¼cupplus 1 tablespoon poha /beaten rice or ½ cups boiled rice
1tablespoonrice flour*
2teaspoonsoy sauce
½teaspoonchilly sauce
1teaspoongrated garlic or garlic paste
1teaspoongrated ginger or ginger paste
¼teaspoonblack pepper
Salt to taste
For the gravy
1tablespooncooking oil
1cupfinely chopped red/white onion or shallots
½cupred or green bell pepper/Shimla mirch/capsicum
½cupspring onions chopped
2tablespoonfinely chopped garlic
2teaspoongrated ginger
3tablespoonsoy sauce
1tablespoongreen / red chilly sauce
1teaspoonhoney/sugar/agave
2teaspoontomato ketchup
2teaspoonvinegar
1.5cupswater
1tablespoonrice flour
Salt to taste*
½teaspoonblack pepper
Handful of chopped spring onions green part for garnish
Instructions
Place poha/ beaten rice in a colander . Wash it thoroughly under tap water . Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes for it to soften and double its size .
Meanwhile dice and pulse the vegetables in a food processor or chop it /grate it finely .
Now take a bowl , add in the the vegetables, soften poha or cooked rice , rice flour and all the mentioned seasoning.
Make lime size small balls. The balls should be smooth and soft yet firm enough so that they do not fall apart. Add 1-2 tablespoon of flour if you are in doubt. At this point you can deep fry them or use paniyaram pan to cook . Heat up the paniyaram/appe pan. When warm ,brush each cavity lightly with oil. Place the prepared balls in the pan and let it cook on low to medium heat for 5 -6 minutes rotating mid way until golden brown . Take them out of the pan and keep aside .
For the gravy
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Once warm add in ginger garlic , sautee for30 seconds add in the onions , bell peppers. Sautee for 30 seconds. Add in the mention sauces. Cook for 10 seconds. Now add in 1 cup of water , pepper and let the gravy come to a simmer . Meantime , in a bowl whisk the rice flour with ½ cup of water. Once the gravy starts simmering , add in the prepared rice flour slurry slowly by one hand and whisking the gravy with a spoon by another hand until incorporated well .
The gravy will start to thicken within a minute. Switch off the flame . Taste test and then add salt if needed.
Just before serving warm up the gravy and add Manchurian balls to it. Serve piping hot with rice or noodles.
Notes
Add salt towards the end after tasting the gravy as all sauces have salt. You can finely chop or use food processor to grate veggies for Manchurian balls . If you do not have rice flour substitute it with cornstarch / all purpose flour Substitute poha/beaten rice with cooked rice .