HEALTHY VEGETABLE MANCHURIA

Manchuria, this very famous Chinese became so popular in India that every party or function menu is incomplete without it. Every restaurant, or even a road side chaat hut has this in its menu. The deep fried vegetable dumplings are cooked in a spicy sauce. As the dumplings are deep fried many hesitate to take this when ever they like. Here I come with a healthy version of vegetable manchuria which can be had as many time as you like. Although this is made healthy, the taste remains the same. Give it a try. The dumplings for the recipe are baked in the oven, so make sure you start the preparation an hour before.
INGREDIENTS
for the dumplings

• Cabbage             finely shredded 1/2 cup
• Carrots               finely grated      1/2 cup
• Boiled potato     1 large
• Cauliflower          very finely chopped 1/2 cup
• Green peas          1/2 cup boiled
• Salt                      to taste
• Pepper powder   1 tsp
• Tasting salt         a pinch(optional)
• Green chilies       1 finely chopped
• Corn flour            1 Tsp
• Oil                        1 Tsp

for the gravy

• Onion              1 large finely chopped
• Tomatoes        1 small finely chopped
• capsicum        1 Small finely chopped
• Tomato sauce  1 Tsp
• Soy sauce         1/2 tsp
• Garlic cloves     3 finely chopped
• Ginger              1/2 inch finely chopped
• Green chilies    1 finely chopped
• Oil                     2 Tsp
• Salt                   to taste
• Sugar                1 tsp
• Tasting salt       a pinch
• Corn flour         1 tsp

PROCEDURE
Pre heat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
Take the finely shredded cabbage, cauliflower, grated carrots in a large pan. Add a cup of water and cook for five minutes, until the veggies turn soft.
squeeze out the water from the veggies. Keep the water and use it in the gravy. The veggies should not contain any moisture. This is an important step.
As the veggie balls are baked in the oven, very little corn flour is used, so if the veggies contain more moisture it will be difficult to roll the balls.
You can even spread the veggies on a kitchen towel to remove any moisture.
Now smash the boiled peas and potato. Add the veggies to the peas and  potato mixture.
Mix well. Now add the remaining ingredients for the dumplings(salt, pepper, chilies, corn flour, tasting salt.)
Mix well and make small balls with this mixture.
Spray the baking tray with oil, place the dumplings on it and brush them with some more oil.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Now increase the temperature and bake for another 15 minutes till the dumplings turn deep brown.
To make the gravy add a couple of spoons of oil in a pan. Heat the oil and add the finely chopped ginger and garlic. When they turn brown add the finely chopped onions.
When the onions turn brown, add the finely chopped tomatoes and the capsicum.
Add enough salt, sugar, tasting salt, green chilies.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes till the tomatoes are very soft.
Now add the tomato sauce, soy sauce, corn flour and a cup of water( Use the squeezed out water from the veggies).
Cook till the gravy is soft and thick.
Add the baked dumplings. Coat them with the gravy and remove them into a serving dish.
Serve with roti or naan or any fried rice.
TIPS

• Do not use more of the corn flour for the dumplings. I used potato(generally not used for veg manchuria) as a binding agent instead of maida.
• Soft veggies can easily be made into balls.
• If you cannot make the balls add a couple of spoons of bread crumbs and not the corn flour or maida.
• Adding too much of corn flour make the dumplings hard. So make sure that the veggies do not contain any moisture.
• To make the veggies soft you can skip boiling and try this: add a couple of spoons of water to the veggies and microwave for 2 minutes.
• This procedure is best suited only for the gravy version of the manchuria.
• You can skip the capsicum if you do not like.
• Different ovens have different temperatures so be cautions while baking.