholemeal khorasan (kamut) flour

Shallow frying these in olive oil makes them extra delicious.  To shallow fry them pour olive oil into a frying pan until it is around half a centimetre (1/5 inch) high.  Turn the heat onto a medium-high temperature and wait for it to heat up.  You will know when the oil is ready by gently tilting the pan and then placing it flat again – little squiggly lines will appear in the oil very quickly when it is ready and then it is important to put the fritters in right away.

Soy-free, gluten-free.  Serves 2.

Zucchini fritter ingredients:

500g zucchini (1.1 lb)

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chickpea flour

3/4 cup water

olive oil, for shallow frying

Method:

Grate the zucchini and place it in a tea towel.  Mix in the salt and leave it to sit while you prepare the salsa.

Squeeze all the liquid out of the zucchini using the tea towel and then place in a bowl.  Mix in the chickpea flour, then slowly add the water, a little at a time.

Heat the oil for shallow frying as described above.  When it is ready scoop bits of the zucchini mixture up with a tablespoon and place in the oil, spreading it out slightly to make it flat, but not pressing it down.  Continue with the rest of the mixture then leave to fry until the bottoms are golden-brown, 2-5 minutes.  Flip over and fry until the other side is golden-brown, a couple of minutes, then serve right away with the salsa, a green salad and some fresh bread (or another grain dish or potatoes).

Avocado salsa ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

1 big tomato

half a medium-sized red onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice (around half a lemon)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Method:

Chop the avocado and tomato into fairly small pieces and place in a bowl.  Slice the onion into very tiny pieces, separating them first, and then placing in the bowl with the avocado and tomato.  Add the lemon juice, salt, cumin and paprika and gently mix with a spoon until evenly combined.

This post has been featured in March 1st Pennywise Platter and Simple Living Thursday