Gobi manchurian recipe: A slightly spicy, restaurant style Indian appetizer with bold, vibrant flavors. Cauliflower florets are steamed in the instant pot, battered and fried until perfectly crisp, and finally coated in a sweet and sour sauce. Tastes heavenly over a bed of noodles or rice. Comes together in 30 minutes!
Looking for another tasty and filling snack? Check out this naan pizza recipe made with wholewheat naan bread.
This juicy, slightly crunchy, orange-y cauliflower sitting over a bed of spaghetti has stolen my heart. Like, seriously. And it's not just about the way it looks and tastes (awesome). Maybe it's just me, but there's something about twirling a forkful of noodles and cauli and putting it in your mouth that's totally comforting. If you don't feel the same way about pasta, you can have gobi manchurian all by itself as a snack too.
Confession - fusion food's not really my thing. This isn't one of those tried and tested recipes I've made a gazillion times as I've always had Indo-Chinese recipes only while eating out. I tried this beautiful vegetable lo mein recently and it came out tops! But this time round, I got brave and decided to try cooking chilli gobi (less fancy name but same thing) as an experiment. And it worked! I made it three times last week and the last of those attempts was for a pot luck where it was one of the first things to go. Did manage to click a few pics in the middle of all that frenzied cooking.
Of course, I had to put it on the blog and share it with you!
Ingredients
- 1 small to medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets
- all purpose flour
- cornflour
- rice flour (made by grinding uncooked rice in a spice or coffee grinder)
- spring onion (white and green parts separated and chopped)
- garlic (chopped)
- soy sauce
- hot sauce
- ketchup
- white vinegar
- black pepper powder
- brown sugar
- salt
- cooking oil
How to make gobi manchurian
Step 1 - Steam or blanch the cauliflower
The cauliflower should neither be completely raw nor mushy for the perfect manchurian. To get the right amount of crunch, you can either steam it if you have an instant pot or blanch it on the stovetop.
Steaming (Instant Pot method)
Add one cup of water to the instant pot. Arrange the cauliflower florets in a steamer basket and sprinkle a quarter teaspoon salt on them. Pressure cook on low for zero minutes, then release pressure immediately (Quick Pressure Release).
Blanching (Stove top method)
Bring a pot of water to a roiling boil on the hob, add 1 tablespoon salt and put in the cauliflower gently to avoid splashing. Switch off the heat after 2 minutes. Let the cauliflower simmer for 2 minutes, then remove it from the water and keep aside.
Step 2 - Batter and deep fry the cauliflower
Make a thick paste of all the flours - cornflour, all-purpose flour and rice flour and add the cauliflower florets to it so that they get coated completely. Then, deep fry the florets for 30 seconds in very hot oil. The florets will get golden brown and crisp almost immediately in the hot oil.
Step 3 - Make the manchurian sauce
Heat the oil in a frypan and add the white part of the onion and garlic. Saute for two minutes, then add all the sauces - soy sauce, hot sauce and ketchup. Add the brown sugar and black pepper powder as well. Add half a cup water and simmer for 5 minutes. To bring the sauce to a coating consistency, dissolve 1 teaspoon cornflour in 3 tablespoons water and add to the sauce. Stir until the sauce thickens.
Step 4 - Add the fried cauliflower to the manchurian sauce
Add the fried cauliflower to the manchurian sauce and turn off the heat. Toss until the cauliflower has absorbed most of the sauce. Finish with a garnish of spring onion greens.
If making a meal out of it, cook some rice or spaghetti according to package instructions. Spoon the cauliflower manchurian over the rice or spaghetti and serve warm.
Tips to make the perfect, crispy cauliflower manchurian
1. The cauliflower should not be over-cooked. It should still be firm and crunchy after you steam or blanch it.
2. Rice flour gives a crispy texture to anything it's added to, so don't skip it while making the batter.
3. Flash fry the cauliflower florets in very hot oil for a golden-brown, crisp exterior and remove quickly once done. If the oil is not hot enough, you will have to fry the florets longer. They will absorb more oil and also get over-cooked. Not good.
Note: If you want to know more about flash frying, have a look at this post by Livestrong.com: How to Cook by Flash Frying.
4. Don't cook the cauliflower in the sauce otherwise it will become too soft. When the sauce is ready, switch off the heat and toss the florets in the sauce until they have absorbed the liquid.
5. Serve the manchurian as soon as you can after making it. Indo-Chinese dishes do not take too kindly to being kept for too long. The vegetables lose their crispiness and become soggy.
If you liked this recipe, two more Chinese-style vegetarian starters you might want to try are:
- Vegetable spring rolls: With a delicious filling of cabbage, carrot and spring onions, these rolls are crispy and golden on the outside and bursting with flavor at first bite!
- Chilli paneer: Shallow-fried paneer cubes with veggies drenched in a spicy sauce.
