5 from 1 vote

Crispy Gobi Manchurian (Dry)

Published Jun 8, 2012 (updated Jul 30, 2024) by Tanvi Srivastava

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An indo chinese favorite, gobi manchurian is made with crispy, golden fried cauliflower florets coated in a spicy & tangy, sweet chili sauce (aka the) manchurian sauce. This dry gobhi manchurian recipe is a showstopper appetizer that can easily moonlight as a main dish when paired with some delicious fried rice or hakka noodles. Whether you're snacking or dining, it's sure to hit the spot!

Indo-Chinese dishes are my exciting escape from the everyday grind of rolling flatbreads and making curries. It fills the kitchen with the warmth of sesame oil and the smoky goodness of chinese condiments. Add in a kick from Indian spices, and you've got a delicious marriage of flavors! It might sound a bit quirky to some, but for me, indo chinese cuisine is totally addictive!

What is Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian is a popular indian-chinese fusion dish made from cauliflower(gobi). You will find in on menus of restaurants & street side vendors and being prepared in home kitchens. If you are like me and turn up your nose at the mention of cauliflower, this recipe will convert you!

In India, you will find a gravy version as well, however I prefer the dry version and that's what I am sharing with you. To whip up Gobi Manchurian, you take cauliflower florets, coat them in a batter and then give them a bath in hot oil until crunchy. Then toss crispy cauliflower florets in a lip-smacking spicy sauce aka the manchurian sauce.

While cauliflower is the hero ingredient, the manchurian sauce is the true star of the dish. This flavorful umami sauce is a favorite in India, popping up everywhere in different forms—tossed with noodles (manchurian noodles), crispy chicken bites (chicken manchurian), or veggie dumplings (vegetable manchurian).

Manchurian sauce is perfumed with aromatics such as scallions, garlic, cilantro stems, red onion and ginger. After stir frying the aromatics on high heat, we introuce smokiness from soy sauce, heat from chili sauces and a sweetish tang of ketchup! In my gobi manchurian recipe, I also add a touch of garam masala powder & coriander powder because in my books, ground spices can never hurt!

Side View of cauliflower manchurian with green onions in background.

How To Get Crispy Cauliflower

Cut the gobi in small pieces - If the pieces are too big, they won't cook evenly and may end up soggy inside while overcooked outside. Cutting them small ensures even cooking and a thorough batter coating, giving you an irresistible crunch in every bite.
After washing, spread out the florets on a large kitchen towel or paper towel to air dry. Make sure that the cauliflower florets are fully dry before you add them to batter. If the florets are wet, the batter won't adhere properly to the florets, hence uneven coating and soggy texture.
Lastly, make a medium consistency batter. This batter is a bit tricky because of cornstarch. Add water slowly while mixing. The batter should be thick enough to coat the cauliflower florets evenly, but not so thick that it becomes clumpy & gloopy. A medium consistency ensures that the batter forms a light, crisp coating around each floret, allowing it to fry up perfectly golden and crunchy. If the batter is too thin, it won't adhere well.

My 5 Top Tips to Make Best Gobi Manchurian

Deep Fry The Cauliflower - If you want to experience authentic gobi manchurian, deep fry the cauliflower. There's something about biting into a crunchy cauliflower floret doused in umami flavors. The crispy batter gives way to tender, juicy cauliflower, creating a satisfying texture contrast. The Manchurian sauce coats each floret in savory, tangy, and slightly sweet flavors. This combination makes each bite deliciously addictive. However, if you choose to air fry it- and I am including the instructions for the same.
Don't make it tomatoey - This is a personal preference, but I don't like tomatoey Indo-Chinese food. Tomato sauce or ketchup overpower everything with their acidic tang and mask the balanced, nuanced flavors of soy sauce, chili, ginger, garlic, and spices.
Mise En Place- Once you start stir-frying the Manchurian sauce, there's no stopping. Pausing to grab a spice or sauce can cause the aromatics to lose their crunch. Like other Asian recipes, Indo-Chinese dishes need ample prep work. Measure out all condiments and chop everything in advance. Having everything ready before cooking ensures an efficient process, preserving the vibrant flavors and textures.
Make the Manchurian Sauce first- As soon as the cauliflower is perfectly crispy, toss it in the sauce and serve immediately for the best taste and texture. This way, the cauliflower stays crunchy and delicious, without getting soggy while you prepare the sauce.
Use Indo Chinese Condiments - Indo-Chinese cuisine owes its unique flavor to typical Indian condiments. I always use Indian brands (such as Ching's) for that authentic taste, but you can confidently use what you have in your pantry to try this recipe. I am including substitutes in the post.

