When talking about Desi Chinese cuisine, the mention of Manchurian is a must-include. Even the most prominent dishes of this hybrid culinary affair like Chilli Potatoes are alien to the Chinese. On the same line, Manchurian tops the list as the Chinese are completely unversed of the concept of it. The dish doesn’t have a Chinese connection but just gets its name from a Chinese town called Manchuria. And we don’t think that’s enough to call it an authentic Chinese dish. The dish is just an amalgam of vegetable Pakora in a Chinese gravy with altered ingredients to adapt to the Indian taste preference.
Being a Desi Chinese lover myself, my usual order at a Chinese restaurant is a bowl of fried rice or Hakka noodles along with a plate of Manchurian. And trust me, this combination never disappoints. However, the lockdown was quite difficult for a foodie like me who loves to explore new food places. It led me to try out some of my favourite dishes at home and Veg Manchurian was one of them. But surprisingly, the easy-seeming dish took me 4 attempts to perfect. Here are some tips and tricks to save you from multiple failed attempts like mine.
1. Always wrap the grated vegetables in a muslin cloth and squeeze to drain all the water from them. The water content in them will make take more flour to bring them to the perfect shape.
2. Always brush some oil in your palm while making the vegetable balls to prevent them from sticking to your palm.
3. Ensure that your oil is medium hot. Too hot oil will brown the Manchurian balls from outside with a raw interior and less hot oil will make the balls absorb excess oil.
4. Don’t forget to add cornflour slurry to your Manchurian gravy to ensure a silky texture.
5. The specialty of restaurant-style Manchurian is the sweet and sour flavour of the gravy. Always use dark soy sauce and a teaspoon of sugar to your gravy to get the same flavour.
So, these are some tricks that I came to know much later and I hope these will help you nail the delicious dish in your first attempt. Don’t forget these tips while making Manchurian next time to savour a bowl of delicious Manchurian either with noodles or fried rice.