Paneer manchurian is a Indo chinese appetizer made with fried paneer & manchurian sauce. Manchurian dishes from Indo chinese cuisine are a favorite among many. Gobi manchurian, mushroom manchurian, veg manchurian and chicken manchurian are some of the most known varieties.
Paneer manchurian is similar to Chilli paneer but the sauce made here is different. In this recipe, no chilli or chilli sauce is used and the proportions of other ingredients are different which tastes entirely different from chilli paneer.
To make paneer manchurian, Indian cottage cheese aka paneer is batter fried first and then added to manchurian sauce. The recipe shared here is a semi gravy version and can be served as a starter or as a side with some noodles or fried rice.
Paneer manchurian is best served hot and immediately out of the pan.
You can also pan fry or grill the paneer and avoid deep frying. If you wish to avoid the corn flour & all purpose flour, just skip the flours.
Pan fry the paneer in 1 tbsp oil until golden. Just prepare the manchurian sauce & add them.
We love the semi dry version of paneer manchurian so I have shared the same here. To make a gravy version just double the ingredients mentioned for sauce in the recipe.
For more Paneer recipes
Malai kofta
Paneer tikka
Paneer lababdar
Achari paneer
Paneer do pyaza
Preparation
1. Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying.
2. To a bowl add
¼ cup all-purpose flour (prefer organic flour)
3 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch or rice flour)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder. (I just used it for color).
3. Mix well. Pour water little by little and make a batter that is neither too thick nor too thin.
4. Add 200 grams paneer cubes.
5. Coat them well with the batter.
6. When the oil is hot, check if it is hot enough by dropping a small portion of batter to it. It should rise without browning. This is the correct temperature. Coat each paneer cube in batter and gently drop one after the other to the hot oil. You can drop them using a spoon or fingers.
7. Do not disturb for a few minutes. When they turn light golden, stir them and fry until golden and crisp. Remove them to a steel colander once done.
8. Add 1 teaspoon corn flour (corn starch) to a small bowl and mix it with 1/2 to 3/4 cup water. You can replace corn flour with arrowroot powder. Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture. Set this aside.
How to make paneer manchurian
9. Heat a pan or wok on high heat with 1 tbsp oil in it. Saute ½ to ¾ tbsp ginger and ½ to ¾ tbsp garlic for a minute.
10. Add ¼ cup chopped spring onions. Saute for a minute.
11. Add ¼ to ½ cup capsicum and saute for another 1 to 2 mins. Then pour 1½ tbsps soya sauce. I have used organic soya sauce. If using dark or light soya sauce you will have to adjust accordingly as per your preference.
12. Next add 2 tablespoons tomato sauce and 1 teaspoon sugar. You will have to skip or add more sugar depending on your sauce. Mine was slightly sweet and sour, so 1 tsp works out well.
13. Lower the heat. Stir the corn flour mixture with a spoon and pour it to the pan. Mix it well. Add more water if needed to bring it to a consistency.
14. Check the taste at this stage. Add little salt, ½ to ¾ teaspoon black pepper and ½ to ¾ teaspoon vinegar. You can skip vinegar if the mixture already has an hint of sourness. I used apple cider vinegar.
15. Cook the sauce stirring continuously until it thickens a bit. This will just take a minute or two. The sauce thickens further after cooling, so when it is slightly thick but still of pouring consistency, turn off the stove.
16. Let the sauce cool down a bit, then add fried paneer. Mix it well to coat the paneer with manchurian sauce.
Serve paneer manchurian hot and immediately after preparing.
Related Recipes
Paneer manchurian (restaurant style)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- 200 grams paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (maida) (prefer organic flour)
- 3 tbsps corn flour (corn starch or rice flour)
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp red chilli powder (optional) replace with pepper powder
- Water as needed to make batter
- Oil for frying
Making manchurian sauce
- 1 tbsp oil olive or sesame oil
- ½ to ¾ tbsp garlic minced
- ½ to ¾ tbsp ginger minced
- ¼ cup spring onion whites chopped
- ¼ to ½ cup capsicum chopped or bell pepper
- 1 tsp corn flour (corn starch or arrowroot powder)
- ½ cup water (you may need little more, use as needed)
- 1 ½ tbsps soya sauce (use naturally brewed or organic, I used kikkoman)
- 2 tbsps tomato sauce (I used homemade sauce)
- ¾ to 1 tsp sugar
- ½ to ¾ tsp black pepper
- ½ to ¾ tsp vinegar (use only if needed to give a mild tang)
- Salt as needed (use only if needed, I used about ¼ tsp)
- 2 tbsps Spring onion greens
Instructions
Preparation
- Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying paneer.
- While the oil heats, add corn flour, maida, salt and chilli powder to a bowl.
- Add water just enough to make a free flowing batter.
- The consistency must be moderately thick, not too thick or too runny.
- Dip the paneer cubes in the batter and deep fry in hot oil.
