Gobi Manchurian Pizza
Gobi Manchurian (Indian-style fried cauliflower in tomato-chili sauce), green bell peppers, grilled paneer, cashews
Recipe
Ingredients: 1 ball of dough flour for dusting
semolina flour for pizza stone salt & pepper olive oil 1 green bell pepper, seeded & sliced 1 package paneer, cubed handful of unsalted cashews 1-2 heads cauliflower, broken into florets vegetable or canola oil for frying
For the batter: ½ cup flour 4 tablespoons corn flour ½ teaspoon chili powder 1 clove garlic, minced salt & pepper ¼-½ cup water (depending on consistency) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
For the sauce: ½ cup scallions, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon chili sauce 1 tablespoon ketchup squirt of lemon juice fresh ground pepper ½-inch piece ginger, minced ½ teaspoon nigella seeds (optional, these can be hard to find)
Directions: Preheat your oven to 550° F. In a deep skillet, heat about an inch of oil on medium. Prepare your batter by combining all the ingredients except the water in a bowl. Then add a little water at a time until the consistency is pourable, but not overly runny.
Put some extra flour in a second bowl—this will help the batter stick to the cauliflower. When your oil is hot, coat the florets in flour, then dip them in the batter until they are coated. Shake off any excess and put them in the skillet, frying a couple at a time until they are golden on all sides. Let them dry and crisp up on a paper towel.
Next, prepare the sauce. Heat a little oil in a pan over medium and add the green peppers, garlic, scallions and ginger, sauteing for a couple minutes. Then add the soy sauce, chili sauce & ketchup, and stir for a minute on low heat. Add pepper to taste (you probably won’t need more salt because of the soy sauce), plus the nigella seeds and a squirt of lemon juice.
Fold the cauliflower florets into the sauce until coated, then take off the heat and set aside until you’re ready to use.
Meanwhile, preheat your grill pan or Griddler to medium heat. When it’s hot, grill the paneer cubes until they have brown grill marks on each side.
While your cheese is grilling, you can prepare your dough using the instructions on the right. Once it’s baked for a minute, take it out and brush it lightly with olive oil. Spoon out the extra Manchurian sauce in an even layer, followed by the cauliflower, green peppers, paneer & cashews.
Now pop it in the oven and bake until the crust is a nice golden brown. Then take it out and enjoy!