Gobi Manchurian or Cauliflower Manchurian is a popular Indo-Chinese dish where golden & crispy fried cauliflower florets are tossed in a sweet and spicy Manchurian sauce.
It tastes great when served as an appetizer or snack. It can also be served as a side dish with fried rice/noodles when made with gravy.
Seek out indigenous ingredients from your region to support local traditions and flavors.
Table of contents
Gobi Manchurian would be one of the most delicious Indo-Chinese recipes ever. This finger-licking Gobi Manchurian dish is all about Indianizing Chinese manch or manchurian dishes to take it to the next level of yumminess.
This extravagant Indo-Chinese dish is assured to hoist up your taste glands with its amazing taste and textures.
Imagine yourself digging into a delectable platter filled with aromas of sizzling and crispy golden cauliflower florets coated in a spicy and sweet sauce. Mouthwatering, isn’t it? This dish of Gobi Manchurian or cauliflower manchurian is all about deliciousness and deliciousness.
Gobi Manchurian is the dreamy wedlock of crispy fried cauliflower florets and the palatable manchurian sauce.
In India, people are crazy about Indo-Chinese food. These dishes are no way near to the authentic Chinese food, but no doubt they carry their own sorcery. That’s why they are hugely served at Indian weddings and other parties.
In Indian restaurants, you will always find a section for Indo Chinese dishes. And when it comes to street foods, Indo-Chinese food again is people’s favorite. People just love these piping hot Indo Chinese dishes which many food carts have.
Other popular Indo Chinese dishes are schezwan fried rice, Schezwan Noodles Recipe, egg fried rice, chilli paneer, veg manchurian, and hakka noodles.
About Gobi Manchurian
Gobi Manchurian Or Cauliflower is an Indo-Chinese dish which can be served as a snack or as a side dish along with rice or Vegetable Hakka Noodles.
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The meaning in Hindi language: Gobi/Gobhi = Cauliflower. And manchurian is a name for a sweet and spicy sauce made with a combination of onions, spring onions, garlic, ginger, chili, chili sauce, soy sauce, and tomato ketchup.
In this dish, blanched cauliflower florets are coated in a mixed flour batter and then deep-fried until crisp. After that, fried florets are tossed in hot Manchurian sauce.
This Gobi Manchurian
✔ is so easy to prepare & tastes amazing
✔ can also be made with pan-fried, air-fried, and baked florets
✔ is vegetarian and vegan
✔ is ready in under 30 minutes
✔ can be made dry or saucy
✔ makes a great dish for parties and get-togethers
✔ can easily be customized according to your taste glands
✔ tastes like restaurant-style gobi manchurian
Ingredients
Gobi Manchurian is a delicious dish which is made with a handful of ingredients. But all these ingredients are easily available in any kitchen.
Below are the ingredients you will need to make Gobi Manchurian:
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Cauliflower florets: It is the key ingredient of this recipe, so make sure to use fresh and organic cauliflower for the best taste.
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Oil for frying: You can use any oil which is suitable for frying.
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Soy Sauce: I have used regular light soy sauce here, but you can also use dark soy sauce. The taste will be the same, it’s just that you will get the darker shade of sauce with dark soy sauce.
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Ginger & Garlic: I have used freshly chopped ginger & garlic for this recipe.
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Black pepper powder: You can use freshly ground black pepper or powdered black pepper. Both are okay.
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Tomato ketchup: Feel free to use any of your favorite tomato ketchup.
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Chili sauce: I have added chili sauce which was mildly hot and tangy.
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Corn flour or Cornstarch: All-purpose flour or refined flour.
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Salt: Use any salt of your choice.
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Green chilies: This is added for hot flavors, but it is completely optional.
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Cilantro leaves: They add a nice herby punch to the sauce.
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Onion & spring onions (scallions): This recipe calls for chopped onions and sliced spring onions. So make sure you add both.
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Ginger-garlic paste: You can use both store-bought or homemade ginger-garlic paste.
