Gobi Manchurian or Cauliflower Manchurian is truly one of the most gratifying meals of all time. It's hard not to pop the sizzling golden fried battered cauliflower florets in your mouth, even as the Manchurian sauce simmers away filling your kitchen with delectable aromas.
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Indo-Chinese food is best had in India and is a popular addition to most restaurant menus. Surprisingly, you can also sample some of the best spicy piping hot Indo-Chinese fare at quaint roadside eateries in India. Where can one find the "world's best Indo-Chinese food" is often a topic of discussion at parties and dinner tables.
This Homemade Gobi Manchurian served with Hakka Noodles and Sweet Corn Soup is a satisfying meal that is on repeat in my kitchen. Love Indo-Chinese? check out How to make Chilli Chicken at home.
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So what exactly is Gobi Manchurian?
Gobi is a hindi word for cauliflower
Manchurian is a spicy-sweet & tangy sauce made by combining a few basic pantry ingredients such as chili sauce, soy sauce, and ketchup.
Gobi Manchurian is the blissful marriage of fried cauliflower florets and the flavorful Manchurian sauce.
A healthier spin on Gobi Manchurian
Instead of the deep-fried restaurant version, I prefer this healthier version that uses just a fraction of oil. Pan-frying the battered cauliflower in small batches results in perfectly crisp cauliflower ready to be coated in the spicy, sweet, and tangy Manchurian sauce.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower - a fresh firm head of cauliflower cut into florets
- Flours - cornflour and all-purpose flour
- Aromatics - scallions, ginger, garlic and green chilies
- Sauces - red chili sauce, soy sauce and ketchup
- Vinegar - white vinegar works best in this recipe
How to Make Gobi Manchurian
- Boil 6 cups of water in a large pot. Place the cauliflower florets in the hot boiling water for 2 minutes. Carefully take them out of the water making sure to drain all the water out. Allow them to cool down.
- In a medium mixing bowl mix cornflour, all-purpose flour, salt & pepper. Gradually add a little water making sure that the batter is not runny.
- Add the steamed cauliflower florets to the batter and gently mix to coat them with the batter.
- Heat oil in a nonstick skillet or pan over medium heat.
- Slowly add a batch of battered cauliflower florets to the oil. Note: Add half of the cauliflower at a time so they are not too crowded.
- Stir-frying for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through as they start to turn golden brown. Use a slotted spatula to transfer the cooked florets from the pan to a platter lined with a paper towel.
- Fry the remaining cauliflower. Add another tablespoon of oil if needed. Transfer the fried gobi to the platter. Set aside.
- In the same pan, add the white part of the chopped scallions, ginger, garlic, and green chili. Cook for 3 minutes on medium-high heat and then add red chili sauce, soy sauce, and ketchup. Mix well and cook for a minute. Add vinegar, and sugar and mix well.
- Next, add water and cook until the sauce comes to a gentle simmer and starts to thicken about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the pan-fried cauliflower and gently mix in the sauce coating the cauliflower florets evenly. Cook for another 1 minute. Turn the heat off, and garnish with spring onions.
Serving Gobi Manchurian
Enjoy piping hot Gobhi Manchurian as an appetizer or as a meal with Hakka Noodles, Fried Rice, or plain steamed rice. If you enjoy Indo-Chinese dishes do try my Instant Veg Manchurian recipe with ready-made veggie meatballs.
Using an Air Fryer or Oven
- Air Fryer Method - Use a perforated parchment paper liner and coat it with oil. Line the steamed & batter-coated cauliflower in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Brush or spray the cauliflower with oil. Cook at 380 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn the cauliflower over, brush with oil again, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. You will have perfectly crispy cauliflower to use in the Manchurian recipe.
- Oven Method - Arrange the steamed & batter-coated cauliflower in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush or spray with oil and bake at 400 degrees in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cauliflower starts to turn light golden brown. Turn halfway through.
Gluten-free Variation
- Substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour or rice flour
- Substitute soy sauce with tamari
Dry or Saucy?
This dish can be made saucy as an entree or it can be tossed up as a stir fry dish and served up as a party appetizer or a side dish. Either way, you are sure to have a winning dish to serve to your guests.
I grew up eating and loving Indo-Chinese food in India. When I moved to the United States, this was one of the main things I sorely missed. I knew I had to master the art of making the "world's best Indo-Chinese food" right here in my kitchen.
Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that we love at home. My kids think I make fantastic Gobi Manchurian, and I am happy to share this easy Indo-Chinese recipe with you. This recipe is for dry Gobi Manchurian and can be served as an appetizer or as a side dish, served with Hakka Noodles or fried rice.
