Gobi Manchurian
This easy-to-make Gobi Manchurian recipe is a delicious version of the classic Indo-Chinese dish with much fewer ingredients! Tender chunks of cauliflower are first breaded and deep-fried before being coated in a flavorful, aromatic, finger-licking sauce. In just 30 minutes, you will have the perfect appetizer or main dish.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 280kcal
Equipment
- Cast-iron Dutch Oven (3-quart / 2.8 liter)
- Wok
- Non-stick cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cauliflower
Wet batter
- ⅓ cup Chickpea flour
- ⅔ cup All-purpose flour - we also tested with rice flour
- ¼ tsp Ginger powder
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- ½ tsp Hot chili powder or flakes
- ¾ cup Dairy-free milk
Dry batter
- 1 Tbsp Corn starch
- ½ cup White rice flour
Manchurian sauce
- 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp Garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp Ginger minced
- ¼ cup Ketchup
- 1 Tbsp Soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 1 tsp Sriracha (or any other chili paste)
- ½ tsp Cane sugar
- 1 Tbsp Corn starch
- ½ cup Water
Optional topping
- 1 Scallion
Instructions
- Cut cauliflower head into smaller florets. Blanche them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Then drain. Do not overcook it.
Dry batter
- Mix rice flour with cornstarch in a shallow bowl.
Wet batter
- Mix in a shallow bowl chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, ginger powder, garlic powder, chili powder and salt. Pour in the dairy-free milk and start mixing. It should have a texture of a pancake batter, slow-flowing but not too dense. In time the flour will thicken the batter a bit, so add 1 tsp of water to thin it again.
Breading the cauliflower floret
- Have both wet batter and dry mix in two separate shallow bowls.
- Dip the cauliflower florets first in the wet batter. Coat it evenly. I found it is easier to use your fingers to do that instead of using a fork or spatula.
- Transfer the coated cauliflower florets gently to the dry mix. Sprinkle the top and pat it gently.
- You can place it on a plate or fry it when it is coated. The coating will hold at room temperature for an hour or so without a problem if you need to wait before frying.
Deep-frying
- Pour sunflower oil into a skillet or pot. Heat it on medium/high heat. You can test whether it is hot enough by dropping a bit of coating in it. If it sizzles, you are good to go.
- Gently drop the breaded cauliflower florets in the oil. The oil is hot so pay attention to drop it gently without a splash. Don’t overcrowd the pan as the oil will cool down, and the cauliflower florets will need a longer time and thus will soak up more oil.
- Fry cauliflower florets for 3-4 minutes until the coating gets crispy. When they are ready, transfer them to a paper towel, so the excess oil is absorbed.
Cooking the Manchurian sauce
- In a wok or large pan, heat some vegetable oil. Add minced ginger, garlic and chopped scallion. Stir it well and cook for 1 minute.
- Add ketchup, sriracha, sugar and soy sauce. Stir well and bring it to a boil.
- In a small bowl mix cornstarch with water and create a smooth slurry. Add it into the wok or pan. Stir continuously until sauce thickens.
- Add in fried cauliflower florets and spread the sauce evenly. Sprinkle it with some chopped scallions.
Video
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