I have been trying to stick to a vegetarian diet since the last three months! If you were a close friend of mine, you would probably be rooted to the spot, dropped your jaw and looked at me with utter disbelief. Well, I said I was only “trying”. After a heavy dose of chicken recipes last April for the AtoZChallenge, I wanted to take it slow, rather my body wanted a detox. So my intake of non-vegetarian food has completely gone down and it has now become one meal in ten days or so- be it a biriyani or a hmble chicken curry.
It was then that I tried all sorts of permutations and combinations with the vegetables available in this part of the country. So, when I started my craving for some Asian food, I went with Chinese. Who can resist garlic, veggies and sauces!
The trick in making this dish is to perfect the Manchurian balls. The chances of breaking the balls while frying is high.
So, I would suggest you to follow the recipe to the T. I would also suggest you to keep the ingredients ready and then go about with the cooking. This includes the vegetables to be grated and the sauces set on your cooking space.
I also haven’t added MSG/Ajinomotto to the dish.
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Vegetable Manchurian
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Description
Vegetable Manchurian Gravy- Deep fried mixed vegetable balls cooked in a gravy with oriental sauces
Ingredients
For the Manchurian Balls:
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup grated cabbage
- 1/2 cup grated cauliflower
- 1/2 cup finely chopped french beans
- ½ cup finely chopped bell pepper
- 2 finely chopped green chillies
- ¼ cup finely chopped spring onions greens and whites
- ½ tsp freshly crushed black pepper
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- ½ tbsp finely chopped garlic
- ½ tbsp finely chopped ginger
- salt to taste
- Oil to deep fry
For the Sauce:
- 1 tbsp on oil
- 2 tbsp onion or spring onion whites chopped
- 1 tbsp celery (optional)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 2 finely chopped green chilies
- 1 tbsp corn flour dissolved in 2 tbsp water
- 1½ tsp soya sauce
- 1 tsp vinegar
- ½ tsp red chilli paste
- 1 or 1½ cup water or vegetable stock
- ½ tsp freshly crushed black pepper or black pepper powder or white pepper powder
- salt to taste
- sugar to taste
- some chopped spring onion/scallion greens for garnishing
Instructions
Preparing the Manchurian Balls:
- Mix together the ingredients listed under Manchurian balls.
- Do not add water. While mixing, slightly press the vegetables so that it release little moisture that would help in binding them together, as if in a dough.
- If the dough is not formed, add one more tablespoon of all purpose flour.
- Make equal sixed manchurian balls. keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
- Deep fry till golden browned.
- Drain and keep aside.
Preparing the Manchurian Sauce:
- Heat oil in a pan and add ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute for minute.
- Add soya sauce, vinegar, salt, red chilli paste and mix well.
- Add the spring onion whites (or onion) and mix on a high flame for about half a minute.
- Add water or Vegetable stock. Let it come to a boil and simmer for another couple of minutes.
- Add the cornflour mixture to the sauce and mix well. This helps in thickening. You can add more water to get your desired consistency. Let it boil.
- Add the fried Manchurrian balls and stir and simmer for a minute.
- Serve hot the Vegetable Manchurian garnished with spring onion greens.
Notes
Add the fried manchurian balls to the sauces just before serving. Else, the balls will soak and wouldn’t be crunchy.
You can also add a dollup of tomato sauce if you like it tangy.
Add a teaspoon of red chilli powder to little water to make the red chilli paste. It is an option if you do not have red chilli sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Makes 10-12 balls and serves 3 people
Serve hot with Vegetable Fried Rice…………
………………… and see your loved ones smile.
[tweetthis]VegManchurian-Fried veg balls cooked in a gravy with oriental sauces[/tweetthis]
I am going to try out the manchurians like the way you have suggested in the recipe! Seems delicious!
I am going to follow this recipe. Loved it. Thanks for sharing.
Your recipe looks easy and pictures made me hungry already. I will try soon…
Another blog, that too on cooking, awesome Shalz. Haha are you trying to cut out on nonvegetarian, then I can give you a simple 90 minute solution, watch Forks Over Knives, its a heatlh documentary that tackles the confusion of which food works best for our body. It straightforward and revolutionary, really clears up things about what diet is good for us :). So give it a try!
And boy, manchurian is one of my most favorite dishes. And being a Chinese food lover, I am going to give this a try. By that I mean get my mom to cook it for me 😀
Thanks
Shalini can you please move to Bangalore so.that we can taste these yummy food too.
Awesome pictures. Will try out soon. Previously I had promised to but couldn’t do it.
You know making munchurian is one pain in the ***! But reading your recipe I sure want to give it a go and this is going to happen after a really long time! 😛
I’m done with my dinner at this hour and yet seeing these yummy pictures on your blog I’m craving for almost all of them!!
Cheers
Your recipes always look delicious. And this is one I can try too, being a vegetarian.
Looks absolutely perfect and here I am thinking – omg! That’s cooked at home? Wow!
The recipe is doable but I prefer stopping by at your place 😉
Oh yum! I want to grab it and eat it right off the screen. Thanks for the detailed recipe. Bookmarking it.
Yup Yum YUm Shalini!!!!! I am a vegetarian and finally I got my favourite one on your blog1!!
Tempting to try it at home now..
Yum scrum pigs bum . This is a hot favourite at home though I skip the vinegar. I use some tomato purée instead.
Looks so yum… I will try soon 😀