Veg Manchurian is a widely popular Indo-Chinese dish across India. This dish is made of deep fried mixed vegetable dumplings tossed in Chinese sauces.
Ingredients
For the Manchurian Balls1 Cup Shredded Cabbage
1/2 Cup Shredded or Grated Carrot
1/4 Cup Capsicum, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Onion, finely chopped
1/4 Cup Spring Onions, finely chopped
1/2 Tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste
2 Tablespoon Cornstarch or Cornflour
1/4 Cup All purpose Flour (Maida)
1 Teaspoon Salt, or to taste
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
Oil for Frying
For the Gravy3-4 Cloves of Garlic
1 Inch Piece of Ginger
1-2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Onion, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Spring Onion, finely chopped
1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Green Chilli Sauce
1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Salt, or to taste
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Teaspoons Oil
Method* Finely chop or grate cabbage, carrot, onion, capsicum (bell pepper) & spring onions and combine them in a bowl. It is best to squeeze out all the water from the vegetables after chopping them, otherwise too much water will make it difficult to make manchurian balls.
* Add Ginger Garlic Paste, Salt, Pepper and Soy Sauce. Take care not to add too much of Salt because Soy Sauce already has some in it.
* Add All Purpose Flour (Maida) and Corn Flour / Cornstarch.
* Mix all the ingredients well. If the mixture looks too wet, you can add some more All Purpose Flour to absorb the excess water.
* Form small balls from the mixture and fry them in hot oil on medium heat. Do not keep the heat high, otherwise they will turn dark from the outside, but will not be properly cooked from the inside.
* Make sure that the oil is sufficiently hot before adding the the balls otherwise they will start to break. Also, do not let the vegetables sit for too long after mixing the ingredients otherwise they will start to leave water and you will not be able to make balls. It is best to keep making the balls and frying them simultaneously.
* Fry one side till it turns golden brown and then gently flip them over to fry the other side. Then turn the heat to high and fry for a little while to make them crispy.
* Remove the balls from the oil and place them on an absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.
* Now for the gravy, heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add finely chopped garlic, ginger and green chilli and roast them.
* Add onions & Spring Onions and fry them on high heat till they turn golden brown.
* Then add Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Green Chilli Sauce, Red Chilli Sauce, salt & pepper.
* You can add 1 teaspoon corn flour to thicken the gravy if required.
* Add the Manchurian balls to the gravy and toss gently to coat them with the sauces. Cook for a couple of minutes.
* Dry Veg Manchurian is ready. Serve it hot as a snack or appetizer garnished with spring onion greens. You can also serve it with other dishes like Veg Hakka Noodles or Veg Fried Rice.