Cabbage is a such an easy veggie to use. Quite versatile too. Some kids may not like its texture but they certainly can't complain when it is served as a veg Manchurian. You can use it in many ways. Make a cabbage paratha, veg fried rice ,vegetable Frankie , veg wonton soup. You can add it to your noodles, kofte ,pav bhaji or mixed veg curry or simple cabbage sabji with potatoes.
I usually steam veggies before using to avoid any dirt when not cooking desi Chinese. My mum makes it really great. She has served it in so many parties. Moms are super cool. They keep learning just to ensure kids eat healthy recipes. We loved eating Indo Chinese food as a kid. So she just learned dry versions and with sauce, made it at home. However, when we eat out, it is not possible to control the ingredients. MSG(or Ajinomoto) is generally added in Asian recipes to give a good flavor. However, some people are allergic to it. Others may want to avoid it due to dietary restrictions. Another issue, deep fried and low quality oil in markets. It adds volume to any curry and crunch when eaten as a salad.
What is Veg Manchurian?
It is a fabulous fusion of Indo Chinese cuisine. This is a easy manchurian recipe Indian style. Perfect starter for any party. Gravy manchurian goes well with fried rice as well as hakka noodles. It is Indian street food at its best. Spicy and tangy veg manchurian gravy recipe is a favorite with all age-groups. Add anything to that sauce it tastes delicious. Be it gobi, baby corn, chili paneer, chicken and cabbage manchurian.
Most people love to order veg manchurian but making it at home is simple too. Serve dry manchurian just as a starter when you are avoiding carbs. Serve manchurian with gravy if there are many mouths to feed with noodles or rice.
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How to make manchurian in air fryer? (video recipe)
Equipment
Fried veg manchurian balls can be made healthier by using an air fryer. Air fryer ensures you use minimal oil. Use an oven to make the veg balls or alternatively steam the balls and shallow fry. I feel air fryer comes the closest to fried version. Make the spicy gravy in a wok and add the vegetable balls to it.
Ingredients
For veg balls
- shredded cabbage ,or finely chopped in food processer
- Ginger garlic paste or finely chopped, green chilies
- Black pepper powder and salt
- Plain flour/maida
- Corn flour/tapioca starch/arrow root powder
For the gravy
- Soya sauce
- Tomato ketchup
- Hot & sweet chilly sauce
- Tapioca starch/corn flour
- Water
vegetable mix
- Onion
- Capsicums/ green bell pepper
- Green onions/Spring onions
- Oil
- Salt and pepper
Related recipes
Vegan Pad Thai and Vegan tom yum fried rice are great wholesome recipes. You can serve Manchurian recipes either with fried rice or Veg Hakka Noodles. Make vegan lo mein where thicker noodles are used.Have the above cabbage Manchurian dry recipe along with Tofu Noodle soup if you want a light dinner in winter. You may also pair it with Vietnamese salad in summer.
Step-by-step written instructions
how to make manchurian balls?
- In a bowl, mix finely chopped garlic, ginger and chilly to grated cabbage. Add salt and pepper.
- Add corn flour and plain flour and mix well. Keep it aside for 5 mins. It will release water which will help you bind the balls.
- Make round balls of equal size and place it in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 10-11 mins at 190 deg C|375F in an air-fryer or bake for 13 mins in a fan-forced oven at 190 deg C|375F
- Brush with oil and cook for 13-14 mins in an air-fryer or bake for 16-18 mins in a fan-forced oven.
how to make veg Manchurian gravy ?
- Heat oil in a wok or a deep pan. Add finely chopped onions, finely chopped capsicums and spring onions to it along with salt and pepper.
- Add your sauces -soya, tomato and chilly. Mix well.
- Add corn flour/tapioca and water, mix well. Let it cook until you get a good color. If you like a more darker gravy, you can add more soy sauce.
Add these cabbage Manchurian balls to the gravy. Cook for 5 -10 mins.
Veg Manchurian recipe | cabbage Manchurian recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer
- wok
- Food processor for chopping
Ingredients
For manchurian
- ½ cup maida/plain flour/all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon corn flour/tapioca flour
- 3 cup cabbage finely chopped / grated
- 1 tbsp. ginger chopped
- 1 tbsp. garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon Chilly chopped
- Black pepper as per taste grounded
- Salt as per taste
For gravy manchurian recipe
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ cup onions chopped
- ¼ cup green capsicum chopped
- ¼ cup spring onions chopped
- Salt and black pepper as per taste
- 1 tbsp. tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. hot -sweet chilli sauce
- 2 teaspoon corn flour/tapioca starch
- 1.5 cup water
Instructions
For air fryer veg manchurian balls
- In a bowl, mix ginger, garlic and chilly to grated cabbage. Add salt and pepper.
- Add corn flour and plain flour and mix well.
- Keep it aside for 5 mins. It will release water which will help you bind the balls.
- Make round balls of equal size and place it in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 10-11 mins at190 deg C|375F in an air-fryer or 13 mins in a fan-forced oven at 190 deg C|375F
- Brush with oil and cook for 13-14 mins in an air-fryer 190 deg C|375F or 16-18 mins in a fan-forced oven @ 190 deg C|375F
- Keep it aside and add to gravy once ready.
For the cabbage Manchurian gravy recipe:
- Heat oil in a wok.
- Add onions, capsicums and spring onion greens to it along with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 mins.
- Now, add your sauces -soya, tomato and chilli. Mix well. Use red chilli sauce as per your preference to make it as spicy as you like.
- Add corn flour/tapioca and water and mix well. Let it cook until you get a good deep brown color.
- Now, add manchurian balls to the sauce. Cook until you get the consistency as per your choice.
- Garnish with some sesame seeds. Serve with hakka noodles or fried rice.
Video
Notes
Variations and Substitutions
- Increase the heat in your gravy for manchurian by adding more red chili sauce according to your taste. Make Jain manchurian recipe after customizing your recipe as per Jain cuisine.
- You can also make air fryer gobi Manchurian ,paneer Manchurian and soy Manchurian in a similar fashion by air frying the core ingredient and serving it with your manchurian sauce. Chinese manchurian gravy tastes great with even fried veggies, baby corn.
Storage
Make the air fryer Manchurian balls and store in an air-tight jar in refrigerator 1-2 days earlier. Make a fresh sauce mix and serve as soon as guests arrive. You can also freeze vegetarian manchurian balls. Just be careful while frying as it will have water content when you use them. This manchurian recipe with gravy freezes quite well if you want to use it later.
Top tip: Always preheat your air fryer.
FAQ
Adding too little starch to balls can make this happen.
Recipe of veg Manchurian was developed by Nelson wang in 1975, at CCI, Mumbai. manchurian with gravy recipe was made when a regular customer requested him to make something different.
Hakka noodles or fried rice are a generally served with it. Generally, gravy & balls are served on a bed of noodles or rice in a bowl and eaten hot. You can also pair this combo with veg manchow soup. Fried rice Manchurian are best made in a good wok. For that matter, any Indo Chinese dish tastes great in a wok.
Hint: If you love your stir fry, invest in a good wok. It may take space in your cabinet but all the compliments make it worth it.
Pooja Mohanty says
Looks yumm and low cal too