Here’s another Indo-Chinese snack dish, which is a famous one from the streets of Mumbai, Maharashtra – the Chinese Pakoda. It can also be termed as Cabbage Manchurian. These are crisp fried and spiced vegetable fritters with flavors of the quintessential Schezwan sauce or chutney in them. These fusion pakoras are totally an invention of the ‘city of dreams,’ Mumbai and are super popular there as a scrumptious street food. This is an easy recipe with which you can make these yummy pakodas at home.
About Chinese Pakoda
Street side vendors selling bright red-colored pakodas or fritters, topped with shredded cabbage, with an equally deep red colored sauce or dip with it – this is a common sight in all of Mumbai. Well, now you know that these bhajiyas are nothing but the Chinese Pakoda that literally gets sold like hot pancakes in this part of Maharashtra. More so, because it is one of the inventions of the city of Mumbai.
These delicious fritters have got nothing to do with China. They are named Chinese pakoda as Chinese food with Indian flavors is popular in India and the sauces and spices that go into it are a fusion of both Indian and Chinese ingredients.
Chinese pakoda largely resemble Vegetable manchurian balls. Since cabbage is one of the main veggie used here, you can also call these as cabbage manchurian.
The only difference is that unlike Veg manchurian, no sauce is made which can coat the pakoras. They are served with schezwan sauce or at times schezwan sauce is drizzled on top of the pakodas.
To make Chinese pakora, generally only all purpose flour (maida) and some corn flour is used, but at home I add besan (gram flour) along with maida and corn flour.
Making Chinese pakoda or cabbage manchurian is very easy. all you need are some chopped vegetables. Make the batter and then fry the pakoras. Apart from cabbage, I have also added capsicum and carrots. But you can skip them and only add cabbage. In this case substitute the quantities of carrots and capsicum with cabbage.
For ease of chopping, you can use a food processor or a food chopper. Whenever I make Indo Chinese recipes where a lot of chopping is required, I use my kitchenaid chopper. Its makes the chopping easy and saves time too.
Serve Chinese pakoda hot or warm with schezwan sauce, Chili sauce (sweet or spicy) or tomato sauce. While serving garnish with some shredded cabbage or chopped spring onion greens or chopped coriander leaves.
How to make Chinese pakoda
1. Rinse, peel and then finely chop the veggies. You will need 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped cabbage, ⅓ cup finely chopped onions, ⅓ cup finely chopped capsicum and ¼ cup finely chopped carrots. Take the chopped veggies in a mixing bowl.
2. Add ½ tablespoon schezwan sauce or sriracha sauce, 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder. Also add salt as required.
For a very spicy taste you can add 1 tablespoon of schezwan sauce.
3. Next add ½ cup besan (gram flour), ¼ cup maida (all purpose flour) and 2 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch).
4. Mix very well without adding any water. The juices from the veggies will be enough to bind the pakoda mixture. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes the pakoda mixture will become slightly more moist.
Frying Chinese Pakoda
6. Heat oil in a kadai or pan. When the oil becomes hot, add a tiny portion of the Chinese pakoda batter and if it rises up steadily and gradually, the oil is hot enough.
8. Now with the help of your fingers or spoon, take small portions of the batter and gently drop them in the hot oil.
9. Add the number of pakodas as per the size of the kadai or pan. Do not overcrowd.
10. Fry the pakodas on medium flame.
11. When one side is lightly crisp and faint golden, turn over the pakoda.
12. Fry the second side till crisp and golden.
13. Turn over a couple of times for even frying.
14. Fry the pakoda till crisp and golden.
14. Remove with a slotted spoon draining as much oil as possible in the kadai itself.
15. Drain the fried Chinese pakoda on kitchen paper towels to absorb extra oil. Continue to fry the remaining batches of pakoda this way and regulate the heat of the oil as required.
16. Serve Chinese pakoda hot or warm. While serving garnish with some shredded cabbage or chopped coriander leaves or spring onion greens. Accompany schezwan sauce, chili sauce (sweet or spicy) or tomato ketchup with Chinese pakora.
If you are looking for more Mumbai street food recipes then do check:
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Chinese Pakoda | Cabbage Manchurian
Ingredients
- 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped cabbage or 160 grams cabbage
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onions or spring onions
- ⅓ cup finely chopped capsicum
- ¼ cup finely chopped carrots
- ½ tablespoon Schezwan Sauce or sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- salt as required
- ½ cup besan (gram flour)
- ¼ cup maida (all purpose flour)
- 2 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch)
- oil as required for deep frying
- shredded cabbage or chopped coriander leaves or spring onion greens as garnish
Instructions
making chinese pakoda mixture
- Rinse, peel and then finely chop the veggies. You will need 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped cabbage, ⅓ cup finely chopped onions, ⅓ cup finely chopped capsicum, ¼ cup finely chopped carrots.
- Take the chopped veggies in a mixing bowl.
- Add schezwan sauce or sriracha sauce, finely chopped ginger, kashmiri red chilli powder and black pepper powder. Also add salt as required.
- Next add besan, maida (all purpose flour) and corn flour (corn starch).
- Mix very well without adding any water. The juices from the veggies will be enough to bind the pakoda mixture. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes the pakoda mixture will become slightly more moist.
frying chinese pakoda
- Heat oil in a kadai or pan.
- Add a tiny portion of the pakoda batter and if it rises up steadily and gradually, the oil is hot enough.
- Now with the help of your fingers or spoon, take small portions of the batter and gently drop them in the hot oil.
- Add the number of pakodas as per the size of the kadai or pan. Do not overcrowd.
- Fry the pakodas on medium flame.
- When one side is lightly crisp and faint golden, turn over the pakoda.
- Fry the second side till crisp and golden. Turn over a couple of times for even frying.
- Fry the chinese pakoda till crisp and golden.
- Remove with a slotted spoon. drain the fried chinese pakoda on kitchen paper towels. Continue to fry the remaining batches of pakodas this way.
- Serve chinese pakoda hot or warm. While serving garnish with some shredded cabbage or chopped coriander leaves or spring onion greens. Accompany schezwan sauce, chili sauce (sweet or spicy) or tomato ketchup with chinese pakora.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Chinese Pakoda post from the archives first published in December 2017 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
