A flavorful Asian inspired side; this Baby Corn and Mushroom Manchurian is delicious and easy to make.
Two step process to get perfectly crispy vegetables in the air fryer and dunked in a garlic-y sauce flavored with soy sauce. You HAVE to try this to believe how easy it is!
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Indo-Chinese recipes make an appearance on our dinner menu VERY often. From noodles and rice to sides, they are all there. Manchurian is a dish that Indians made up and it has been SUPER popular since.
This baby corn and mushroom manchurian has emerged as a favorite in our house. We love mushroom and baby corn and they go perfect in this recipe. If you are an Indo-Chinese lover like us, you MUST try this baby corn and mushroom manchurian for sure!
What is Baby Corn and Mushroom Manchurian?
Manchurian is an Asian inspired Indian dish that can be enjoyed as an appetizer or side. It is served as a dry version for appetizer with drinks or with gravy with rice or noodles. Read more about Manchurian here.
It is generally made by deep frying dumplings made from protein, veggies etc and dunking them in a sauce that is flavored using soy sauce.
This recipe uses baby corn and mushroom for the dumplings and they are air fried instead of deep frying.
This Manchurian recipe
I have seen and tried MANY manchurian and chili recipes over the years. From the traditional mixed vegetable manchurian to soy based and vegetable based.
From all the recipes, this one tops the list of favorites for so many reasons. This recipe
- is naturally Vegan and can easily be made gluten-free
- can be served as an appetizer or a side for noodles or rice
- is air-fried instead of deep-fried
The recipe comes together pretty quickly. The mushroom and baby corn are air fried in about 10 minutes and the sauce is ready in 5 minutes. The entire dish is ready in under 30 minutes!
Using the Air Fryer to make the recipe
Traditionally manchurian is made with fried dumplings or fritters. An easier way to make them with far less oil is to use the air fryer.
While all vegetables will not turn out great in the air-fryer, baby corn, mushroom, cauliflower and cabbage do stay well. Plus, if you are using paneer or tofu, they are great in the air fryer.
I like to air fry the vegetables or dumplings just before adding to the sauce. That way they are still crisp and taste great.
Plus, a generous coating of corn flour helps crisp them perfectly in the air fryer.
The same recipe can be used for deep frying too. Just deep fry the baby corn and mushrooms and continue with the rest of the recipe as is.
Ingredients
This Manchurian recipe uses a handful of Asian cooking essentials. Here is what you need
Baby corn: Canned or fresh baby corn work here. I have used almost the entire can of cut baby corn. If you can find fresh baby corn, that is great too.
Mushroom: White or brown mushrooms are perfect for the recipe. Pick the ones that are more or less the same size. If you cannot find that, cut the bigger ones in half and leave the small ones as is.
Aromatics: Ginger, garlic and green chili are used here. If you want the dish to be mild spicy, skip the green chili. Garlic tastes great but can be skipped if you like. Green onions are used to garnish.
Peppers: I used a mix of red, yellow and green peppers. Use which ever you like the best.
Sauces: Dark soy sauce is needed for the perfect color in the recipe. Chili sauce and Vinegar are needed as in most Asian dishes.
Corn Starch: The ingredient needed to thicken the sauce, corn starch works best here. Corn flour, tapioca flour, potato starch etc might work but I have not tried any of those.
Sesame Oil: I have made the recipe using toasted sesame oil. Any oil will work but the flavor using sesame oil is great.
Video Recipe
How to make Baby Corn Mushroom Manchurian
1- Wash and dry mushrooms. Snip off the stems that are hard. Drain the baby corn (if using canned) and dry on paper towels.
2- Transfer to a bowl and add soy sauce, chili sauce, salt, pepper and sesame seeds. Mix well.
3- Add corn starch and coat the baby corn and mushrooms well.
4- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 3-4 minutes. Arrange the baby corn and mushrooms in a single layer and air fry for 8 minutes, flipping once in between.
5- Once the mushroom and baby corn are cooked and the coating does not look raw, remove and set aside.
