The Best Veg Manchurian Recipe with Gravy (2024)

If you've ever liked meatballs but want a vegetarian option, you are going to fall in love with this vegetable Manchurian recipe. It even includes it's own deliciously rich gravy! This is a great flavorful meal. Even meat-eaters will love the satisfying flavors and textures!

Veg Manchurian Recipe with Gravy

Manchurian is a fried vegetable "meatball" that is a regional food in India. There are a variety of flavor profiles you may find in this mixture, but the basic concept is the same. It is a vegetable mixture filled with tons of peppers and spices. These are definitely on the spicy end of things and perfect as an appetizer or a complete meal.

My family isn't a huge fan of spicier foods, but in Indian cuisine, we love the mixture of spices and sauces together. Since it's so easy to pair this with a mild side like noodles or rice, you can tone down the heat easily for those who aren't as big a fan of peppers.

What do You Eat with Manchurian?

Traditionally these are used as a snack or appetizer but paired with other foods. If using as a main dish, you would serve with noodles or rice.

I have served with fried rice similar to this Indonesian fried rice. It also works beautifully alongside my fragrant Indian style fried rice recipe. As with most true Indian meals, there would also be a bright salad alongside this dish.

Tomatoes and cucumbers are often served alongside a variety of chutneys. If you don't have a traditional salad recipe, you could easily make and serve this Persian Shirazi salad. While not an Indian dish specifically, it does offer the cooling flavors and textures needed with such a spicy meal.

Can We Freeze Manchurian Balls?

You can definitely free vegetable Manchurian balls! The only thing to consider in freezing these is to not put into the sauce or gravy. Doing so would make them fall apart when frozen and then reheated.

You can prepare the balls and freeze both before or after cooking. I find that cooking them first prevents the vegetable mixture from getting overly moist when thawing. If too wet, they would not fry as nicely. They will, however, cook up nicely and be perfectly delicious regardless of if you freeze before or after cooking them.

To freeze these in their raw state, place the rolled balls on a lined baking sheet and flash freeze laying flat for 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and place into freezer storage bags or a freezer storage container. To freeze after cooking, drain and cool completely before putting into the freezer storage bags or freezer storage containers.

Manchurian balls are good frozen for up to 4 months. Thaw cooked vegetable balls and then prepare the sauce to coat them in heating throw in the sauce. For frozen balls, you can cook from frozen or thawed, but frozen stays crispy better.

How Can I Get Even Cuts of Vegetables?

One of the best investments for a kitchen where you use a lot of chopped vegetables is to invest in either a great knife and lots of practice, or a vegetable chopper. I use a 12-in-1 vegetable chopper in my kitchen. It has a number of different graters and chopping blades. They work wonderfully to get exact sized pieces and make recipes like this one easy to manage.

Can I make Manchurian Balls in an Air Fryer?

While the texture is better when deep fried, if you are looking for healthier ways to make this dish, you can use an air fryer. To air fry vegetable Manchurian balls, you will prepare the balls as directed then place in a single layer at least ½" apart in your air fryer basket. Cook at 380°F for 5 minutes, then turn the balls and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until crispy.

You would then place them into your sauce as directed normally within the recipe. This saves some calories and helps you feel just a little healthier when making this vegetable meatball dish.

What are Manchurian Balls Made Of?

• Carrot
• Cabbage
• Green bell pepper
• Red bell pepper
• Green chili
• Cornflour or cornmeal
• Cornstarch
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Soy sauce

What is Manchurian Sauce Made Of?

• Ginger
• Garlic
• Green Chili
• Red Chili
• Red onion
• Green onion
• Oil
• Soy sauce
• Chili sauce
• Tomato sauce
• Vinegar
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Cornstarch
• Vegetable broth

Food Prep Tip

Start this recipe by preparing all of your vegetables and separating out portions for making the balls and the gravy. This helps make the process much easier to complete.

How to Make Vegetable Manchurian Balls

In a large bowl, combine the chopped bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, green chili, ginger, salt, black pepper, cornstarch, cornmeal, and soy sauce. Mix this together until completely combined.

Use your hands or a melon baller to create small round balls of the mixture rolling into uniform shapes.

Heat oil in a wok or deep fryer until 375°F and then drop balls into hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Drain the fried vegetable balls on paper or paper towels.

How to Make Manchurian Gravy

In a large skillet or pan, heat oil then combine crushed ginger, garlic, onion, green chili, red chili, and green onion and saute for 1-2 minutes so it becomes fragrant.

Add in soy sauce, chili sauce, tomato sauce, and vinegar then saute and stir well for another minute.

Add vegetable broth, salt, and black pepper then bring the mixture to a boil. Boil this mixture for 5 minutes stirring occasionally then reduce the heat to low.

In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water and then mix into the gravy and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Once the gravy is thickened, add the cooked balls and heat for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve with a garnish of chopped green onions.

More Indian Recipes to Try at Home

• Creamy Indian Butter Chicken Recipe
• Indian Stuffed Potato Paratha
• Spicy Indian Chapli Kebabs
• Delicious Egg Kerala Curry Recipe
• Flavorful Chicken Dhansak Curry with Lentils
• Spicy Red Lentil Curry Recipe with Spinach

Chef's Tip

A quality deep fryer is a great addition to any kitchen. It keeps the mess minimal and helps regulate the temperature of your oil so you are less likely to burn a fried item. The Presto Electric Fry Daddy is a preferred brand that is affordable, compact, and works perfectly.