Gobi Manchurian is one of the most common and popular Indo-Chinese dish. Learn how to make a crispy, yet juicy gobi manchurian dry at home.

Indo Chinese recipes are super tasty, fast to make and loved by all. Be it restaurants or street food, it is the most popular food item loved by all age group.
Check out these Indo Chinese lunch menu ideas in my website.
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Ingredients
Cauliflower - In Hindi, Gobi (Phool gobhi) means cauliflower. In India (Indian variety cauliflower) the cauliflower is harder in texture.
It takes longer comparatively to the ones we get here in Singapore (Chinese and Australian imported).
So according to the variety, the cooking time varies. I like to boil Indian variety couple of minutes. While the other varieties just add to hot water and take out immediately.
Cleaning
Treating cauliflower before cooking is best idea. The can be small green worms hiding in between the florets. So take good time to see through and cut them into smaller florets.
Wash once in plain water. Then you can boil water with sea salt/ rock salt. Add turmeric (optional) and cauliflower to it.
You can switch off stove and soak for 15 to 20 mins or choose to par boil.
After that drain from water and use in the recipe.
Best in Singapore
Gobi 65 and gobi manchurian dry, both are my family favorites. So where ever we go to restaurants, we search for any on of the above in the menu card.
Indian Wok is one of our favorite eat out and the reason, being they serve best one that is really dry. It will be crisp outside, still juicy inside and we all are now big fans of dry version of gobi manchurian.
Aj is just crazy about it. I tried my best to try it out at home, the only thing I could not get is to maintain the crispiness. But still my family enjoys my version of the dish.
My notes
After so many attempts and noting down tips from shows, I understand the batter consistency is a key for the crispiness.
For dry version, it is fine, just try to add cooking soda to make the outer layer batter light and crisp.
You do not want the layer to be thick when you are making gravy or semi dry version.
Key is not to make the batter too thick like bajji batter. Slightly runny than that, just enough to coat the gobi.
One more tip is to use chilled water or plain soda for super crispy, airy results.
Ingredients
There are various versions available across, each one have their own version. So there is no right or wrong keeping few ingredients a must.
Cauliflower - Make sure to clean the cauliflower well with care. Most of the Indian variety have small worms in it. What we get here in Singapore (from China or Australia) doesn't have any worm at all.
But I feel it is loaded with pesticides, that's why. Also the texture is so much different, Indian ones have firm texture, takes time to get cooked.
Other cauliflowers we get here gets cooked in couple of minutes and is too soft. It gets mashed in biryani or kurma if I add along all vegetables.
So find out which variety you get and adjust parboiling time accordingly. Either way, make sure to clean well and blanch or parboil with salt and turmeric.
Variations
Want to make more spicy? Add some finely chopped green chilli along garlic. I added a bird's eye chilli in my video and it was perfectly balanced.
You can add black pepper according to your preference. Take note adding too much may also spoil the taste.
Make this recipe gluten free by replacing all purpose flour (maida) with rice flour or arrowroot flour.
Use both ginger and garlic equally instead of garlic alone.
Top tip
How to make gobi manchurian crispy?
For crispy results, you also can try refrigerate the batter and cauliflower. Once cold, take out from fridge and deep fry in hot oil.
It takes bit longer to get fried but this makes the cauliflower get crispy as well. This stays crispy longer too.
One more idea is to use chilled plain soda (un sweetened) in place of water to prepare the batter. In that case avoid cooking soda in the below recipe.
That is when you drop in oil, let the flame be high. After that let it cook in medium when you want to make it crispy.
Do not try to separate the cauliflower that are sticking just after you add to oil. Let it get cooked, flip and then use the ladle to separate the florets.
If there are more, you can separate after draining form oil.
Do check out my baked Gobi 65 recipe too.
