dry gobi manchurian recipe with step by step photos – easy to prepare, delicious starter snack of dry cauliflower manchurian from the indo chinese cuisine.
this gobi manchurian recipe is a dry version and makes for an excellent starter/side dish or snack. i have already posted a gobi manchurian recipe with sauce. when i make veg fried rice or a simple fried rice without any veggies, i prepare the gobi manchurian with sauce or as we say in india, with gravy.
fairly easy to prepare, this delicious gobi manchurian dry recipe is not spicy like the restaurant or street versions. if you want, you can add more of the ginger, garlic and green chilies and increase the spice and heat in the dish.
the gobi manchurian dry that we get outside has a good amount of red color added to the batter. here, no colors are added. to get an orangish color, you can increase the amount of kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch. this will also add some heat and a smoky flavor.
to cut down the fat, i have not deep fried the gobi florets. it does reduce the crispness, though. but as a healthier option, i have pan fried the gobi florets. if you prefer, you can deep fry the batter coated cauliflower florets.
usually at home, i serve the gobi manchurian dry with rotis. as thats how we prefer it. you can serve them plain with a spicy sauce like schezwan sauce or even red chili garlic chutney. even tomato sauce goes well. you can also wrap the cauliflower manchurian in a thin roti and top with some shredded carrots, cabbage and onions along with some sauce.
you can also serve this dry gobi manchurian as a snack or as a side dish with veg fried rice or hakka noodles or noodles or burnt garlic fried rice or 5 spice rice.
few more snacks recipes for you!
dry gobi manchurian
INGREDIENTS FOR dry gobi manchurian
for pan frying gobi florets
- 1 medium cauliflower (phool gobi)
- 1 cup all purpose flour (maida)
- 4 tablespoon corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder (kali mirch powder)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder or deghi mirch (add about 1 teaspoon to get a good color. but this will also increase the heat a bit)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon water or as required
- 5 to 6 tablespoon oil for pan frying
other ingredients for dry gobi manchurian
- ¾ cup chopped spring onion (scallion whites) - reserve the greens for garnish
- ½ cup finely chopped capsicum (green bell pepper or shimla mirch)
- 1.5 inch ginger, finely chopped Or 3 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 8 to 10 medium garlic, finely chopped Or 3 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped Or 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies
- ½ tablespoon finely chopped celery (optional)
- 1.5 tablespoon light soy sauce or ½ to 1 tablespoon soy sauce you can also add as per your taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato sauce or add as required
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar Or ½ teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper powder (kali mirch powder)
- salt as required
HOW TO MAKE dry gobi manchurian
preparing gobi florets
- firstly chop or break the gobi/cauliflower in medium size florets.
- heat water with salt and boil it. rinse the cauliflower florets and add them to the hot water.
- let them get blanched in the water for 15-20 minutes. later drain and keep aside.
frying gobi florets for making dry gobi manchurian
- in a bowl mix together the ingredients for making the batter - all purpose flour/maida, corn starch, soy sauce, black pepper, kashmiri red chili powder and salt.
- add water and whisk to make a smooth batter without any lumps.
- dip each gobi floret in the batter.
- fry the batter coated gobi florets in hot oil. i have pan fried and added about 6 tbsp oil. later i have not added any oil while stir frying the spring onions etc.
- you can also deep fry or shallow fry. i have fried in batches of three. so depending on the size of your pan, you can fry at once or in batches. the frying takes some time.
- when one side gets cooked and crisp, turn over each gobi florets and pan fry the uncooked sides.
- flip for a couple of times more, so that the gobi florets are evenly fried and light golden.
- drain the fried gobi florets on a kitchen paper towel. fry all the gobi florets this way in batches.
making dry gobi manchurian
- no need to add any oil again. in the same pan, add chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies. saute for a half a minute.
- then add the chopped spring onions & capsicum. add chopped celery if using. increase the flame and stir fry till the capsicum is half cooked or almost cooked.
- add soy sauce, tomato sauce, black pepper and salt. stir.
- add the pan fried cauliflower florets.
- stir fry for two to three minutes ensuring the spiced sauce coats the cauliflower florets well.
- lastly add vinegar and stir well. check the taste and add more of soy sauce or tomato sauce as per your taste.
- switch off the fire. mix in the chopped spring onions greens or garnish with them while serving gobi manchurian.
- serve gobi manchurian dry as a snack or as a side dish with veg fried rice or mushroom fried rice or veg hakka noodles or veg noodles.
preparation for dry gobi manchurian
1. firstly chop or break the gobi/cauliflower in medium size florets. heat water with salt and boil it. rinse the cauliflower florets and add them to the hot water. cover and let the florets get blanched in the water for 15-20 minutes. later drain and keep aside.
