Indo- Chinese is our favorite cuisine so on weekends I will usually whip up our most loved combo - Hakka Noodles with Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian.
Hope you enjoy this Gobi Manchurian recipe!! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ in the recipe card. Thank you ❤️ ! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen!! For this recipe, first, the cauliflower florets are coated with flour & either deep-fried (traditionally), or air-fried or baked to give them a crunchy texture. These crispy cauliflower florets are then tossed in a sweet-spicy and a tangy sauce called manchurian sauce (which is usually dark in color due to the soya sauce) to give delicious Gobi Manchurian. The key to this recipe is those crispy florets even after being dunked in the sauce. But honestly, it tastes so good even the next day when the florets have soaked up the sauce and are all soft. It can be served dry as an appetizer or as a gravy dish with some veg fried rice or noodles. Either way, it’s very delicious so let’s see how to make Gobi Manchurian.
cauliflower florets - washed and thoroughly dried cut into small to medium size (not too big). flour for making the batter - all-purpose flour or rice flour (gluten-free option), and cornflour. seasoning - salt pepper, ginger garlic paste, and red chili sauce (optional)
For the Manchurian sauce:
veggies - green bell pepper and red onions cut in cubes. aromatics - spring onion, minced ginger, and garlic, sauces - dark soya sauce, red chili sauce, white vinegar, and tomato ketchup cornflour - for the slurry to thicken up the sauce seasoning - salt, sugar, and black pepper to bring it all together.
I use the double frying technique which is used in restaurants which ensures the florets turn out really crispy. If your batter gets runny, add a tablespoon at a time of cornflour or flour and mix. 3 and 4 - Add the dry cauliflower florets & mix well so that each floret gets well coated with the batter. These florets can now either be deep-fried, shallow (pan) fried, air -fried or baked. 6 and 7 - Now add the batter coated florets a few at a time & deep fry on medium-low heat till crispy and develop slight golden brown spots & crispy. Don’t fry them on high flame as we want the cauliflower to be cooked from inside too. 8 - Remove on absorbent paper to drain any excess oil. Continue frying the remaining florets in a similar manner. Keep these crunchy florets aside. If in rush simply continue frying the cauliflower for longer on low heat until golden brown and skip the second frying. 9 - Heat oil in a wok or pan (big enough to hold the florets too) & to this hot oil add ginger, garlic,c and saute for few seconds until aromatic. 10 - Stir in spring onions, red onions, and bell peppers. Saute for a minute or two 11 - Add the mixed sauce mix & sauté for 1 min. In the meantime, make the cornstarch slurry and add it too. 12 - Saute till the sauce thickens slightly. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as needed. Optional - Add ½ teaspoon sesame seeds and some green onions saute again (reserve ½ for garnishing). 13 to 15 - Heat oil on high and once hot add the pre-fried florets as many you can fry without overcrowding and fry on high for 1-2 mins or until golden. 16 - Drain and remove the tissue paper. 20 - Garnish with some spring onion greens & sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
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