Crispy Air Fryer Gobi Manchurian with Sticky Garlic Ginger Chili Sauce
Air fryer gobi manchurian with cornstarch-crisped cauliflower tossed in a sticky garlic, ginger, soy and chili sauce. No deep frying, ready in about 40 minutes.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
Crispy Air Fryer Gobi Manchurian with Sticky Garlic Ginger Chili Sauce is a vegan side recipe made with cauliflower (1 medium head), all-purpose flour, cornstarch. It takes 40 minutes of hands-on time, serves 4, and each serving has 218 calories, 5 g of protein and 4 g of fiber.
A thick batter of equal parts flour and cornstarch clings to the cauliflower and crisps in the air fryer with only a light coating of oil. The sauce is reduced in a skillet until glossy before the florets go in, so they are coated quickly instead of simmering and turning soft. Toss them right before serving: this is the dry, appetizer style of gobi manchurian, and it is at its crunchiest in the first few minutes.
A cuisine + flavor profile (Indo-Chinese: cornstarch-crisped florets tossed in a sticky garlic-ginger soy, ketchup and chili Manchurian sauce with green onion, instead of Buffalo sauce or a tandoori yogurt marinade) take on our Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Dill Ranch.
Ingredients
Crispy cauliflower
- 1 medium575 gcauliflower (1 medium head), cut into 1 1/2-inch florets
- ⅓ cup41 gall-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup42 gcornstarch
- 1 tsp1.8 gKashmiri chili powder
- ½ tsp3 gfine salt
- ¼ tsp0.6 gground black pepper
- ⅓ cup78 gcold water, plus 1-2 tsp more if needed
- 1 tbsp14 gneutral oil, for the batter and for brushing the basket
Manchurian sauce
- 1 tbsp14 gneutral oil
- 5 cloves15 ggarlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp6 gfresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 4 60 ggreen onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts kept separate
- 2 tbsp32 gsoy sauce
- 3 tbsp51 gketchup
- 1 tbsp19 gsriracha, or to taste
- 1 tbsp15 grice vinegar
- 1 tsp4.2 gsugar
- ½ tsp0.9 gKashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp2.7 gcornstarch
- ¼ cup59 gwater
- 1 tsp3 gtoasted sesame seeds, for serving (optional)
Kit: air fryer, large mixing bowl, large skillet or wok, tongs
Tips
- Sauce the cauliflower only when you are ready to eat. The coating starts to soften after about 10 minutes in the sauce.
- Use a perforated parchment liner if your basket tends to stick, but add it only after preheating and weigh it down with the florets right away.
- Air fryers vary: start checking at 12 minutes. The coating should feel dry and firm to the touch, not tacky.
- For extra crunch, give the sauced florets 2 minutes back in the air fryer at 400°F (200°C) to set the glaze.
Swap ideas
- Tamari for the soy sauce and rice flour for the all-purpose flour
- Makes the dish gluten-free; the rice flour coating is slightly lighter and more brittle.
- Red chili-garlic sauce or sambal oelek for the sriracha
- Gives a sharper, less sweet heat; start with 2 tsp and adjust to taste.
- Add 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper and 1/4 cup diced onion with the garlic and ginger
- Closer to restaurant-style gobi manchurian, with more crunch and bulk; stir-fry for 1 extra minute.
- Sweet paprika plus a pinch of cayenne for the Kashmiri chili powder
- Keeps the red color with similar mild heat.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
218kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 0.8 g 4%
- Sugars
- 7.8 g
- Sodium
- 996 mg 43%
- Potassium
- 605 mg 13%
- Calcium
- 60 mg 5%
- Iron
- 1.7 mg 9%
- Vitamin C
- 76 mg 84%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Cauliflower, raw, Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached, Cornstarch, Spices, pepper, red or cayenne (SR Legacy; used as proxy for pure ground red chili, since USDA 'chili powder' is a salted spice blend), Salt, table, Spices, pepper, black, Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Oil, canola, Garlic, raw, Ginger root, raw, Onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw, Soy sauce made from soy and wheat (shoyu), Catsup (USDA SR Legacy, Vegetables and Vegetable Products), Sauce, hot chile, sriracha, RICE VINEGAR (Branded, Mizkan America, Inc.) - unseasoned; 0 kcal, 0 g protein, carbs, sugar, fat and 0 mg sodium per 15 ml serving, Sugars, granulated
Method
Cut the cauliflower into even 1 1/2-inch florets and pat them completely dry with a clean towel; wet florets thin the batter and steam instead of crisping. Preheat the air fryer to 380°F (195°C).
