Dry Gobi Manchurian, aka Cauliflower Manchurian is a tantalizing Indian Chinese appetizer and very different from the gravy version. The Cauliflower has a crispy coating and is tossed with a mouth-watering spicy sauce. It can be picked up with a toothpick or fork and enjoyed with cocktails or before a meal. Try this absolutely delicious recipe!
Ingredients:
Cauliflower – 1/2 medium, cut to bite-size florets
Oil – for deep frying
For the batter:
All-purpose Flour – 5 Tbsp
Corn Starch – 3 Tbsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Black Pepper – 1/4 tsp
Water – 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp
For the sauce:
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Onion – 1/2 medium, chopped finely
Green Chilies – to taste, cut diagonally
Garlic – 3 large cloves, chopped finely
Ketchup – 2 Tbsp
Red Chili Sauce – 2 Tbsp or to taste
Soy Sauce – 4 tsp or to taste
White Vinegar – 2 tsp
Water – 4 Tbsp
Corn Starch – 2 tsp
Green Onions – 2 stalks, cut diagonally for garnishing
Method:
1. Heat Oil in a medium non-stick pan.
2. Add Onions, Green Chilies and Garlic and cook until Onions are light brown.
3. Add Ketchup and Red Chili Sauce and cook until Oil starts to separate from mixture.
4. Add Soy Sauce and Vinegar and mix well.
5. Mix 2 tsp Corn Starch with 4 Tbsp Water and add it to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until sauce starts to thicken.
6. Keep sauce aside.
7. To make batter, add All-purpose flour, Corn Starch, Salt, Black Pepper and Water to a small bowl. Mix until there are no lumps.
8. Coat Cauliflower pieces well with batter and deep fry until Cauliflower is a medium dark brown color.
9. Finish frying all of the Cauliflower and add it to the pan with the sauce. Toss well to coat Cauliflower completely.
10. Add Green Onions and toss again.
11. Serve immediately.
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How to make restaurant style gobi manchurian at home, the best cauliflower manchurian recipe, Indo chinese appetizer ideas, fancy appetizers.
Loved it. Too easy. Thank you again.
Hi Hetal & Anuja –
My friend recommended your site and I live by it now. Every night before leaving work, I pick our a recipe to try and make it for dinner. I am a newly wed and my hubby loves all of the different authentic and fusions that I try. I must say your videos are wonderful and down home cooking.
I tried the gobi manchurian and it was a hit! We love eating out, but I think if I keep this up, we’ll be dining home more often.
I had one quick question on the gobi manchurian– I try not to fry as much as possible. Is there any work around you can recommend to avoid deep frying the gobi that will work just as well?
Thanks so much & keep up the great work!!!
Hi Puja,
We are so glad you are finding SMTC useful. Unfortunately, we have not come up with a way to make manchurian without frying. We’ll keep trying…
Hi Pooja, i have tried to look up the same thing online…you can try baking washed cauliflower after sprinkling with corn starch and flour along with the pepper and salt. I guess the taste would not be the same, but if you try it do post a comment so i can try it too 🙂
Hi Anuja and Hetal,
My husband and I tried this out yesterday. We were able to find all the ingredients at our local supermarket. The process was not nearly as difficult as I thought it might be and in the end we could not stop eating it! I really loved the crunchiness of the batter. I cut my gobi florets into slightly smaller pieces and that reduced the overall frying time. I also added a small amount of ginger to the sauce.
Overall, it really satisfied my craving for gobi manchurian. Thanks for the great video and clear instructions. Great recipe ladies!
Sabitha
Thanks Sabitha! Glad you and your husband enjoyed the manchurian!
i want to make it for 10 people can you tell me the proportion of all ingredients for 10 people
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
I am a big fan of SMTC. Its really amazing.. I get huge appreciations from my hubby and frnz for most of the recipes that I make watching your videos and notes. U ladies rock !! A BIG THANK U !! 🙂
I have a doubt regarding the Red chili sauce that is used in Gobi manchurian recipe. Can I use chinese chili sauce that is posted on SMTC instead of buying Red chilly sauce from the super market. Both works the same?? I am planning to make this appetizer for the next party time. Plz advice.
Thanks
Sandhya
Hi Sandhya,
The recipe on SMTC is for Chinese chili sauce (oil based). The one we use for the gobi manchurian is Vietnamese. It has no oil and is far more sour in flavor. Having said that, you could possibly get away with using the Chinese sauce but the flavor may be a little different.
Video isn’t working di.. Please help
Please didi..chk the video..
