Vegetable balls with manong sauce

Growing up in the Philippines means being familiar with the wide and colorful variety of street food offerings. Most of them like this recipe that I’m about to show you. They are round in shape and fried to perfection. I love the crunchy, juicy flavor of Veggie Balls with Manong Sauce because the…

Growing up in the Philippines means being familiar with the wide and colorful variety of street food offerings. Most of them like this recipe that I’m about to show you. They are round in shape and fried to perfection. I love the crunchy, juicy taste of veggie balls with manong sauce because the latter brings just the right amount of flavor and a little sweetness to the dish.

You may already be familiar with the classic fish balls and squid balls. But this particular recipe fits perfectly with the Pinoy vegan diet, as it uses — you guessed it — veggies to create this salty, spherical treat. And as a result, it has a unique, delicious taste that can also feel quite meaty. Before we start cooking, you might want to take a look at other Filipino street foods to cook up the perfect merienda feast alongside your veggie balls!

More street food recipes

Kwek-Kwek

Kwek-Kwek is another dish that goes perfectly with our Manong sauce. It’s a crowd favorite because it really brings out the rich, hearty flavor of eggs. We brush the simply boiled egg with an orange batter that becomes irresistibly crunchy after frying. Many also like to enjoy it with the exciting acidity of a vinegar dip, but it can also be enjoyed as a solo dish.

Carioca

Speaking of spherical merienda treats, do you fancy something sweet and yummy instead? Carioca is made from grated coconut and sweet rice flour, which gives it its distinctive flavor. Because of its popularity, carioca is easily found in food establishments in the Philippines. But this also gives you a great feeling of home when you are abroad and want to cook up some homemade Pinoy treats.

Sardine Fishballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce

If you’re more of the adventurous cook, you might appreciate fishballs, but with a little twist. This Sardine Fishballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe combines the simple goodness of fishballs with the rich, salty flavor of sardines in tomato sauce. It also has a nice crunch thanks to our breadcrumbs.

Are you ready to fry up some veggie balls and make some delicious manong sauce?

How to Cook Vegetable Balls with Manong Sauce

Making the Manong sauce

1. Combine ingredients

The first step is to boil 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Add 1 star anise, 8 tablespoons brown sugar, 1¼ tablespoons Knorr Liquid Seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 3 chopped Thai chillies, and 1 teaspoon onion powder.

2. Let the mixture simmer

Now that all of our ingredients are in the pot, we can just stir everything together until well combined. Then just simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Achieving the perfect sauce consistency

Mix 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with ¼ cup of water in a clean container. Once you are done stirring, pour the mixture into your saucepan. Allow the manong sauce to simmer, stirring constantly. You’ll know you’re done when it gets nice and thick. Then simply pour the mixture into a sauce bottle of your choice and wait for it to cool.

Cook the vegetable balls

1. Preparation of the vegetable balls

In a bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour and 3 ½ tablespoons cornstarch. Mix these thoroughly. Pour in 1 ¼ cups of water while stirring. Then mix in the vegetables. That would be 1 grated carrot, 1 bunch chopped green onions, ¾ cup shredded kalabasa, and ¾ cup frozen green peas. Mix all of this together well.

2. Season the vegetable balls

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of Knorr Liquid Seasoning on top for even more flavor. Mix your components until they are well incorporated.

3. Fry the vegetable balls

Pour 2 cups cooking oil into a deep saucepan. But most importantly, we need to shape the mixture we made earlier into small balls that fit perfectly on a stick. Then add each of your raw veggie balls to the pot once the oil is hot. Let each piece fry nicely until it floats and the outer part is golden brown.

4. Prepare the dish

Once you’re done cooking, all you have to do is remove the veggie balls from the pot. Arrange them nicely on bamboo sticks. Then serve them with your delicious manong sauce for dipping or topping the veggie balls.

Did you enjoy making these Vegetable Balls with Manong Sauce? I’d love to hear how your own attempt at this recipe went! Leave your questions and feedback below so I can respond.