6- In a bowl mix together corn starch, soy sauce and vinegar. Add water and make a homogenous mixture. Set aside.
7- Heat oil in a pan. Once hot, add the peppers and sauté for a couple of minutes.
8- Add the minced garlic and green chili. Cook till the raw flavor of garlic vanishes and it becomes slightly crisp.
9- Add the prepared sauce and let it thicken on medium flame. Keep stirring to avoid lumps.
10- Once the sauce is glossy and thickens, add the air fried baby corn and mushrooms. Mix well.
11- Cook till everything is coated well.
12- Top with green onions and serve immediately with some noodles or rice on the side.
Other Indo-Chinese recipes to try
If you are an Indian style Asian food lover, then apart from this Air Fryer baby corn and mushroom manchurian you must try these:
- Baked Tofu Bowl with Carrot Noodles
- Crispy Thread Paneer
- Gobi Manchurian
- Non-Fried Vegetable Manchurian
- Pan Fried Vegetable Dumplings
Tips and Notes
- Cut the vegetables of similar size. If required, keep the smaller mushrooms whole and cut the bigger ones.
- Coat the baby corn and mushrooms generously with corn starch to ensure crisp and non-soggy manchurian.
- Air fry in batches if required. Do not overcrowd the air fryer to ensure the baby corn and mushroom do not stick.
- Cook the sauce till it is glossy. That means the corn starch is cooked well.
- The entire process takes less than 30 minutes. Keep everything prepped before hand.
Recipe Card 
Air Fryer Baby Corn Mushroom Manchurian
Ingredients
Instructions
Yield: 3
Air Fryer Baby Corn Mushroom Manchurian
A flavorful Asian inspired side; this Baby Corn and Mushroom Manchurian is delicious and easy to make.
Crispy vegetables in the air fryer and dunked in a garlic-y sauce flavored with soy sauce.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min
Ingredients
- Baby corn 1 can (15 oz)
- White Mushroom 3 cups
- Corn starch 2 tbsp
- Dark Soy Sauce 1 tbsp
- Red Chili Sauce ½ tsp
- Salt 1 tsp
- Pepper Powder ¾ tsp
- Sesame seeds 1 tsp
For the sauce
- Colored Peppers 1 cups
- Ginger 1 inch piece, grated
- Garlic 7-8 cloves, minced
- Green Chili 2-3
- Corn starch2 tbsp
- Dark Soy Sauce 1 tbsp
- Vinegar 1 tsp
- Red Chili Sauce ½ tsp
- Sesame oil 1 ½ tsp
- Green Onion to top
Instructions
- Wash and dry mushrooms. Snip off the stems that are hard. Drain the baby corn (if using canned) and dry on paper towels.
- Transfer to a bowl and add soy sauce, chili sauce, salt, pepper and sesame seeds. Mix well.
- Add corn starch and coat the baby corn and mushrooms well.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 3-4 minutes. Arrange the baby corn and mushrooms in a single layer and air fry for 8 minutes, flipping once in between.
- Once the mushroom and baby corn are cooked and the coating does not look raw, remove and set aside.
- In a bowl mix together corn starch, soy sauce and vinegar. Add ½ cup water and make a homogenous mixture. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. Once hot, add the peppers and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and green chili. Cook till the raw flavor of garlic vanishes and it becomes slightly crisp.
- Add the prepared sauce and let it thicken on medium flame. Keep stirring to avoid lumps.
- Once the sauce is glossy and thickens, add the air fried baby corn and mushrooms. Mix well.
- Cook till everything is coated well.
- Top with green onions and serve immediately with some noodles or rice on the side.
Notes:
- Cut the vegetables of similar size. If required, keep the smaller mushrooms whole and cut the bigger ones.
- Coat the baby corn and mushrooms generously with corn starch to ensure crisp and non-soggy manchurian.
- Air fry in batches if required. Do not overcrowd the air fryer to ensure the baby corn and mushroom do not stick.
- Cook the sauce till it is glossy. That means the corn starch is cooked well.
- The entire process takes less than 30 minutes. Keep everything prepped before hand.
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