Why this Indian town has banned 'gobi manchurian'; know here

Food enthusiasts have long loved gobi manchurian, a fusion dish that usually consists of cauliflower florets coated in a spicy red sauce. However, according to TOI, Mapusa, a Goan city, banned the dish from booths and feasts due to worries about artificial coloring and hygiene. Another bizarre reason for banning the favourite gobi Manchurian was using dodgy sauces and washing powders as the ingredients. 

MMC chairperson Priya Mishal veers towards the first reason. "The councillors opined that such vendors operate in unhygienic conditions and use synthetic colours for making gobi manchurian and that is what has prompted us to ban the sale of this dish."

Other Goan civic organisations, besides the Mapusa Municipal Council, have declared war on Gobi Manchurian. The Mormugao Municipal Council was instructed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to limit the number of stalls selling Gobi Manchurian during the Vasco Saptah fair at the Shree Damodar temple in 2022. The FDA had raided these types of stalls before this order to reduce its pervasiveness.

Nelson Wang holds the credit for manchurian; it is said that he created this dish in 1975 in the cricket club of India in Mumbai. The original dish is created by adding a few Indian desi masalas, like garam masala, ginger, and green chilli, followed by soy sauce. The main highlight of this dish is the balls made of chicken with a deep-fried layer of cornstarch. The Gobhi Manchurian is replica of chicken manchurian with gobhi in it.