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close-up of gobi manchurian served on a plate. Garnished with spring onion greens.
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5 from 3 votes

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

This crispy and saucy Gobi Manchurian recipe is an Indo-Chinese appetizer made with fried cauliflower tossed in a flavorful manchurian sauce. This easy recipe shows how to make both dry and gravy-style Gobi Manchurian. Serve this popular restaurant-style Cauliflower Manchurian with fried rice or noodles.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Snack, Starter
Cuisine: Indo-Chinese
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 280kcal
Author: Preeti Nayak

Equipment

  • Wok or Heavy bottom pan

Ingredients

For frying the Gobi

  • 2 cups cauliflower florets
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon vinegar optional
  • ¼ cup rice flour
  • ¼ cup cornflour
  • ¼ cup All-purpose flour (Maida)
  • salt to taste
  • Oil for frying

For making the Gobi Manchurian

  • 4 cloves of garlic , finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ginger , finely chopped
  • 2 spring onion whites , finely chopped
  • ¼ cup capsicum , finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon tomato & chili sauce (or use tomato ketchup)
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon soya sauce (low sodium, light soy sauce)
  • salt to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
  • spring onion greens

To make cornflour slurry

  • 1 teaspoon cornflour
  • 3 tablespoon water

Instructions

Preparations

  • Finely chop ginger, and garlic. Chop capsicum & spring onions. Keep it aside.
  • Keep all the sauces & seasonings ready.
  • Cut the gobi in medium size florets. Rinse it well & keep it aside.
  • Boil water & add salt. Add the cauliflower florets & cook for 5 minutes. Immediately drain it into a colander & keep it aside for 5 minutes. Transfer the gobi to a mixing bowl.

Frying the cauliflower florets (gobi)

  • In the mixing bowl, combine cauliflower florets, black pepper powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, ginger garlic paste & vinegar.
  • Add rice flour, cornflour, all-purpose flour (maida) & salt. Combine.
  • Add water little by little (1-2 tbsp) & mix until the cauliflower florets are coated well with the batter. The batter should not be runny.
  • Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat.
  • Fry the cauliflower florets in hot oil until golden brown.
  • Remove & keep it on a kitchen tissue to drain off the excess oil.

Making the Gobi Manchurian dry recipe

  • Heat 2 teaspoon oil in the pan at high heat.
  • Add chopped ginger, garlic, spring onion whites & capsicum. Saute for 2 minutes.
  • Add tomato sauce, soya sauce, black pepper powder, & vinegar. Stir it.
  • Next, add the cornflour slurry & stir continuously and mix. Let it come to a boil.
  • Taste the Manchurian sauce and add more salt or pepper, if needed.
  • Add spring onion greens & fried cauliflower florets. Mix it well so that cauliflower florets are coated well with the sauce.
  • Garnish with spring onion greens. Gobi Manchurian is ready. Serve hot and enjoy.

Video

Notes

    1. To make a gravy version, add half to 1 cup of water to the sauce mixture. Then, thicken the liquid by stirring in a cornflour slurry and simmer until it reaches your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and spices.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. For the cornflour slurry, a little secret is to stir it continuously as it thickens to prevent any lumps.
    5. If you don't have vinegar, you can substitute it with an equal amount of lemon juice.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcal