Best Cauliflower ever? Mongolian Cauliflower

Annalena has written before of how cauliflower seems to be one of  those vegetables that it is  hard to like.  Annalena likes it - she doesn't LOVE it, but she likes it.  She loves cauliflower soup,  and golden cauliflower puree, but tends not to use the whole, white form.  So, when a cauliflower dish catches her eye, she investigates.

MANY years ago, when the seminal restaurant Devi was in its adolescence, Annalena and the Guyman ate a dish called "Mongolian cauliflower."  One may fairly ask:  what is a dish called "MONGOLIAN" doing in an Indian restaurant.  (and by the way, does anyone really know anything about Mongolian food?  Annalena has heard of Mongolian hotpot, but has no idea what makes it "Mongolian," or of anything else other than that).

And, there is an answer, and it is based on how things happen in this wide wide world of ours.  The word is "immigration" ragazzi.  Some day, look at a map.  (Indeed, we should all look at maps more often.  Our overall sense and knowledge of geography, is very much in decline).  Look how close China and India are.  Also, look at how big China is:  there's an enormous WESTERN part of China, which is fairly underexplored,  does not speak Chinese, and has a cuisine rather different than what you and Annalena know as "Chinese food."  Well, the borders are close, and there is a large Chinese population in India. How they have been come to be called "Mongolians,"  is something Annalena does not know;  however, what she does know, from her own background reading and her research, is that much of the "Chinese" cooking in this part of China, very much reflects Indian cooking and the cooking of warm weather.  There are tomatoes.  There is curry.  There are hot spices.  And so on, and so forth. Look for a Southwestern Chinese restaurant someday, and report back.

When you read this recipe, you will note the use of ketchup, or catsup.  HUH???? Well, again, there is a reason.  Again, based on her research, and the work of Suvir Saran (who introduced us to this dish), Indian food uses an enormous amount of chutneys.  When you get right down to eat, ketchup is not that different from a chutney, especially GOOD ketchup like you can get from June Taylor.  Chef Saran speaks of growing up and having samosas with ketchup, when time was tight and chutney was not made.  So... an American stable, transmogrified into an Indian dish, called Mongolian.

Ain't it grand, ragazzi?  And it's being told by an Italian woman.  Let's go forward.

First, a large head of cauliflower, please.   Break off the florets, and do not try to be exact.  In fact, try to be INexact, because this is so much better with UNevenly cooked pieces of vegetable.    Put that aside, and mix together 2/3-3/4 cup of cornstarch, a hefty teaspoon of salt (don't leave this out), a teaspoon of pepper, if you like, and three large eggs.  Mix this all together to a heavy sludge.  Then, put the cauliflower in with it (make sure your bowl is big enough), and turn everything around with your hands, until it's coated.  You can leave that there, while you proceed.  This is VERY similar to the "velvet" technique of Chinese cooking.

And you proceed by heating up a goodly inch and a half to two inches of vegetable oil in a deep pan, a pot, or whatever you use for frying.  Pull out your thermometer. You need it.  When the oil gets to 350, start putting the cauliflower in.  Don't overcrowd the pan.  You won't be cooking the stuff for too long, so you can afford to make multiple trips.  You want the stuff to get slightly golden, with brown spots.  As you fry the veggies, move them to paper towels.

Now, the REALLY fun part.  In a small pot, dump a cup and a half (Chef Saran called for one cup, but it was not enough when Annalena made it)of ketchup, a couple of finely chopped garlic cloves,  a half teaspoon of salt, and some cayenne pepper.  "Some" here leaves it to you, ragazzo caro, to choose how hot  you want this.  At VERY low heat, cook this for five minutes, stirring to keep it from burning (because it will burn).

After five minutes, pour the sauce over the cauliflower (which you will have moved back to a bowl), and stir everything together to coat it.

This is wonderful hot, even better at room temperature.  Not so much cold.  You should use a fork, but if you are so inclined, chopsticks will be fine.

And there you have it.  An Italian vegetable, cooked with American ingredients, from an Indian chef, named after Mongolia.  Round the world in a dish.    Safe travels, ragazzi.