Hey Anuja & Hetal,
I tried this recipe with chicken.It really came out very well..delicious..yummy.. My hubby & myself were like enjoying & praising every bite of our food with a big WoW:)Thanks to both of u for sharing such a wonderful recipe..Keep sharing new recipes..Enjoy ur weekend!!
Hello,
I tried this last night. It was very good. I had a bottle of readymade sauce. I compared the 2 and yours is much better with less ingredients. The only thing is, I added about a tbsp of grated ginger. That was the difference in your recipe and the bottled sauce. Thanks for this nice recipe
hey guys
do we need to boil the cauliflower in water and drain it before dipping them in the batter… many websites mention this process.. what do u say?
Hi Usha,
You can blanch the cauliflower if you like. It will definitely save some frying time but we feel that it sometimes gets too overcooked and limp. Frying at a lower temperature for longer allows the crust to get nice and crispy.
Hi Hetal and Anuja
This looks like a fantastic recipe. Just one question: is white vinegar the same as white wine viegar? I can’t seem to find just white vinegar in my local store (as opposed to white wine vinegar) – would you suggest a substitute please?
Thanks
Simi
Hi Simi,
Both types of vinegars are different in that they are processed from different types of alcohol and the flavor is different. White vinegar is the most common one so it should be easy to find… just ask a store clerk.
Lovely recipe….Thanks. Can you say how many servings this could be??
It should serve 4-6 ppl.
How much water do we add for the batter?
Hi Tanisha,
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp
WOW!!!! What an amazing recipe. for all of you out there planning to make this you might as well make double the amount because you r gonna love it!!!!!!
I love this recipe. I would like to find an alternative to deep frying and still keep it crispy. Any suggestions? Also would you be able to posts the nutritional content for your recipes?
Hi Ami,
Unfortunately, we have not found a suitable way to make this recipe without frying :(.
Hi Hetal/Anuja, Great job- you guys…. love all your recipes…
I am looking to buy a small kadhai/wok/pot for deep frying but not sure which one I should get. i noticed that you used a stainless steel pot in the above recipe. Is it hard to clean SS pots after using for a while? I’m not sure if teflon is the right/healthy option. What do you recommend?
Thanks….
Hi Mamta,
Stainless steel does get burnt on oil after a lot of use if you don’t keep it clean after every use. Teflon is not a good idea for deep frying.
Hey thanks to u both for the awesome recipe!! It made our dinner!!! Good stuff!!
Hi Ladies.. I tried this receipe today and it turned out really great. I really do enjoy all of the receipes you guys put up. Keep them coming =)
I am having guests so i was wondering could a add the double ingredients (or whatever amount)and make the sauce in one pan.
Keep is aside. The each half cauliflower reheat sauce and put cornstarch in and do as usual. please let me know. Thanks.
You can definitely make a double batch of the sauce and keep it aside. You can fry 1/2 of the cauliflower and mix it in half of the sauce and serve before frying the next batch. This will ensure that the cauliflower stays crispy.
Hi anuja and hetal…
can we use lime juice instead of vinegar?
Hi there,
Lime would be the best substitute…but the taste is really different from that of vinegar.
You will get a little vinegar from the ketchup and sambal…
Will it taste good if i add aloo? Potato*
Hi JKhan,
The sauce is the key and there are a lot of different vegetables you can use as well 🙂
Enjoy!
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
I love all of your recipes and most of them are too good and easy to make. I have got so many compliments on gobhi manchurian recipe 🙂
You guys are awesome, keep sharing your recipes with us.
Lots of love
Hi Gals
you both are wonderful, i love most of your cooking, try them too. anything i have tried till today from your website has not gone wrong, you gals ROCK.
cheers
sunitha
Hi Sunitha,
Thanks for your vote of confidence – hope to never let you down 🙂
Is white vinegar the same as Non fruit vinegar(prepared from Glacial Acetic acid)
Can we use rice flour for gobi pakoras?
You ladies rock!! I have tried this recipe several times, and it has always turned out awesome! The only thing different that I did was, added some ENO to the batter right before frying, this made the cauliflower pieces look nice and rounded instead of wrinkles on them. Overall, a great recipe..love you folks!!
Hi Dia,
Great tip 🙂
I made this last weekend and it turned out FANTASTIC! It was easy to make and the taste was out of this world. My guests loved it as well, next time I’ll make it just for us and enjoy every bite.
Thanks a lot for this amazingly delicious recipe.
I tried this dish,its quick,delicious and the best part is my kids loved it.Thanks for sharing,and making it simple to follow.It took only 20 min from start to finish.
What is corn starch,were can I get.
Hey!!! I got it..cannot wait to try this good stuff.
