Veg Manchurian

(For Chicken Manchurian, see Helpful Hints section at the bottom)
Cooking time: 20 min | Difficulty level: Easy
 

Ingredients:

2 cup shredded cabbage

2 cup grated carrots

1 large bell pepper (capsicum), chopped

1 cup green onions (spring onions), chopped

2 tbsp corn flour

1 large egg (for binding, optional)

1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce

3-5 garlic cloves, crushed

3-4 green chillies, chopped 

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tsp vinegar (optional)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup water

salt to taste

oil for deep frying and sautéeing

Cilantro (coriander) for garnishing
(For Chicken Manchurian, substitute cabbage and carrots with 200 gm boneless chicken pieces)

Method:

1. Mix the carrots and cabbage. Leave a fistful of this mixture aside and make balls out of the remaining mixture, about 1 inch diameter, squeezing out as much water as possible.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the corn flour and egg (optional). Add a pinch of salt and red chilli powder to the mixture. Add some water, spoon by spoon, mixing constantly to achieve the desired consistency of a batter.
3. Dip the balls in this mixture, covering them completely and deep fry in a wok or kadhai. Fry until light brown and then remove them on a tissue paper to drain off excess oil.
4. In a vessel, heat 2 tbsp oil. Sauté the garlic, green chillies, green onions, bell peppers and the shredded carrots and cabbage that we kept aside, for 2 minutes.
5. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and tomato ketchup and water. Mix 2 tsp corn flour in 1 tbsp water and add that to the sauce to thicken it. Keep stirring to avoid any lumps.
6. Add the black pepper and salt to taste.
7. When the sauce begins to boil, add the veg balls and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with rice or noodles

 Helpful Tips:

• Wait till the end to add the salt as the soy sauce may make the sauce salty
• For chicken manchurian, in step 1, substitute the cabbage and carrots with boneless chicken pieces, ideally marinated with garlic paste
• Although it is wasteful to throw away so much oil used for deep-frying, avoid reusing it as this oil has carcinogenic free radicals and can be potentially harmful.
• For that restaurant taste, you can add a pinch of Ajinomoto (MSG) but it is advisable not to