Crispy fried cauliflower tossed in a glossy Indo-Chinese sauce of garlic, ginger, green chilli, soy and vinegar. The dry version, made for sharing.
Gobi Manchurian is not Chinese food. It is Indian food, born of the Chinese-Indian cooking that grew up in Kolkata and spread across the country. Crisp cauliflower, a glossy soy-garlic-chilli sauce and plenty of spring onion: it is the most popular vegetarian starter in many Indian restaurants, including ours.
Dry or gravy?
This is the dry version, best as a starter. For gravy Manchurian, double the sauce, add a cup of water or stock with the slurry, and serve it over fried rice.
Keep it crisp
Toss the cauliflower in the sauce at the very last moment. If you’re feeding a crowd, keep the fried florets warm in a low oven and toss in batches.
Read more about India’s own Chinese food.
Recipe
Gobi Manchurian, the Indo-Chinese favourite
Ingredients
Crispy cauliflower
- 1 medium cauliflower (about 1½ lb), cut into small florets
- ½ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, ½ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp salt
- About ½ cup cold water
- Neutral oil for deep frying
Sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic and 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
- 2 green chillies, chopped
- ½ small onion, diced, and ½ green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chilli sauce or sriracha
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp rice or white vinegar
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water
- 3 spring onions, sliced
Method
- Blanch. Drop the florets into salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and pat completely dry.
- Batter and fry. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder and salt with enough water for a batter that coats a spoon. Dip the florets and fry at 350°F (175°C) in batches until golden and crisp, 4–5 minutes. Drain.
- Make the sauce. In a wok over high heat, fry the garlic, ginger and chillies for 30 seconds. Add the onion and pepper and toss for a minute. Add the soy, chilli sauce, ketchup and vinegar, then the cornstarch slurry, and stir until glossy.
- Toss and serve. Add the cauliflower and toss quickly to coat. Scatter with spring onions and serve immediately, while still crisp.
Home-style recipe from the Biryani Pot Indian Bar & Grill Journal. It is not our restaurant's own recipe; for that, visit us.