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India, Asia · Idli with Coconut Chutney

Idli Manchurian

An Indo-Chinese street favourite: crisp pan-fried idli cubes tossed in a glossy soy, garlic and chili sauce with onion and peppers.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time24 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsUse idli made with the Basic recipe. Idli chilled overnight are firmer, so they cut cleanly and fry up crispier.

Method

  1. Cut each idli into 4 to 6 cubes of about 2.5 cm. Mix the cornflour, flour, chili powder and salt in a bowl, add the idli and toss gently until every side has a thin, even coating. Shake off any excess.

    Add in this stepIdli (chilled overnight) 6Cornflour (for coating) 3 tbspPlain flour 1 tbspKashmiri chili powder (or paprika) ½ tspSalt 1 pinch

  2. Heat the frying oil in a wide pan (26 cm) over medium-high heat, spread the cubes out in a single layer and fry, turning them, until golden on all sides. This amount is fried in 1 batch(es) and takes in total. When they sound crisp when tapped, lift them onto kitchen paper.

    Add in this stepCooking oil (for frying) 3 tbsp

    medium-high heat

  3. Wipe out the pan, heat the sauce oil in a 26 cm pan or wok over high heat and stir-fry the garlic, ginger and green chili for . When fragrant, add the onion and pepper and stir-fry for , so they are glossy outside and still crunchy inside.

    Add in this stepCooking oil (for the sauce) 1 tbspGarlic cloves (minced) 3Fresh ginger (minced) 8 gGreen chili (sliced) 1Onion (2 cm squares) ½Green pepper (2 cm squares) ½

    high heat

  4. Add the soy sauce, ketchup, chili sauce, vinegar, sugar, pepper and water and boil over medium-high heat for . Stir the thickening cornflour into 2 tablespoons of extra water, pour it in while stirring and cook for more, until the sauce turns glossy and coats a spoon.

    Add in this stepSoy sauce 2 tbspTomato ketchup 1½ tbspChili sauce (sriracha-style) 2 tspRice vinegar 1 tspSugar ½ tspBlack pepper 1 pinchWater 100 mlCornflour (for thickening) 1½ tsp

    medium-high heat

  5. Add the fried idli and half the spring onions and toss over high heat for just . Any longer and they go soggy, so as soon as everything is coated, plate it up and scatter over the rest of the spring onions.

    Add in this stepSpring onions (sliced) 1½

    high heat

Cook's tip

Freshly steamed idli fall apart, so use ones that have cooled and been chilled for at least 2 hours. For a saucier gravy version to eat with rice, use 1.5 times the water and a little more cornflour. Adjust the heat with the green chili and chili sauce.

Cooking it at camp

Steam and cube the idli at home and carry them in the cool box; mix the sauce seasonings in one jar. One burner and a wide pan are enough to fry and toss, but wind weakens the flame, so set up a windshield and allow a little more frying time.