Baked cabbage Manchurian is a sweet and spicy appetizer. This Indo-Chinese dish is a real crowd pleaser!
There’s something about Indo-Chinese dishes that are so deeply satisfying. To me, it’s better than any Chinese takeout. It must be the Indian in me.
It has all the depth of Indian cooking with all the Chinese flavors. I especially can’t get enough of this cabbage Manchurian dish.
Vegetable Manchurian is traditionally made with a finely minced mixture of vegetables that are formed into balls which are then deep fried.
The balls are then served with a sweet and sour spicy sauce that is just bursting with intense flavors.
I was first introduced to Indo-Chinese foods at Indian weddings. It's a popular choice during cocktail hour along with samosas and paneer tikka.
I enjoyed it so much I tried to make it at home. It actually turned out really good and was fairly easy. There were only two things annoying about making it.
First, chopping up the cabbage and other veggies is time consuming. Second, I hate frying.
That was about ten years ago. I have not made it since then.
Yeah, I’m the last person that enjoys deep frying anything. It’s more work. You have to stand over a hot stove for longer.
Oh and then you’re left with a big bowl of oil to dispose.
Well, if you are anything like me, you will be happy to know that baking these in the oven works just as well.
I decided there was no way to avoid the chopping. Although, if you have a food processor it does go a lot faster.
Once the veggies are chopped, the rest of it is a breeze.
I know the long list of ingredients looks scary but they are totally necessary. It just wouldn’t be the same without all the flavors. Trust me!
So what are you waiting for? Love Indian food and love Chinese food?
Then it’s time to try out some Indo-Chinese.
Serve your Vegetable Manchurian as an appetizer on skewers or as a main dish over noodles or rice.
I first shared this baked vegetable Manchurian recipe on Food Fanatic so be sure to visit it there along with my other vegetarian recipes.
Baked Cabbage Manchurian
Baked Cabbage Manchurian is a sweet, spicy, earthy appetizer. This Indo-Chinese dish is full of veggies and is a real crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
For the Dumplings:
- 2 cups Cabbage
- 1 ½ cups Finely Grated Carrots
- ½ cup Red Bell Pepper, or Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped
- ½ cup Green Beans, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Salt, For the Dumplings
- 2 tablespoons Thinly Sliced Scallions
- ½ teaspoon Green Chiles, chopped (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Corn Flour
- 2 tablespoons Grated Fresh Ginger
- 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Hot Chili Paste
- 1 ½ cups Cooked Rice
- 5 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- Olive Oil, for brushing
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
- ¾ cup Onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon Grated Fresh Ginger
- 4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Fresh Hot Chili Paste
- 1 tablespoon Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Thinly Sliced Scallions
- ½ tablespoon Corn Flour, dissolved in cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment.
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large shallow pan. Add the cabbage, carrot, green pepper
and green beans to the pan and let it cook over medium heat, covered for about 2-3 minutes. - Let it cool slightly and then thoroughly squeeze all the water from the vegetable with either a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. Reserve the water for the Manchurian sauce.
- In a large bowl combine the half cooked vegetables with the remaining ingredients for the
Manchurian balls. - Mix the ingredients together by hand and form small 1 ½ inch balls. Evenly space them on your sheet pan.
- Brush the balls with olive oil and bake them for 30-40 minutes, turning them once in between.
The balls should get browned and crispy on the outside. - Heat the sesame oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.
- Add the onions, ginger and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add the soy sauce,
chili paste, sweet and sour sauce and scallions and mix. Add salt only if necessary. - Add 1 ¼ cup of the reserved liquid from the vegetables and bring it to a boil.
- Add the corn starch water mixture, lower the heat and stir until slightly thickened.
- Pour the sauce over the balls and serve immediately.
Notes
Be very careful with adding any extra salt. Soy sauce, chili paste, and sweet and sour sauce are already salty.
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