Hi Hetal & Anuja:
I am not able to open the video. Not sure if this problem is on my end. Prompt reply will be appreciated. Thanx
Hi Shefali,
The video is working fine at our end. Pl. check of you have any firewalls that are preventing the video from playing…
Hi H&A
I tried this yesterday. I had thumbs up from everyone including my worst critic my son. However I am not so pleased with the flavour and aroma. I replaced the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar. The white vinegar in store my place is man-made aka acetic acid. Can you please recommend a natural based white vinegar?
Hi,
I tried gobi manchurian for the first time in a restaurant last week. I wanted to make the recipe and I came across your video on youtube. The only changes I made was that I omitted the water and cornstarch from the sauce, I was worried the “wet” sauce would make my cauliflower soggy. I also used a different recipe for the batter for the cauliflower. I came across Mark Bittman’s recipe which was 3 eggs and 2/3 cup of cornstarch whisked smooth. Both the sauce and cauliflower turned out great, way better than the restaurant version! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Kerrie,
That sounds great! Glad to hear that you are enjoying the recipes on our website 🙂
Hi,
I tried this recipe and it came out so well.. thank you so much for sharing… its very easy and didn’t take much time… Usually my gobi manchurian is a disaster but this one was a hit.. thank u
gobimanchurian dryrecipie was awesome
Hi Sanghamithra,
We totally agree 😉
Hello Hetal & Anuja
My friend prepared this recipe ,it is very tasty.
so i also want to try this recipe.
I have the corn floor which is in yellow color.
I bought it from India store ,can use this floor or i need to use white corn starch ?
and for baby cor,mushrooms do i need to pre boil them ?
thanks in advance.
Yamuna
Hi Yamuna,
The yellow flour that you have is made by grinding dry corn kernals. Corn starch (though called corn flour in India) is different, it is pure white. You must use Corn Starch for this recipe. If you are using baby corn from a can, there is no need to boil them first. However, they must be drained and dried properly, else they will pop in the hot oil. Mushroom also do not need to be pre-boiled.
I tried this recipe tonight. I don’t have the chili sauce substituted it with Maggi Sweet Chili sauce along with a pack of crushed red peppers we get from Pizza Hut. It came out great – a bit on sweeter side but still great.
Hetal & Anuja, my observation is that if we add fried gobhi immediately to room temp. sauce, it will retain its crispiness for longer. I heated the sauce before adding the gobhi – it lost the crunch real fast.
Over all, definitely a keeper:) Thanks a bunch, Girls!
I cooked this yesterday using the exact amount of ingredients etc etc. But the end result was that tomato Ketchup was so prominent at the end. I felt it had the over powering Tomato sourness at the end. It exceeded that of the onion. I did not like it so much. I used a previous recipe from another website bfore this, and i thought it was better, just that i lost that recipe. Because of that exceeding ketchup-py feel, i guess i am forced to serve it with noodles. 🙁
Wow, we’ve never had that feedback about this recipe. If you are sensitive to the flavor of ketchup, you can try tomato paste next time.
hi hetal ,
i wanted to ask a substitute for green onions…
Hi Shweta,
There really is no good substitute for green onions as they are used for garnishing and provide a bit of crunch and freshness to the dish. Of course they have an onion flavor but there is already regular onion in the recipe.
goooooooooooooobiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Loved this receipe. Always a favorite. Turns out too good. Thanks for sharing.
Loved it…! Fantastic…! Wife loved it too…!
Cheers…!
I just made Baby Corn Manchurian and I must say, it turned out exactly like the ones you get in Indian restaurants. I really love your website very much – it has improved my cooking skills to a great extent (I didn’t know much before, the videos have been so helpful) and also feeds my apetite whenever I miss home & real Indian cuisine. The two of you are my heros, keep up the good work & God bless =)
Hi Shellz,
WOW! Great comment, put a BIG smile on our faces today 🙂
Thanks for the blessing 🙂
Hey! Recipe and reviews look good. I can’t watch the vid cuz I’m at work. Quick question. Do you blanch the cauliflower ahead of time? I was planning to saute the battered cauliflower in olive oil instead of deep fry, so I can still get the crispy texture but I don’t feel horrible about myself after eating them. What do you think?
Also, will wheat flour work? Its all I have…
Thanks!
T.
Hi Tina,
I love this too but frying in my house (and Hetal’s) is kept to the mimimum 🙁
We do not blanch the Cauliflower – it cooks in the frying.
Here is what I do when I want to make this:
-cut the cauliflower and microwave them (with very little water and salt) just so that they are not raw – don’t over cook.
-take them out a remove the water.
