Last week I was talking with my friend, Kalpana, about “Indian Chinese food”. I had eaten Manchurian dumplings/patties before but wasn’t a huge fan because it was deep-fried and the ones I got were pretty greasy. After hearing her talk about them I really wanted to give them another chance.
So, I did what any modern person would do and searched the internet for a recipe. I found the one I used at Veg Inspirations and it’s even baked instead of fried! I nearly jumped up and down as I realized this would help deplete my cabbage section of the fridge.
I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, but I think the recipe was great for a base and you’d do well to follow it for your first batch. The dumplings are made with finely grated veggies and are held together with flour, rice, and a little corn starch.
You can use any veggies you want as long as they are finely minced/shredded. I used a food processor and did my veggies in batches. I also processed my rice in the processor to make it a little more binding. My rice came from the freezer though, and I think if you used fresh rice you could skip this step.
You could also use a different binder if you avoid corn starch and gluten-free flour should work as well as wheat flour. I saw some recipes in my search that called for rice flour.
I cooked mine on 350 for almost twice the amount of time recommended. But I also used more shredded veg than called for. Next time I would try cooking them at 375 and just keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. But I thought baking made them nice and crunchy.
In my sauce I used the more water variation suggested. I used Sriracha for red chili sauce, no chilies, and some plain tomato sauce I had in the fridge in addition to a little ketchup. The sauce was thickened with corn starch and I probably could have used less. Again you’d probably be safe if you follow the recipe at Veg Inspirations.
You guys know about my cabbage saga, and it seems like a never-ending one. Because of this yummy dish I am down to one small cabbage!
