Here’s a popular Vegetable or Chicken Manchurian recipe—an Indo-Chinese dish that’s savory, tangy, and slightly spicy. It’s perfect with fried rice, noodles, or as a snack.
Ingredients
For the Manchurian Balls (Vegetable or Chicken)
- 1 cup finely chopped vegetables (cabbage, carrot, capsicum) or 250 g minced chicken
- 2–3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1–2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1–2 green chilies, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for deep frying or shallow frying
For the Sauce
- 2–3 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1–2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1–2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp chili sauce (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp vinegar (optional)
- 1 cup water or vegetable/chicken broth
- 1–2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water (for thickening)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Spring onions for garnish
Instructions
1. Prepare the balls
- Mix chopped vegetables or minced chicken with flour, cornstarch, ginger-garlic paste, chilies, salt, and pepper.
- Form into small balls.
- Deep fry or shallow fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
2. Make the sauce
- Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic for 2–3 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, ketchup, chili sauce, and vinegar. Stir for 1 minute.
- Add water or broth, bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.
3. Combine
- Add the fried balls to the sauce and toss gently until coated.
- Garnish with chopped spring onions.
- Serve hot with fried rice, noodles, or steamed rice.
Tips
- For extra crispiness, fry the balls twice: first at medium heat, then again at high heat before adding to the sauce.
- Adjust spice level with more or less chili sauce.
- You can make it gluten-free by using rice flour instead of all-purpose flour.
If you want, I can give a super-easy 30-minute Manchurian recipe that skips deep frying and still tastes restaurant-style.
Do you want me to do that?
