Veg Manchurian Veg Manchurian Dry Gravy Recipe

Veg Manchurian

Vegetable manchurian is a delicious side dish that is usually served with your chinese mani course. This is very healthy since it has lots of vegetables added to it. It is similar to meatball but vegetarian version. I make this quite often whenever I am making Indo Chinese dinner. Making veg manchurian can be quite time consuming. So what I usually do is, make bunch of the vegetable balls and freeze them for later use. So I can make this whenever I need.

What is Manchurian?

Indo Chinese cuisine is most popular around the world. Specially manchurian is loved by many and it is a go-to side dish to serve with fried rice and noodles. Mean while check my chicken manchurian, gobi manchurian & prawn manchurian. Manchurian is nothing but vegetables or protein coated in a batter and fried till crispy. Sauce is made with ginger, garlic, onions, soy sauce, ketchup and vinegar. Fried stuff is tossed in this sauce and thickened with cornstarch slurry.

About Veg Manchurian (Dry & Gravy)

Manchurian is popular Indo-Chinese take out dish. Gobi manchurian is one of the most popular vegetarian side dish and it is loved by many. Currently this veg manchurian balls are most popular street food dish in India. I used mixed vegetables to make manchurian balls. I usually add cabbage, capsicum, carrots, beans and cauliflower. You can use mushrooms as well. These balls taste great when you add variety of vegetables in them. It is important to saute the vegetables in oil so the raw smell leaves and the moisture evaporates from the vegetables. Some people add eggs to bind the mixture, but i use only wheat flour or plain flour. Once manchurian balls is shaped. You can either deep fry, shallow fry or even air fry. Recipes for these is shared below.

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Veg Manchurian Ingredients

Vegetables - I used mixed vegetables to make manchurian balls. I usually add cabbage, capsicum, carrots, beans and cauliflower. You can use mushrooms as well. These balls taste great when you add variety of vegetables in them. Plain Flour - for binding the vegetable mixture, you can use plain flour, wheat flour. Seasonings - salt, sugar, pepper and chilli flakes is the seasoning added with the vegetables to make it subtle. Aromatics - like all Indo Chinese recipes, the base starts by sauteing the aromatics. Ginger, garlic, spring onions and green chillies is sauted in oil. Sauces to Use - I used tomato ketchup, soy sauce and vinegar for the sauce.

How to Make Veg Manchurian (Stepwise Pictures)

Chopping Vegetables

1)For making this vegetables manchurian. I am using cabbage, beans, carrots, capsicum and cauliflower. 2)You have to chop them very finely, I am using my mini chopped for this. You can use a food processor to do this job or chop it very finely using knife. 3)Now the vegetables are chopped very fine.

Cooking Vegetables

4)Heat 1 tsp of oil in a sauce pan. Add in the finely chopped vegetables and saute them for 5 minutes or so till the raw smell leaves and the excess moisture from the vegetables evaporates. 5)You can see now the vegetables are cooked and the moisture is dried up.

Making Veg Manchurian Mix

6)Remove the cooked vegetables to a bowl. Allow them to cool completely. 7)Add in salt, red chilli flakes and mix well. 8)Now to bind the mixture, add in some wheat flour or plain flour. This is to bind the whole vegetables. Pro Tip: You can use half plain flour and half cornstarch as well. 9)Mix the vegetables into the flour. The mixture has to be well mixed.

Shaping Veg Manchurian

10)Now to shape the manchurian balls. Slightly wet your hands with water. Take 2 tbsp of the vegetable mixture. 11)Shape it into a smooth ball. Make sure the balls are smooth. 12)Set the balls aside while you finish making the rest. Pro Tips: At this point you can freeze the manchurian balls in a parchment lined baking sheet till frozen and store them in a ziploc bag in freezer.

Frying manchurian

13)Heat oil for deep frying. Drop in the manchurian balls into the hot oil and fry on low medium heat till golden and cooked. I have shared, how to air fry these balls below. Make sure you check it. 14)Now the manchurian balls are cooked completely. 15)Strain them to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Sauteing Aromatics for Making Sauce

16)Heat oil in a saute pan. Add in finely chopped garlic, ginger, spring onions whites, chopped green chillies. 17)Saute the aromatics in the oil for 1 to 2 minute till golden brown.

Making Manchurian Sauce

18)Add in tomato ketchup. 19)Add in some soy sauce. 20)Add in a dash of vinegar. You can add some lemon juice as well. 21)Season the manchurian with some salt. The sauces which we used tends to have salt in them, so be cautious when adding salt. 22)Add in red chilli flakes. This totally depends on your taste. 23)Now to balance the taste, add a pinch of sugar. 24)Mix well. Let the sauce bubble up and thicken. Since we are making veg manchurian dry, I didn’t add water and cornstarch slurry. Check tips section below on how to change this into veg manchurian gravy.

Making Veg Manchurian Dry

25)Add in the fried manchurian balls. 26)Toss the manchurian in the sauce. So the manchurian balls is coated with the sauce. 27)Add in spring onion greens. 28)Toss the manchurian really well. 29)Serve manchurian hot.

How to Make Veg Manchurian Gravy

For turning this veg manchurian dry into a gravy version. All you need is to make some changes. if you want to make veg manchurian gravy. Add 1 cup of water into the sauce and bring it to a full boil. Now mix 2 tsp of cornstarch with 3 tbsp of cold water. Add this slurry into the sauce and cook till it thickens. Now add in the veg manchurian and toss well. Serve.

Air Fryer Veg Manchurian Balls

For healthy alternative, you can opt for shallow frying, air frying or baking the manchurian balls instead of deep frying. Here is how you go for it. Shallow frying - I would recommend you to use paniyaram pan | appe pan for shallow frying the balls, since it is shaped into round balls. Add 1 tsp of oil in the paniyaram holes and drop the balls inside it. Keep cooking on low heat while you keep turning it. Once it gets golden, remove it and use accordingly. Baking - for baking, preheat oven to 200 degree C . Coat the manchurian balls with 1 tbsp of oil and arrange it in a parchment lined baking tray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes till golden. Make sure you flip the balls in between for even baking. Air frying - once the balls are shaped, coat them with some oil. Add it to the air fryer basket. Air Fry at 180°C for 12 to 15 minutes. Shake the air fryer basket in between for even baking. Once it gets golden, remove it and use accordingly.

Expert Tips

Make sure you chop vegetables very fine. So it incorporates evenly into the balls. Shape veg manchurian balls small size. So when you fry them, it cooks evenly. Always taste and adjust the seasoning of the sauce. Fry the manchurian balls on medium heat till golden and crispy. Instead of deep frying, you can shallow fry or air fry the balls. Make sure you add the fried manchurian balls in the manchurian sauce right before serving so it doesn’t go soggy.

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