Recipe card
Gobi Manchurian recipe | Dry & gravy verisons
Ingredients
- 1 Cauliflower medium sized
- 1 Onion very finely chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic very finely chopped - Large variety
- 1 Green chilli Finely chopped - I used bird's eye chilli
- ¼ cup capsicum Optional
- 4 Spring onion sprigs
- 1 tablespoon Chilli tomato sauce or tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoon Soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Pepper powder
- Salt
- ½ teaspoon Sugar Optional
- 2 tablespoon All purpose flour Maida
- 2 tablespoon Corn flour
- 2 pinches Sodium bi carbonate Optional
- Oil - As needed
For Gravy version
- 2 to 3 teaspoon Corn flour Corn starch
- 1 teaspoon White vinegar
Instructions
- Clean the cauliflower and cut into small florets.1 Cauliflower
- Parboil or blanch by keeping it immersed in boiling hot water with salt for 15-20 minutes. Refer notes.
- Make a batter with corn flour, all purpose flour and cooking soda, thick enough to coat the cauliflowers.
- You can either dip the well drained florets one by one in the batter or just mix all of it with the drained florets and deep fry.
- Just make sure there is enough batter to coat the florets. Deep fry until crisp and light. Keep aside.
- In a wide pan, heat 3 tablespoon oil and add chopped garlic, chilli.6 cloves Garlic, 1 Green chilli
- Give a quick stir and then add finely chopped white part of the spring onion and the chopped onion and fry till transparent. I added tri color capsicum along, around 2 tablespoon each.1 Onion
- Add both sauces, salt a little bit, sugar if adding, pepper and mix well.
- Add the deep fried cauliflower florets and toss well to mix it evenly.
- Lastly add finely chopped green part of the spring onion and mix well for a minute.
To make gravy
- Mix corn flour, vinegar in water.
- Add to the cauliflower, mix in high flame.
- Once you see a glaze and becomes shiny, switch off flame.
Video
Notes
- Depending on the cauliflower variety you use, you can just add to boiling hot water and keep immersed to half cook it. Or if the Indian variety, you can boil for couple of minutes.
- Batter should not be too thick that after frying it makes a thick layer. It should coat but thinly. So add water accordingly.
- If you add too much water in batter also, it won't turn crisp. So be cautious.
- Adding lots of garlic and pepper adds flavor to this dish.
- You can also add some capsicum and chopped coriander leaves for extra flavor. A dash of kashmiri chilli powder gives good color too. After all it is Indo-Chinese!
- Finely chopped ginger can be replaced with garlic.
Stepwise photos
1. Clean the cauliflower and cut into small florets.
2. Parboil or blanch by keeping it immersed in boiling hot water with salt for 15-20 minutes.
3. Make a batter with corn flour, all purpose flour and cooking soda if adding, thick enough to coat the cauliflowers.
4. You can either dip the well drained florets one by one in the batter or just mix all of it with the drained florets and deep fry.
5. Just make sure there is enough batter to coat the florets. Deep fry until crisp and light. Keep aside.
6. In a wide pan, add 3 tablespoon oil and add chopped garlic, chilli if adding.
7. Give a quick stir and then add finely chopped white part of the spring onion and the chopped onion and fry till transparent. I added colored capsicum too, just 2 tablespoon each.
8. Add both sauces, salt a little bit, sugar if adding, pepper and mix well.
9. Add the deep fried cauliflower florets and toss well to mix it evenly.
10. Lastly add finely chopped green part of the spring onion and mix well for a minute.
Gobi Manchurian gravy
- Mix corn flour, vinegar in water.
2. Add to the cauliflower, mix in high flame.
3. Once you see a glaze and becomes shiny, switch off flame.
Serve hot immediately as starter or with any Chinese style rice / noodles….!
Home Cooked Oriya Food
my kids love it in the Indian restaurant too...
Sowmya
wow..mouthwatering manchurian..will eat the whole plate..thanks for the recipe...:)
sangee vijay
Mouth watering here 🙂 perfect manchurian recipe...very tempting pictures !!
Sudha Sabarish
Love it a lot and its tempting.Feel like grabbing from the screen.
Divya Kudua
Yum,me too a big fan of cauliflower manchurian.Keep the flame on high during the last part of cooking process which will make the florets crispy on the outside.
Mitha
mouthwatering recipe as usual.
would try it out tomorrow and update you
Valarmathi Sanjeev
my fav...superb...looks mouthwatering.