Ingredients

Notes & Substitutes

Kashmiri Chili powder - Use paprika powder. Don't use smoked paprika
Indian Green Chilies - Use hot peppers such as serranos instead
Red Chili Sauce - Use chili garlic sauce instead
Green Chili Sauce - Use green sriracha instead
Honey - Substitute with brown sugar

How To Make Dry Gobi Manchurian

Make the Manchurian Sauce

In a bowl, mix up the ketchup, red chili sauce(or sriracha), green chilli sauce(or green sriracha), dark soy sauce, tomato ketchup,ground spices and salt +pepper. Set aside.

Mixing condiments and spices for manchurian sauce.

In another bowl, mix cornstarch & water thoroughly to make a slurry. Set nearby.
Place a wok or a wide pan (10 inch or larger) on stove and let heat up on high. Most part of the cooking will be done on high heat.
Pour oil into the wok and let it get slightly smoky. Add chopped garlic, ginger, cilantro stems, green chilies, onion, green onion/ scallion white parts all at once. Cook for 1 minute or till you smell a nice aroma.

Add in the sauce mixture that we made earlier. Combine with aromatics and fry for 1-2 minutes or untill you start seeing bubbles. This indicates that the sugars are caramelizing, which means great flavors are developing.

Let the aromatics and condiments simmer for a little bit.

Next, pour about ¼ cup of hot water (or vegetable stock) to the wok. When the water starts slowly boiling, while stirring the contents of wok with one hand, pour in the cornstarch slurry that we made.
After adding corn starch, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for about 2 minutes untill the sauce thickens. Don't thicken too much because as the manchurian gravy cools down while we deep fry the caulifower,it is naturally going to thicken more.
Switch off the stove, do a taste test & adjust the salt quantity if needed. Mix in the honey and vinegar and leave to cool down. Proceed to frying the gobi.

Deep Fry the Gobi (Cauliflower)

In a bowl, mix together all purpose flour, corn starch or corn flour(in india), salt, black pepper and kashmiri red chili powder. Slowly, pour water to make a smooth, lump-free medium consistency batter. It should feel thickish and resist while mixing. This consistency batter won't run off the florets.

Place half of the caulifower florets in the batter. Turn all around to coat the florets very well. The caoting should be thin.

Adding cauliflower florets to the batter.

Toss the florets to coat well in batter.

Place a deep pan to heat up on stove. I fry them in my wok.
Pour enough oil into the wok so that you have about 2.5 inches deep. This depth is crucial for evenly frying the cauliflower, ensuring each floret gets submerged in oil and turns out crispy and golden brown all around.
You need hot oil(but not too hot) for deep frying. To check the temperature manually, drop a few drops of batter in the hot oil and it should quickly float to top without changing color. On a thermometer, the temperature should read about 340F.

Note - I do not boil the cauliflower before frying. Do not fry the florets on very high heat else they will be raw from inside.

Carefully, place the battered caulifower florets in hot oil. Don't overcrowd the oil.
For the first 2 -3 minutes, don't touch the florets else they will start sticking to the wok. They will release on their own when the bottomed are crisped up.
Turn around the florets and let fry to get golden crispy on all sides. You will need to keep a watchful eye. Using a slotted spoon, pick up the crispy caufilower florets and drain on a paper towel.
Repeat the process for the other half of caufiflower florets and deep fry. Some people like to double fry/flash fry the cauliflower florets again but I don't.

Note - Deep fry cauliflower in batches. You might need to fry in 3 or 4 batches depending on size of your cooking pan.

Deep frying cauliflower florts in hot oil.

Drain cauliflower florets on a paper towel.

Mix Manchurian Sauce And Fried Cauliflower

To the cooled manchurian sauce, add the fried cauliflower, chopped cilantro * green spring onion parts. Using a spatula, very gently toss well so that the florets are evenly coated in sauce. Don't stir too much else cauliflower will start breaking. Garnish with more chopped green scallions & cilantro. Serve immediately.

Fried cauliflower and green herbs are added to manchurian sauce.

Toss fried cauliflower florets with manchurian sauce.

Air frying Cauliflower

During recipe testing, I tried air frying the cauliflower and frankly, did not like the results at all. The cauliflower florets turned quite dry and gummy. I don't recommend air frying the gobi while making machurian.