Since a wider population of Indians are vegetarians eventually many vegetarian versions were born. Gobi manchurian, veg manchurian, Paneer manchurian and mushroom manchuria are some popular versions of this dish.

About Veg Manchurian

Veg manchurian is an Indian-Chinese appetizer where crisp fried vegetable balls are dunked in slightly sweet, sour and hot manchurian sauce. These balls are super delicious & crisp, the sauce is even more addictive and tasty. Manchurian can be made to a dry, semi-dry or gravy dish. The dry & the semi-dry manchurian is mostly relished as an appetizer while the manchurian gravy is served as a side with fried rice or hakka noodles. Vegetable manchurian makes for a great dish for parties, family dinners or weekend dinners.

This recipe

In this post I share a easy recipe to make perfectly delicious veg manchurian where the balls turn out to be crisp and light, with a super flavorful and finger-licking good manchurian sauce. I also share tips and tricks to make a perfectly smoky sauce where you will taste & smell the real Chinese flavors. With this recipe you can make dry, semi-dry or gravy versions. If making the gravy version, I suggest using bread crumbs to keep the balls crisp for longer. You won’t taste the bread in the balls but the bread crumbs will soak up the excess moisture from the veggies and keep them crisp longer. More details in the step by step instructions below. If you are making this for a party, then add the balls to the manchurian gravy just before serving. This way they remain crisp for longer. I have adapted this veg manchurian recipe from this chicken manchurian recipe on the blog.

How to Make Veg Manchurian (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

  1. It is good not to use vegetables from refrigerator as they let out lot of moisture and the veg balls will not turn crispy. I usually keep the veggies out of refrigerator the previous day.
  2. Cut cabbage to large cubes and add them to luke warm water. Allow to rest for 3 to 4 mins. Drain completely and allow to air dry until used. Chop finely. I prefer to air dry on a cotton cloth after chopping. Prepare veggies for balls1¼ cups cabbage fine chopped¼ cup spring onions fine chopped¼ cup beans (optional) fine chopped½ cup grated carrot (1 medium)2 tablespoons grated or minced bell peppersGrate 2 garlic cloves and half inch ginger (1 teaspoon paste). 3.Prepare veggies for the saucefine chop ½ tablespoon ginger & ¾ tablespoon garlic¼ cup spring onions fine chopped ¼ cup bell peppers chopped

Making veg balls

  1. Before you begin to make the balls, begin to heat the oil in a kadai / deep pan. If you do not intend to use bread crumbs in the recipe, this step is very crucial. The balls that are made without using bread crumbs have to straight away go for frying else they will let out moisture and the balls will not turn crispy or may even break.
  2. Add chopped cabbage, carrot, beans,capsicum and spring onions to a mixing bowl. Next add very little salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and ginger garlic paste. Do not add more salt as it will let out more moisture from the veggies.
  3. Then add 3 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour) and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (maida).
  4. Mix gently to bind the ingredients.
  5. Make the balls without squeezing the mixture a lot. These balls will be soft and you may also need to grease your palms if the mixture is sticky. But if the balls do not hold shape, then it is not good to go ahead and fry as they may break in the oil. Some variety of veggies especially tender ones, frozen or from cold storage let out lot of moisture and will break the balls while frying.

Manchurian Balls with Bread Crumbs

  1. You can also add ¼ to ½ cup bread crumbs for extra crisp texture. If you intend to make this for a party, then do use them. This will help the balls to remain crisp for at least 2 hours. You can make these ahead and dunk in the sauce just before serving. Veg manchurian balls made without bread crumbs are good to serve immediately after making as they do not remain crisp for longer. Any amount of cornstarch or maida / plain flour will not do the job of bread crumbs.
  2. These balls will be firmer and less sticky. For this recipe you will get about 12 to 14 balls depending on the size.

Frying Balls

  1. Heat oil in a kadai. Gently slide a small portion of dough to the oil to check if it is hot enough. The dough has to rise steadily without browning. This is the right temperature. Fry veg balls immediately on a medium flame. Leave them untouched until they firm up in the oil, if you have not used bread crumbs. Later stir often to fry them evenly.
  2. Drain them to a kitchen tissue when they turn golden and crisp. These balls take long time to fry, so it is good to discard the oil used for frying.
  3. I prefer my Indo chinese dishes to be brighter in color rather than brownish so I use red chili powder or paste. This is optional. You can make a fine paste of ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder with very little water. Set this aside.
  4. Dissolve corn starchFor veg Manchurian gravy: Dissolve ¾ tablespoon of cornstarch with ¼ cup of water. Manchurian dry: Dissolve 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoon of water. Set this aside.

Make Manchurian Sauce

  1. Heat up a wok with 1½ tablespoons of fresh oil. Saute chopped ¾ tablespoon garlic and ½ tablespoon ginger for a min. For the great smoky Chinese flavors use a carbon steel wok & cook from here on a highest flame until you add the sauces at a later step.
  2. Add ¼ cup spring onions and ¼ cup finely chopped capsicum. Saute for 1 to 2 mins on the highest flame possible without burning. This imparts a unique aroma to the sauce.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon soya sauce or tamari. You can add more or less to suit your taste.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons red chili sauce (or any hot sauce) and 1 tablespoon tomato sauce/ ketchup (optional). Adjust to suit your taste.
  5. This step is optional. Stir the red chili paste and pour it. Use a milder variety chili powder like kashmiri.
  6. Make sure the flame is low. Stir the cornstarch mixture and pour it to the pan.
  7. Next stir immediately.
  8. Pour 1 cup water for gravy version and half cup water for dry version and stir well. I am making a gravy here.
  9. Taste this and then add vinegar, sugar, pepper & salt, everything to suit your taste. The manchurian sauce has to be slightly sour, sweet and very very mildly hot.
  10. Keep stirring and cook on a medium flame until the sauce thickens. Sauce will thicken upon cooling. So the right consistency is when it is slightly thick. Taste test and add more soya sauce or chilli sauce or tomato ketchup to suit your taste.
  11. Do not add the balls to very hot sauce. Allow it to cool down a bit for about 5 to 7 mins. Add the balls to the manchurian sauce just before you serve. If the sauce turns very thick, you can add little hot water and stir. Garnish veg manchurian with spring onions. Veg manchurian can be served as a appetizer or as a side withFried riceVeg noodlesHakka noodles

Pro Tips

For authentic Chinese smoky flavors use a carbon steel wok and stir fry on a highest flame until you add the sauces, then turn down the flame and cook further. Do not add a lot of flour or starch to the mixed veggies as they make the manchurian balls hard. Instead you can add bread crumbs.Adding too much of bread crumbs will alter the taste of the balls. You should not have the dominating taste of bread in the balls. So add more only if needed.The manchurian balls can be fried in the paniyaram pan, just skip the flour and beans. Use only the bread crumbs. Fry them on a medium flame turning them all around for even cooking.If frying the balls in the paniyaram pan then, ensure you do not make the balls too big. I cook these in a cast iron paniyaram pan so they cook well inside but I am not sure if they turn out good in a non stick.

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