½cupgrated or finely chopped cabbage(green or red cabbage)
½cupgrated carrot
¼cupfinely chopped capsicum(green bell pepper)
¼cupfinely chopped french beans
¼cupfinely chopped spring onions(scallions) or onions
2tablespooncorn starch(also called as corn flour in india)
2tablespoonall purpose flour(maida)
½teaspoonblack pepper powder
½teaspoonsaltor add as required
oilfor shallow frying or deep frying
For veg manchurian sauce
½tablespoonfinely chopped garlic
½tablespoonfinely chopped ginger
1 or 2green chilies- finely chopped
¼cupchopped spring onions(scallions) or onions
½tablespoonsoy sauce
1tablespoontomato ketchup
1teaspoonred chili sauce
¼teaspooncorn starchoptional
¼teaspoonblack pepper powder
½teaspoonrice vinegaror regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar
½ to 1tablespoonchopped spring onions greensfor garnish
½tablespoontoasted sesame oil
salt as required
Instructions
Making veggie balls
Take the finely chopped or grated veggies in a bowl.
Add all the dry ingredients.
Gather the whole mixture and kind of knead so that the veggies leave water and you get a dough like mixture.
Take a small portion of the mixture in your hands. Press and roll it in your palm and make a round veggie ball. Make all veggie balls this way and keep aside.
Frying veggie balls
Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
Add a small piece of ball to the hot oil.
If the balls does not stick or settle down at the bottom of the pan, but comes up steadily the oil is ready.
Gently place the balls in the hot oil. The oil has to be medium hot. Too much heat and the manchurian balls will be browned from top and uncooked from inside.
Less hot oil will make the manchurian balls absorb too much of oil.
With a slotted spoon turn over the balls when cooked from one side. Fry the veg manchurian balls till crisp and golden.
Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain as much as oil as possible.
Place the fried veg manchurian balls on kitchen paper towels. Fry the veg manchurian balls this way in batches and keep aside.
Making veg manchurian dry
Once the balls are fried, then it is time to make the sauce. In another pan, heat about ½ tbsp of the same oil in which we fried the balls or ½ tbsp of sesame oil.
Add finely chopped garlic, finely chopped ginger & 1 or 2 green chilies, finely chopped.
Stir and saute for a minute on a low flame.
Add ¼ cup chopped spring onions or onions.
Stir and saute till the onions soften.
Now add soy sauce, tomato ketchup and red chili sauce or green chili sauce. Stir very well.
Keep the flame on the lower side and sprinkle corn starch. Adding corn starch is optional. Stir very well.
Quickly add salt and black pepper as required. Stir again.
After adding corn starch the sauce will begin to thicken, so one has to be quick.
Then add the fried veg manchurian balls. Stir so that the sauce coats the veg balls evenly.
Switch off the flame and add the rice vinegar or regular white vinegar.
Toss and stir again. Serve dry veg manchurian hot as a starter snack garnished with some spring onion greens.
Notes
I have not added sugar in the sauce as the tomato ketchup and red chilli sauce already has sugar. If you want you can add a bit of sugar.