Ghatte Manchurian Noodles

This is a comforting dinner made with ghatte/gatte and spicy sauces! This is a vegan meal and loaded with veggies and proteins!

Ghatte or gatte in simple words is chickpea flour aka besan dumplings and I have used garbanzo flour. Both sound similar but the bean variety used in making the flour is different. The garbanzo flour is made by grinding garbanzo beans and the besan is made with smaller and darker beans.

Ghatte curries are often made in Rajasthani cuisine and similar versions are made throughout India. These  noodles are my spin on the street food style Manchurain noodles but made with the ghatte.

Garbanzo flour is kneaded into a dough with finely shredded cabbage and flavoring, then shaped into cylinders. These are then steamed, sliced and cooked in curries. I have used this in making Chinese style noodles. Veggies, tofu are marinated in spices and deep fried, which is then sautéed with cabbage, bell pepper, soy sauce, chili sauce to make a comforting Manchurian gravy. I have not deep fried the gatte but pan-fried them. 

The pan-fried gatte can be served with chutney, or can be used in any curry. This can be made into Manchurian gravy and can also be served with fried rice or noodles. I stir-fried the noodles as we prefer to have in that way making it a complete meal. So it is optional to stop at those points or to make it as noodles.

Vegetarian and vegan food need not be boring or missing in any flavors. In fact, in my culinary journey of A-Z Noodles From Around the World, I have made most of the noodles vegan using different meat alternatives. Tofu, soy chunks, soy granules, potatoes, beans, artichokes, banana blossoms, jackfruit seeds can all be used as meat alternatives. Young or tender jackfruit can be used as a meat, sausage or pork substitute like in this Vegan Jamalaya. Artichokes and banana blossom can be used as seafood substitutes like in Fideua or Vegan Jambalaya. Jackfruit seeds (Jackfruit Seed Pulao) and soy chunks can be used as meat. Soy granules are used as ground meat substitutes in Si Chet Khao Swe and Vegan Cranberry Soy Spring Rolls. Potatoes are meaty and hence can be used too (Ohn No Khauk Swe). There are a couple of other veggies that are also great meat substitutes and will be sharing recipes with them in the future. Tofu is a popular meat substitute. Nuts can also be used. Tofu and pecan mixture is used in Dan Dan Noodles and Zha Jiang Mian. In our traditional food, legumes and pulses are the alternatives. So, in this recipe, I have the garbanzo flour dumplings as the meat alternative providing rich proteins.

For the month of March, the two ingredients given to use in recipes were cabbage and meat. In our ImporvCookingChallenge group, we work with two ingredients along with a few other ingredients making delicious food and share on the second Wednesday of the month. I have used  gatte made with garbanzo flour as a meat substitute. Cabbage is added in the gatte as well as in the Manchurian noodles. This is my share for this month's #ImprovCookingChallenge.

Garbanzo flour is extensively used nowadays in tons of recipes. If you have a sweet tooth try this Garbanzo Flour Cookies/Mysore Pak Cookies, these are addictive whether you dip in chocolate or not! I am also linking this to Wonderful Wednesday, Thursday Favorite Things, Full Plate Thursday, and What's For Dinner.

Ingredients

For the Ghatte

Garbanzo flour - 1 cup

Cabbage - 1 cup, finely shredded

Ginger - 1/2 tsp, grated

Garlic - 1/2 tsp, grated

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Cayenne - 3/4 tsp

Sesame seeds - 1 tsp, toasted

Cilantro - 1 tbsp

Green chili - 1, finely chopped

Oil - 2 plus 2 tbsp

For the sauce

Soy sauce - 2 to 3 tbsp

Chili vinegar - 1/2 tbsp

Green chili sauce - 1 tbsp

Red chili sauce - 2 tbsp

White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

brown sugar - 1/2 tsp

Corn flour 1.5 tbsp

Water - 1.5 cups

For the noodles

Oil - 2tbsp

Ginger - 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Garlic - 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Onions - 3/4 cup, sliced

Carrots - 1 cup, thin matchsticks

Bell pepper - 3/4 cup, thinly sliced

Cabbage - 2 cups, thinly sliced

Noodles - 4 cups, cooked

Green onions - 3 or4, copped

Cilantro - 2-3 tbsp, chopped

Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp, toasted

Method

Add the garbanzo flour, grated ginger and garlic, finely grated cabbage, salt, turmeric, finely chopped green chili, cayenne, sesame seeds, and two tablespoons oil to a bowl and knead to a dough. There is no need to water. Add one or two drops if at all needed.

Divide the dough into four equal portions, and roll into gatte of  7 to 8-in long cylinders of one or one and quarter inch diameter.

Steam the gatte for 12 minutes.

Cool the gatte for a couple of minutes. Slice each gatte into seven half slices. Heat two teaspoons of oil in a pan and pan-fry the gatte till golden brown and set aside.

Heat two tablespoon oil in the same pan. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the onion, cabbage, carrots, and bell peppers and sauté on high heat for 2 minutes. The veggies should be crisp tender.

Add the soy sauce, green chili sauce, red chili paste, white pepper powder, black pepper, brown sugar, chili vinegar and sauté for a minute.

Add water to corn flour, mix thoroughly without any lumps and add it to the veggie mixture. Cook for a minute stirring and add the green onions, and gatte. Continue cooking for 2 minutes until all the flavors are absorbed by the gatte.

Add the noodles, stir-fry on high heat for one to two minutes. Switch off the flame. Add more green onions and cilantro.

Serve immediately.

Here are the links to the recipes we shared for Improv Cooking Challenge, March 2022: Cabbage and Meat. Thanks, Nichole!

See Ji Tan - Chinese Lion’s Head Meatballs from Pandemonium Noshery

Grilled Rachel Tacos by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Cabbage and Noodles from Palatable Pastime

Keto Cabbage & Bacon Stir Fry from Sneha’s Recipe

Kielbasa Potato Stuffed Shells from Cookaholic Wife

Ghatte Manchurian Noodles from Magical Ingredients