You know that specific craving. It hits around 7pm on a weeknight, when the idea of plain dal and roti feels deeply unfair. Your mind lands on Manchurian — those saucy, spicy, glossy little bites drowning in Indo-Chinese gravy. And then, almost immediately, the thought follows: do I really want to stand over a kadhai full of hot oil right now? This non fried Manchurian recipe was born exactly from that moment. The craving was real. The oil was optional.
Manchurian is one of those beautiful accidents of Indian food history. Indo-Chinese cuisine as we know it grew out of the Chinese community in Kolkata and spread across every city in India until it became entirely its own thing. No restaurant in China serves Manchurian. But every dhaba, street stall, and college canteen in India does. It belongs to us now. The saucy, peppery, Schezwan-spiked version we love is a distinctly Indian creation, built on the logic that bold spice makes everything better.
This version skips the deep frying entirely and uses steaming instead. The Manchurian mixture is steamed until firm, cut into cubes, then tossed in a glossy Schezwan gravy that coats every edge. You get the same satisfying bite, the same punchy sauce, and none of the grease. It is genuinely one of those recipes that makes you feel clever for making it. Go cook it tonight.
Why You'll Love This
Steamed, Not Fried
Steaming the Manchurian mixture instead of deep frying saves you roughly half a cup of oil per batch. The texture stays firm enough to hold the gravy without turning soggy, and your kitchen does not smell like a fry stall for the next three hours.
All Vegetable Base
Cabbage, carrot, and capsicum do all the structural work here, keeping the cubes naturally moist and flavourful without any binder other than rice flour and corn flour. You get real vegetable nutrition in every bite, disguised as comfort food.
Weeknight Ready
The entire recipe comes together in about 35 to 40 active minutes, with 15 minutes of hands-off steaming in the middle. You can prep the vegetable mixture in advance and steam it just before dinner, which makes this genuinely practical on a busy evening.
Khushi's Pro Tip
I learned this the hard way: do not rush the cooling step after steaming. Let the steamed mixture sit for at least 5 minutes before you cut it into cubes. Cutting it hot causes it to crumble at the edges. Those 5 minutes let the starches set, and your cubes will hold their shape cleanly when you toss them in the gravy.
Star Cast
Key Ingredients
Rice Flour
Rice flour is the binding agent that holds the vegetable mixture together during steaming without making it dense or doughy. It absorbs just enough moisture from the vegetables to firm up under steam. If you substitute it with all-purpose flour or besan, the texture becomes heavier and less delicate, so stick with rice flour here.
Schezwan Chutney
Schezwan chutney is doing double duty in this recipe. It goes into the Manchurian mixture itself and also into the gravy, which means the heat and flavour are built in from two directions. Use a good quality store-bought chutney or homemade if you have it. Do not substitute with plain chilli sauce — you will lose that distinctly smoky, garlicky depth.
Corn Flour
Corn flour appears twice here: once in the Manchurian mixture to help bind, and once as a slurry to thicken the gravy. In the gravy, it creates that signature glossy coating that makes Indo-Chinese food look and feel like restaurant food. If you skip it, the gravy stays thin and watery and will not cling to the cubes.
Cabbage
Cabbage is the backbone of this recipe, making up the bulk of both the Manchurian mixture and the gravy vegetables. It adds natural sweetness, moisture, and texture. Chop it very finely for the mixture so the cubes stay compact and do not fall apart when you toss them in the sauce.
Cook Along
Ingredients
The Manchurian Mixture
- 2 cupsCabbage(finely chopped)
- ½ cupCarrot(finely grated or chopped)
- ½ cupCapsicum(finely chopped)
- 1 tspGreen chilli paste
- 1 tbspSchezwan chutney
- 1 tspBlack pepper powder
- 1 tspSalt
- 1 cupRice flour
- 1 tbspCorn flour
The Schezwan Gravy
- 2 tbspOil
- 1 tspGreen chillies(finely chopped)
- 1 tspGinger(finely chopped or grated)
- ⅓ cupCabbage(roughly chopped)
- 1 tbspSchezwan chutney
- 1 tbspTomato sauce
- 1 tbspSoya sauce
- 1 tbspCorn flour(mixed with ¼ cup water to make a slurry)
- ¼ cupFresh coriander(for garnish)
Instructions
Tap a step number to mark it done as you cook.
