Gobi Manchurian is a popular Indo-Chinese dish served with a variety of Asian accompaniments like fried rice, hakka noodles, lo mein, plain rice, spring rolls, and more. It can be made either dry or dipped in gravy while serving.
Although Gobi Manchurian is made by deep frying the cauliflower florets coated in a batter, you can make them in a healthy manner and enjoy them guilt-free.
This is an easy air fryer gobi Manchurian recipe which is served dry. It is vegan, and gluten-free, and can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or for a main meal.
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Ingredients
Gobi Manchurian is made with cauliflower florets coated in a batter made with all-purpose flour, cornstarch, red chili powder, and salt. Some oil is used for air frying it. If you deep fry it then you will need more oil to fry it in a wok or a pan.
The dry gravy is made with onions, ginger, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, red chili sauce, and a cornstarch slurry made with cornstarch and water. To make it spicier, you can add some serrano peppers.
Instructions
Making gobi Manchurian at home might sound daunting however, it is quite easy. The first step is to make the batter and fry the cauliflower florets by coating them with the batter. Then they are mixed in gravy and garnished with green onions.
To make the batter, mix the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and red chili powder in a bowl. Slowly add water and stir it into a batter of thick but dropping consistency. Use a whisk to mix the batter and make it lump-free.
Mix the cauliflower florets in the batter and coat them well with the help of a spoon. Preheat the air fryer to a temperature of 390°F. Place the florets in the air fryer basket after spraying the basket with some oil.
Cook the florets in the air fryer for about 10 minutes. After about 5-6 minutes, spray some oil on the florets with the help of an oil sprayer and continue to air fry for the remaining time.
Now open the air fryer basket and shake the florets well by shaking the basket. Cook for another 2 minutes or more at 390°F. Air-fried cauliflower florets are now ready, you can insert a fork in one of the florets and check for doneness and crispy cauliflower florets are ready.
While the florets are cooking in the air fryer, you can make the Manchurian gravy on the stovetop in a skillet or saucepan. Heat the skillet and add some oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, serrano pepper, and scallion whites.
Saute for a few minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the soy sauce, red chili sauce, optionally some tomato ketchup, salt, and sugar, and mix well.
Since we are making the dry gobi Manchurian, add little water and let the gravy come to a boil. In the meantime prepare cornstarch slurry by mixing some cornstarch with water. Add it spoon by spoon into the gravy until it is thick and has the desired consistency.
Adjust the flavor by adding more Manchurian sauces, salt, or black pepper. Finally, add the cauliflower florets and coat them well with the gravy. Garnish it with some scallion greens.
Substitutions
Gobi Manchurian is delicious and easy to make. You can make a few substitutions if you don't have all the ingredients.
- Tamari sauce - instead of soy sauce, you can use tamari sauce to make it gluten-free.
- Rice flour - instead of cornstarch, you can use rice flour to make the batter.
Variations
This vegan and gluten-free gobi Manchurian is a perfect appetizer and side dish. You can also adapt the recipe to your liking.
- Deep fry - instead of the air fryer, the gobi florets can be deep fried on medium-high heat until golden brown and crispy.
- Spicy - add more serrano pepper to make it spicy.
- Gravy - to enjoy it as a main course, you can make gravy by adding two more cups of water and a little bit more cornstarch slurry if needed. You can adjust the salt and pepper according to your taste.
Equipment
I have made the air-fried cauliflower Manchurian in the 4 qt. Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer. You can make them in any type of air fryer, basket style or tray style, and any size.
Storage
It is best to eat gobi Manchurian hot once it is ready. Leaving it for long or storing it can make the florets soft.
If you do want to make them ahead of time then you can store the cooked florets separately in an air-tight container after cooling them down completely. When you want to use them, you can reheat them in the air fryer at 350°F for 1-2 minutes.
You can also freeze the cooked florets in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. When you are ready to use them, you can defrost them in the microwave and reheat them in the air fryer.
Top tip
To ensure that the cauliflower Manchurian turns out crispy, spray oil well while air frying. Also, if you are deep frying, use medium-high heat.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with gobi Manchurian:
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Gobi Manchurian
Equipment
Ingredients
For gobi manchurian florets
- 4 cup Cauliflower florets (1 lb)
- ½ cup All-purpose flour
- ¼ cup Corn starch
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Red chili powder
- ⅓ cup Water (more if needed)
For gobi manchurian gravy
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 cup Onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Ginger (chopped)
- 4 tablespoon Garlic (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Serrano pepper (optional, sliced)
- ⅓ cup Scallion greens
- ⅓ cup Scallion Whites
- 1 tablespoon Dark soy sauce (tamari sauce for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon Chili sauce (more if needed)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Organic cane sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 cup Water (or vegetable stock)
Cornstarch slurry for gobi manchurian gravy
- 1 tablespoon Corn starch
- 3 tablespoon Water
Instructions
Make the batter for cauliflower florets
- In a bowl, add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and red chili powder.½ cup All-purpose flour, ¼ cup Corn starch, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Red chili powder
- Slowly add water and mix it with a whisk until a smooth batter is formed. The batter should flow freely but should not be runny nor too thick.⅓ cup Water
- Add the cauliflower florets to the batter and coat them well and evenly with the help of a spoon.4 cup Cauliflower florets
Air fry cauliflower florets
- Preheat the air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 390°F.
- Spray some oil in the air fryer basket with an oil sprayer.
- Place the coated cauliflower florets in the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Open the air fryer basket after 5-6 minutes and spray some oil on the cauliflower florets.
- Continue to cook for the remaining time.
- Open the air fryer basket and shake the florets.
- Air fry for another 2 minutes at 390°F.
- Check for doneness with a fork. The top of the cauliflower will be crispy and the inside well cooked.
Make gobi manchurian gravy
- Place a frying pan on the stove on medium heat.
- Add oil, once the oil is hot, add onions, scallion whites, ginger, garlic, and green chilies.1 tablespoon Oil, 1 cup Onions, 1 tablespoon Ginger, 4 tablespoon Garlic, 1 tablespoon Serrano pepper, ⅓ cup Scallion Whites
- Saute for a few minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add soy sauce, chili sauce, salt, and sugar, and mix well.1 tablespoon Dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Chili sauce, ½ teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Organic cane sugar
- Saute everything for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add water and continue to cook until the gravy starts bubbling.1 cup Water
- Prepare a cornstarch slurry by mixing water and cornstarch and ensuring there are no lumps.1 tablespoon Corn starch, 3 tablespoon Water
- Pour the cornstarch slurry in the gravy, a teaspoon at a time, until you get a desired consistency.
- Allow the gravy to boil for a minute, the gravy will have a shiny glaze.
- Add the pepper and cauliflower florets and mix well.¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Add scallion greens and turn off the flame.⅓ cup Scallion greens
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Notes
- The air frying time will vary depending on the size of the cauliflower florets.
- Tamari sauce - instead of soy sauce, you can use tamari sauce to make it gluten-free.
- Rice flour - instead of cornstarch, you can use rice flour to make the batter.
- Deep fry - instead of the air fryer, the gobi florets can be deep fried on medium-high heat until golden brown and crispy.
- Spicy - add more serrano pepper to make it spicy.
- Gravy - to enjoy it as a main course, you can make a gravy version by adding two more cups of water and a little bit more cornstarch slurry if needed. You can adjust the salt and pepper according to your taste. Add the florets to the gravy just before serving.
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