Manchurian is a yummy Indo-Chinese dish that is loved by everyone across the country. With its slight tang and spicy taste, it has become a popular choice at restaurants. Inspired by Chinese cuisine, Manchurian is a versatile dish that can be made with different ingredients such as chicken, vegetables, paneer, and seafood. It is mostly served with rice or noodles and can be enjoyed as an appetiser, side dish, or even main course.

Made with finely chopped veggies, corn flour, all-purpose flour, and spices, this flavourful delight is enjoyed in two forms: dry and gravy. To make gravy vegetable manchurian, finely chopped veggies like cabbage, carrots, beans, cauliflower, etc. are combined with corn flour and all-purpose flour. This is shaped into small balls, which are deep-fried in oil to form fritters.

These fritters are later sautéed in a thick gravy made with garlic, ginger, corn flour slurry, soy sauce, and other spices. For the dry version, the fritters are simply tossed in sauces and spices without the corn flour slurry. Either way, deep-frying the Manchurian balls makes the dish soak up a lot of oil, making it inappropriate for a healthy diet.

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Therefore, to make your manchurian with fewer calories, deep fry them in an air fryer instead of oil. An air fryer cooks food by circulating hot air around it. The crispy coating may not be as thick or crunchy as in the oil-fried version, but the texture of the air-fried manchurian is comparatively lighter and less greasy. So, here is an easy recipe to make vegetable Manchurian in an air fryer:

Vegetable Manchurian Gravy

Ingredients 

For the vegetable balls

  • 2 1/2 cups of finely grated cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup carrot, finely grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • 3–4 tbsp corn flour

For the gravy

  • 1 tablespoon of oil
  • A few drops of sesame oil
  • 1 inch of ginger, finely chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 green chillies
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon of pepper powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 2 cups of water

For corn flour slurry

  • 2 teaspoons of corn flour
  • ¼ cup water

Method 

  • Grate all of the veggies with a grater or food processor.
  • Place them in the bowl and add salt, black pepper powder, and corn flour. Mix with your hands and form small balls.
  • Arrange the vegetable balls in a single layer in the air fryer. Air fry them at 375 F for 12 minutes.

To make the gravy

  • Heat oil in a pan and sauté ginger, garlic, green chilli, and cilantro.
  • Add in the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Then pour in the water and let it come to a boil.
  • Add the cornstarch slurry and stir the sauce. Cook the sauce until it comes to a boil and becomes glossy, 2-4 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and add the vegetable manchurian balls. Season with green onions and sesame seeds before serving.