Building the Manchurian Mixture
- Take a large mixing bowl and add the finely chopped cabbage, carrot, and capsicum. The finer you chop, the more compact your cubes will be later, so take a moment with the knife here.
- Add the green chilli paste, black pepper powder, salt, and Schezwan chutney to the vegetables. Use your hands or a firm spoon to mix everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated and fragrant.
- Add the rice flour and corn flour to the bowl. Mix again firmly until the mixture comes together into a cohesive mass. It should feel moist and slightly sticky, not wet or watery. If it seems dry, keep mixing — the vegetable moisture will release and bind everything as you work it.
Steaming the Manchurian Block
- Lightly grease a flat steaming plate or a shallow dish with a few drops of oil so the mixture does not stick. Transfer the vegetable mixture into the plate and press it down evenly with your palm so it forms a flat, compact layer about 1.5 to 2 cm thick.
- Place the plate in a steamer and steam on high heat for 15 minutes, until the top looks set and firm and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. No steamer? A colander placed over a pot of boiling water with a lid on top works exactly the same. Khushi approved.
- Remove the steamed block from the steamer and let it cool for at least 5 minutes before touching it. Once it has rested and firmed up, cut it into neat square cubes with a clean knife. These are your Manchurian pieces.
Building Flavour in the Pan
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan or wok on medium flame until it shimmers, about 60 seconds. Add the chopped green chillies and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds until the kitchen smells sharp and fragrant.
- Add the roughly chopped cabbage and capsicum to the pan. Cook on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want them slightly cooked but still with a little crunch — do not let them go soft and limp.
Making the Schezwan Gravy
- Add the Schezwan chutney, tomato sauce, and soya sauce to the pan. Stir well to combine everything and let it cook together for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring every minute or so to prevent the sauces from catching on the bottom.
- Mix the corn flour with about ¼ cup of water in a small bowl to make a smooth, lump-free slurry. Pour it into the pan while stirring continuously. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat until the gravy thickens noticeably and turns glossy. When it coats the back of a spoon, it is ready.
Bringing It All Together
- Gently add the steamed Manchurian cubes to the gravy. Use a wide spoon or spatula to carefully turn and coat each cube without breaking them. Low heat works best here — you are just warming the cubes and coating them, not cooking further.
- Switch off the flame. Scatter fresh coriander generously over the top. Serve immediately with fried rice or noodles while the gravy is hot and glossy.
Pairs Perfectly With
Storage & Make-Ahead
Leftover Manchurian gravy stays good in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pan on low flame with a splash of water to loosen the gravy. The steamed cubes on their own can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days. Freezing is not recommended as the vegetable texture becomes watery after thawing.
Try These Too
Air Fryer Manchurian
Instead of steaming and then adding to gravy directly, lightly brush the steamed cubes with oil and air fry at 200°C for 8 to 10 minutes until the outside turns golden and slightly crisp. This gives you a middle path — not deep fried, but with a satisfying bite on the outside before you toss them in the gravy.
Cheesy Stuffed Manchurian
After pressing the mixture into the steaming plate, add a thin layer of grated processed cheese in the middle before steaming, then press the remaining mixture on top to seal it. When you cut the block into cubes, each piece will have a melted cheese centre that stretches when you bite in.
Dry Manchurian Version
Skip the corn flour slurry entirely and reduce the Schezwan chutney and sauces by half. Toss the steamed cubes directly in the reduced sauce and serve as a dry starter rather than a saucy side dish. This version works beautifully as a party appetiser or lunchbox addition.
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