Name: Veg Manchurian (Dry)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1½ cup Cabbage, very finely grated/minced; ½ cup Carrot, finely grated; 2 tbsp Spring Onion Whites, finely chopped; 3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour, maida; 2 tbsp Corn Flour, for binding; 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper; ½ tsp Salt; as needed Cooking Oil, for deep frying; 1 tbsp Garlic, finely minced (for sauce); 2 Green Chili Pepper, finely chopped; 1 tbsp Soy Sauce, dark; 1 tbsp Red Chilli Sauce; 1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup; 1 tsp Vinegar; 2 tbsp Spring Onion Greens, for garnish

40 mintotal

Prep 20 min · Cook 20 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

Put the finely grated cabbage and carrot in a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt, mix well and leave for 5 minutes to draw out the water. Then squeeze the mixture hard, by hand or in a cloth, until no more water comes out.
5 min
To the desicated vegetable base, add the spring onion whites, ginger-garlic paste, black pepper, all-purpose flour (maida), and cornflour. Bring the ingredients together into a tight, workable dough without introducing any additional liquid.
Oil your hands lightly and roll the seasoned vegetable mixture into tight, even balls so they hold together when fried.
Heat the oil for deep-frying in a heavy kadhai over medium heat. Lower the vegetable balls in gently and fry them until crisp and deep golden brown. Lift them out and drain on kitchen paper.
To construct the glaze: Heat a small quantity of oil in a wide, heavy-gauge wok over high heat. Instantly add the minced garlic and green chillies, executing a rapid stir-fry for a few seconds to release their aromatics.
Lower the heat a little. Add the dark soy sauce, red chilli sauce, ketchup and vinegar and stir hard until the sauce comes together.
Add the fried manchurian balls to the wok. Turn the heat up high and toss them quickly so the thick sauce coats them all over.
Garnish with a generous flourish of freshly chopped spring onion greens.
Serve the dish immediately to preserve the critical contrast between the hot, crispy exterior and the yielding interior.

How to tell it's done

At its best it has a crunchy outer shell around a tender, vegetable-rich centre, all held together by a sticky, sharp, tangy glaze.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: Eradicating moisture from the cabbage is the cornerstone of this recipe. Wet vegetables demand excessive flour, which degrades the texture from a crisp, light bite to a heavy, doughy disappointment.

What to serve it with

This is the quintessential Indo-Chinese appetizer. Serve it sizzling hot on a platter with toothpicks, ideally preceding or accompanying classic Veg Hakka Noodles.

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Ingredients