¾cupwhole wheat flouror all purpose flour or 90 grams flour
2tablespooncorn starch
1teaspoonGinger Garlic Pasteor 2 to 3 garlic cloves + ½ inch ginger - crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
½teaspoonblack pepperor white pepper
½teaspoonsoy sauce
¾cupwater+ 2 tablespoon water or add as required
4tablespoonoil
for mushroom manchurian gravy
1small to medium capsicum- red or yellow or green (bell pepper)
1medium onionor 2 medium spring onions (scallions) - cut into ½ inch squares or about ½ cup - reserve the spring onions greens for garnish
5 to 6garlic,finely chopped or 1.5 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
½inchginger,finely chopped or 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 or 2green chilies,finely chopped or ½ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies
1teaspoonfinely chopped celery(optional)
2tablespoontomato ketchupor add as required
1 to 1.5tablespoonsoy sauceor add as required
½teaspoonrice vinegaror regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar - you can also add as required
¼teaspoonblack pepperor add as per taste
¼teaspoonsugaror add as required
2tablespooncorn starch+ 3 tablespoon water
1.25cupswateror 275 ml water
salt as required
a few chopped celeryor spring onion greens for garnish
Instructions
frying mushrooms
Prep the veggies first. Rinse and slice 200 to 250 grams mushrooms thickly. If the mushrooms are small, you can just halve them. Dice 1 medium onion and 1 small to medium bell pepper (red or green or yellow) into ½ inch squares. Finely chop ½ inch ginger, 5 to 6 garlic cloves, 1 to 2 green chilies and 1 small stem of celery. Keep the chopped veggies aside.
In another bowl, take ¾ cup whole wheat flour or all purpose flour (about 90 gms), 2 tbsp corn starch, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, ½ tsp black pepper and ½ tsp soy sauce. Please note, if you use whole wheat flour, you will get a wheatish taste.
Add ¾ cup water + 2 tbsp water. Depending on the quality of flour, you can also add water as required. Whisk to a thick to medium consistency flowing batter.
Heat 4 tbsp oil in a pan or kadai. You can also deep fry, but here I have used less oil and pan fried. Hence these are not overall crisp like the deep fried ones. They just have some crispness.
Dip the mushroom slices in the batter and evenly coat them with the batter.
Gently place the batter coated mushrooms in the medium hot oil.
The quantity of mushrooms to be added depends on the size of the pan. Once one side of the mushrooms are cooked and become a light golden, turn over and fry the other side.
Flip a couple of times and fry till the mushrooms are evenly golden. A time will come when water from the mushrooms will start spluttering in the oil. Let this be and continue to fry. As if you stop here, the mushrooms will be not be cooked completely.
Drain the pan fried mushrooms on kitchen paper towels. Fry all the mushrooms this way and keep aside.
making mushroom manchurian gravy
In the same pan, without adding any extra oil, add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies first. Stir and saute on a low flame for about half a minute.
Then add the diced onions, bell peppers and celery. Stir.
Increase the flame to a high and stir fry the veggies till the onions and bell pepper start getting lightly browned or shrinking from the edges. Keep on stirring while cooking them. About 2 to 3 minutes on a high flame.
Reduce the flame to medium and then add 1 to 1.5 tbsp soy sauce (you can add soy sauce as per your taste), add 2 tbsp tomato ketchup & ¼ tsp black pepper or as required. Stir very well.
Now add 1.25 cups water, 275 ml and stir again.
Season with salt. Do keep a check on the salt as soy sauce & tomato ketchup already have salt in them.
Add 1/4 tsp sugar. Again sugar can be added as per your taste or you can skip it altogether.
Stir and allow the sauce to simmer on a medium flame.
Prepare a smooth paste in a bowl or cup with 2 tbsp corn starch & 3 tbsp water.
Add this corn starch paste to the simmering sauce.
Stir briskly and let the mushroom manchurian gravy (or sauce) to thicken. Simmer for about 2 minutes.
Then add the pan fried mushrooms and stir the gravy again.
Lastly add 1/2 tsp rice vinegar or regular vinegar. You can also add apple cider vinegar.
Stir and switch off the flame.
Serve mushroom manchurian gravy with veg fried rice, schezwan rice or plain steamed rice.