Gobi Manchurian is an Indo-Chinese dish made with crispy cauliflower florets tossed in a spicy Manchurian sauce. Continuing with my takeaway-style Chinese dishes that you can replicate at home, here is a vegan cauliflower Manchurian recipe. Be sure to watch the video!
Indian-Chinese Fusion Cuisine
In India, we classify gobi Manchurian as part of Indian-Chinese cuisine.
The vast number of Chinese migrants in Kolkatta, West Bengal, created the fusion cuisine, now popularly known as Indo-Chinese.
Over the years, dishes like cauliflower Manchurian are the heart of Indian street food fare. Light on the wallet, and big on flavors, Indo-Chinese cuisine is widely popular across the Indian sub-continent.
The Cauliflower Manchurian
‘Gobi’ is the Hindi term for cauliflower. And Manchurian is a thick and luscious fusion sauce. Hence, the name ‘Gobi Manchurian’ literally translates into cauliflower tossed in a Manchurian sauce.
To make gobi Manchurian, the cauliflower is robbed of its monotony and clothed with a thick batter and fried till crisp.
The fried cauliflower florets coated in a delicious, vegetarian Manchurian sauce are indeed a vegetarian delight.
You can make gobi Manchurian like an appetizer/finger food for the parties, or with a little extra gravy, you can serve it with fried rice as a main course.
It is an excellent dish for feeding crowds or dinner parties.
Ingredients Required
For The Crispy Cauliflower Florets
- Cauliflower florets (fresh or frozen)
- All-purpose flour (maida)
- Corn flour (corn starch)
- Ginger-Garlic Paste
- Salt, Black Pepper Powder, Water
- Cooking Oil for frying
For Manchurian Sauce
- Cooking Oil
- Garlic, Ginger, Red Onion
- Green Capsicum or Bell Peppers
- Soy Sauce, Red Chilli Sauce, Tomato Ketchup
- Water
- Corn Flour
How To Make
Making Gobi Manchurian is a two-step process.
Part A) Coat cauliflower florets in the flour batter. Fry till crisp and golden.
Part B) Make the Manchurian sauce to coat the fried cauliflower florets.
My Tried & True Tips
Non- Greasy: Even though this is a fried snack, you don’t want it reeking of oil. Imagine biting into a fritter and getting a mouthful of oil? Ensure the oil is at a high temperature before frying the florets to prevent soggy florets.
Not Too Doughy: Yes, flour is used as a binder in this gobi Manchurian recipe. It also helps give the fritters the lovely crunchy coating we love. But adding too much flour or cornstarch in the batter makes your cauliflower florets hard, and then you just have fried dough balls instead.
Avoid Over-Cooking: The Gobi Manchurian gravy does not require long cooking hours. Once the sauce is thick and luscious, turn off the heat. Do not cook it for too long after adding fried cauliflower florets and capsicum.
If you’re attempting to make cauliflower Manchurian the first time, don’t worry. This is an easy Manchurian recipe that I have for you today. The results are always delicious, and you just can’t go wrong.
Watch Manchurian Video
Serving Suggestion
You can serve gobi Manchurian as a snack for the parties or make it extra saucy to serve it with main-course dishes like chilli garlic noodles, pineapple fried rice, or plain cooked rice. Either way, it tastes delicious!
More Indo-Chinese Recipes
Chinese Bhel (Crispy Noodle Salad)
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Gobi (Cauliflower) Manchurian
Ingredients
Ingredients For Frying:
- 500 gram cauliflower florets
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (maida)
- 2 tablespoon cornflour (corn starch)
- 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ⅓ Cup water
- Oil for shallow frying
Other Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 teaspoon chopped red chilli
- ½ Cup chopped onion
- ½ Cup diced capsicum
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon red chilli sauce
- 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- ¼ Cup corn flour paste (2 tablespoon cornflour combined with water)
Instructions
- To prepare the florets for gobi manchurian, wash cauliflower in water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Cut cauliflower into bite size florets.
- For the frying batter mix all-purpose flour, corn flour, salt, black pepper, and ginger-garlic paste. Use water to make a thick paste. The batter has to be of dropping consistency but not too runny.
- Add the florets in the batter, mix nicely and let them sit in the fridge for half-an-hour.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan to shallow fry the cauliflower florets. Take out florets from the fridge and in small batches shallow fry until crisp from outside.
- Transfer fried florets into a plate lined with kitchen towel. Once all the florets are fried keep aside while the manchurian sauce is getting ready.
- From the same pan transfer excess oil to a bowl and leave only 1 – 2 tablespoon in the pan. Heat pan over medium heat. Add chopped garlic, ginger, red chilli and onion. Fry for a minute to release the aroma of ingredients.
- Now add chopped capsicum and stir-fry for 2 – 3 minutes over high heat.
- Add soy sauce, tomato sauce, red chili sauce, black pepper, and salt. Stir and add ¼ cup of water followed by cornflour paste. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes or till it becomes little thick.
- At last, add the fried cauliflower florets and stir to evenly coat florets with sauce. Cook for 1 – 2 minute.
- Garnish Gobi Manchurian with the spring onion greens.
- Serve Gobi Manchurian warm with fried rice and noodles.
Shreya at Jumbodium says
Yummy one. Mushrooms are my favorite. I have never tried this recipe. Will surely do and share the feedback with u. Keep posting with lots more. Thank u for the wonderful share.
Kamats India says
Nice Article. Nice Recipe.
Thanks for sharing.
Keep Sharing.
Hina Gujral says
Thanks to you for such kind and encouraging words.