Crispy panko-coated cauliflower florets are baked up and drenched in spicy gravy in this lightened-up take on cauliflower Manchurian.
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!
Cauliflower Manchurian Tips & FAQ
- 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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📖 Recipe
Baked Cauliflower Manchurian
Ingredients
For the Baked Cauliflower
- 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 medium cauliflower crown (about 1 ½ pounds), broken into florets
- Canola oil (or neutral oil of choice)
For the Manchurian Gravy
- 1 tablespoon canola oil (or neutral oil of choice)
- 4 medium scallions, white and green parts separated and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
- 2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek or sriracha sauce (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For Serving
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
To Make the Baked Cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the batter. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, flour, and soy sauce.
- Make the breading. In a separate bowl, stir together the panko breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Dip a cauliflower floret into batter, rolling it around to coat it. Remove the floret and shake off any excess batter, then transfer the floret to the breading. Roll it around to coat it.
- Place the cauliflower floret on the baking sheet and repeat the process for the remaining florets.
- Generously spray or brush the cauliflower florets with oil.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the cauliflower until tender and lightly browned on the outside, 20-25 minutes.
To Make the Gravy
- While the cauliflower bakes, coat the bottom of a small pot with oil and place it over medium heat.
- Add the white parts of the scallions, garlic, ginger, serrano pepper, and celery. Sauté everything for about a minute, until very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, soy sauce, tomato paste, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sambal oelek or sriracha, and black pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir the water and cornstarch together in a small bowl or cup, then stir the mixture into the broth mixture. Bring it back up to a simmer and let it cook for about 1 minute, until it thickens up a bit.
To Serve
- Transfer the baked cauliflower to a plate or bowl and pour the gravy over top. Sprinkle with cilantro and the green parts of the scallions. Divide onto plates and serve.
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Can you provide a rough idea of how long to bake for?
Sorry about that! It's 20-25 minutes. I've updated the recipe to include this.
Winner recipe! Had this for lunch today and it was delicious. They were so crispy and such a tasty sauce. Thanks
When I read this recipe through, I KNEW my husband would love it! I made it for dinner the other night and when he finished, he said he'd eat that ANY time I wanted to make it! He enjoyed it so much, he told a few of his friends about it. Now, this may not sound like a glowing review to you, but IT IS, believe me!
He is new to the plant-based world and struggling with it. He's pretty good about trying everything I put before him, but I can tell when he doesn't really care for it and when he does. You are an incredible young woman and I have enjoyed all the recipes I've made so far, thank you!
I hope your website allows me to post this, I've tried a number of times and keep getting an error message telling me I have to fill in the name and email portion of the form in order to post something. Of course, I've done it each time, but it doesn't seem to recognize it.
Keep sending us those yummy recipes!!! Thanks again Alissa!
Marcia
Awesome! I'm so glad he liked it! I know how tough it can be to make major dietary changes, especially transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle. Hearing that this dish (or any of my recipes for that matter) helped out with that makes me truly happy to hear. Thank you su much for letting me know. Best of luck to you and your husband on his plant-based journey!
Oh, baked cauliflower manchurian, how I love thee, let me count the ways. Oh, forget that, I just want to eat it! :)
I've never had Indo-Chinese but I'm so going to have to change that!!!
Ohhh myyy God! Indo Chinese food is my favourite! I make Manchurian (the deep fried kind) at home, but have always wondered if it'll work well baked. Thank you so much for trying it, now I'm inspired to try too! This opens up so many possibilities!! Vegetable Manchurian, Paneer Manchurian (not vegan though) , baby corn Manchurian!! Yay:) thank you again!
Yeah, panko coating works surprisingly well as a sub for deep frying. I've used it for all kinds of stuff. :) Thanks Swetha - I hope you enjoy this!