How to make Gobi Manchurian
To make gobi manchurian, you need to follow 3 steps:
Step 1 Frying cauliflower florets:
To fry cauliflower florets, first, blanch and then coat them in fry flour. After that, dip them in all-purpose flour and cornflour batter. Then deep fry twice until crisp.
Step 2: Make Manchurian Sauce:
To make manchurian sauce, saute onion, ginger garlic, and green chilies. Then add sauces (chili, tomato, soy) and water. Season sauce with salt and pepper and boil. Add cornflour slurry, and cook until sauce thickens.
Step 3 Assemble:
Toss fried cauliflower florets in manchurian sauce. Garnish and serve.
For a full list of Gobi Manchurian Recipe ingredients and step-by-step photo and video instructions, please see the recipe box on this page.
Can I make Cauliflower Manchurian in advance?
You can, but Gobi manchurian tastes best when served fresh. However, you can surely do the preparation in advance. Cauliflower can be blanched ahead of time, but fry them only when you are planning to make manchurian.
Also, you can make the manchurian sauce a day in advance. You can easily thin it out by adding some water if it is too thick.
Serving Suggestion
Gobi Manchurian is a dish that has two variants — Dry Gobi Manchurian and Gravy Gobi Manchurian.
The dry version of gobi manchurian can be served as a starter or an appetizer for parties or get-togethers. Whereas, the gravy version can be saucy as an entree and served as a side dish along with rice or noodles.
The version I made is a semi-dry version that can be served as it is and can also be served with a side dish.
Pro tips and tricks to make Gobi Manchurian
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Double frying cauliflower florets make them super crunchy and delicious. They don’t get soggy when you coat them in manchurian sauce. So double frying is highly recommended here. However, if you are not comfortable with double frying the florets, then you can fry them only one time.
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After blanching cauliflower, make sure to coat them with cornflour. This dry coating helps them in coating batter.
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After frying cauliflower florets, don’t keep them for a long time, or else they would start turning soggy, and will not taste as crunchy as they should.
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Hot and crispy manchurian tastes the best. So serve gobi manchurian dishes immediately.
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The manchurian sauce gets its main taste from the mix of sauces. So, feel free to adjust the amount of sauces according to your taste buds.
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The chili sauce I have used is mildly hot and a bit tangy, that’s why I did not add any vinegar. But if your chili sauce is not tangy then you can also add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to this gobi manchurian.
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Blanching cauliflower florets in salted water is recommended. This way you can make sure that the cauliflower absorbs the salty water and they will cook well evenly from inside while frying.
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I like hot and spicy gobi manchurian. Thus, I like to add Kashmiri red chili powder along with black pepper powder to the batter. It adds nice heat and a smoky flavor to the batter. However, if you don’t like chili, then you can omit the red chili part.
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Do not overcrowd the pan when frying cauliflower florets, or else they will not cook evenly.
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Always, keep the sauce ready before frying cauliflower florets. This way you can serve the gobi manchurian right after frying.
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I have added some sugar to the sauce, but adding sugar is entirely optional here.
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Don’t let the fried cauliflower sit for long in the sauce, otherwise, they won’t remain crispy. They would still taste delicious though.
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You can also add capsicum (bell pepper) to the manchurian sauce along with onions.
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With leftover gobi manchurian, you can also make tortilla wrap or a pit bread sandwich.
FAQ
What are the variations for deep frying Gobi Manchurian?
In Gobi manchurian, cauliflower florets are deep-fried. But if you are not comfortable eating fried food then you can surely opt for a healthy alternative.
For this gobi manchurian recipe, you can use air-fried or baked cauliflower florets.
How to Air Fry cauliflower florets for Gobi Manchurian?
This is how you can fry cauliflower florets Using Air Fryer:
Preheat the air-fryer at 200°C/400°F for 5 minutes. Line the air fryer basket with a perforated parchment and brush/spray it with oil. Line batter coated cauliflower florets in a single layer. Brush all the florets with some oil.
