Gobi Manchurian

I find that when traveling it is fun to not only try out the local food, but also the region's take on more exotic fare. I love seeing (and tasting) how a particular place interprets and adapts a foreign cuisine.

For example, seeking out 'American food' abroad tends to provide an interesting experience. I've sampled pizza in India, country fried chicken in Thailand, McDonald's in Paris, hamburgers in Belgium, chicken cordon bleu in Malaysia (and many others). Trying familiar things in unfamiliar places can be a fun culinary side trip.

I mean, you wouldn't believe how classy the Pizza Hut in Bangalore, India was. Decked out with marble, chandeliers, and crisp linens, they even had a host to seat you! Talk about stepping though the looking glass... and I would love to ramble on about eating abroad but I do need to get to the gobi at some point.

Now, I love Chinese food but when it comes to Chinese-fusion food, American-Chinese has nothing on Indian-Chinese cuisine. It isn't even a fair fight, that stuff is inspired. Who knew the marriage of a little soy with Indian spices could be so delicious?

When I lived in India, I ate a lot of 'Indian' egg rolls, dumplings and my favorite: Gobi Manchurian.

This is like a vegetarian hot wing. Florets of cauliflower, poached, battered and then fried. Tossed in a fiery sauce. As someone who loves spicy food, these satisfy with every sinus clearing bite.

(Mmm deliciously blurry)

One of my favorite gobi experiences was over a decade ago, sitting at a single table outdoor restaurant in Hampi (Southern India). Our adorable and very professional waiter, who was all of seven years old, took our lunch orders (Gobi, Vadai and Thumbs-UP colas, if I remember correctly). He brought us cold bottles of soda and then promptly got on his bike and peddled away. He came back from... somewhere, laden with fresh vegetables for our meal. These were taken back to his mother, our chef, who cooked them up for us.

Now, I might not be able to offer up anything as charming as that experience, but I can at least provide a recipe for good Gobi Manchurian.

Not so Humble Gobi Manchurian:
serves 4-6
1 head cauliflower, cut into medium florets
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chick pea flour (or corn flour)
1/3 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped green chili
pinch of salt
warm water

Manchurian Sauce
this is very hot, consider yourself warned
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup finely chopped green onion (white part only)
1 dried red chili chopped
1 inch ginger minced
2 jalapeños seeded and finely chopped
1-2 thai green chilies seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup

cilantro chopped
green onion chopped

Core and cut the cauliflower into medium florets. Bring a pot of water with a little salt to a boil and add the florets, cook for 10 minutes until tender and drain.

In a wok or deep fryer, heat a few inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. For the batter, combine the flours, chilies, garlic and ginger, adding just enough water to make the mixture smooth. Toss the florets in a bowl with the batter to coat, then sprinkle in an additional 1/4 cup of rice flour and toss gently. Fry the florets in small batches until they are a deep golden brown and crispy, then drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, saute the garlic in the sesame oil over medium high heat for about 30 seconds, add the green onion, garlic, ginger and chilies and saute for another minute. Add the remaining ingreidents and cook over medium heat for a couple minutes until thick and bubbly.

Add the crispy fried florets to a bowl and pour the sauce over them, tossing to coat. Garnish with green onions and cilantro and serve immediately.

Char Siu Bao

A Humble household favorite. Soft, fluffy and ever so slightly sweet buns stuffed with my homemade Chinese BBQ pork and special sauce.

Char Siu - Chinese BBQ Pork

Getting geared up to make my favorite Char Siu Bao tomorrow by whipping some Chinese barbecue pork. Sweet and smokey, this stuff blows away anything you could buy readymade. Lucky, there is plenty extra to slice up and munch on as a late snack.


Now, there are far simpler Char Siu recipes out there on the net, I know. I've noticed that mine is a bit lengthier than most (it gets longer each time I adjust it) but it is the one I like the best. I believe that this dish is typically made from a pork shoulder cut but I go for the loin simply because it is more convenient cut to obtain and trim.

Not so Humble's Char Siu:
2.5-3lbs pork loin cut into lengths approximately 1.5" thick x 6" long

Marinade:
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
5 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons seseme seed oil
3 teaspoons tomato paste
3 cloves garlic
2 inch piece of peeled ginger cut into small chuncks
2 teaspoons mirin
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder (optional)
couple drops of red food coloring (optional)

Puree all the above in a food processor until it is a smooth liquid. Place pork into a container or bag and add the pureed mixture. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.



Preheat oven to 350°F and place the pork on foil lined pans (you'll thank me later when all those sugars caramelize) reserving the marinade. Cook for 30-40 minutes until pork reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.

Take the marinade and place it into a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add an additional 2 tablespoons of honey, soy sauce and ketchup and cook for about 6-7 minutes until it has darkened and thickened into the consistency expected of barbecue sauce. Baste the pork with the sauce occasionally while baking.

Remove from oven when done and allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.