Baby Corn Manchurian – Crispy Baby Corn Chili (Vegan)

Baby Corn Manchurian – Crispy Baby Corn Chili: crispy fried baby corn in a sweet and spicy thick Chinese sauce along with onions and bell pepper (capsicum). It can be served as appetizer/starter or combined with steamed rice or noodles for a meal.

This weekend I surprised my family with ‘Baby Corn Manchurian’ and the entire plate was polished in minutes !!!

We have all been craving ‘Chinese Takeaway’ for quite sometime now but with all restaurants and local street shops closed, there is no site of any takeaways.

So the next best thing to stop those insane cravings was to make some at home 🙂

What is Baby Corn Manchurian

An extremely popular Indo-Chinese recipe using baby corn, onion, bell pepper and sauteed in a sweet-spicy Chinese sauce. 

It’s also known as or Crispy Baby Corn Chili or Sweet Spicy Baby Corn Stir Fry.

And If you are craving them too then you are in for a Lip-Smacking experience. The recipe is not only super easy but pretty quick to make.

I’m also listing a couple of substitutes for things like cornflour/flour/ soy sauce/chili sauce, etc incase you donot have these items.

Baby Corn Manchurian Ingredients

You can increase or decrease the quantity of baby corn, onion, bell pepper (1-2) as per your taste:

• 10 Baby Corn – you can take fresh or canned (use brined ones).
• 2 Medium Onion – can use any red, yellow, white
• 2 Medium Bell Pepper (capsicum)
• 1 Tbsp Ginger + Garlic Paste – can be homemade or storebought
• 2 Stalks Scallions or Green Onions – for decoration, can skip
• 1 Tsp Sesame Seeds – for decoration, can skip
• 2 Cups Water – to boil baby corn incase you are using fresh ones.

For Frying the Baby Corn:

• 3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp Corn Starch
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 Cup Oil – any light oil is fine

For the Sweet – Spicy Chinese Sauce:

• 5 Tbsp Ketchup – use any brand you like
• 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce – I’m using tamari (as I’m making a glutenfree version)
• 1 Tbsp Chili Sauce – optional
• 1 Tbsp White Vinegar 
• ¼ Tsp Sugar – You can use any sugar substitute
• 1 Tsp Cornstarch – Dissolved in 3 Tbsp water – Optional
• 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper Powder
• Salt – As per taste
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil 

How to Make Baby Corn Manchurian (Step by Step Recipe)

I’m dividing the process into 3 main steps to simplify the recipe:

1. Frying the Baby Corn
2. Saute the Onion & Bell Pepper
3. Making the Sweet Spicy Chinese Sauce & Mix Everything

 

Step 1: Frying the Baby Corn

If you are using Fresh Baby Corn, then we need to soften them a little before frying, hence we steam them in 2 cups of water for 7-9 minutes (retaining a little crunch)….just like we boil pasta.

I like to chop the baby corn into two to make them bite-size.

Then we make ‘Frying Ingredients’ batter and dunk all the steamed baby corn in it.

The batter is thick and should coat each baby corn nicely.

Then we heat a cup of oil in a wok/pan and shallow fry all the batter coated baby corn (add 5-6 at a time or as many as your pan can accommodate).

They should be fried on medium heat till they are golden brown on both sides.

Here are our fried baby corn …. try not to eat many of them like this 😉 

 

Step 2: Saute the Onion & Bell Pepper

In the same wok, saute onion and bell pepper for a minute.

Add salt, pepper and stir once.

Turn off the stove and remove the veggies to another plate.

Step 3: Making the Sweet Spicy Chinese Sauce & Mix Everything:

In the same wok, add all the ‘Sauce Ingredients’ EXCEPT ‘Cornstarch’ and whisk everything.

Bring this to a boil, lower the heat and then add Cornstarch.

Let this simmer for 2 minutes on low heat.

Now add sauteed onion-bell pepper and fried sweet corn.

Saute and let this cook for a minute

Turn off the heat and transfer the Baby Corn Manchurian to a serving plate.

Sprinkle chopped green onion/scallion and sesame seeds (if using).

Serve hot.

Serving the Baby Corn Manchurian:

You can serve this as appetizers with drinks or any other bite-size food.

For serving as an entree, you can serve along steamed rice, stir fry or noodles

 

Substitutes for Ingredients:

Cornstarch – you can skip this ingredient when frying the baby corn or thickening the sauce. You can use flour to thicken the sauce too.

All-Purpose Flour – if you donot have all-purpose flour for frying the baby corn, you can use whole wheat/chickpea flour or simply skip this ingredient. You can fry the baby corn in cornstarch batter too.

Chili Sauce – you can skip them completely or use fresh red chili paste (1/4 tsp).

Light Oil – you can use any light oil for frying and making the sauce like sesame oil/olive oil/vegetable oil, etc.

 

Tried Our Recipe – AWESOME!!!

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