Gobi manchurian

Treat friends or family to this popular Indo-Chinese starter where crispy cauliflower florets are tossed in a hot, sweet and sour sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower , cut into florets
• neutral oil such as sunflower or vegetable , for frying
• 2 garlic cloves , chopped
• 1 green chilli , chopped
• 1 red onion , diced
• 2 spring onions , finely sliced, plus extra to serve
• 0.5 red pepper , diced
• 0.5 green pepper , diced
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 100 g plain flour
• 20 g cornflour
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

Steps

1. Cook the cauliflower florets in a large saucepan of boiling water for 8-10 mins, until tender, then drain in a colander and set aside.
2. Mix all the batter ingredients together in a large bowl with 1 tsp salt, then slowly pour in 200ml water, stirring all the time to make a smooth batter thick enough to coat the cauliflower.
3. Drop the florets into the batter and stir gently to coat. Pour enough oil into a large saucepan to half-fill the pan then put over a medium-high heat until it reaches 180C, or a cube of bread dropped in browns in 30 seconds. Fry the cauliflower florets in batches for about 6 mins until golden and crisp, then leave to drain in a colander.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large wok over a low heat, then add the garlic, chopped chilli, red onion, spring onion, red and green peppers, and cook, stirring, for 2 mins.
5. Stir in the ketchup, chilli sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli flakes, black pepper and 1 tsp each salt and pepper and heat through for 1 min. Toss the fried florets in the sauce to coat. Serve in a bowl, sprinkled with chopped spring onions, if you like.