Gobi Fried Rice is a simple but indulgent Indo-Chinese style fried rice recipe prepared with mixed vegetables, cooked rice and crispy fried gobi/cauliflower. It is also known as Gobi Manchurian fried rice and is one of the most popular fusion recipes in many restaurants. Cauliflower Manchurian fried rice is a very rustic, street-food style recipe made as healthy as possible at home. The cauliflower or gobi is deep-fried to keep the taste authentic, but it can easily made low-calorie by baking or air-frying. Check out the substitutions & variations section for more details.
Key Ingredients
Cooked Basmati Rice or any fragrant variety of raw rice can be used to make fried rice recipes. Cauliflower Florets, also known as Gobi is one of the key ingredients, to make the golden fried cauliflower. All Purpose Flour, Corn Flour, Rice Flour, Red Chilli Powder, Garam Masala Powder & Turmeric Powder are used to make the batter for the gobi Manchurian. Finely chopped mixed vegetables like Onions, Carrots & French Beans are used. We will use a lot of finely chopped Garlic Cloves to enhance the flavor. Sauces like Tomato Ketchup, Soy Sauce & Vinegar are used to flavor the rice. Black Pepper Powder is used to spice the fried rice. Lots of finely chopped Spring Onions or Cilantro is used to garnish the rice. For full list of ingredients and exact measurements, check the recipe below.
Cooking Basmati Rice Perfectly in Pressure Cooker
Fried rice is all about that rice and in this recipe for Gobi Fried Rice, we use basmati rice and cook it to perfection in a pressure cooker easily. Follow the below tips & notes to get the consistency of the rice right. Also note that the rice has to be completely cooled down. In fact, it works out best if leftover rice/rice stored in fridge is used.
Always keep the rice in a vessel inside the pressure cooker instead of directly cooking it in the pressure cooker.My usual ratio for open pot rice cooking is 1:2 for rice: water. When cooking in pressure cooker, I use 1:1.75, reducing the water by ¼th cup does a lot of difference.On medium flame, I cook the rice for 2 whistles and switch off the heat. Once the pressure drops naturally, remove the rice container and immediately invert it onto a large bowl/plate. Leave it for 5 mins and then spread it gently using a fork. Yes, a fork. That prevents the rice from breaking.You can drizzle a teaspoon of oil on the rice and let it cool down completely. This will get the rice to stay as long strands of grains and not stick to one another.
Substitutions & Variations
Apart from using Gobi, you can also use mushrooms, mixed vegetables, baby corn to make the fry to be mixed in with fried rice. Although the authentic version of the recipe calls for deep-frying gobi, it can also be done in an OTG or in an air fryer. Refer this Mushroom Manchurian or Gobi Manchurian recipes for more details. Other fragrant rice varieties like Jeera Samba or Jeera Sala also works out well for making fried rice. You can also substitute the rice for cooked noodles, although I always julienne my vegetables when making noodles.
Serving Suggestions
Gobi Fried Rice is best served hot with any Indo-Chinese side dishes like Mushroom Manchurian, Gobi Manchurian, Golden Fried Baby Corn, Egg Manchurian & so on. The cauliflower stays crisp when hot and gets soft on cooling down, but it doesn’t impact the taste of the fried rice. The rice can be made ahead, stored in fridge. The vegetables can be prepped ahead too. But the fried rice should be prepared only when it is ready to be served, if you want the gobi fry to be crisp.
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Gobi Fried Rice Recipe with Step by Step Pictures
First blanch 1 cup cauliflower florets in hot boiling water, drain off the water. In a mixing bowl add cauliflower florets along with 1 tablespoon rice flour, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon corn flour, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder and salt as needed. Mix well so that the flours & spices are coated on the florets. Sprinkle water little by little and mix it in. Cauliflower florets should be coated thick with the flours & spices. Meanwhile heat oil for deep frying and once hot, set it on medium flame. Add the cauliflower florets in small batches without overcrowding the oil. When they are cooked on one side, gently flip them over and cook on the other side too. As they turn crispy and golden brown, remove from oil and drain on a kitchen towel. Repeat this with rest of the cauliflower florets. In a wok heat 1 tablespoon gingelly/sesame oil. Once hot, add 5-6 garlic cloves finely chopped and 1 green chilli finely chopped. Fry for a min on low flame. Add 1 medium onion finely chopped (or use the green onion bulbs) and 2 tablespoon each of carrots and fresh beans finely chopped. Cook on medium flame until the onions are soft and the vegetables are half cooked. Add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup & ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Add salt as needed for the vegetables. Cook for a minute. Add the fried cauliflower florets. Toss them around so that the sauces are coated well. Now add 3 cups of cooked, cooled down rice and ½ teaspoon black pepper powder. Set the flame on low. Gently stir constantly for a couple of minutes, without breaking the rice. Garnish with 2 -3 finely chopped spring onions or coriander leaves. Remove from heat. Serve hot with Mushroom Manchurian, Chilli Baby Corn or any other side dish.
Recipe Notes
I added salt needed for the rice while cooking the rice. So I only had to salt the vegetables. Adjust salt quantity depending on whether rice is salted or not.Adjust the quantity of garlic and green chillies depending on the spice levels preferred.I didn’t have spring onion, so I used regular onions and coriander leaves.
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