Rekha shoban
im also big fan of manchurian, especially dried one....looks yummy n mouthwatering...nice presentation!
Vimitha Anand
Looks so tempting. Love it with fried rice...
Recipe world
Ahh, looks mouth watering!! I'm also the great fan of Gobi Manchurian 🙂
Nagashree
Delicious, awesome pictures, we love gobi very much. I recently posted a gobi kofta recipe on my blog. I hopped to your blog from another one, first time here :-), have book marked the blog, will be definitely back.
Shabitha Karthikeyan
Very nicely done !! Tempting starter..
Kavitha Bhargav
love your pictures
Ambika
Lovely clicks!!! Love gobhi manchurian!
Nagalakshmi V
Raks, first photo super aa irukku! Love the props. Also, I prefer the clean look of the header now 🙂
sanjeeta kk
Made it last weekend..needs to be posted! Yours look lovely.
Lite Bite
Saraswathi Iyer
Nice clicks and tempting gobi. I too order 1st thing at the restuarant.
Sayantani
thats a beautiful snack that I kinda miss here in Kolkata. will make it soon with your recipe.
between made your lemon chutney this morning and it was amazing. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Mahi
Looks yummy! 😛
Elpiniki
Looks amazing! I love the presentation!
Prathibha
This is my favorite from childhood..looks very very delicious n yummy
faseela
lovely clicks.........delicious n yummy gobi manchurian...
S.Menaga
super tempting starter!!
Kaveri
Gobi manchurian is our family favorite too...nice recipe and beautiful clicks
Sharmilee! :)
Looks very tempting that I am craving to eat this now 🙂 Spicy and yummy
Swapna
Beautiful clicks Raks !
Anonymous
Beutiful clicks Raks and fav too....
Priyas Feast
Nice click ,raks..The homemade gobi manchurian is perfectly made..I cant resist to taste some now.
rekhas kitchen
Thats a fantastic click raks.my fav. too..
Hema
My daughter loves this, she wanted to have this at an exhibition when I was in India, had to pull her from there, promising that I'll make it for her, definitely I couldn't match the crispiness, love your presentation dear..
Kalyani's Platter
looks very crispy and delicious .......
Nithya
Super dooper 🙂 loving it. Awesome clicks that tempt me so much. Drooooling
Sravs
very tempting manchurian !! feel like having it right away !!
Ongoing Event - CC-Chocolate Fest
Anonymous
Truly magazine quality picture.. i love it..
Ramya
What a lovely clicks Raks:-) Cant take my eye off..
Gobi manchurian looks awesome!
Happy Cook / Finla
I love the dry one if i had the choice i go always for the dry one and this look super super delicious.
Archana
Yummy yummy .Drooling here
Anu
Like to have it. Nice clicks.
jeyashrisuresh
Fantastic and tempting manchurians. Loved the new header of ur site
Pavithra Elangovan
Even I love the dry one than the saucy...Ippadi kaalaila tempt pannitinga Raji...wayyyyyyyy too tempted seriously. All time from childhood days.
Aarthi
wow..This is my favorite..YUMMY
Aarthi
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/
Suja Manoj
You have made it perfectly dear..superb
Kalpana Sareesh
such an perfect presentation n so beautifully made.. love the tiny chopped onions ..n garlic.. the entire meal is so awesome
Ramya
looks very yum..awesome clicks
Vardhini
Such an inviting platter. Perfect starter.
Vardhini
Event: New "U" - Healthy Eats
Event: Healing Foods - Cauliflower
Priya
Seriously cant take my eyes from ur irresistible clicks,super tempting dish.
Now Serving
could have the whole plate - looks droolicious!
Jayasri Ravi
My kids favourite, Lovely clicks Raji.., the plate looks so delicious...
Amina Khaleel
wow... gobi manchurian looks fabulous... mouth watering..
Cham
Who doesn't love this crispy gobi! Good one!
