Chicken Manchurian is one of the most popular Indo-Chinese dishes with great flavours and a perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and tangy notes. This is a favourite dish from the crown for people who like fusion food. Succulent chicken pieces are covered in crispy batter and tossed with some flavour-carrying sauce, and the dish tends to have an explosion of flavours in each mouthful. A fine chicken manchurian recipe begins with marinating pieces of chicken with ginger-garlic paste, soy sauce, and cornflour, making it crispy outside while frying. The central core of this dish is saut ed with the help of garlic, ginger, and green chillies in oil, followed by the addition of soy sauce, vinegar, tomato ketchup, and a pinch of sugar to balance it. This is then tossed in the savoury sauce so that it can absorb all the appetizing flavours. Chicken Manchurian comes both in dry and in gravy versions. The dry version is usually taken as an appetiser, but the gravy version goes perfectly with fried rice or noodles. Both versions offer an irresistible combination of textures-from the crunchy chicken to the smooth, flavourful sauce. Whether for the weekend treat or a special occasion, this chicken Manchurian recipe will surely be a crowd-pleaser. The dish is full of Indian Chinese flavours blended with such perfection that you can enjoy it with everyone in the family.

• 250 gms boneless chicken
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup capsicum
• 1/4 cup onion
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 2-3 green chilli
• 1/2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp maida
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp red chili sauce

• Let's try out the recipe of chicken manchurian. First, chop 250 gms of boneless chicken into small cubes. Put the chicken pieces in a mixing bowl.
• Add to this two tablespoons of cornflour, one tablespoon of maida or all-purpose flour, one teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper powder, and salt to taste.
• These ingredients provide the base of the batter that will help crisp up the chicken as it cooks.
• Add a small amount of water to achieve this consistency if necessary, so it coats the chicken pieces. It's not drippy batter that just lightly coats the pieces of chicken.
• Marinate for 15-20 minutes. This is only a short marinating that is expected to relax the flesh of the chicken and let its fluctuations go into the flesh.
• Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the marinated chicken pieces one by one, keeping them well-spaced from one another. Fry the chicken in batches as required.
• Try not to overcrowd the pan.
• Fry the chicken until it turns golden brown and crispy on all sides.
• Each batch would take 4 to 5 minutes, depending on how large you cut the pieces.
• Once fried, use the slotted spoon, remove the chicken pieces from the oil, and position them on a paper towel for excess oil to drain. Set the fried chicken aside.
• Heat oil in another pan over medium heat. Add finely chopped garlic and ginger together with 2-3 chopped green chillies.
• Fry for about 1 minute until the garlic and ginger are fragrant enough.
• These are the aromatic contents of this preparation, which will give depth to the flavour profile. Now, add ¼ cup of finely chopped onions and ¼ cup of chopped capsicum (bell pepper) to the pan.
• Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, till the vegetables are slightly softened. It's a bit crunchy from the capsicum and sweet because of the flavour put in by adding onions.
• Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl: 2 Tbsp tomato ketchup, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp red chilli sauce, and 1/2 Tbsp vinegar.
• This gives the twist to the dish with the savoury and spicy flavour that comes with it. Add this sauce to the wok of stir-fried vegetables and stir-fry for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
• Allow the sauce to combine with the vegetables and seep in its deep fragrance.
• To thicken the gravy, mix one tablespoon of cornflour with ¼ cup of water to prepare a slurry, and stir the slurry into the pan of gravy while constantly stirring and breaking the lumps that might form.
• Cook the sauce for a few minutes till it thickens out and has a shiny look. Then, add 1 cup of water to the pan to get the gravy just right.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for several minutes. Taste and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• You can even make it thinner based on your preference by adding more water.
• Once you are done with your gravy, you can add your pieces of fried chicken into the pan and mix that gently in the gravy to distribute the chicken smoothly in addition to being evenly coated with the sauce.
• Let the chicken simmer in the gravy for 2-3 minutes to absorb the flavours; let it turn into a delicious, saucy dish.
• Finally, sprinkle chopped spring onion greens over the chicken. Spring onions impart fresh, mild flavour and add colour to the dish.
• Your chicken manchurian is ready to be served steaming hot with rice or noodles.