Notes from a Wedding : Manchurian

The Indo-Chinese favorite was a best seller at the wedding menu. Our chef made it once without the gravy for appetizers and twice for the main course. One time, I stood by him while he was cooking. You see, I had to. I've followed every recipe known to man, but never managed to cook good Chinese food. Maybe I'd have better luck with this recipe.

First you make the manchurian balls. You need around 2 cups of mixed vegetables chopped really fine. At our home, this included cabbage, cauliflower, french beans and carrots. To this you add a tsp of minced ginger and another of minced garlic. Now add 2 tbsp cornflour, a pinch of white pepper, salt and a tbsp of flour. Mix everything, adding a little more flour if it looks too runny. Shape into balls and deep fry on a medium heat until browned.

Now chop one small onion, half a carrot, a small tomato and 4-5 french beans finely. Grind 4-5 cloves of garlic into a paste (or just get yourself 2 tsp of garlic paste off a can). Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the garlic paste and saute until it is well browned. Add all the vegetables and mix well. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add 2 cups of water. Also add a tbsp of tomato ketchup, a tbsp of green chilli sauce, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and a tsp of vinegar. At this stage, the cook also added a dash of orange food color and a tsp of ajinomoto but both are optional (and you should add salt now if you are skipping ajinomoto). Bring the sauce to a boil.

In the meantime, mix a tbsp of cornflour with 1/4 cup cold water to make a paste. Once your sauce starts to boil, add the cornflour mixture and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the manchurian balls and there you have the most popular Indo Chinese dish there is!