veg balls in hot garlic sauce

this indo chinese recipe of veg balls in hot garlic sauce has been in the drafts for quite some time now. i had made the recipe next day after i had made veg manchurian.

there were too much of chopped veggies left after making the veg manchurian. since we like indo chinese food,  i settled to make the veg balls in hot garlic sauce.

this is one mouth watering recipe which can be served as a main course dish or even as a starter. the hot garlic sauce is sweet, sour, spicy, hot and umami too….

along with other ingredients added, schezuan sauce made from red chili paste, garlic, schezuan pepper & black pepper is also added to the garlic sauce.

i made the red chili paste by scratch by soaking the dry chilies overnight and then grinding it to a smooth paste. you can use ready made red chili paste too.

schezuan pepper has a strong aroma and a somewhat tingling taste that can numb your tongue. they are not pungent at all. read more about schezuan or sichuan pepper on wiki here.

also the variety of sichuan pepper i get here are known as teppal or tirphal. in the konkan & goan cuisine food tirphal is used to flavor fish or prawn curries. they are also added to some veggie dishes here. below is the pic of a variety of schezuan pepper i get here.

now if you don’t have or cannot get schezuan pepper, it is alright.

you can still make the schezuan sauce with the other ingredients which are easily available. also you can use the ready made schezuan sauce.

but trust me, it is always better to make your own pastes and sauces as they are so rich in the flavors & tastes that no outside sauces can beat the homemade ones. plus no additives or preservatives are there in the homemade sauces. you can control what you add to the sauce.

just spare some time making the hot garlic sauce and the veg balls. combine both and there you have a delicious and spicy dish that can even be served with plain rice or noodles.

p.s – to make good veg balls for any indo-chinese recipe, step by step method on this post here of veg manchurian. the recipe for the sauces has been lightly adapted from tarla dalal’s easy chinese cooking.

if you are looking for more indo chinese recipes then do check mushroom manchurian and gobi manchurian recipe.

veg balls in hot garlic sauce recipe details below:

veg balls in hot garlic sauce

 

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Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

veg balls in spicy and hot garlic sauce.

Author: dassana

Recipe type: main dish

Cuisine: indo chinese

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

for the schezuan sauce:

• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 3 tbsp red chili paste (details on how to make in notes below)
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• ½ tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion or spring onions/scallions
• 3-4 schezuan pepper, crushed
• 1 tbsp chopped celery
• ½ tsp black pepper powder or freshly crushed black pepper
• sugar & salt as required

for the veg balls: makes approx 9-10 balls

• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup finely chopped cabbage
• ½ cup finely chopped bell pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped spring onion/scallion greens
• ½ tsp freshly crushed black pepper or black pepper powder or white pepper powder
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour/maida
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• salt to taste

for the hot garlic sauce

• 4-5 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• ½ inch finely chopped ginger
• 1 green chili, finely chopped
• ½ cup chopped spring onions/scallions (reserve some greens for garnish)
• 1 tbsp corn flour dissolved in 2 tbsp water
• 1.5 cups water.
• 1 tsp soya sauce
• 3 tbsp of the homemade schezuan sauce
• ground pepper & salt as required

Instructions

preparing the schezuan sauce:

1. heat oil in a pan.
2. add the chopped garlic. fry for a minute.
3. add the chopped onion and fry till they become transparent.
4. now add the red chili paste, tomato sauce, soy sauce, celery and crushed schezuan pepper.
5. fry for 1 or 2 minutes.
6. season with salt, sugar and pepper.
7. the sauce is ready.

preparing the veg balls:

1. mix all the ingredients listed under veg balls.
2. keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
3. shape into small round balls and shallow fry or deep fry till golden browned on a moderately hot oil.
4. drain on kitchen tissues and keep aside.

preparing the hot garlic sauce:

1. you can use the same oil used for frying the veg balls… about 2 tbsp of oil.
2. add the chopped spring onion and fry till they become tranparent.
3. now add the ginger, garlic and green chilies.
4. fry them for a minute.
5. add soya sauce, the schezuan sauce we made, salt and pepper.
6. fry again for a minute and mix the sauces well.
7. add vegetable stock or water and stir.
8. when the mixture comes to a boil, add cornflour paste slowly and stir.
9. make sure lumps are not formed.
10. let the gravy thicken and then add the fried veg balls.
11. serve hot garnished with spring onion greens.

Notes

to make the red chili paste: soak 8-9 red chilies in warm water or overnight. remove the seeds from the chilies and then grind with some water to a smooth paste. this will give you around one small bowl of red chili paste. use only 3 tbsp from it for the above recipe. the remaining you can store in the fridge and use in one or two days. the spices and sauces in the above recipe can be adjusted to your taste preferences.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4-5

3.2.1652