This cabbage Manchurian features flavorsome vegetable balls cooked in a thick savory sauce packed with flavors. A naturally vegan side dish that even meat-eaters will love. Instructions are provided for baking, air-frying, or deep-frying.
Since learning to make my own Manchurian, there is no going back to the restaurant-made ones! This version of cabbage Manchurian balls are baked instead of fried and are cooked in a soy sauce-based gravy that is savory, spicy, sweet, and umami.
For those of you who prefer to cook it the authentic way, I have also provided the instructions for deep-frying the vegetable balls!
💚Why you will love this recipe
- A simple family-friendly side dish - Cabbage Manchurian is truly one of those dishes that even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy! It is incredibly flavorsome and delicious and will leave you craving for more. Unlike most Indian dishes, this dish is only mildly spicy, and you even have the option to make it spice-free.
- Incredibly versatile - You can serve it as a snack, an appetizer, or to accompany noodles or rice dishes.
- Reasonably easy to make - This dish is ready in an hour and only calls for simple ingredients. No fancy cooking techniques are needed to make cabbage Manchurian!
- Healthier than takeout - Especially if you opt to bake your veg balls instead of frying them.
🤔What is Manchurian
Manchurian is an extremely popular Indian dish greatly influenced by Chinese cooking. This dish usually consists of deep-fried ingredients like chicken, cauliflower, or paneer, bound with binders like flour and corn starch. These balls are then dunked in a thick and rich soy sauce flavored gravy.
This Chinese-Indian dish is usually served alongside rice or noodles dishes but can also be enjoyed as an appetizer or a quick snack.
🧄What you will need
For cabbage Manchurian balls
For gravy
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- All-purpose flour - To make these veg balls gluten-free, use chickpea flour, rice flour, or gluten-free blend in place.
- Cornstarch - Can be substituted with tapioca starch or potato starch.
- Soy sauce - Feel free to use tamari or shoyu in place. Use certified gluten-free ones, if needed.
- Sriracha - Sambal oelek is an excellent substitute for it. You can reduce or even omit it to make this dish less spicy.
- Coconut sugar - Any other granulated sugar like cane sugar or brown sugar can be used instead.
- Dark soy sauce - Gives gravy a nice dark color. Feel free to omit if you do not have it.
How to make
Making Manchurian balls
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients needed to make cabbage Manchurian. Mix until everything is just well combined.
Scoop out a tablespoon of dough, and shape it into a ball. Repeat for the remaining dough.
From here, you can either bake, deep-fry, or cook them in an air fryer.
Making gravy
Heat some oil in a cast-iron skillet/non-stick pan. Add in onion and saute until translucent.
Add garlic and ginger next. Fry for a minute.
Now, add diced green pepper and celery. Cook for a few minutes or until veggies have softened. Pour water into the pan and bring it to a boil.
Then, add your seasonings corn starch mixture and cook until gravy is glossy and thick.
Lastly, stir in Manchurian balls. It is ready to be served!
✔Helpful tips
- Make sure to dry your veggies thoroughly before using them. You can either pat them dry using a kitchen towel or air dry them in a large colander.
- You can either chop your veggies by hand or with a food processor. I use the food processor as it is much quicker and more efficient.
- If your Manchurian dough is too wet to shape, add in more flour, a teaspoon at a time.
- Avoid overmixing your dough. This is to prevent the development of gluten that will cause your cabbage Manchurian balls to turn chewy and tough.
- Use wet hands and utensils while handling the dough as it will be on the stickier side.
- Shape and bake Manchurian immediately after mixing. The longer the dough sits, the more water the vegetables will release, resulting in a watery dough.
- To make dry Manchurian, omit the vegetable stock and cornstarch. Simply add all seasonings together with the vegetable balls, and toss to coat.
🍚How to serve
- Rice - Serve cabbage Manchurian with a side of rice of choice, be it basmati, white, or brown rice. For a lower-carb version, you can opt for cauliflower or broccoli rice. You can even pair it with pulao like this chickpea pulao.
- Noodles - Traditionally, this dish is often paired with Hakka noodles. However, feel free to pair it with your favorite noodle dish like bami goreng, mee siam, or chow mei fun.
- Indian flatbread - Works well as a vessel to soak up the delicious gravy! Naan, chapati, and paratha are all great options.
- Other mains - You could also choose to go all out and cook up an Indian-inspired feast! Pair it with sweet potato chickpea curry, yellow lentil dal, or soya chunks masala.
❄Storing suggestions
Refrigerating - Cabbage Manchurian cooked in gravy can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. You might have to add a splash of water to thin the sauce out while reheating it.
Freezing - Manchurian balls without gravy are freezable. Simply place them in freezer bags or a sealed container before freezing.
When you are ready to enjoy them, let them thaw overnight in the fridge or for a couple of hours at room temperature. You can then make the sauce and toss them in.
❔Commonly asked questions
This cabbage Manchurian is only mildly spicy and is tolerable by most. You can further reduce or omit sriracha to make this dish spice-free.
Manchurian balls are usually not gluten-free as wheat flour is commonly added as a binder. However, you can modify this recipe to make it gluten-free by replacing all-purpose flour with chickpea flour, rice flour, or a gluten-free blend.
🍽More vegan Asian mains
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📖 Recipe
Cabbage Manchurian
Equipment
Ingredients
For Manchurian balls
- 3 cups cabbage finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ medium red onion chopped
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour *
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch/potato starch
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
For Manchurian sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha or sambal oelek**
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce optional, for color
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or other granulated sweetener
For gravy
- ¾ medium red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- ½ stalk celery finely chopped
- ¼ green pepper finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cup water
Instructions
Making Manchurian balls
- If you have decided on baking your veg balls, preheat oven too 200C/400F.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients needed to make cabbage Manchurian. Mix until everything is just well combined.
- Using wet hands and utensils, scoop out a tablespoon of dough, and shape it into a ball. If the mixture is too wet to hold its shape, add more flour, a teaspoon at a time. Repeat for the remaining dough.
- Oven – Spray them with some cooking spray. Bake them for 40 minutes, turning them halfway through.Air fryer – Spray on some cooking spray and cook them for 20-25 minutes at 200C/400F.Deep-frying – Heat up 1.5-2 inches of oil in a deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Fry a couple of them at a time or a few minutes, or until the are golden brown.
Making gravy
- Combine all ingredients needed for the sauce and mix well.
- Heat a tablespoon of neutral-tasting oil in a cast-iron skillet/non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add in onion and saute until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.¾ medium red onion
- Add garlic and ginger next. Fry for a minute.3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- Now, add diced green pepper and celery. Cook for a few minutes or until veggies has softened.½ stalk celery, ¼ green pepper
- Pour water into the pan and bring it to a boil. Then, add your Manchurian sauce and cook until gravy is glossy and thick.1 ¼ cup water
- Lastly, stir in Manchurian balls. It is ready to be served!
Notes
- Make sure to dry your veggies thoroughly before using them. You can either pat them dry using a kitchen towel or air dry in a large colander.
- You can either chop your veggies by hand or with a food processor. I use the food processor as it is much quicker and more efficient.
- Avoid overmixing your dough. This is to prevent the development of gluten that will cause your cabbage Manchurian balls to turn chewy and tough.
- Shape and bake Manchurian immediately after mixing. The longer the dough sits, the more water the vegetables will release, resulting in a watery dough.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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