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, 1/3 cup cornstarch, 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, salt and pepper. Whisk in the cold water and 1 tsp of the oil until you have a smooth, thick batter that coats the back of a spoon like heavy pancake batter. If it is pasty, add water 1 tsp at a time.
Add the florets and fold with a spatula or your hands until every piece is thinly and evenly coated, with no dry flour left in the bowl.
Brush or rub the air fryer basket with a little of the remaining oil. Lift the florets out one at a time, letting any excess batter drip off, and set them in a single layer with space between them (cook in 2 batches if needed). Brush or dab the tops with the rest of the oil.
Air fry for 14-16 minutes, turning the florets with tongs halfway through, until the coating is dry, crisp and deep golden at the edges and a knife slides into a stem with little resistance. If working in batches, return everything to the basket for 2 minutes at the end to re-crisp.
While the cauliflower cooks, stir together the soy sauce, ketchup, sriracha, rice vinegar, sugar, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and the white parts of the green onions and stir-fry until fragrant and just turning golden, 45-60 seconds. Don't let the garlic brown.
Stir the sauce mixture again, pour it into the pan and simmer, stirring, until it is glossy and thick enough to leave a trail when you drag a spatula through it, 1-2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat if the cauliflower isn't ready yet.
Add the hot, crisp cauliflower and half the green onion tops to the sauce over medium heat and toss until every floret is coated and sticky, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate, scatter with the remaining green onion and the sesame seeds, and serve immediately.
Storage: Best eaten right away. To make ahead, refrigerate the unsauced air-fried cauliflower and the sauce in separate airtight containers for up to 2 days. Re-crisp the florets in the air fryer at 380°F (195°C) for 3-4 minutes, warm the sauce in a skillet with a splash of water, then toss. Sauced leftovers keep for 2 days refrigerated but will be soft; reheat them in the air fryer rather than the microwave.
Questions
- How much protein is in crispy air fryer gobi manchurian with sticky garlic ginger chili sauce?
- Each of the 4 servings has 5 g of protein, 4 g of fiber and 218 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is crispy air fryer gobi manchurian with sticky garlic ginger chili sauce vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does crispy air fryer gobi manchurian with sticky garlic ginger chili sauce take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cooking, so 40 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make crispy air fryer gobi manchurian with sticky garlic ginger chili sauce ahead?
- Best eaten right away. To make ahead, refrigerate the unsauced air-fried cauliflower and the sauce in separate airtight containers for up to 2 days. Re-crisp the florets in the air fryer at 380°F (195°C) for 3-4 minutes, warm the sauce in a skillet with a splash of water, then toss. Sauced leftovers keep for 2 days refrigerated but will be soft; reheat them in the air fryer rather than the microwave.
- What can I substitute in crispy air fryer gobi manchurian with sticky garlic ginger chili sauce?
- Tamari for the soy sauce and rice flour for the all-purpose flour — makes the dish gluten-free; the rice flour coating is slightly lighter and more brittle.. Red chili-garlic sauce or sambal oelek for the sriracha — gives a sharper, less sweet heat; start with 2 tsp and adjust to taste.. Add 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper and 1/4 cup diced onion with the garlic and ginger — closer to restaurant-style gobi manchurian, with more crunch and bulk; stir-fry for 1 extra minute.. Sweet paprika plus a pinch of cayenne for the Kashmiri chili powder — keeps the red color with similar mild heat..
- Does crispy air fryer gobi manchurian with sticky garlic ginger chili sauce contain gluten?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 21, 2026 ·Indo-Chinese
