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Gobi Manchurian is THE cauliflower recipe that will put all others to shame. Crispy, yet tender cauliflower is tossed in the most incredible aromatic sticky, sweet, spicy, and salty sauce. This veggie dish has so much to offer!
Gobi manchurian – what is it?
So, what exactly is gobi manchurian? I’m so glad you asked! (Even if you didn’t). This is a cauliflower centric recipe that is a celebration of all flavors – sweet, savory, spicy, so on and so forth. Manchurian is an Indo-Chinese recipe that could consist of shrimp, chicken, or really anything else, but this cauliflower version just might be my favorite.
Veggies have really never been this exciting, except maybe my crazy cauliflower.
When the cauliflower for the gobi machurian is tossed in breading, cooked to crispy perfection and then smothered in a complex and mouthwatering homemade sauce, culinary greatness is really accomplished! The best part is, this incredible recipe is SO very easy to make.
While gobi manchurian can be served as a veggie side dish along a protein like Grilled Asian Marinated Flat Iron Steak, it can also be served as an entree! When served as an entree, I like to pair this spicy sweet breaded cauliflower with a side like garlic naan! You can wrap it up like a taco too for a vegetarian take on an Indo-Chinese taco!
Ingredients
- Cauliflower – The star of the show!
For the breading, you’ll need –
- Flour – All purpose flour is perfect for frying.
- Corn flour – This helps the breading have some thickness to it.
- Water
The aromatics include –
- Black pepper – Make sure it’s finely ground into a powder.
- Ginger – Finely chopped ginger, not the paste, yields the best flavor and aroma.
- Garlic – Just like the ginger, use fresh garlic – not pre-minced or paste.
- Bell pepper – Any color works! I like to use green peppers for this recipe.
- Onion – Yellow onion is preferred, but white will also work.
- Spring onion bulbs – These are also known as scallions.
- Green chillies – For a little bit of spice!
The mouthwatering sauce calls for –
- Soy sauce – Tamari is a good low sodium option.
- Red chilli sauce – Use more or less depending on how spicy you want the sauce.
- Tomato ketchup – You can use two leftover McDonald’s ketchup packets… I won’t judge!
- Sugar – White granulated sugar only, nothing fancy.
- Salt – Just a pinch.
- Oil – This is for frying, so make sure to use vegetable oil.
- Spring onions – For garnish.
How can I make gobi manchurian more or less spicy?
This part is easy! To increase or decrease the level of spice, add more or less red chili paste in the sauce. You can also re-measure the amount of green chillies you use in the aromatics, but the red chili paste is a more determining factor of the overall spice level.
How long will gobi manchurian stay fresh?
In an airtight container in the fridge, any leftovers you have of this dish will stay fresh for about 2-3 days.
Beware of the microwave – it’ll zap the crispy consistency right out of the cauliflower! Instead, reheat your leftovers back in your skillet until they’re warmed through.
Here are more vegan recipes that I love!
Gobi Manchurian
Equipment
Ingredients
- Cauliflower florets, from 1 whole cauliflower
For the breading:
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour + ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup (87 g) corn flour + 2 tablespoons corn flour
- Water as needed
Aromatics:
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- ½ onion, diced
- ⅓ cup (33 ⅓ g) chopped spring onion bulbs
- 2 green chillies, slit
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon red chilli sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying + 2 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons green part of spring onions for garnish
Instructions
- Boil water in a sauce pan and add a tsp of salt. Add the cauliflower florets to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove the cauliflower, drain and coat them with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Set aside.
- To a mixing bowl, add ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup corn flour, black pepper, salt to taste and water needed (approximately ¾ to 1 cup water) to make a thick but flowy batter.
- Add the cauliflowers to the batter and make sure each and every singly floret is coated in the batter.
- Add oil to a wok and heat it up. Fry the cauliflowers on medium heat until nice and golden. If you want a crispier cauliflower, once you finish frying the florets, fry them again in high heat until crispy and golden brown. Set aside in a paper towel so the excess oil is absorbed.
- In another wok, add 2 tablespoons oil and when it becomes hot, add the chopped ginger, garlic, slit green chilies, spring onion bulbs, diced onions and bell peppers and sauté on high heat for a minute or two.
- Now add the sauces – soy sauce, red chili sauce, tomato ketchup, salt to taste, sugar and sauté for another minute. Test the taste and adjust the sauces or seasoning as per your taste if necessary.
- Add ½ cup water and bring it to a boil.
- Meanwhile make a corn slurry by mixing 2 tablespoons corn flour + 1 tablespoon water.
- Add the slurry to the gravy and cook until it thickens. It will happen pretty fast.
- Now add the fried cauliflower and combine until all the florets are coated in the sauce.
- Serve immediately with fresh chopped spring onion greens.
