This gobi manchurian recipe is made healthier by baking, instead of frying, the cauliflower. Surrounded by a delicious wet gravy, this easy gobi manchurian is packed full of flavor.
Gobi Manchurian
Gobi manchurian is a Indo Chinese dish, in which the cauliflower is traditionally fried. There are also two versions, a dry and a wet (gravy). Both are delicious and come down to personal preference. I love the gravy version, so I can soak up the sauce with naan bread and rice.
Preparing the cauliflower
To roast my cauliflower, I first season the florets with spices: ground cumin, garam masala, ground corriander, and kashmiri (Indian chili powder). I toss them with a tbsp of olive oil and add to a greased baking pan. TIP: make sure your cauliflower are spaced out, if they are too close together they will steam and not crisp up. I roast them at 425 for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through until charred.
Prepping Vegetables
The vegetables that go into the sauce are red and green bell peppers (sliced), yellow onion (sliced), minced garlic, minced ginger, and serrano peppers (sliced). This dish is spicy, you can omit the serrano peppers if you do not want it as spicy. TIP: my favorite way to easily peel ginger, is using a spoon to scrape the skin off.
Creating the sauce
As I mentioned, there is a dry version and a ‘wet’ (gravy) version of gobi manchurian. Give me all the sauce! I love making a saucy gravy to soak up with basmati rice and naan bread. I utilize: sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, tomato paste, broth, and spices to achieve this extremely flavorful sauce. To thicken, I utilize arrowroot powder (or can sub corn starch). TIP: In a small bowl, whisk the arrowroot powder with water to make a slurry. This keeps the powder from clumping in the pan.
Once the sauce is complete, add in the roasted cauliflower and toss to combine. Since the cauliflower is seasoned, I always wait to adjust after it’s been added to the sauce and has had time to meld the flavors.
How to serve
My favorite way to eat gobi manchurian is over basmati rice and toasted naan bread. I follow the package instructions for the basmati rice.
Interested in more Indian/Asian type dishes?
- Chana Masala
- Cauliflower Chickpea Curry
- Thai Red Curry Chicken
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Szechuan Cold Sesame Noodles
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Healthier Gobi Manchurian
Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower broken into florets (about 5 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon kashmiri chili powder see note
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Gobi Manchurian Sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 large red bell pepper deseeded and cut into strips
- 1 large green bell pepper deseeded and cut into strips
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and sliced into strips
- 1-2 serrano peppers sliced (deseed or omit if you want less spicy)
- 1 ½ inches ginger peeled and minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek chili paste
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (see note)
- 3 tablespoons water whisked in small bowl with arrowroot
Garnish/Optional Sides
- Scallions
- Basmati Rice
- Toasted Naan Bread
Instructions
Roasted Cauliflower
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- In a large bowl add first set of ingredients: cauliflower florets, olive oil, cumin, garam masala, kashmiri, salt and black pepper. Toss until cauliflower is evenly coated. Spread onto a greased baking sheet, ensure there are spaces between cauliflower and do not crowd them or else they will just steam.
- Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. Start sauce while the cauliflower roasts.
Gobi Manchurian Sauce
- In a high walled skillet (or pot), over medium heat, add 2 tbsp sesame oil, red/green bell peppers, and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add in the spices: cumin, garam masala, and kashmiri, stir to coat. Next add in ginger, garlic, serrano peppers, and sauté an additional minute until fragrant.
- Add in the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, tomato paste and stir to coat all the vegetables. Pour in the whisked arrowroot powder and water slurry and mix into ingredients. Next, add the vegetable broth and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Once boiling, adjust the heat to medium/low. Add in the roasted cauliflower and gently stir until coated in the sauce.
- Garnish with chopped scallions and serve over basmati rice with toasted naan bread.
Notes
- Kashmiri chili powder is a vibrant red Indian chili powder that is mild in heat and bold in flavor. Although there isn’t a perfect substitute, you can use hot paprika or use a 3:1 ratio of regular paprika and cayenne.
- For arrowroot powder, you can substitute corn starch or all purpose flour. It is used to thicken the sauce. Whisking it with water prevents it from clumping in the dish.
- This dish is meant to be spicy, if you want it less spicy, omit the serrano peppers
- If you do not have sambal oelek chili sauce, you can substitute sriracha
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