Idli Manchurian
Idli Manchurian is the perfect blend of crispy, soft, spicy, sweet, and tangy! The vada are made from leftover Idli they make the perfect sponge for the gravy. The manchurian gravy is perfect you can use it with cauliflower or any other veg. manchurian recipe! My mom made this recipe after making way too many Idlis one day and we needed a way to use them up! This is a great meal to use up any extra veggies (or condiments honestly!)
Putting this together is snap. The most time intensive thing is probably frying up the Idlis. Once those are done you want to toss them in the gravy while they’re hot. Just quickly toss to coat and then serve immediately. You want to be able to taste the textural differences between the crunch of the sauce and the smoothness of the gravy.
Frying the Idlis
To make the batter combine the all purpose flour, rice flour, kashmiri lal mirch, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, oil and water until it forms a thick batter. You want it to be similar to pancake batter. Coat the Idlis in the spiced batter. I would honestly just dump it all in a large mixing bowl and toss thoroughly. Deep fry until you get a golden brown, crispy crust.
Making the Gravy
The gravy is actually super easy and quick to make. In a large sauté pan on high heat cook all of the veggies with the garlic, ginger, and chili pastes. Add in the curry leaves and mix in the sauces. Season to taste. You don’t want the gravy to stay on the heat for too long because you want the veggies to retain their crunch. Toss the Idli Vadas into the gravy and serve right alongside some rice, hakka noodles, or soup!
Idli Manchurian
Ingredients
Idli Vada
- 20 idli quartered
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Lal mirch
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp oil
Gravy
- 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 onion thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1 bell pepper sliced lengthwise
- 1 bunch green onion chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp green chili paste
- 2 tbsp grated ginger
- 15 curry leaves chopped
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1/3 cup sweet and sour sauce I use Kikkoman!
- 1/3 cup chili garlic sauce I use the one from Huy Fong Foods, the same company as Sriracha!
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Idli Vada
- Combine all batter ingredients, and coat all of the quartered Idlis.
- Deep fry Idlis in oil at 350° until golden brown.
Gravy
- Sautéed vegetables with ginger, garlic, chili paste, and curry leaves and 1 tsp of salt.
- Add chili sauce and sweet and sour sauce.
- Toss to coat and serve with noodles, fried rice, and wontons!
