This baked gobi manchurian is a baked version of one of my favorite Indo-Chinese dishes, which usually features fried battered cauliflower with a spicy sauce that bridges Indian cuisine and Chinese cuisine.
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Indo-Chinese cuisine began centuries ago when Chinese immigrants in Kolkata started restaurants, but wanted to cater to the palates of their Indian customers. So hakka noodles, chili paneer, and gobi manchurian came to life. Gobi manchurian is one of my favorites. It features fried breaded cauliflower in a spicy sauce made with ingredients accessible in India like soy sauce, vinegar, chilis, ginger, and garlic.
While frying is usually a hallmark of gobi manchurian, I don’t currently have the right sort of pan to make that happen so I tried baking in the oven after battering and coating with some panko breadcrumbs, which gave the cauliflower that crispy exterior we’re looking for. One of the best gobi manchurians I’ve ever had was a bit soupy and perfect with some rice.
How to Make Baked Gobi Manchurian
Coat the cauliflower in a batter.
Coat in a batter of flour, cornstarch, chili powders, pepper, salt, and water. After the initial layer, coat with panko breadcrumbs.
Bake the cauliflower.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 425 F.
Prepare the spicy manchurian sauce.
We’re using green chili, ginger, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and carrots before adding chili garlic sauce or sriracha, some ketchup (iconic for Indo-Chinese food), soy sauce, chili powders, and a cornstarch slurry. Once you add the baked cauliflower, you’ll want to eat it quickly after so that the cauliflower doesn’t get soggy! (That being said, the leftovers still taste great.)
Baked Gobi Manchurian
Ingredients
baked cauliflower
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp kashmiri chili powder (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
gobi manchurian sauce
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 green chilis, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce (sub sriracha)
- 1 tbsp ketchup (sub tomato paste)
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp kashmiri chili powder (optional)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1½ cups water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare the batter by mixing flour, cornstarch, chili powders, salt, pepper, and water in a bowl. Whisk until the batter is smooth and runny, but still thick enough to adhere to the cauliflower. Set aside a plate with panko breadcrumbs.
- Dip each cauliflower in this batter and then the panko breadcrumbs. Place on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until crisp. The timing will depend on your oven and the size of the florets.
- For the manchurian sauce, heat oil in a medium pan or wok over medium heat.
- Add garlic, green chilis, and ginger. Lightly fry for a couple minutes. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add bell peppers and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes, allowing them to soften and mostly cook through.
- Add chili garlic sauce or sriracha, and ketchup. Combine with the vegetables. Add red chili powder and kashmiri chili powder. Finish with soy sauce and cornstarch slurry. Stir and reduce until it is at your desired thickness.
- Toss in the baked cauliflower, garnish with scallions, and enjoy immediately with rice or noodles!
For more Indo-Chinese recipes, check out:
Gobi Manchurian (fried version)