- Stir often and fry on a medium heat until golden and crisp.
- Drain them on a kichen tissue.
- Add 1 tsp corn flour to a bowl and add water.
- Mix and make a lump free slurry. Keep this aside.
How to make paneer manchurian
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wide pan. Regulate the flame to high.
- Add ginger garlic and saute for a min for the nice aroma to comes out.
- Next add spring onion whites and fry for a min or two.
- Add capsicum and saute for another minute.
- Pour soya sauce, tomato sauce and corn slurry.
- Make sure you stir the corn slurry once before pouring to the pan.
- Add more water if needed. Reduce the flame to medium and add sugar.
- Stir and check the taste of the sauce.
- Add black pepper, salt and vinegar if needed.
- Allow the sauce to turn thick. Turn off the flame.
- Add the fried paneer and spring onion greens.
- Toss the paneer in the sauce well to coat evenly.
- Serve paneer manchurian hot.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Bilkhis says
Fabulous recipe! Ready in no time, accurate instructions..easy to make!
Thanks a million for this!
swasthi says
Welcome!
M says
Can I bake paneer after marinating instead of frying?
swasthi says
If you make a batter it will drip off. Rinse the paneer and drain the water completely. Sprinkle flour, salt and mix. If it is too dry sprinkle some water. Grill these
Dr Sindhu says
Thank you dear …. For first time I tried making paneer Manchurian… It was amazing… My husband and kids loved it…
swasthi says
Hello Dr. Sindhu
You are most welcome! Glad to know your family loved it. Thank you so much!
Renny says
This is the only recepie which I got the actual Manchurian style thanks Swathi!!
swasthi says
You are welcome
Glad to know
Nim says
Tried this tonight. Turned out great!! One of the few husband approved dishes!🥳
swasthi says
Thanks Nim,
Glad your husband liked it.
🙂
Anita Haribabu says
Awesome awesome awesome!! Turned out super tasty!! Thank u for the recipe!!
swasthi says
Welcome Anita,
Glad to know it turned out tasty!
Neeru says
Awesome! Absolutely fantastic and delicious. I made your fried rice, paneer manchurian & gajar halwa for a potluck. All the foods were loved by everyone. My buddies wanted to know how I made such good paneer manchurian. I showed them your website. Thank you. Much Love & god bless
swasthi says
Hi Neeru,
Great! You are welcome. SO happy to know your foods turned out good. Thanks a lot for introducing my blog to your friends.
🙂
Tanu says
Whenever i made paneer manchurian …paneer get stuck in each other and after frying it become so difficult to remove them ….please guide me what ratio should I use for 250 grm paneer.
I add 250 gm panner and corn flour 1 tbsp.
And plz tell if corn flour is much in paneer how it will effect and if it is lesser then how it will effect??
swasthi says
Hi Tanu,
Please follow the recipe for best results. 1 tbsp corn flour is not enough for 250 grams of flour. That’s why they stuck to each other. Equal amounts of corn flour and plain flour may prevent it from sticking. Also if the oil is not hot enough they may get stuck to each other.
Kavya says
Ma’am your recipes are too good. It easy to make and food always tastes good. I love cooking with your recipe. Can you upload the recipe of dragon paneer?
swasthi says
Thanks Kavya
Dragon paneer is similar to schezwan paneer. You can check the recipe of schezwan paneer here
Mrs. Debjani Dutta says
Systematic and easy way of cooking
. 👌👌👌
swasthi says
Thank you so much
Rekha says
I followed the recipe and it came out tasting better than any restaurant I’ve ever eaten at.
I was a bit worried after adding soy sauce because it tasted really salty but after letting it cook it tasted PERFECT!
swasthi says
Hi Rekha
Thanks for trying. Happy to know you liked it.
🙂
Rida Fatima says
Can we add tomato puree instead of tomato sauce?
swasthi says
Hi Rida
Tomato pure doesn’t work here. You can use ketchup or chilli sauce. Any sauce can be used.
Ankitha says
I tried this and it was super awesome ? thank you ❤️
Dipesh Kataria says
Great recipe. I also switched 1tbsp of tamato sauce for 0.5-1 tbsp of keecap manis – it was fantastic!
swasthi says
Thanks for trying
Juhi says
Hi,
Love your blog for being Healthy and easy! Could you tell if the calories written at the bottom are per serving or of the total dish?
swasthi says
Hi Juhi
Thanks a lot. The calories are for the total dish.
bhavika says
amazing, you have made the whole procedure soo easy, that even a beginner the make it dish easily, thank you for making the complicated process soo simple
swasthi says
Welcome Bhavika,
Glad to know you liked it. Thanks
Vinits says
Mam if I want to make it for party what prior preparations can be done? Can paneer be fried and kept
swasthi says
Hi Vinita,
You can make the sauce ahead and keep. Fried paneer turns soft quickly. So fry them just before serving. If the sauce turns too thick then pour little water and heat up slightly then add the paneer.