Vegetable Manchurian

Last Updated on December 14, 2020 by Chef Mireille

Blogging Marathon #24
Theme: Cooking from a Restaurant Menu

I have now completed a full year participating in Srivalli’s Blogging Marathon and it has been a culinary adventure – challenging and educational as I experiment within themes to develop more culinary skills.  This month, Srivalli really outdid herself with coming up with some very interesting themes.

The first theme I am undertaking is cooking from a restaurant menu.  However, it was limited to a few restaurants in India.  After perusing the menus of all, I decided to go with Akbar’s Indian Restaurant because they have a Chinese section and I am a big fan of Indo-Chinese food.

For the first recipe, I have selected to do my version of Vegetable Manchurian.  Since I already have made Chicken Manchurian, I already knew the procedure so it was just about adapting the recipe for vegetables.  Although broccoli is probably not as commonly used in India, I still included it in the vegetable medley because it was in my refrigerator and needed to be used up.

Manchurian I learned does not photograph well into aesthetically appealing photos, however, don’t let that dissuade you from trying this delicious entree.

(click here for printable recipe)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups broccoli florets, broken into large pieces
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into large pieces
2 cups potatoes, cut into large pieces
2 tablespoons ginger paste
2 teaspoons garlic paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Oil, for deep frying
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large chiles, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon green chile sauce

Toss the broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes with the ginger paste, garlic paste, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, cornstarch, flour and salt.
Heat oil to 350 F for deep frying.
First fry the broccoli and cauliflower for 3-4 minutes.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Now fry the potatoes for 6 minutes.  This helps the vegetables keep their form when put into the sauce.

Remove and drain.
Whisk the tablespoon of cornstarch with the water and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil.  Add onion, garlic and chiles.  Saute until onions are softened.  Add the soy sauce, sugar, pepper, chile sauce and cornstarch solution.  Cook for 1-2 minutes until vegetables are well coated.

Serve with rice.
Now, the first place I have to visit when I make it to India is Akbar’s to see how their version compares to mine!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#24

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Chef Mireille 
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