-layer them on an baking sheet and spray some oil so they cook and don’t stick.
-broil till they get a good color and get a little crisp
-flip and broil again (stay close as this happens very fast).
-make the sauce and toss the cauliflower in them, gently
You will not miss the frying 🙂
love this idea…will try it out…thanks for sharing Anuja :)))
hi!
this looks awesome! can you make the sauce ahead of time? then fry the veggies day of the party?
Thanks! love your recipes- i call some of your recipes especially kulfi recipe- my kaamchor recipe 🙂
hello ladies..
tried out tis one too.. but i guess i goofed up a lil bit..:(
i tried tis with paneer, it was tasting really good, but d sauce turned out to be a lil gooey after addin d dipped n fried paneer to the sauce.. dont knw whr did i go wrong, as i followed d exact recipe for tis.. 🙁
waitin for ur reply..
love,
deepal.. 🙂
Hi Deepal,
OMG…sorry to hear that 🙁
If you followed the recipe to the ‘T’…then did the sauce cool down too much so it kinda solidified a bit so it became gooey.
Fry the paneer and keep them aside and then work on the gravy. Add the paneer once it is done and the sauce is still hot…
Hi Anuja,
thanks a ton for ur prompt reply..
ya the sauce did cool down but i re-heated it properly by adding a few spoons of water, bringing d gravy to d right consistency and then added the paneer to the hot sauce..
u think i should add less cornstarch or cornflour??
thanks,
deepal.. 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja
This is my first visit to your site and needless to say, the clear steps along with the videos are a great help. I am very impressed and mentioned this site to my friends.
I want to try out this recipe but can you tell me the number of servings i would get out of the measures given in the Gobi Manchurian recipe above. I have guests coming over on Sunday night and plannin to serve this as appetizer. Would the above measure serve 4 people.
Hi Priya,
It will really depend on how big your cauliflower is and how much your guests eat :). What you can do is count out approx 4-5 florets per person. If you can get approx 20 good sized florets from your 1/2 cauliflower, it will be good for 4. Keep in mind that this is an addictive appetizer and people may eat more.
Hello — what do u think about the idea of just sauteing the cauliflower with the sauce to make a healthier version of the dish… i know the frying makes it super tasty, but i wonder if its still tasty without deep frying? thanks!
Hi Angie,
You could possibly half cook the cauliflower florets in the microwave and finish cooking them by sauteing them in the sauce…sounds like a great healthy alternative. However, it will not be manchurian since it will not have the crispy outer crust.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Thanks a lot for the wonderful recipe!! I was planning to make this for a party on saturday, but do to prior meetings have to keep all the stuff ready by friday.Could you plz tell me wat to do to keep your Manchurian crispy, i mean could i fry the Gobi and keep it in a seperate container and mix it just b4 the party begins?
Thanking you.
Regards
Ash
Hi Ash,
This recipe is awesome fresh, but unfortunately, it will not retain the crispy texture if you fry ahead of time…even if you mix the sauce later. Your best bet might be to fry the gobi and layer them in a baking sheet and re-crisp them in the oven before mixing them in the sauce.
Hi Hetal,
As you specified layer the fried gobi’s in a baking sheet means,
1. At what temp we have to use and up to how much time?
2.Can we prepare fried gobi’s 1 or 2 days ahead?
or
on the same day after preparing the gobi’s we have to keep them baking sheet and place it in the oven.
regards
Chuymuy
Hi Chuymuy,
We don’t recommend frying 1-2 days ahead.
If you fry them earlier in the day, you can keep the oven temp at about 350 degrees F and reheat them for about 10 minutes or so (this is only an approximation). You would have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
If you fry them under an hour beforehand, you can keep them warm in a 200 degrees F oven until you are ready to mix the sauce.
I made this twice, and it was D-licious! I don’t like eating cauliflowers, but with this recipe, you can’t tell!
Thanks for sharing
Hi Hetal & anuja,
Can i use Rice Vinegar.
Hi Pooja,
The flavor is a little different (sweeter and less acidic), but you could use it.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful receipe. Just wanted to know if ‘All purpose flour’ and ‘Plain flour’ are the same. Can I use Plain Flour instead of All purpose flour? What do we use plain flour for? I am asking this because I bought Plain flour instead of Maida by mistake and opened it; so I can’treturn it now and have no idea what to do with it:-(
I am a huge fan of yours and have tried many of the recipes you have presented on this website. I have suggested this website to my friends and relatives too. Thanks once again!
Hi Smitha,
Usually, plain flour is the same thing as all-purpose flour. They call it plain because it has no added rising agent.