Try Indo-chinese street food: Veg Manchurian

Veg manchurian is essentially deep fried mixed vegetable balls cooked in a gravy made with oriental sauces – an Indo-Chinese street food staple in India.

Source: Public Domain

Recipe: Noni Sachdeva

Ingredients

For the vegetarian balls:

• ½ cup finely chopped carrot
• 1- cup finely chopped cabbage
• 1-cup finely chopped cauliflower
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• ½ cup finely chopped green capsicum
• ½ tsp pepper powder
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tbl corn flour
• 1 tsp finely chopped green chilli
• ¼ cup of finely chopped spring onion whites
• 1 tbl finely chopped ginger
• 1 tbl soy sauce
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup of boiled rice

For stir-fry

• ½ cup spring onion whites
• ½ cup spring onion greens
• 1 tbl fresh chopped garlic
• 1 tbl fresh chopped ginger
• 2 tbl soy sauce
• 1 tbl chilli sauce
• 2 tbl vinegar
• ½ tbl sugar
• 1 tbl tomato sauce
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbl sesame oil
• 1 tbl oil
• mixture of 1 tbl cornflour and 1 tbl water

Method

• Take microwave safe bowl. Add finely chopped carrot, finely chopped cabbage, finely chopped cauliflower, finely chopped celery, finely chopped green capsicum and water.
• Microwave it for 5-7 mins till the vegetables are about half cooked. Let it cool.
• Transfer these vegetables to a muslin cloth. Squeeze out all the water from these vegetables but collect the water (stock) into a bowl.
• Add these veggies into another bowl; add pepper powder, corn flour, green chilli, spring onion whites, ginger, soy sauce, salt, and lastly the boiled rice.
• Mix everything. We are after a doughy consistency.
• If needed add more rice to get the right consistency.
• Make small balls form this dough.
• Take a deep pan full of oil. Fry the balls till golden brown.
• Now, to make the stir-fry sauce.
• Take a bowl add soy sauce, chilli sauce, vinegar, tomato sauce, chilli powder and sesame oil mix and keep it ready to add to the stir-fry
• Take a wok/pan.
• Add oil, ginger, garlic, and spring onion whites.
• Cook for about 2 mins.
• Add the sauce and cook for about 1 min.
• Now add the stock (left over water from the boiled vegetables).
• Add the stock depending on the consistence of the gravy that you need.
• Add sugar. Let this come to a boil.
• Add salt to taste.
• Now slowly add the cornflour and water mixture. This will thicken the sauce.
• Add in the fried veg balls. Cook for about 1 min.
• Turn the heat off. Add the spring onion greens before serving.
• Serve with some veg fried rice.

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