GOBI /CAULIFLOWER FRIED RICE

This is a fusion recipe and I usually make it by stir-frying the Cauliflower, but this time I tweaked my own version of the recipe a little and first made a dry Manchurian of the cauliflower and then incorporated it into the fried rice. This is a complete meal and you won’t have to make any accompaniments to go with, as the cauliflower is curried. Usually, a wet Manchurian is served with Fried rice, but here the Manchurian is incorporated into the rice, so just by itself it is a meal.

Apart from the cauliflower Manchurian, I have added the usual Fried rice vegetables as well like Carrots, French Beans, Capsicum etc, had to skip the Spring onions as I couldn’t get hold of it when I planned to make this dish. Never the less, the rice tastes just as good. 

I have used regular rice and not Basmathi as I find that Basmathi and Chinese flavours do not go very well. Jasmine rice can be used in place of regular rice if you prefer. Fried rice varieties like this one and Schezwan Fried rice with Soya chunks are my go-to food during weekends as just one dish makes everyone happy, and I get time to do some baking.

While you are here I request you to check out my other recipes such as Schezwan Fried Rice, Schezwan Sauce,  Creamy Tomato Pasta, Nutella fudge Brownies, Apple Crumble and more...

Here is the recipe of Gobi Fried Rice for you—

PREP TIME: 20 Mins                                         COOK TIME: 40 Mins

 TOTAL TIME:60Mins                                          COURSE:  MAIN

 CUISINE:  FUSION                                             SERVINGS: 5

 AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

Ingredients for Manchurian:

Cauliflower 1 medium-sized, cut into florets

Rice flour ½ cup

Corn flour ¼  cup

Salt as required

Red chilli powder 1 tap

Pepper powder 1 tsp

Water 1 tbsp approx.

Onion 1 large

Tomato 1 medium 

Tomato sauce 1 tbsp

Red chilli sauce ½ Tbsp

Garlic 5 cloves finely chopped

Green chillies 3 finely chopped(divided)

Oil for frying

Ingredients for Fried Rice:

Rice precooked and cooled (spread and cool on a plate, drizzle little oil)

Carrot 1 chopped finely

French Beans a few chopped finely

Capsicum 1 small chopped finely

Salt as required

Sugar 1 tsp

Soya sauce 1 tbsp 

Pepper powder ½ tsp 

Directions for Manchurian:

Boil 1litre water. Take the cauliflower florets in a large vessel, add 1 tsp st and ½ tsp turmeric powder and pour the boiling water over it. Cover the vessel and let it stand for 10minutes. Now drain all water and cool the florets. On cooling add the Rice flour, followed by Corn flour, add salt, red chilli powder, pepper powder and toss nicely with a spatula or using your fingers. Take approximately 1 tablespoon water and sprinkle it over the flour and cauliflower mixture. Now nicely mix them all together. Adding 1 tbsp water helps the flours to stick to the Cauliflower. Heat oil for frying in a Karahi and fry the Cauliflowers nice and crisp. Drain in absorbent paper and keep aside.

 In a wok/karahi take some oil and heat. Put in the finely chopped garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the green chillies and saute for another 30 seconds. Transfer the sauteed garlic and chilli to a plate. Now put the onion and 1 green chilli into a blender and grind to a smooth paste. Remove and blend the tomato into a smooth puree. Now in the same wok heat the oil and drop in the onion paste. Fry nicely until light brown. Now add the tomato puree and mix well. Cook the onion tomato paste on high flame and start drying out the moisture. When most of the moisture has evaporated add the Tomato sauce, Red chilli sauce, salt and red chilli powder and stir nicely. The sauce should be semi-dry. Now add the fried cauliflower florets to this sauce and toss nicely, such that the sauce coats the cauliflower well. The Manchurian is ready. Set it aside.

Directions for Fried Rice:

Pre-cook rice. Spread it on a plate, drizzle some oil and cool. Now in a wok heat some oil. Over a high flame saute the capsicums first for 1 minute. Now add the chopped beans and carrot and stir fry for a minute. Add a teaspoon of sugar while stir-frying. Now add the salt, pepper powder and saute for another minute. Now its time to add the cooked and cooled rice. Add it little by little and mix nicely. Add a tablespoon of Soya sauce and give everything a nice stir, so that the Soya sauce mixes in. Now add the Manchurian to rice and toss well. Finally, mix in the sauteed chillies and garlic to the Fried rice. The Gobi fried rice is ready to serve.

STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:

1. Assemble all ingredients. Chop cauliflower to florets, cook rice and cool as directed. Take the cauliflower florets in a large vessel, add 1 tsp st and ½ tsp turmeric powder and pour the boiling water over it. Cover the vessel and let it stand for 10minutes. Drain the water and cool the florets.

2. Add the rice flour and cornflour along with salt, red chilli powder, pepper powder and toss well. Add a tablespoon of water and mix nicely. It should be a dry mixture, the flours must stick to the florets. 

3. Heat oil in a wok/karahi for deep frying and fry the cauliflower florets until crisp. Drain excess oil on an absorbent paper and set aside.

4. In a wok/karahi take some oil and heat. Put in the finely chopped garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the green chillies and saute for another 30 seconds. Transfer the sauteed garlic and chilli to a plate.

5. Put the onion and 1 green chilli into a blender and grind to a smooth paste. Remove the paste, and blend the tomato into a smooth puree. Now in the same wok heat the oil and drop in the onion paste. Fry nicely until light brown. Now add the tomato puree and mix well. Cook the onion tomato paste on high flame and start drying out the moisture.

6. When the mixture is almost dry, add the Tomato sauce, Red chilli sauce, salt and red chilli powder and stir nicely. The sauce should be semi-dry. Now add the fried cauliflower florets to this sauce and toss nicely, such that the sauce coats the cauliflower well. Set the Manchurian aside.

7. In a wok, heat oil and add the chopped beans and carrot and stir fry for a minute. Add a teaspoon of sugar while stir-frying. Now add the salt, pepper powder and saute for another minute. 

8. Now add the rice little by little and mix well. To this add the soya sauce and mix again, such that all the contents are well integrated. Now add the Manchurian to the rice and toss nicely. Follow this up by adding the sauteed green chilli and garlic. Toss again. The Gobi Fried rice is ready to devour.

NOTES.

1. The same recipe of Manchurian works well if you want to make dry Gobi Manchurian. If using the recipe only for Manchurian then add the sauteed chillies and garlic after to have mixed the florets with the sauce.

2. In case you add more water while mixing the flours with the florets and the flour is not sticking to the florets add in extra flour.

3. While making the fried rice I have not added any chilli powder. Only pepper powder has been added, as all other spices are there in the Manchurian. If you prefer more spice, feel free to add more.

4. Sugar is added while sauteeing vegetables so that they retain the colour and cook well.

 If you tried this recipe and liked it please comment below. I would love to hear from you. If you have a query about the recipe email us and ill respond as soon as I can.

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Special Note:

To make this Fried rice with Baby Corn, pressure cook 2 packs approximately 200 gm for 3 whistles. Once pressure releases drain water and cool completely. Once cool add 1tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, required salt and juice of half a lemon, i tsp oil and 1 tbsp cornflour and marinate for 30 minutes. Fry these in oil until crisp and add to the Fried rice instead of Cauliflower.