Paneer Manchurian

love Chinese food but when it comes to Chinese-fusion food, I have a certain bias towards Indian-Chinese (indo-chinese) cuisine. We Indians have had a long-lived love affair with Chinese food. Long before the pizzas and burgers and junk food became popular, it was Chinese food that most of us wanted when we craved something exotic and different. Indo-chinese is not very close to authentic chinese food. It has been totally adapted and  flavored to suit an Indian palette. Who knew the marriage of a little soy sauce with Indian spices could be so delicious! A big bright star of the Indian Chinese cuisine and it has always been one of my favorites are the chilli and manchurian varieties. “Manchurian” dishes may be made with cauliflower, paneer or chicken and are extremely popular in India. The sauce has no basis in the historical Chinese region. In India this ever popular dish is served at glamorous restaurants as well as by the street side vendors and is consumed with vigor and excitement among all class of people.

The paneer has a crispy coating and is tossed with a mouth-watering spicy sauce. These are perfect for appetizers or may even be served as a side dish.

Use a toothpick or a fork as you please and enjoy with cocktails during or before a meal.
These are really easy to make at home, taste awesome and are always a big hit with guests. They are often paired with Chinese style fried rice. These are great for potluck parties and will be gone in seconds! It can be made dry or with gravy, the recipe below talks about both versions. Food coloring is normally used to give this dish a brighter appearance, I have used a little beet juice instead. I was pleased with the color but it is obviously optional.

Ingredients:

Paneer ................................. 2 cups cubed

Oil ...................................... for deep frying or shallow frying

For the batter:

All-purpose Flour ..................... 1/4 cup

Corn Starch ........................... 2 tbsp

Rice flour .............................. 1 1/2 tbsp

Salt ..................................... 1/4 tsp

Black Pepper ......................... 1/2 tsp

Water ................................. 1/2 cup

Ginger garlic paste .................. 1/2 tsp

Soy sauce ............................. 1 tsp
Beet juice ............................ 1 tsp ( optional)

1. To make batter, add all-purpose flour, corn starch, rice flour, soy, ginger garlic paste, salt, black pepper and water to a small bowl. Mix until there are no lumps.

Coat paneer pieces well with batter and deep fry until paneer is a medium dark brown color.

For the sauce-

Oil ....................................... 2 tsp
Hing and turmeric ..................... a pinch

Onion ................................... 1 small

Bell pepper ............................ 1 chopped
Ginger .................................. 1 inch piece grated
Garlic ................................... 4-5 chopped cloves
Black pepper powder ................ 1/8 tsp
Low sodium soy sauce ................ 2-3 tbsp or to taste
Tomato ketchup ....................... 2 tbsp
Chinese chilli sauce ................... 2 tsp or to taste
Sugar ................................... 1½ tsp
Corn starch ............................ 2 tbsp
Vegetable stock ....................... 1 cups
Spring onion ........................... 4 cut (save some of the green part for garnishing)
Water if needed
Salt if needed

Method:
For the sauce

1. Heat oil in a medium frying pan on medium-high heat.
2. Add ginger, garlic and green chillies. Fry for about a minute while continuously stirring.
3. Add the green onions, onions and bell pepper. Stir and fry for about 1-2 min.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup water (at room temperature) till there are no lumps.
5. Add all the sauces (soy sauce, chilli sauce, ketchup). Mix well. For the dry version, add paneer. Mix well. Remove from heat. For the gravied version, take the cornstarch water mixture, whisk with a spoon and add to the pan. Stir continuously till there are no lumps. Add in the veg stock. Add the paneer and mix. Keep mixing till the paneer is evenly coated with the sauce. Remove from heat.
6. Garnish with green onions. Serve with chinese fried rice or chinese noodles or by itself. ENJOY!

Notes:

1. The taste of the gravy can vary on individual preferences , so feel free to adjust your soy sauce and chilli sauce to your liking by tasting it every now and then while cooking.

2. If you are planning to prepare this in advance, make the sauce without the cornstarch. The cornstarch thickens the gravy if allowed to sit too long. When ready to serve bring the gravy to a boil, add the cornstarch and paneer.

   

---

Pin It