2. in a bowl mix together the dry ingredients for making the batter.
3. add water and whisk to make a smooth batter without any lumps.
4. dip each gobi floret in the batter.
5. fry the batter coated gobi florets in hot oil. i have pan fried and added about 6 tbsp oil. later i have not added any oil while stir frying the spring onions etc. you can also deep fry or shallow fry. i have fried in batches of three. so depending on the size of your pan, you can fry at once or in batches. the frying does take some time, so patience is the key.
6. when one side gets cooked and crisp, turn over each florets and pan fry the uncooked sides. flip for a couple of times more, so that the florets are evenly fried and light golden.
7. drain the fried gobi florets on a kitchen paper towel.
making gobi manchurian dry
8. no need to add any oil again. in the same pan, add chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies. saute for half a minute.
9. then add the chopped spring onions & capsicum/green bell pepper. increase the flame and stir fry till the capsicum is half cooked or almost cooked.
10. add soy sauce, tomato sauce, black pepper and salt. stir.
11. add the pan-fried cauliflower florets.
12. stir fry for two to three minutes ensuring the spiced sauce coats the cauliflower florets well. lastly add vinegar and stir well. switch off the fire. mix in the chopped spring onions greens or garnish with them while serving gobi manchurian dry.
serve gobi manchurian dry as a snack or as a side dish with veg fried rice or schezwan fried rice or cabbage fried rice or mushroom noodles.
Great recipe! Loved it and everyone who ate it loved it. Thank you for your website and amazing recipes!!
thank you smita for sharing this feedback. thanks for the rating as well. welcome and happy cooking.
Can I bake the florets instead of frying ?
you can bake them. but they won’t be crispy.
Dassana Thanks for this amazing recipe. Last time I shallow fried the florets. As you suggested it wasn’t crispy enough. I’ll be deep frying them this time. Could you advise if corn starch and corn flour are the same ?
welcome arvind. corn starch and corn flour are same.
This turned out perfectly! I had to give myself a pat on the back! It tastes like something offered in a restaurant. Just one question though. I had some batter that was left over and was wondering what I could do with it. I ended up discarding it but can it be stored and used later or is there any other way to use it?
Thanks Anitha for your positive feedback. You can use any other veggie like potatoes, mushroom, french beans, broccoli or paneer with this batter.
Hi dassana.. I want to make this for tonight but d issue is I don’t have any sauces coz my hub DNT like any sauces so I never buy.. itz strange but true.. so can u suggest me what to replace instead of sauce.. no matter even if it’s spicy
. Thanks and let me know ..
Welcome Fazila. Without sauce the taste will change. but you can add red chilli powder and lemon juice to the dry gobi manchurian. for an indian taste you can even add chaat masala powder.
Simply the best. You are indeed my everyday saver. Thanks for always sharing point to point recipe
welcome hiral. thanks for your positive words.
Hi dear, tried this today it came out so well. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I tell my friends also that if I do any recipe from ur website, sure it will be yummy no doubt :).. everyone liked at home. Thank you..
Welcome Divya. Thanks for your positive feedback and for spreading word about website.
Very educative
Hi Dassana, the recipe turned out great as usual. But my gobi wasn’t crispy when we ate immediately after sauting in sauce while it was crispy after deep frying…
What could be the reason? I had a 10 min gap in between..
bhavana, if the gobi florets are chopped in small pieces and then fried, they are more crisp and even after some time span, they will still remain crisp. large florets do not become that crisp, when shallow fried. also deep frying gives really good crispness in the florets. the pan fried ones won’t be that crisp. they will be crisp but not as crispy as deep fried ones. time span won’t affect the texture much.
I have been following your blog for quite some time..all your dishes are really amazing..but this one is the best..
Hats off to you for making restaurant dishes easy to be prepared at home..the pictures helps in knowing the real colour and texture..everything seems so easy and simple to prepare following your method and the taste is muaaah..
Lots of Love..<3
very pleased to know this neha 🙂 thankyou for your humble and encouraging words. glad you like our blog and also a regular follower. god bless you.
Thanks for the great recipe Dasanna ji. Manchurian was outstanding. Thank you very much.
welcome meenakshi and thanks for the feedback.
Tried this one too. Munching on it rite now, yummyyyyy ??
And as I always say good job Dasana ?
thanks amrutha for your kind words.
Hi!! Im gonna try your recipe today it seems delicious. But I have no corn starch. Do you have any substitute for corn starch? Or I cant skip to add ?
instead of corn starch, you can use tapioca flour, maize flour (makai ka atta), arrow root flour or rice flour in the batter. if you do not have any of these flours, then just skip the corn starch.
Hi dassana. I prepared the gobi manchurian and it turned out to be yumm. My hubby loved it. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
pleased to know this sakina and thankyou so much 🙂