Gopi / Cauliflower Manchurian

Cuisine : Indo Chinese

Recipe :
Cauliflower ( cut into florets ) – 1

Marinade ~ All purpose flour 2 to 3 tblspn
Cornflour / Cornstarch 2 tblspn
White pepper Powder !/2 tspn . Salt to taste.

Sauce : Onion – 1 big, chopped
Ginger – 2 " piece chopped
Garlic – 5 to 6 cloves , sliced
Green chillies / Serrano peppers – 2 to 3
Soy sauce – 2 tblspn
Tomato ketchup – 2 tbsp
Red chilly sauce – According to taste.
White Pepper powder – 1tspn.
White Vinegar – 1tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt
Oil

Heat salted water in a big stock pot. Boil the cauliflower florets for 4 to 5 minutes and drain the water completely. Make a thick batter with the marinade ingredients. Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and deep fry into golden brown. Drain them on paper towel . Set aside.

In a wok, heat oil, add onion, ginger , garlic and , green chillies Saute till the onion becomes brown. Add all the sauces, pepper powder, vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix well and heat for another 1 min. Add the fried cauliflower pieces and mix well. Make sure that the cauliflower pieces are well coated with the sauces. Remove from flame.

Garnish with finely chopped Green onion leaves. This a dry version of the recipe. If you want more gravy. Mix 1tspn cornflour with 3/4 cup water and add along with the sauces. Let everything boil together. Then add the fried cauliflower pieces.

PS No need for Ajinomotto. Black pepper can be substituted for white pepper. Don't use tabasco for red chillie sauce.

Fluffy Homemade Waffles

Frozen waffles have been a staple breakfast item in our freezer for a long time. Even though I have seen so many ads about waffle makers , I was never intimidated to buy one. A couple of months ago my cousin bought a Cuisinart classic waffle maker and invited me for breakfast. I will never forget the taste of the first bite I took...hot fluffy waffles with pure maple syrup, whipped cream, and strawberry compote. That first bite took me all the way to the store and I became a proud owner of a waffle maker. Initially I followed the basic recipe from the manual which was average. Then I received this recipe from my cousin:

Fluffy Homemade Waffles

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups -unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp. -baking powder
1/4 tsp. -salt
2 -eggs (separated)
1 3/4 cup -2% milk (or whole milk)
1/2 cup -canola oil
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Preparation:

1. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks slightly, stir in milk and oil and keep it aside.
2. In a medium bowl stir flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.
3. Gently add the egg yolk mixture into the well, and stir until just moistened (should be a little lumpy)
4. In a separate (dry) bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the flour and egg yolk mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg white. DO NOT OVER MIX.
5. Spoon waffle batter into the waffle iron, making sure not to overfill. (For my classic waffle maker I use about 1/2 cup of batter.)
6. Follow the manufacturers instructions for cooking the waffles and serve with your favorite toppings.

Enjoy!