Gobi Manchurian- Cauliflower
Cauliflower Manchurian is an Indo Chinese dish with cauliflower florets that are deep fried, or air fried in a batter until crispy and tossed in spicy and savory sauce. It is spicy and sweet all in once and makes for great party appetizer. A great option for vegetarians and meat eaters.
Indo- Chinese cuisine is so popular in India. It is one of the most famous street foods.
Cauliflower is also called Gobi in Hindi. So, the dish is called Gobi Manchurian on lots of menus.
This dish so easy to prepare. I love how convenient it is to make. Even though there is some frying involved. But if you own an air fryer than it becomes very easy to avoid deep frying.
I have tried this recipe in many ways.
First, I like to steam or boil the cauliflower for exactly 2 minutes. If you boil it longer, it will become mushy quite easily even when you fry it. So put a timer. Once it is boiled or steamed, the cauliflower florets are dipped in a simple batter made from all purpose flour and cornstarch. I have used more cornstarch compared to all-purpose flour as I want them to be crispy. Another flour that I like to use is rice flour as it adds a lot of crispiness too. You get the idea; we are going with the ultimate crisp factor.
The rest of the recipe is super quick. You make the most delicious sauce from all the Asian ingredients and toss the florets into it. If you like Asian recipes, then you will love this cauliflower recipe.
You might have seen Gobi Manchurian dry or gravy at restaurants. The difference is in the sauce.
Dry Gobi Manchurian is often served or enjoyed as bite or appetizer food. The one with gravy is accompanied with rice or fried rice.
Couple of things to keep in mind,
Batter should be thick and lump free. Do not fry on low heat setting or else it will turn out oily.
Just make sure to not over cook the vegetables or toss the cauliflower florets too long. They will loose all that crispiness.
Gobi Manchurian (Cauliflower Manchurian)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower approx. 500 grams
- 4 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- ¼ tsp Chili powder
- ¼ tsp Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 2 tsp garlic
- ¼ cup scallions white and green parts divided
- ¼ cup bell peppers
- ¼ cup onions
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp red chili sauce sambal olek
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar or honey
- 1 tsp corn starch
Instructions
- Boil about 3 cups of water on medium heat once the water comes to full boil, add cauliflower florets.
- Boil them for exactly 2 minutes. Do not overcook them. Drain the cauliflower and leave it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add cornstarch, both flours and other dry ingredients like red chili powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
- Add water and mix it into thick batter.
- Heat up oil for frying on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, dip each cauliflower florets one by one and fry them until they are crispy. Remove them on a paper-towel lined tray.
- Make Sauce
- Take oil in a pan on medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and scallion whites. Cook it for few minutes, add in the onions and bell peppers. Give it quick stir.
- Add all the sauces starting with vinegar, soy sauce, red chili paste, tomato paste and sugar or if you are using honey.
- Dilute cornstarch in water and then add that in too. Let it cook for few seconds and the sauce will come together. If its too thick, add little bit water.
- Toss the fried cauliflower florets and give it a good stir to mix them with the sauce.
- Remove them on a serving platter. Garnish them with green part of scallions.
Notes
- You can fry the cauliflower and keep it ready. But make sure you toss them in sauce close to when you are ready to serve, it keeps the cauliflower crispy.
- I like to make some fried rice with this dish.
If you want to pair it with another Indo-Chinese dish then you should try out Vegetarian Manchurian or Hakka Noodles!
XO, Devangi