Indo-Chinese food is one of the most popular cuisines in India and I think Chinese dishes are the most ordered dishes across restaurants or takeaways. The reason is, it is flavourful, spicy and very simple. Today I am showing you how I make one of the most popular Indo Chinese recipes Veg Manchurian. There are 2 types of veg Manchurian recipes:
Dry Veg Manchurian: Served as starter or snack, the sauce for the fried vegan balls is very thick in this recipe and is almost coating consistency. Veg Manchurian Gravy: Fried veggie dumplings are dunked in a spicy sauce and it is served with Hakka noodles or veggie fried rice.
Why we Love this Recipe
Quick and easy Indo-chinese dishCan be served as starter or main courseCan be made aheadMSG or monosodium glutamate- freeVegan and vegetarianTastes better than takeaway
How to make Veg Manchurian
Making it is a two step process. First is making Manchurian balls which are nothing but kind of veggie meatballs or fritters. Second step is making manchurian gravy. Before that lets see Ingredients for Manchurian recipe.
Ingredients for Veg manchurian
Fresh: carrots, french beans, cabbage, capsicum, onion, Spring onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies Sauces: Soy sauce, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, Seasonings: salt, black pepper, Flour: All purpose flour, corn flour Oil to fry and cook
Step by Step Method with Pictures
In a mixing bowl take all finely chopped veggies to make balls for veg Manchurian. Add salt, black pepper, ginger garlic paste, butter, soy sauce, all purpose flour and cornflour in it.
Now mix them all well together (use your hands if you want). When they are well-mixed apply some oil in your palms for ease in shaping. Take a small quantity of the mixture. Bind them and make lemon-sized balls and keep them aside. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry these veg balls till crispy and golden brown.
To Make Gravy
To make the gravy heat oil in the pan and add onions, ginger garlic paste, green chilies and capsicum in it. Cook them for 3-4 minutes and then add soy sauce.
Also add in red chili sauce, ketchup, water, black pepper and salt and mix them all.
Take a small bowl and add cornflour and water in it. Mix it with a spoon and gently pour it into the pan. Adjust the gravy as you wish with the consistency. Cook all the ingredients for another 3-4 minutes and then add veg Manchurian balls in them. Mix them well and sprinkle some spring onions on top.
Tips to Make Best Manchurian
Grate all the vegetables or chop them finely in equal size. You can use food processor or a simple grater.Do not use water while mixing the veggies. The vegetables will have enough moisture for binding them together. (Also corn flour and all-purpose flour will act as binding agent as well.)Too much cornflour may turn the balls hard after frying. So, mix them accordingly.Spice it nicely. I like to add few sauces which I use in gravy while making these veg meatballs. This helps in building a better flavour. These spicy balls taste way better than bland manchurian balls that are made with just salt. Instead of sugar, I have used tomato ketchup that will give both the hint of sugar and spice needed in the recipe. You can skip the step and add sugar if you like.If you are sceptical about deep frying and then I would recommend trying my tested 5 tips for deep frying. This will help you deep fry the crispy Manchurian balls to perfection.
Storing Leftovers
The leftovers do not store as good as freshly made Manchurian because veg balls need to be crispy. So If a have leftovers I store them in the fridge and consume them within 2 days but do not assemble a double batch.
Make Ahead Tip
Gravy stores well so you can prepare the gravy and store it in the fridge. Deep fry the Manchurian balls and store them separately in an airtight container. Once it is time to serve I reheat the balls in the preheated oven for 5 minutes at 200 degrees C and heat the gravy and add the balls in the gravy.
More Indian Chinese Recipes to Try
Egg Fried RiceChilli Paneer RecipeVeggie Fried RiceVegetable Stir Fried Hakka NoodlesSweet and Sour SoupSweet n Sour Vegetable GravyVegetables in Hot Garlic Sauce
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