Air Fry at 200°C/400°F for 14 minutes. Halfway through, give the basket a quick shake and spray florets with some oil. Insert the basket again and air fry for the rest of the time. You will get super crispy and golden fried cauliflower florets.
How to bake cauliflower florets for Gobi Manchurian?
Baking Cauliflower Florets is a great option when you want to healthify a gobi manchurian recipe and you don’t have an air fryer.
To bake, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Then arrange batter coated cauliflower florets in a single layer. Brush/spray florets with some oil and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Can I shallow fry cauliflower florets for Gobi Manchurian?
Surely you can. To shallow fry, fill a broad pan 1 inch with oil. Heat the oil and shallow fry cauliflower from both sides until they are golden and crispy.
How to make gobi manchurian gluten-free?
To make the gluten free version of Gobi Manchurian recipe, you need to swap all purpose flour with the same amount of gluten free all purpose flour or corn flour.
Also, make sure to use the gluten-free sauces when making this recipe gluten-free.
Gobi Manchurian Recipe (Step-by-step photo instructions)
Boil Cauliflower (Gobi):
- Add hot boiling water to a pan along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well.
- Add cauliflower florets and mix again. Let them boil for 2 minutes.
- Cover the pan and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Drain cauliflower florets with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a mixing bowl.
Make Batter:
- Add about 3 tablespoons of cornflour and coat the florets well by shaking the mixing bowl. Once done, keep it aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup of cornflour, salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, and whisk.
- Add water little by little and make a thick and smooth lump-free batter.
Deep Fry Cauliflower (Gobi):
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, dip cauliflower florets in the prepared batter.
- Drop battered cauliflower florets into the hot oil and fry until they are light golden in color. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Drain the fried cauliflower florets onto an absorbent paper towel-lined plate and fry the remaining florets a similar way.
- Now turn the heat to high and drop fried cauliflower florets into the oil and refry them until they are crisp and golden brown.
- Remove them on a paper towel lined plate and keep them aside.
Alternatively, Air Fry Cauliflower (Gobi):
- For Air frying, preheat the air-fryer at 200°C/400°F for 5 minutes. Line the air fryer basket with a perforated parchment and brush/spray it with oil.
- Line batter coated cauliflower florets in a single layer. Brush all the florets with some oil.
- Air Fry at 200°C/390°F for 14 minutes. Halfway through, give the basket a quick shake and spray florets with some oil.
- Insert the basket again and air fry for the rest of the time. You will get super crispy and golden fried cauliflower florets.
Alternatively, Bake Cauliflower (Gobi) in an Oven:
- To bake, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- After that, arrange batter coated cauliflower florets in a single layer.
- Brush/spray florets with some oil and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Make Manchurian Sauce:
- Heat oil in a skillet or a wok on high heat.
- Once hot, add the chopped garlic, chopped ginger, and sauté for a few seconds.
- Now, add green chili, chopped onion, sliced spring onion, and sauté for 1 minute.
- After that add chopped cilantro and mix well.
- Now add red chili sauce, tomato ketchup, soy sauce, and mix well.
- Add salt to them and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste), and sauté on high heat for a minute.
- Add 3/4 cup water and boil for 1 minute.
- Now in a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of cornflour with 2-3 tablespoons of water.
- Add cornflour and water mixture and mix well. Cook until sauce thickens.
- Lastly, add sugar (if using) and mix everything well.
- Once the sauce is ready, add the fried cauliflower and mix well. Cook for 1 minute on low heat.
- Turn off the heat and spring onions. Toss well.
- Transfer gobi manchurian to a serving dish and garnish with spring onion greens.
- Sprinkle with some sesame seeds and serve hot as a snack or a party appetizer.
