Vegetable Manchurian ( Easy Chinese Recipe )
by Tarla Dalal

vegetable manchurian recipe | Chinese vegetable manchurian | Indo Chinese veg manchurian | with 29 amazing images.

vegetable manchurian recipe is an Indo Chinese veg manchurian dish that has become so famous that it is available everywhere these days, from roadside eateries and local restaurants to Indian wedding menus and specialty diners too!

The succulent vegetable manchurian features deep-fried vegetable balls in a thick gravy that is flavoured with typical Chinese ingredients like ginger, garlic and soy sauce. This desi interpretation of the Chinese dish has no MSG or Ajinomoto in vegetable Manchurian.

Chinese vegetable manchurian is quite easy to make but you just need to take care of one thing – the vegetable balls should be of the right consistency, if the mix is too loose it will break while frying.

Notes on vegetable Manchurian recipe. 1. When you start mixing a little bit more, the vegetables will start releasing water and the wet mixture will start coming together. It will look like this. Do not squeeze the mixture too much as it might become very loose. 2. Deep fry a few vegetable balls at a time, on a medium flame, until golden brown from all sides. It is very important to have the oil at the right temperature while deep frying. If the oil is too hot, the balls will burn from outside and remain undercooked and doughy from insde. We have fried the vegetable balls in batches of 5, each batch taking 4-5 minutes to cook. 3. Now add the cornflour-water mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, while stirring occasionally. As cornflour does not dissolve in water, always stir the mixture well before adding it to any sauce or gravy. The reason for adding this is for the gravy to get thicker as it cooks. If the gravy is too thin after 3 to 4 minutes, you can add more of the cornflour-water mixture. But if the gravy is too thick, you can add more water or stock to it to adjust the consistency

Serve the Chinese vegetable manchurian piping hot with Burnt Garlic Rice or Hakka Noodles.

For more options, do check out our section of Recipes for Chinese Vegetables.

Learn how to make vegetable manchurian recipe | Chinese vegetable manchurian | Indo Chinese veg manchurian | with detailed step by step photos and video below.

Vegetable Manchurian ( Easy Chinese Recipe )

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Vegetable Manchurian ( Easy Chinese Recipe ) recipe - How to make Vegetable Manchurian ( Easy Chinese Recipe )

For The Vegetable Manchurian Balls
3 cups finely chopped cabbage
1 1/4 cups grated carrot
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun)
2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
3 tbsp cornflour
8 tbsp plain flour (maida)
salt and to taste
oil for deep-frying

For The Gravy For Vegetable Manchurian
1 tbsp garlic (lehsun) , finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
2 tsp finely chopped ginger (adrak)
3 tbsp chopped spring onions whites
3 tbsp chopped capsicum
2 cups clear vegetable stock or water
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp of water
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

For Garnish
finely chopped spring onion greens

Method
For the vegetable manchurian balls

Combine the cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic, green chillies, salt, pepper, cornflour and plain flour in a bowl and mix well to combine.
Divide the mixture into 24 equal portions and shape each portion into a round ball.
Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan and deep-fry the balls, a few at a time, on a medium flame till they turn golden brown in colour from all the sides.
Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

For the vegetable manchurian gravy

Combine the cornflour and 4 tbsps of water in a deep bowl, mix well and keep aside.
Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan on a high flame.
Add the garlic, ginger and green chillies and sauté on a high flame for a few seconds.
Add the spring onion whites and capsicum and sauté on a high flame for 1 minute.
Add the soy sauce and red chilli sauce, mix well and sauté on a high flame for a few seconds.
Add 2 1/2 cups of water, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Add the cornflour-water mixture, mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the salt and pepper, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute, while stirring occasionally. Keep aside.

How to proceed to make vegetable manchurian

Just before serving, add the manchurian balls to the hot gravy, mix gently and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Serve the vegetable manchurian immediately garnished with spring onion greens.

Vegetable Manchurian Video by Tarla Dalal

Vegetable Manchurian ( Easy Chinese Recipe ) with step by step photos

For the Vegetable Manchurian Balls

For the Manchurian balls, we first have to prep the ingredients and keep so it is easier and faster to prepare. For that, finely chop the cabbage, onions, garlic and chillies and grate the carrots.
In a deep mixing bowl put the cabbage.
Then add grated carrot to it. Cabbage and carrot are the 2 most important ingredients for Veg Manchurian balls. You can even add french beans to this recipe if you like.
Now add the onions to this as well.
Add the finely chopped garlic. You can even grate the garlic if you wish but it make sure there are no big pieces as they might be pungent to bite on.

Also add the finely chopped green chillies to the bowl.
Add the salt and pepper to the vegetables. Salt releases the water from the vegetables which will enable the mixture to combine properly without adding any additional water.
Now add the binding agent – cornflour.
Add plain flour as well. Plain flour gives crispiness to the vegetable balls.
Start mixing the ingredients with your hands. It will first be a dry mixture.

When you start mixing a little bit more, the vegetables will start releasing water and the wet mixture will start coming together. It will look like this. Do not squeeze the mixture too much as it might become very loose.
Take small spoonfuls of the mixture in your hands and shape them into small balls. If the mixture is too sticky then you might have to apply a little oil on your hands before shaping them into balls. It is very important that the balls hold their shape. We have made 24 Vegetable Manchurian balls.
Heat oil in a deep non-stick pan, enough to cover a few balls at a time. Deep fry a few vegetable balls at a time, on a medium flame, until golden brown from all sides. It is very important to have the oil at the right temperature while deep frying. If the oil is too hot, the balls will burn from outside and remain undercooked and doughy from insde. We have fried the vegetable balls in batches of 5, each batch taking 4-5 minutes to cook.
Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

For the Manchurian Gravy

To make the Manchurian gravy for vegetable Manchurian | Chinese vegetable manchurian | Indo Chinese veg Manchurian | combine the cornflour with 4 tbsps water in a small bowl and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or a deep non-stick pan on a high flame and add the garlic. Almost all Chinese cooking is done on a high flame to get an intense flavor.
Then add the ginger.
Now finally add the finely chopped green chillies. These 3 ingredients form the base of chinese cooking flavors. Mix well and stir fry only for a few seconds as we do not want them to burn.
Now add the spring onion whites. We have not finely chopped these as we still want them to retain a bite.
With this, also add the capsicum. These are also not finely chopped.

Sauté these on a high flame for 1 minute only.
Now add the soy sauce and red chilli sauce and stir for a few seconds.
Now add 2 1/2 cups of water, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. For a more intense flavor, you can even use vegetable stock. We have added so much water because we are making manchurian with gravy. If you want to make it without gravy, then check out the recioe for Dry Manchurian.
Now add the cornflour-water mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, while stirring occasionally. As cornflour does not dissolve in water, always stir the mixture well before adding it to any sauce or gravy. The reason for adding this is for the gravy to get thicker as it cooks. If the gravy is too thin after 3 to 4 minutes, you can add more of the cornflour-water mixture. But if the gravy is too thick, you can add more water or stock to it to adjust the consistency
Add the salt and pepper at this point.

Simmer this sauce on a medium flame for 1 minutes till the gravy is thick and has a shine to it.

How to proceed for the Vegetable Manchurian

Just before serving, put the vegetable balls in the gravy and bring the gravy to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes till heated through.
Garnish the vegetable manchurian | Chinese vegetable manchurian | Indo Chinese veg manchurian | with spring onion greens.
Serve vegetable manchurian | Chinese vegetable manchurian | Indo Chinese veg manchurian | hot with burnt garlic fried rice.