Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian is a mouth-watering fusion dish combining signature flavours in both Indian and Chinese cooking. Click here to read our in-depth post on the popularity of Chinese food in India. 

This dish is sometimes made with paneer and even with chicken. Enjoy it as an entree or as an accompaniment to fried rice/noodles. In India, these tasty morsels are coated in a batter* and then deep fried before being tossed into a sauce. Here’s a baked version which we prefer.

THE CAULIFLOWER

  1. Heat your oven 180C and line a tray with baking paper.
  2. In a large bowl mix together 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp chilli powder and 2 tbsp oil.
  3. Divide 1 head of Cauliflower into florets.
  4. Wash the florets.
  5. Toss into spice mixture.
  6. Place florets on baking tray and place in the oven.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes


THE SAUCE

  1. In the meantime, mix together 2 tsp cornflour and add 1/4 cup water, a little at a time to make a smooth slurry. 
  2. To this mixture add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1/2 tsp Apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp tomato sauce, 1-2 tbsp hot sauce,   Set aside. 
  3. Chop 2 spring onions, mince 3 cloves garlic and grate 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger. Finely chop 2 green chillies (optional).  Dice 1/2 red pepper and set aside.
  4. Heat a wok/large frying pan
  5. Add 2 tbsp oil, 8 curry leaves, the green chillies, the minced garlic and grated ginger.  Stir fry for a minute on low heat.
  6. Now add the chopped spring onions and the red pepper.  Stir-fry on high heat for 2 minutes.
  7. Stir in the mixed sauces (step 1 above) and allow the gravy to cook for 2 minutes on medium heat.  Adjust sweetness, salt and tang to your taste.
  8. Toss in the roasted/deep fried cauliflower and mix well to coat with the sauce.
  9. Garnish with 1 tbsp chopped spring onions serve immediately.





* If you are deep frying then add 1/2 cup plain flour and 1/4 cup cornflour along with spices mentioned in step 2 (under the heading Cauliflower)