Dry Gobi Manchurian (Crispy & Saucy) | Easy Cauliflower Manchurian Recipe

This Gobi Manchurian recipe is easy to make at home. I’m sharing the dry or semi-dry version here, the one that’s served as an appetizer or starter, without much gravy. It tastes the same as served in Indian restaurants. You can adjust the sauces and spices as per your taste.

I love Indo-Chinese dishes, whether it is Chicken Manchurian, Chili Chicken, Hakka Noodles, or Chowmein. They are easy to make and taste delicious. Let's prepare this popular restaurant-style gobi manchurian at home.

What is Gobi Manchurian?

“Gobi” means cauliflower in Hindi. Gobi Manchurian, also called Cauliflower Manchurian, is a fusion Indo-Chinese dish where deep-fried cauliflower is tossed in a savory sauce made with soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chili sauce, and vinegar.

There are two popular variations of this dish:

• Dry Gobi Manchurian: Crisp and saucy, served as a starter.
• Gobi Manchurian with Gravy: Made with extra sauce or cornflour slurry, served as a main dish with rice or noodles.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Gobi manchurian gets its delicious flavors from a mix of spices, soy sauce, and aromatics like ginger and garlic. The batter-coated cauliflower is deep-fried to a crispy golden brown, then stir-fried with sauces and vegetables like capsicum and spring onions. Here's what you will need to make it.

• Cauliflower (Gobi): Always use fresh cauliflower for the best flavor and texture.
• Seasoning: Black pepper powder and salt.
• Kashmiri red chili powder: This gives the dish its signature bright red color without too much heat. For that bright red street-style look, you can add food coloring (but food coloring is not good for your health).
• Sauces - Use a mix of soy sauce (low-sodium) and tomato ketchup. You can use your favorite ketchup or a hot and sour sauce for an extra kick.
• Flour - A combination of all-purpose flour, cornflour or cornstarch, and a little rice flour for extra crispiness. If you don't have rice flour, just use more cornflour like we did in this dry chilli chicken recipe.
• Veggies - Finely chopped ginger, garlic, spring onions, and capsicum for that authentic Indo-Chinese flavor.
• Oil - I have used sunflower oil. You can use any cooking oil that does not have a strong smell.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

Step-by-step instructions with photos

Preparations

1. Finely chop ginger and garlic. Chop capsicum & spring onions. Keep them aside.
2. Keep all the sauces & seasonings ready.
3. Cut the gobi into medium-sized florets. Rinse it well & keep it aside.
4. Boil water & add salt. Add the cauliflower florets & cook for 5 minutes. (Image 1 & 2)
5. Immediately drain it into a colander & keep it aside for 5 minutes. Transfer the gobi to a mixing bowl. (Image 3 & 4)

   

Frying the cauliflower florets (gobi)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine cauliflower florets, black pepper powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste & vinegar. (Image 5)
2. Next, add rice flour, cornflour, all-purpose flour (maida) & salt. Combine. (Image 6)
3. Add water a little at a time (1-2 tbsp) & mix until the cauliflower florets are coated well with the batter. The batter should not be runny. See the batter consistency in the image below. (Image 7 & 8)

   

4. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
5. Fry the cauliflower florets in hot oil until golden brown and crisp. (Image 9)
6. Remove & keep it on a kitchen tissue to drain off the excess oil. (Image 10)

   

Making the Gobi Manchurian dry recipe

1. Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over high heat.
2. Add chopped ginger, garlic, spring onion whites & capsicum. Saute for 2 minutes. (Image 11)
3. Add tomato sauce, soy sauce, black pepper powder, & vinegar. Stir to combine. (Image 12)
4. Next, add the cornflour slurry to it & mix. Stir it well & cook until it thickens. (Image 13 & 14)

   

5. Taste the Manchurian sauce and add more salt or pepper, if needed.
6. Add spring onion greens & fried cauliflower florets. Mix it well so that the cauliflower florets are coated well with the sauce.
7. Garnish with spring onion greens. Gobi Manchurian is ready to serve.

   

Tips to make Crispy Gobi Manchurian

1. My first tip is to cut your cauliflower into medium-sized florets. If they're too small, they'll get lost in the batter, and if they're too big, they might not cook properly.
2. I always fry the cauliflower in batches to make sure every piece gets perfectly crispy. It's so important not to overcrowd your pan; that's a common mistake. If the oil's temperature drops, your gobi will just become oily instead of crisp.
3. For the cornflour slurry, a little secret is to stir it continuously as it thickens to prevent any lumps.
4. If you don't have vinegar, you can substitute it with an equal amount of lemon juice.
5. Be mindful of the salt content. Many sauces, especially soy sauce, already contain a lot of salt, so add additional salt to the recipe with care.
6. For that beautiful, dark red color, I highly recommend using Kashmiri red chili powder. Some restaurants use food coloring, but I think the chili powder gives you the same great color without any of the unhealthy additives, and it’s not too spicy.
7. And finally, my most important advice: this dish is truly best served immediately. Trust me, you want to enjoy it while it’s hot and crispy, or it will lose its amazing texture.

FAQs

If you make this dry Gobi manchurian recipe, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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Love more Indo-Chinese Recipes? You may also like

• Jalfrezi Chicken
• Manchow Soup
• Chicken Hakka Noodles

Recipe Card