I don’t have a favorite cuisine. It’s too hard to pick one! If I’m asked what my favorite is, I tend to go with whatever category the last delicious meal I’ve eaten belongs to, which means the answer changes quite a bit. That’s why I love fusion dishes so much. The first time I was at an Indian restaurant and saw a section of the menu dedicated to Indian-Chinese dishes, I was all “huh?” I assumed the chef dug Chinese food and was brilliant enough to incorporate Chinese elements into his Indian cooking. As luck would have it, that wasn’t the case. Indian-Chinese cuisine is a thing, and it’s pretty delicious.
What is Cauliflower Manchurian?
Cauliflower Manchurian, or gobi Manchurian, as it’s more likely to appear on a restaurant menu, is made with crispy cauliflower florets in spicy, savory sauce sauce. If you order it at a restaurant, the cauliflower will be batter-dipped and fried. My version is baked.
What You’ll Need
The ingredient list for this one is on the longer side, as my recipes go. But don’t let that discourage you! It’s so worth it, and many of the ingredients are pantry staples.
Flour Non-dairy milk Soy sauce Panko breadcrumbs Black pepper Cayenne pepper Salt Cauliflower Neutral oil Scallions Garlic Ginger Celery Serrano pepper (optional!) Vegetable broth Tomato paste Maple syrup Rice vinegar Sambal oelek Cornstarch Cilantro
How to Make Baked Cauliflower Manchurian
Start by heating up the oven and lining a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Get ready to bread your cauliflower. To make your batter, whisk up some non-dairy milk, flour, and soy sauce in a small bowl. To make your breading, stir together some panko breadcrumbs, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a separate bowl. Break your cauliflower into florets, then grab a floret and dip it into the batter. Take it out and shake off any excess batter, than dip it in the breading. Keep doing this and arranging the florets on your baking sheets. When they’re all done, lightly brush or mist them with some oil.
Pop your baking sheets into the oven and bake the cauliflower until the coating is browned and crispy.
While the cauliflower bakes, make the gravy. Heat up some oil in a small pot, then add the white parts of your scallions, along with some garlic, ginger, celery, and serrano pepper. Sauté everything for a minute or so, until it becomes very fragrant. Now add broth, soy sauce, tomato paste, maple syrup, and sambal oelek. Let the sauce simmer while the cauliflower bakes. When the sauce is about finished simmering, stir some cornstarch and cold water together in a small cup of bowl, then add it to the sauce. Let the sauce simmer for about another minute or so, until it thickens up a bit.
When the cauliflower has finished baking, pour the sauce on top, then sprinkle it with the green parts of your scallions and some cilantro. Enjoy immediately!
This dish is best eaten right away — the breading on the cauliflower will get soggy pretty quickly! If you think you will have leftovers, try to keep the cauliflower and sauce separate, and store them that way. Reheat the sauce on the stove or in the microwave, and reheat the cauliflower in a 425°F oven until hot. My sauce isn’t thickening? Why not? Make sure you actually bring it back up to a simmer — this can take a minute, as the cornstarch mixture can bring the temperature down a bit. Can this recipe be made gluten-free? I haven’t tried making a gluten-free version, so I’m not sure! If you can find gluten-free vegan breadcrumbs, they can be substituted for the panko. You’ll also need to use gluten-free tamari in place of the soy sauce, and gluten-free flour — I think an all-purpose blend will work! How can I reduce the sodium in this recipe? Try cutting back on the soy sauce or using a low sodium variety. You can also leave the salt out of the breading and use water instead of broth. Looking for more crispy baked cauliflower recipes? Try my sticky sesame cauliflower or sticky lemon cauliflower.
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