This Eggplant and Paneer Manchurian is a real treat for the senses! It smells so good and tastes so delicious. It is a bit rich in taste as the eggplant and paneer are both fried in oil, so definitely an occasional treat, not an everyday meal!
I have heard of and tasted cauliflower, mushroom, and chicken Manchurian, but I have not seen or heard of Manchurian made from eggplant. So, I was curious to see how this would turn out.
Usually in this dish, the vegetable is deep-fried in a batter and then added to the sauce. I wanted to try it without deep-frying the eggplant, but the eggplant absorbed so much oil that it was as good as deep frying it! I think the next time I make it, my trusty air fryer will be used! If you would like to use less oil, I suggest air frying or baking the eggplant.
In the end, I was happy with how it turned out, it tasted so delicious, what a great and different way to use up an eggplant!
What are the Ingredients for Eggplant and Paneer Manchurian?
Eggplant
Paneer
Spring Onions (Scallions )
Garlic
Ginger
Green chilies
Cilantro
For the sauce:
Soya sauce
Sriracha
Tomato Ketchup
Vinegar
Oil
How do you make this dish?
Cut the eggplant into slices, ( I soaked the eggplant in salt water for about 15 minutes to remove the bitterness, after that I washed the eggplant slices and dried them with a kitchen towel)
Next, cut each one into 4 quarters. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the eggplant quarters till golden brown, the eggplant does soak up a lot of oil. I drizzled a little bit more now and then.
I think the next time I will use my air fryer or roast the eggplant in the oven just to reduce the amount of oil used. You can try this if you want to make it less oily.
After the eggplant is fried, keep them aside.
Pan-fry the paneer with a little bit of salt and pepper. (Once fried, put them in hot water until ready to use, this keeps them soft)
Chop your scallions, ginger, garlic, and green chilies.
Heat up a pan with some oil, when hot add in all the chopped ingredients. Stirring quickly so they do not burn. Add the sauce mixture. Mix it all well and add in the eggplant and paneer.
Let the sauce coat the eggplant and paneer well.
Last, add the green parts of the scallions and cilantro. Mix it all up and your delicious Manchurian is ready!
Eat with Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Rice, Quick Chicken and Egg Noodles, roti, or paratha.
Eggplant and Paneer Manchurian
Ingredients
- 1 Eggplant
- 10 cubes Paneer
- 3 Scallions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 inches ginger
- 2 green chilies
- Oil as required
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup Soya sauce
- 1 tbsp Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sriracha sauce
- 3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
Instructions
- Cut eggplant into slices and then into quarters, sprinkle salt on them, and let them sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. This brings out the bitterness in them.
- After 10 minutes wash the eggplant slices and dry them with a kitchen towel.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the slices till golden brown on both sides. You can also use an air fryer or oven to use less oil.
- Pan-fry the paneer cubes till golden brown (sprinkle with salt and pepper), and keep them in hot water. This makes it remain soft.
- Chop the spring onions, ginger, garlic, green chilies, and cilantro.
- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and keep the sauce aside until needed.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan on medium-high heat, when the oil is hot, add the chopped ingredients except for cilantro and scallion greens.
- Add the sauce and mix well. Immediately add the fried eggplant and paneer(drained). (The paneer can be seasoned with some salt and pepper at this point)
- Mix well so the sauce coats the eggplant and paneer well. Check for salt, and add if needed. Lastly, garnish with scallion greens and cilantro.
NOTES:
- The eggplant and paneer can be air fried or baked to reduce the amount of oil that goes into this dish.
- This dish is spicy, to reduce the spice level, add fewer green chiles and less Sriracha sauce.
- I do not mention salt in the ingredient list as the soya sauce is salty, but you can taste it and add salt in the end if required.
- You can use chopped onion instead of scallions but using scallions is preferred.
Do try out this different way of cooking eggplant. Let me know your feedback if you try it out by commenting below.
Thank you for visiting my little blog! I appreciate you being here!
You might also be interested in these other simple and delicious vegetarian recipes:
Fried Masala Mushrooms – Deep-fried Vs Air-Fried!
Mixed Vegetable and Paneer Curry
Image by Marta Kulesza from Pixabay