More snack recipes for you
- Tandoori Gobi - Cauliflower florets are marinated in yogurt and spices and roasted in an oven. Makes for a healthy and tasty evening snack or appetizer.
- Chicken Mayonnaise Sandwich - This cold chicken mayo sandwich is perfect for a picnic, tea party, barbecue, or even kids' lunchboxes. It has a creamy filling made with mayonnaise and a few simple ingredients that you will find in your pantry or refrigerator.
- Crispy Aloo Tikki - Aloo tikki is every chaat lover's delight and the perfect evening snack. Learn how to make these golden and crispy tikkis and serve them with a sweet and spicy tamarind chutney for an extra burst of flavor!
- Chicken Malai Tikka - Soft, juicy kababs on skewers that will simply melt in your mouth. Tender pieces of boneless chicken are marinated in a unique blend of yogurt, cream, cheese, papaya and spices and cooked on a grill or oven.
📖 Recipe
Gobi Manchurian (Dry Chilli Gobi Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower small to medium, cut into florets
- 3 tablespoon all purpose flour maida
- 3 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 tablespoon rice flour made by grinding uncooked rice in a spice or coffee grinder
- 2 bunches spring onion white and green parts separated and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce light
- 3 tablespoon hot sauce
- 3 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper ground
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil extra for frying
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets.
- Chop the spring onions - white and green parts separately.
- Chop the garlic.
- Grind 2 tablespoon white rice in a spice or coffee grinder to a powder.
Cooking
1. Prep the cauliflower
- Add 1 cup water to the inner liner of the instant pot, arrange the cauliflower florets in a steamer basket, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt on the florets and place the basket in the pot. Set the cooker on pressure cooking mode (low) for 0 minutes. When the timer beeps, release the pressure (Quick Pressure Release).
- If you don't have an instant pot, bring a pot of water to boil on the stovetop, add 1 tablespoon salt and put in the cauliflower florets. Switch off the heat after 2 minutes and let the cauliflower sit in the hot water for 2 minutes more. Drain the water and keep the cauliflower aside.
2. Make the batter
- Sift the cornflour, all-purpose flour and rice flour in a bowl. Add water little by little and lightly whisk with a fork until you get a batter of coating consistency. Put the cooked cauliflower in this and mix well.
3. Fry the cauliflower florets in hot oil
- Heat enough oil in a wok or frypan to deep-fry the cauliflower and heat it until it is smoking hot. Add the cauliflower florets, taking care not to over-crowd the wok. As soon as the florets start turning brown (30-40 seconds as the oil is very hot), take them out onto some kitchen paper.
4. Make the manchurian sauce
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a frypan and add the spring onion whites, spring onion greens (half) and garlic. Saute for two minutes, then add all the sauces - soy sauce, hot sauce and ketchup. Add the brown sugar and black pepper powder as well. Add half a cup water and simmer for 5 minutes. To bring the sauce to a coating consistency, dissolve 1 teaspoon cornflour in 3 tablespoons water and add to the sauce. Stir until the sauce thickens.
5. Add the fried cauliflower to the manchurian sauce
- Add the fried cauliflower to the manchurian sauce and turn off the heat. Toss until the cauliflower has absorbed most of the sauce. Finish with a garnish of the remaining spring onion greens.
- Note: This is a dry cauliflower manchurian recipe and you can have it with a fork. However, if you want to make a meal out of it, cook some rice or spaghetti according to package instructions. Spoon the cauliflower manchurian over the rice or spaghetti and serve warm.
Notes
- The cauliflower should not be over-cooked. It should still be firm and crunchy after you steam or blanch it.
- Rice flour gives a crispy texture to anything it's added to, so don't skip it while making the batter.
- Flash fry the cauliflower florets in very hot oil for a golden-brown, crisp exterior and remove quickly once done.
- Don't cook the cauliflower in the sauce otherwise it will become too soft. When the sauce is ready, switch off the heat and toss the florets in the sauce until they have absorbed the liquid.
- Serve the manchurian as soon as you can after making it. If you keep it for too long, the vegetables will lose their crispiness and become soggy.
Andrea Metlika says
I always over cook my cauliflower. Thank you for these tips. Now I can make this delicious recipe with confidence.
Saima says
You're welcome Andrea.
Mina says
This was suuuuuper delicious. I was looking for a recipe with cauliflower since I'm always clueless what to do with it apart from cooked down dry salen style.
I could not convince my kids yet though.
Thank you
Saima says
Hey, thanks Mina! So glad you liked it. I know, convincing kids to try something new is not easy!
Mina says
I cooked it for the second time, but I have to say my cauliflower florets don't get brown in 30 seconds, it's more 3-6min deep frying
Saima says
Mina, it depends on how hot the oil is. If the oil is not super-hot, the florets do take time to brown up. Again, you're not really looking at a uniform deep brown, just the stage where it starts to form brown spots. Anyhow, not a deal-breaker, I'm sure!