Homemade drinks to pair with Gobi Manchurian
More Indian Street Food Recipes
Recipe
Gobi Manchurian Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound cauliflower cut evenly into 1 to 2 inch florets
- 2 tablespoons corn flour
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour use cassava flour for low carb option
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons oil
Sauce Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar optional
Other ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small green chili sliced (optional)
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- ½ cup scallions white part chopped
- ¼ cup green scallions chopped finely
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Steam the cauliflower using either Instant Pot or Stove top
- Using Instant Pot: Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot insert and place the trivet inside. Put the cauliflower florets in a steamer basket and place the basket over the trivet. Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the pressure release valve to sealing. Steam for zero minute followed by quick release. Open the Instant Pot and take out the cauliflower florets. Allow to cool. Using Stove Top: Boil 6 cups of water in a large pot. Place the cauliflower florets in the hot boiling water for 2 minutes. Carefully take them out of the water making sure to drain all the water out. Allow to cool
Make the batter and coat the cauliflower florets
- Next, make the batter to coat the cauliflower. In a medium mixing bowl mix cornflour, all-purpose flour, salt & pepper. Gradually add little water making sure that the batter is not runny.
- Add the steamed cauliflower florets to the batter and gently mix to coat them with the batter.
Pan fry battered caulilfower (see notes for airfrying)
- Heat oil in a nonstick skillet or pan over medium heat. Slowly add a batch of battered cauliflower florets to the oil. Note: I only add half of the cauliflower at a time so they are not too crowded.
- Fry for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through as they start to turn golden brown. Use a slotted spatula to transfer the cooked florets from the pan to a platter lined with a paper towel.
- Pan-fry the remaining cauliflower. Add another tablespoon of oil if needed. Transfer the fried cauliflower to the platter. Set aside.
Make the Machurian sauce, toss in the cauliflower & garnish
- In the same pan, add white part of the chopped scallions, ginger, garlic and green chili. Cook for 3 minutes on medium heat and then add chili sauce, soy sauce and ketchup. Mix well and cook for a minute. Add vinegar, sugar and mix well.
- Next, add water and cook until the sauce comes to a gentle simmer and starts to thicken about 3 to 4 minutes..
- Add the pan-fried cauliflower and gently mix in the sauce coating cauliflower florets evenly. Cook for another 1 minute. Turn the heat off, garnish with green scallions and enjoy hot.
Notes
- Use a perforated parchment paper liner and coat it with oil.
- Line the steamed & batter-coated cauliflower in a single layer in the Air Fryer Basket.
- Brush or spray the cauliflower with oil. Cook at 380 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Turn the cauliflower over, brush with oil again and continue to cook for another 5 mins. You will have perfectly crispy cauliflower to use in the Manchurian recipe.
Nutrition
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Sue Roosma says
Very tasty! I baked it in the oven, and think frying it would make the texture more palatable. Served with spaghetti squash. Posted a photo on Instagram.
Kym says
I loved this recipe but it was way too spicy (at least for me). Next time I'll reduce the sriracha and pepper and think it'll be perfect.
I used an air fryer and used parchment for the first batch and just the basket for the second and had the same results so will skip the parchment next time around.
Shruti says
This looks delicious-however, looking online at my grocery store, it seems a bit difficult to locate corn flour. Can a substitute flour be used? Is it easily found in an Indian grocery store?
Archana says
yes you can use rice flour or besan even instead.
Rashmi says
Hi Archana, I’m big fan of your recipes! I wanted to try this recipe but accidentally bought corn starch instead of corn flour. Can I use corn starch and what will be the proportion?
Thank you
Rashmi
Archana says
Yes corn starch works. I will update the recipe to include that.
SR says
Hi Archana, I tried this recipe and while it tasted wonderful, the cauliflower ended up being a bit mushy. Any ideas of what I might have done wrong? I think next time I would try doing it without steaming the cauliflower first. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Archana says
I think your cauliflower must have been overcooked during steaming. You can either steam stove top, cut bigger pieces or try without steaming
Namziee says
Can you tell what chilli sauce you used for the sauce?
Archana says
sriracha or Ching's chili garlic or schezwan sauce
rupal vijayanathan says
The recipe was a hit that I had to make it twice in one week! I used frozen cauliflower the first time and the second time I used fresh cauliflower. The fresh cauliflower had more of a crisp to it!
Maneesha says
Soooo delicious!! Thanks Archana! I air fried, and it turned out beautifully
Vidhya Jambunathan says
I had so much fun making this dish with my teen daughter.
It turned out really well and my daughter was super proud.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you! This makes me so happy!
Allison Kelsey says
Such a tasty recipe. I followed the instructions from start to finish, and I made the in an air fryer. My husband lost his mind over the sauce.