Recipe Card
Gobi Manchurian Recipe [Recipe]
★★★★★
(Rating: 5 from 28 reviews)
| Prep time 🕐 | Cook time 🕐 | Total time 🕐 |
|---|---|---|
| 35 mins | ||
| Category ☶ | Cuisine ♨ | Serves ☺ |
| Snacks | Indo-Chinese | 5 |
| Nutrition Info ⊛ | Serving size ⊚ | |
| 302 calories | 1 |
INGREDIENTS
For Gobi Manchurian:
- 500 grams cauliflower (gobi), cut into florets
- Water, as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
- 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1/2 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
- Oil for deep frying + 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger (chopped)
- 3 tablespoons garlic (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon green chili, chopped
- 1 small-sized onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced spring onions + 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons red chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Boil Cauliflower (Gobi):
- Add hot boiling water to a pan along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well.
- Add cauliflower florets and mix again. Let them boil for 2 minutes.
- Cover the pan and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Drain cauliflower florets with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a mixing bowl.
Make Batter:
- Add about 3 tablespoons of cornflour and coat the florets well by shaking the mixing bowl. Once done, keep it aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup of cornflour, salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, and whisk.
- Add water little by little and make a thick and smooth lump-free batter.
Deep Fry Cauliflower (Gobi):
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, dip cauliflower florets in the prepared batter.
- Drop battered cauliflower florets into the hot oil and fry until they are light golden in color. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Drain the fried cauliflower florets onto an absorbent paper towel-lined plate and fry the remaining florets a similar way.
- Now turn the heat to high and drop fried cauliflower florets into the oil and refry them until they are crisp and golden brown.
- Remove them on a paper towel lined plate and keep them aside.
Alternatively, Air Fry Cauliflower (Gobi):
- For Air frying, preheat the air-fryer at 200°C/400°F for 5 minutes. Line the air fryer basket with a perforated parchment and brush/spray it with oil.
- Line batter coated cauliflower florets in a single layer. Brush all the florets with some oil.
- Air Fry at 200°C/390°F for 14 minutes. Halfway through, give the basket a quick shake and spray florets with some oil.
- Insert the basket again and air fry for the rest of the time. You will get super crispy and golden fried cauliflower florets.
Alternatively, Bake Cauliflower (Gobi) in an Oven:
- To bake, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- After that, arrange batter coated cauliflower florets in a single layer.
- Brush/spray florets with some oil and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Make Manchurian Sauce:
- Heat oil in a skillet or a wok on high heat.
- Once hot, add the chopped garlic, chopped ginger, and sauté for a few seconds.
- Now, add green chili, chopped onion, sliced spring onion, and sauté for 1 minute.
- After that add chopped cilantro and mix well.
- Now add red chili sauce, tomato ketchup, soy sauce, and mix well.
- Add salt to them and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste), and sauté on high heat for a minute.
- Add 3/4 cup water and boil for 1 minute.
- Now in a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of cornflour with 2-3 tablespoons of water.
- Add cornflour and water mixture and mix well. Cook until sauce thickens.
- Lastly, add sugar (if using) and mix everything well.
- Once the sauce is ready, add the fried cauliflower and mix well. Cook for 1 minute on low heat.
- Turn off the heat and spring onions. Toss well.
- Transfer gobi manchurian to a serving dish and garnish with spring onion greens.
- Sprinkle with some sesame seeds and serve hot as a snack or a party appetizer.
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NOTES:
- Double frying cauliflower florets make them super crunchy and delicious. They don't get soggy when you coat them in manchurian sauce. So double frying is highly recommended here. However, if you are not comfortable with double frying the florets, then you can fry them only one time.
- After blanching cauliflower, make sure to coat them with cornflour. This dry coating helps them in coating batter.
- After frying cauliflower florets, don't keep them for a long time, or else they would start turning soggy, and will not taste as crunchy as they should.
- Hot and crispy manchurian tastes the best. So serve gobi manchurian dishes immediately.
- The manchurian sauce gets its main taste from the mix of sauces. So, feel free to adjust the amount of sauces according to your taste buds.
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Author: Anupama
Recipe Source Link: https://www.mygingergarlickitchen.com/gobi-manchurian-recipe/
More cauliflower recipes you may love are:
Gobi Pakora – Indian cauliflower Pakora
Cauliflower Korma Curry - Gobi Kurma Recipe