Cauliflower Manchurian on the bed of Asian Coleslaw
Air fried cauliflower machurian coated with chili ginger garlic sauce and served on tangy asian cabbage coleslaw. This plant-based, gluten-free, vegan appetizer is a definite crowd pleaser!
Cauliflower manchurian is yet another indo-chinese street food from India. Cauliflower florets are coated with spicy batter and then deep fried. They are coated in spicy ginger garlic sauce. It could either be with extra gravy to make it a main dish or dry/just enough sauce coating to eat as an appetizer or finger food! This version is the appetizer/finger-food version! I paired this dry cauliflower manchurian with tangy asian cabbage coleslaw to add the perfect crunch!
This cauliflower manchurians are coated with spicy batter that is made out of rice flour, corn starch and some spices. Instead of deep frying, these are air fried. You can prepare these cauliflower manchurians by air frying, baking or deep frying! The original recipe calls for white flour to make the batter but I wanted to make it gluten-free and that is why this recipe uses rice flour and corn starch mix instead!
This is a party pleaser in my household, I hope the same for you! Pair it with Veg Manchurian, Chili-Mashrooms and Hot and Sour Soup to create a perfect indo-chinese meals!
Happy and Healthy Eating!
Cauliflower Manchurian on Bed of Asian Cabbage Coleslaw
Ingredients
Air fried cauliflower dry coating
- 4 cup Cauliflower Florets wash and dry
- 1 tbsp Rice Flour
- 1 tbsp Corn Starch
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper Powder
Air fried cauliflower wet coating
- 3 tbsp Rice Flour
- 3 tbsp Corn Starch
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sriracha Sauce
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2-3 tbsp Oil
- ¼ cup Water more or less for right cake batter like consistency
Sauce for coating cauliflower
- ½ cup Chopped Cilantro chopped stems separated from chopped leaves
- ½ cup Chopped Scallions chopped white part separated from shopped green part
- 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Chopped Serrano Pepper
- 1 tbsp Corn Starch
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Sriracha Sauce
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper Powder
- ¾ cup Water
- 3 tbsp Oil
Asian cabbage coleslaw
- 1 cup Shredded Cabbage shredded long way, so they look like long strings
- ¼ cup Chopped Cilantro
- ¼ cup Chopped Scallions
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper Powder
Instructions
Asian cabbage coleslaw
- Mix shredded cabbage, salt, pepper and rice vinegar. Massage the cabbage with your hand for a minute.
- Add chopped cilantro and scallions. Mix it well.
Air fry cauliflower
- Preheat air fryer on 360° F or oven on 375° F.
- Cut wash and dry cauliflower florets. It is important that the florets are dry.
- Mix dry coating ingredients lists above except cauliflower florets.
- Toss cauliflower florets in the dry coating mix. Keep it aside.
- Mix wet coating ingredients listed above except water.
- Slowly add little water at time to make thick batter (like cake batter consistency).
- Coat each cauliflower with the batter and place them either in air fryer tray or baking tray.
- Air fry them for 12 minutes, tossing in the middle. Or bake them for 20-25 minutes tossing in the middle.
- Once air fried or baked, keep them aside.
Sauce for coating cauliflower
- Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in shallow wide pan.
- Once hot, saute ginger, garlic, serrano, cilantro stems and white part of scallions for 2-3 minutes or until the raw smell of garlic goes away.
- Add ½ cup of water, ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of black pepper powder to the pan. Bring it to quick boil.
- While waiting for the boil, In a bowl mix ¼ cup of water, 1 tbsp of corn starch, 1 tbsp of sriracha sauce, 1 tbsp of rice vinegar, 2 tbsp of soy sauce and 2 tbsp of tomato ketchup. Mix it very so there are no lumps.
- Once the water in the pan is boiling, slowly add corn starch mix while stirring constantly.
- Keep stirring and cooking the sauce until it thickens and changes color to deep brown.
- Add air fried/baked cauliflower, chopped cilantro and chopped scallions to the sauce.
- Mix everything well and carefully until all the cauliflower forests are coated with the sauce. Taste and fix the salt and pepper as needed.
Plating
- Place the cabbage coleslaw on a plate.
- Pock each hot cauliflower florets with a toothpick and place them on the bed of asian cabbage coleslaw!