Gopika Ram
Wow.. its one of our fav dishes.. looks so yumm 🙂
Premalatha Aravindhan
wow this is one of my fav restaurant recipe,luks so perfect and yum...very neat presentation as always and the clicks are amazing...love the cute bowl:)
Swapna Raghu Sanand
This is one of my favorite restaurant recipes and you've just made my day with this detailed recipe. Loved reading the tips at the end where you are giving us options to decide how to heighten the flavors more. Looking forward to more such recipes from you. Thank you!
Sobha Shyam
perfect and tempting gobi manchurian, mouth watering one 🙂
Deeps @ Naughty Curry
looks mouth watering... we also always order this, its such a favourite. lovely clicks
Anonymous
Wow! Those manchurian looks so drool-worthy 😀
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
Nisha
wow , i'm drooling.
Chitra
wow, awesome clicks. iam a big fan of manch. nowadays making with mushroom for raksha 🙂
NiVi
looks perfect like a hotel served one.. very tempting recipe raji !!!
Radka
Beautiful blog, have a nice day Radka.
Priya Yallapantula
wow, looks super delicious. I am such a big fan of manchurian, any kind 🙂
Priya Hari
Nice clicks! I have a tip to make it crisp too, in case you want to try it out sometime...
Mix up some cornflour to water to buttermilk consistency and in the last step, on high heat, just add it to the gravy + cauliflower and give the whole thing a whirl for a minute or 2. This makes it crisp like at restaurants! Tip: The flame should be really high that you should get that sound as soon as you pour that corn flour water!
Sumi
delicious dish, my all time favorite 🙂
aayesha
nice recepie surei try
divya
Fantastic and tempting manchurians......
g3
This comment has been removed by the author.
pejavara
We Tried today, Its superb yaa...
Thank you sooo much for adding taste to our life.
Ange
To keep it crispy make the sauce before frying the veggies. Then when the veggies are cooked reheat the sauce. This way it will still be crispy.
Apputty
mouth watering 🙂 well presented 🙂
Vishku
The picture itself making me drool...
to make them crisp a bit of rice flour is added to batter
My Experiments with FOOD !!!
tried it at home..It as awesome !!
Divs Sundaram
hii. i m new to kitchen.. bt daily i cook tryin ur recipies nd it comes just gr88!!!!!! today i did gobi 65 nd came fabulous nd mouth waterin.. nd al ur pics r very temptin too 🙂
Taste Buds
Raji,why can't you try rice flour instead of corn flour?i think you can get the cauliflower crispier.
tasnim
i love the dry one, superb
thank you
Thiru
Thanks for the recipe... tried it and was gr8!
Karan Fagne
wonderful information, I had come to know about your blog from my friend nandu , hyderabad,i have read atleast 7 posts of yours by now, and let me tell you, your website gives the best and the most interesting information. This is just the kind of information that i had been looking for, i'm already your rss reader now and i would regularly watch out for the new posts, once again hats off to you! Thanks a ton once again, Regards, My Manchurian Recipe
chams
Amazing recipes, love all your writings and helpful in preparing healthy, tasty , easier to prepare food.
chams
Amazing , i love all the recipes you have written and the photos are so colourfull too. Thanks for easy, delicious, healthy and very very tasty recipes.
Mehrukh Quadri
wow its really easy!i would really lik it!..
Vishku
Hi
I tried this today it came out excellent far tastier than restaurant ... thanks for the recipe
Umamaheswar Maaram
Recipes which are being shown here are not only easy to prepare but also tastier and delicious
sprabhagaran
I tried this today. It came out well. We loved it. You have been my inspiration for me. Thanks!
Radhika Venkatesan
What can I use instead of cornflour?
Raks anand
Rice flour
karthik072000
can we avoid soya sauce, as i'm having hyputhyroid
Raks anand
Yes you can avoid, but will you use other sauces?
Rekha Nandakumar
Using corn starch instead of corn flour will give you that extra crispiness. 🙂
Raks anand
By corn flour I mean the white corn starch only 🙂
seetha
Hi Raks , When I fried cauliflower it is sticking to the bottom of the kadai , the coating get seperated when I tried to take.. what may be the reason ?
Raks anand
Did you parboiled? To avoid this, before dipping to the batter, coat the cauliflower with some dry flour (either maida or cornflour) and then dip the batter. Also make sure the oil is in right temperature.