Manchurian explained: India’s favourite “Chinese” dish
Where Manchurian came from, what goes into it, dry versus gravy, whether it is gluten-free, and the Gobhi and Veg Manchurian on our menu.
Manchurian is a fried, saucy Indo-Chinese dish built on garlic, ginger, green chilli and soy sauce. It is said to have been invented in 1975 by Nelson Wang, a Kolkata-born cook at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai. The original was chicken, the best-known vegetarian version uses cauliflower, and Wikipedia says it has become a staple of Indian-Chinese cuisine.
Where Manchurian came from
The origin story is a short one. Wikipedia says Manchurian is said to have been invented in 1975 by Nelson Wang, a cook at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, when a customer asked him to create a new dish. Wang is described as an Indian restaurateur of Chinese descent who was born in Kolkata in 1950, the son of a Chinese immigrant.
According to Wang himself, he began with basic Indian ingredients: chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies. He used soy sauce where an Indian cook might have reached for garam masala, then added cornstarch and chicken. The dish stuck, and so did the recipe. We put it in its wider context in our guide to what Indo-Chinese food is.
What goes into it
Wikipedia describes the method as roughly chopping and deep-frying ingredients, then sautéing them in a sauce flavoured with soy sauce. The main ingredient can be chicken, cauliflower, prawns, fish, mutton or paneer. Common ingredients in the preparation include corn flour, maida flour, spring onion, bell peppers, chilli sauce and ground pepper.
Put that together with Wang’s own account and you have the basic anatomy of the dish:
- The coating. The main ingredient is battered or coated, then fried.
- The aromatics. Garlic, ginger and green chilli, in Wang’s account.
- The sauce. Flavoured with soy sauce. In the gravy version it is thickened with corn flour.
- The extras. Spring onion, bell peppers and ground pepper are all common additions.
Gobi Manchurian
The best-known vegetarian version replaces the chicken with cauliflower. Wikipedia notes that it is commonly known as gobi Manchurian. Great British Chefs counts it among the hot and spicy dishes that are popular in India. On our menu it appears as Gobhi Manchurian and costs £7: golden fried cauliflower served with a rich, savoury Indo-Chinese gravy.
Dry or gravy
Manchurian comes in two broad versions, and it is worth knowing the difference before you order. Wikipedia describes them as dry or semi-dry, and with gravy.
The dry version is comparatively dry and is often eaten as a snack or a starter, with tomato ketchup as a dipping sauce. The gravy version has a thick sauce, something like a spicy gravy curry made with corn flour, and is served with rice dishes. Our own Gobhi Manchurian is listed on the menu as served with a rich, savoury Indo-Chinese gravy.
Is Manchurian gluten-free?
It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that it typically is not. The sauce is usually soy-based, and the batter usually contains flour. Both of those are ingredients that commonly contain gluten, so a standard Manchurian is not a safe choice for someone avoiding it.
What about ours? Please ask us when you book or when you arrive, and tell us about any allergy or intolerance before you order. See our allergen information page too.
Manchurian at Nukkad
Everything on our Indo-Chinese side is cooked fresh to order, and you will find two Manchurians on the menu. Both descriptions below are the ones on our menu.
- Gobhi Manchurian, £7. Golden fried cauliflower served with a rich, savoury Indo-Chinese gravy.
- Veg Manchurian, £11. Crispy fried vegetable dumplings cooked in a rich, savoury, thick Indo-Chinese gravy.
If you are new to the style, order one of each alongside a street-food plate, and share them across the table. You can see everything we serve on the menu, and read more about the cooking on our Indo-Chinese food in Glasgow page.
Why it matters
Manchurian is a good example of a dish that belongs to no single kitchen. A cook in Mumbai took Indian ingredients, added soy and cornflour, and made something new. Wikipedia says it has become a staple of Indian-Chinese cuisine. That is the same spirit that runs through the whole Indo-Chinese tradition.