Air Fryer Gobi Manchurian
If you're a fan of Indo-Chinese cuisine, then you're sure to love this recipe for delicious air fryer Gobi Manchurian. Skip deep frying and make Gobi Manchurian in an air fryer with very little oil without compromising the crispy texture and taste.
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
Ingredients For Batter
- 4 tablespoon Corn Starch (3+1 tablespoon divided)
- 4 tablespoon All-purpose flour (3+1 tablespoon divided)
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 5 tablespoon Water
- 1 tablespoon oil for brushing ( or cooking oil spray) (optional)
Ingredients for Gobi Manchurian Gravy
- 1 Cauliflower head Medium sized
- 1 Red Onion (large ( thinly sliced))
- 5-6 Garlic cloves (mined)
- 1- inch Fresh Ginger (grated)
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
- ½ teaspoon MSG (optional)
- 1 tablespoon White Vinegar
Instructions
Step 1 Prep Ingredients
- Start by preparing the veggies first. Cut the cauliflower to separate even-sized florets. Now soak cauliflower floret in hot water with salt and let it sit for 15 minutes. Now wash thoroughly under running cold water. Use a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel to pat dry the washed cauliflower florets.
- Alongside also wash and thinly slice a pepper, onions, mince garlic, and grate ginger. Set all these prepped veggies aside.
Step 2 Make the batter
- Spread a tablespoon of flour on the washed and dried cauliflower florets. It absorbs all the left-out moisture.
- Now, in a bowl add all the dry ingredients for the batter (Retain a tablespoon of corn flour for the slurry). Whisk and combine everything to incorporate spices evenly throughout the flour and cornstarch. Now add 5 tablespoons of water to make the batter. Whisk to make an even and smooth batter.
Step 3 Coat cauliflower florets in the batter
- Now pour batter over the cauliflower florets and coat them nicely with the batter. You can also place the cauliflower florets in a ziplocked bag and then add the batter. Shake to coat every floret evenly.
Step 4 Air fry battered cauliflower
- Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes at 370o F and then place the batter-coated cauliflower florets in the air fryer basket. You can also use parchment paper or a silicone mat for mess-free air frying. Using a pastry brush to apply oil to them. Or you can use a cooking oil spray.
- Air fry the cauliflowers at 370o F for 16-18 minutes or until they turn crispy. Do not forget to flip them halfway through the cooking time.
Step 5 Making gravy for the Manchurian
- Add ⅓ cup of water to the bowl that had the battered cauliflower. Wipe the edges and add the retained corn starch. Mix well to make a cornstarch slurry and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and thinly sliced onions to the pan, and stir fry for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Then add tomato ketchup, Chili sauce, vinegar, and soy sauce to the pan, and stir well.
- Now, add the cornstarch slurry and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add ½ teaspoon of salt (or to taste) and stir well.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the gravy simmer for a few minutes until it thickens to your desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Step 6 Add air-fried cauliflower to the gravy
- Now add the air-fried cauliflower to the Manchurian gravy. Mix to coat well. Add spring greens and remove to a serving plate. Serve hot with fried rice or noodles.
Notes
- Replace red onions with shallots or yellow onions.
- Substitute fresh ginger and garlic with ginger garlic paste.
- The batter should be very thin else the theair-friedd cauliflower Manchurian will not be crispy.
- You can substitute corn starch with tapioca starch.
- Do not forget to flip the Gobi Manchurian halfway through the cooking time. This ensures even cooking on all sides.
- There could be a differential of 2-3 minutes to get the same results with different types or sizes of air fryers. So, pull out the air fryer basket towards the end of the cooking time and see for yourself, how much more time you need.
- You can adjust the amount of water and cornstarch to achieve the desired thickness of the gravy. Additionally, you can add other seasonings or ingredients to customize the flavor to your liking.
📋Nutrition Facts
Nutrition
Calories: 173kcal
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