Healthy Gobi Manchurian

One of my favorite dishes to get at Indian restaurants is Gobi Manchurian, a popular Indo-Chinese appetizer of fried cauliflower in a sweet-spicy-tangy sauce.

What is the history behind the manchurian?

It’s a vegetarian version of Chicken Manchurian, which is believed to have come from Nelson Wang, a third generation Chinese chef born in Kolkata, India. He fried chicken and doused it in a sauce made with ginger, garlic, green chiles — key parts of Bengali cuisine — along with Chinese staples like soy sauce and chile sauce. The chef went on to open the famous China Garden restaurant in Mumbai in 1983, where I had the pleasure of dining many times during my childhood.

With Gobi Manchurian, cauliflower florets are fried, and then coated in the so-called manchurian sauce. (Gobi means cauliflower.) Sometimes you’ll see it as an appetizer, where the vegetable or meat is simply coated with a thicker sauce. It can also be served as a main dish, where the sauce is a thinner gravy consistency with a side of white rice.

My non-Indian friends love Gobi Manchurian. If we see it on the menu, we always order it. I prefer the appetizer version, and my family loves to eat it with rice and a side of steamed broccoli.

How to make a healthier version of the restaurant’s “fried” version?

At home, I make a healthier version that is baked instead of fried like at restaurants. The fried version is, of course, crunchier than the baked, but the baked version is just as good. And you avoid the mess involved with frying!

What are the ingredients of the Gobi Manchurian batter?

The ingredients consist of:

• All purpose flour
• Corn starch: This gives the florets it’s crispy texture
• Kashmiri red chili powder: Adds color and flavor to the batter
• Salt
• Water: to bind it all together

BAKING METHOD:

The florets are coated in a batter made with all-purpose flour and cornstarch, seasoned with Kashmiri chile powder and salt. The cornstarch helps make the florets crispy, and the red chile powder gives a lovely color to the cauliflower. The florets are then laid flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray. That, along with flipping the florets more spraying, helps get the florets crispy and evenly brown in the oven.

FRYING METHOD:

Frying results in crispy cauliflower florets, ofcourse the oil has to be the right temperature for the florets to be crispy. Once the cauliflower is coated in the batter, and additional cornstarch is added as well, test the oil first if it is ready for frying by adding a tiny piece. If it floats up immediately, your oil is ready for frying.

Add a few florets at a time, fry them until golden brown on all sides, and then remove onto a plate with paper towels to drain off excess oil. The cauliflower is crunchy and when drenched in the sauce, makes for a very tasty cauliflower.

DO I PREFER THE BAKING METHOD OR THE FRYING METHOD?

Again, I have tried both methods, and I like both them equally. The Baking method yields in a healthier, lighter option, which is great if you want to make this often. Also there is NO headache of frying, and the mess that is involved with frying!

What are the ingredients of the Gobi Manchurian sauce?

The ingredients consist of:

• Soy sauce and dark soy sauce: We use a lot of soy sauce, so I usually get a bigger bottle from the Korean market which is more economical.
• Rice wine vinegar: add a bit of tang to the sauce
• Sambal Oelek : This is a spicy sauce that adds great flavor to the overall sauce
• Brown sugar: A bit of sugar is always required to balance out the savory flavors
• Ketchup: Ketchup has been added to the manchurian sauce since the origins of Indo-Chinese cuisine in India.
• Alliums like garlic and ginger: These were also part of the origins and Indianization of the original Manchurian sauce from the region of Manchuria in China
• Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce such that it sticks to the florets.
• Vegetables like bell pepper, onions and spring onions : These vegetables add a lot of flavor and texture to the dish.

While the cauliflower bakes, you make the manchurian sauce, a mixture of alliums and aromatics sauteed in oil and then blended with wet ingredients such as soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and ketchup. Cornstarch makes for a thicker consistency. Once the florets are finished baking, they are tossed in the manchurian sauce.

Toasted cashews and sesame seeds add crunch to this delicious addictive appetizer. Serve it with jasmine rice, and enjoy this restaurant-level meal in the comfort of your own home. My kids love this meal and the fact that it is a healthy version is a huge bonus.

Here are some of the other Asian dinner ideas that are under 30 minutes:

• Gochujang Tofu Veggie Bowl
• Garlicky Green Beans and Tofu
• Foldable Kimbap

If you do make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.

XO
Amisha

Healthy Gobi Manchurian

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• Amisha Gurbani

Make a healthier version of popular restaurant appetizer Gobi Manchurian  by baking the cauliflower florets instead of frying them. Cashews and sesame seeds give this dish an added crunch. I am sharing both the baking and the frying methods – pick what you like best! If you want to eat this often, my recommendation is the baking method.

Serves 4 to 6

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Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cornstarch, plus 1/4 cup, divided
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
• 2/3 cup water
• 650–700 grams of cauliflower florets (from about 1 large cauliflower)

IF Frying, use oil for frying

Sauce:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sambal oelek, Sriracha or any hot Asian chile sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 cup water1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 serrano chile, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 2 stalks spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

Garnish:

• 1/4 cup finely chopped spring onions
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted cashews
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

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Baking Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spray it with cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup cornstarch, salt and Kashmiri chile powder. Whisk to combine. Add water and whisk until viscous yet flowy in consistency.
4. Add cauliflower florets to the batter and mix until all florets are well coated.
5. Add the ¼ cup cornstarch and toss to combine.
6. Place the florets on the baking sheet, doing your best to make sure they don’t touch each other. Spray the florets with cooking spray.
7. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack in the oven.
8. Remove the pan and, using tongs, turn the florets over. Spray with cooking spray again.
9. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until golden brown in color with some darker brown spots all over.

Frying Method:

1. Place a medium dutch oven or a medium saucepan on the stove, with enough oil – about 2 inches from the bottom of the pan, on medium-high heat.
2. Heat the oil for about 5 to 7 minutes and bring it to a frying temperature of 350 degrees.
3. Place a large plate, lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup cornstarch, salt and Kashmiri chile powder. Whisk to combine. Add water and whisk until viscous yet flowy in consistency.
5. Add cauliflower florets to the batter and mix until all florets are well coated.
6. Add the ¼ cup cornstarch and toss to combine.
7. Add a drop of a tiny piece of cauliflower into the hot oil. If it rises up immediately, the oil is ready for frying.
8. Add the cashews to fry them lightly. They will fry up within seconds, about 15 seconds. Immediately remove them using a spyder spatula.
9. Add about 5-6 cauliflower florets at a time and fry them for about 2 minutes. Flip them over and fry again for another 2 minutes until golden brown in color. Remove and set aside on the lined plate.
10. Repeat for the remaining florets.

Prepare the sauce:

1. While the florets are baking or once you are done frying the florets, make the sauce.
2. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sambal, brown sugar, ketchup, Kashmiri chile powder, water, cornstarch, pepper and salt. Whisk until well combined.
3. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the vegetable oil.
4. Once the oil is hot, after 2 minutes, add the red onions and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until translucent.
5. Add the serrano, garlic, ginger and spring onions, and saute for 30 seconds.
6. Add the bell pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add the sauce mixture to the pan and combine for 3-4 minutes, until slightly thick.
8. Switch off the stove.
9. Add the florets to the sauce and toss well to combine, until all florets are nicely coated.
10. Transfer the Gobi Manchurian to a serving plate.
11. Garnish with the spring onions, cashews and sesame seeds.
12. Serve immediately!

Notes

Frequently asked questions

• Can the leftovers be stored?

• • The leftovers can be stored but it does not taste the same the next day. It is best if eaten immediately.