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Rice Manchurian is an excellent fusion dish, as it beautifully collates the richness of Indo-Chinese food into itself.
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I know this has been an instantaneous hit with everyone who has tried it, and a great way to effectively collate rice with vegetables. Firstly, we are making vegetable Manchurian balls, a prime ingredient in this recipe.
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Mix together grated cabbage, grated carrots, finely cut capsicum, chopped green onions, minced ginger, and minced garlic.
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This adds zing and crunch to the dish, besides a lovely aroma.
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Add cornflour and maida to bind the ingredients together.
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Season it with salt and black pepper for taste.
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Then take small portions of everything and mix them together well into a small ball shape.
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The ideal shape and size must be uniform so that they don't get undercooked or overcooked.
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Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
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Once red-hot, drop the Manchurian balls into the hot oil and fry until they turn golden brown.
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That may take about a minute or two.
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Once fried, place the mixture on paper towels to remove excess oil and leave it aside as we make rice.
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To make rice, take 250 grams of basmati rice.
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Cook the same in boiling water, adding a pinch of salt until it's 90% done.
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That would ensure that the rice remains crunchy on the inside and nice, absorbing the rest of the flavours when finally mixed with the Manchurian.
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Let the rice cool on the plate after draining the water.
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Spread it evenly in such a way that there don't appear to be any lumps.
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Now we will make the stir-fry. Take a big pan or wok and add 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat.
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Once the oil heats up, add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped ginger.
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Saute these aromatic ingredients for about a minute until they become fragrant.
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This forms the flavour base for our dish.
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Add also another 1/4 cup of chopped spring onions and another 1/4 cup of chopped onion.
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Keep on stirring the mixture until the onions become translucent. This does make them sweeter and richer.
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With the onions softened, it is now time to add in some colourful vegetables.
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Add 1/2 cup each of chopped carrots, capsicum, and beans to the pan.
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Stir-fry the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes.
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The intention here is to ensure you don't lose your crunch while allowing the cooking to penetrate and intensify the flavour of the vegetables.
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When the vegetables are cooked, add the pre-prepared rice into the pan and gently mix everything together as well.
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Be gentle now, as you do not want to break the rice grains.
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Season the mixture with two tablespoons of soy sauce, one tablespoon of red chilli sauce, 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup, and salt to taste.
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Stir-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the sauces to come around the rice and evenly give a lovely mix of flavors.
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Finally, fold the prepared vegetable Manchurian balls in the rice mixture gently.
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Now cook everything together for another 2 minutes, allowing the flavours to infuse.
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The crunchy texture of Manchurian balls, along with flavoured rice, makes a quite satisfying dish that does look, feel, and taste rather hearty but delicious, too. For a final touch to your recipe of rice Manchurian, garnish it with some chopped spring onion greens.