Ingredient Ideology | Crush On Cutlets By: Dr. Kaviraj Khialani- Celebrity Master Chef.

Crush On Cutlets

Cutlets are a concept that has seen a number of changes and adaptations as it came along and shook hands with our cuisine and cooking style from the west and various parts of the world during its culinary voyage. It is a concept that deals with ingredients with a complimenting nature coupled with a perfect pinch of spice and flavors, a dash of creativity, and a good addition of love and passion while making them.

They are a good option to plan for getting together, occasions, home celebrations, birthdays, etc. not only are they easy to plan and assemble but also great to work on pre-preparation and keep ready ahead of time, and are convenient and comfortable to handle and dish out. 

Cutlets are great being enjoyed for a Sunday brunch as well, from the vegetarian options of mixed veggies to soy keema or granules, from spinach and cottage cheese cutlets to prawn masala pepper cutlets, chicken Manchurian cutlets, sweet potato and kidney bean cutlets, desi fish and macaroni cutlets, Mexican corn and jalapeno pepper cutlets, indo- Italian chili cheese pasta cutlets and the creative list can go on and on.

A few points to keep in mind when we do cutlets are that the ingredients should be picked fresh, should go along well for their taste and nature, must be cooked well where needed and in case of non-veg special care is to be taken when it comes to using mince-meat or keema, even with fish, prawns and assorted seafood we need to be sure of the proper cooking time and serving temperatures to avoid contamination and other health-related issues.

Binding agents play a significant role when it comes to cutlet making process, we usually use mashed potatoes, cornflour, maida, arrow-root, bread crumbs, and thick white sauce called panada. We also have various other options as well like using boiled grated sweet potatoes, oats flour, soy flour, multi-grain mix, vegan options like almond meal flour, etc which can also be used to make quality cutlets.

Here are a few easy to make Recipes for Cutlets:

Recipe-1] Spiced Chickpea & Sweet Potato Cutlets

Ingredients:

Oil-2 tsp + as needed for frying

Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

Ginger-garlic-chili paste- 1 tsp mix

Onion-1/2 chopped

Boiled mashed chickpeas-1/2 cup

Boiled peeled, grated sweet potato-1 cup

Salt and pepper powder to taste

Chaat masala-1/2 tsp

Red chili powder-1/2 tsp

Coriander and mint leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped mix

Chopped cashews/raisins-2 tsp.

Bread crumbs/maida/corn flour- as needed for binding and coating.

To serve with: chutney/ketchup/dips and sauces.

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the cutlet recipe.

2. In a mixing bowl combine the boiled mashed chickpeas with the grated sweet potato and add in salt, pepper, all the powdered spices, chopped nuts, coriander, and mint, little oil and mix it well.

3. Add in a little maida/bread crumbs as needed for binding texture to shape into cutlets and divide the mixture into 12-15 small portions.

4. Shape them into small cutlets and coat with little dry cornflour/maida or coat with a batter of maida and water and then with bread crumbs and deep fry in medium hot oil, remove on a kitchen paper drain excess oil and serve hot.

Recipe-2] Soya Mattar Aloo Cutlets

Ingredients:

Oil- 2 tsp + as needed for frying

Ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp

Green chilies-1 tsp chopped

Onion-1/2 chopped

Soya granules-1/2 cup

Boiled green peas-1/2 cup

Green capsicum-1/2 chopped

Boiled, peeled, grated potatoes- 2 cups

Salt and pepper to taste

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

Chat masala-1/2 tsp

Red chili powder-1/2 tsp

Maida/corn flour/ bread crumbs as needed

Grated cheese-2 tbsp.

To serve with:

Sauce/ chutneys/ ketchup/ dips.

Method:

1. Prepare the boiled mashed potatoes and add salt, pepper, coriander leaves, mint leaves, some bread crumbs and corn flour into it and prepare a firm dough like texture and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan add in the onions, ginger-garlic, chilies and saute for a couple of mins, add in the drained soya granules which have been soaked in 2 cups water for 20 mins and also add in salt, pepper, peas, capsicums and all powdered masalas and saute well.

3. Cook the soya mattar mixture for 10-12 mins until well cooked and dry and turn off the flame add in the grated cheese and mix well.

4. Apply oil on the hands and divide the potato mixture into 8-10 equal portions flatten each portion on the hand and place 1 tsp filling of the soya mattar in the center and close it.

5. Chill the prepared cutlets for 20 mins, dip them in maida water thick batter and coat with dry bread crumbs and fry to a golden brown color on a medium flame, remove, drain off the excess oil and serve hot with dips and sauces.

Recipe-3] Corn Capsicum Cheese Cutlets

Ingredients:

Oil-for frying as needed

Sweet corn-1/2 cup boiled and crushed

Capsicum-1/2 no finely chopped

Boiled mashed potato-1/2 cup

Grated paneer-2 tbsp.

Salt and pepper to taste

Chaat masala -1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

Chili flakes-1/2 tsp

Mixed herbs-1/2 tsp

Grated cheese- 2 tbsp.

Coriander/mint/parsley-2 tbsp. chopped.

Maida/ corn flour/ bread crumbs- as needed for binding and coating.

To serve with: dips/ sauces/ chutneys etc.

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the corn –cheese- capsicum cutlets.

2. In a mixing bowl combine together the boiled crushed corn, potatoes, capsicums, paneer, cheese and all the seasonings, herbs, chili flakes, and spices and give it all a nice mix.

3. Add in a little coriander/parsley etc and a binding agent like maida/ corn flour/ bread crumbs and mix well to help in shaping the cutlets.

4. Apply oil on the hands and divide the mixture into 10-12 equal portions and shape each into a round cutlet, dip in maida batter and coat with bread crumbs and fry until golden browned in medium hot oil.

5. Remove onto a kitchen paper and serve hot with assorted dips and sauces.

Recipe-4] Lentil Pulse Cutlets

Ingredients

Oil- for frying as needed

Yellow/green lentils/dals as desired-1/2 cup boiled.

Black eyed peas/beans or chauli-1/2 cup boiled and mashed

Ginger paste-1 tsp

Green chilies chopped-1 tsp

Salt to taste

Boiled mashed potato- 1 cup

Maida/corn flour/ bread crumbs- as needed for binding/coating.

Amchur powder-1/2 tsp

Red chili powder-1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

Coriander /mint leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped

Roasted crushed/powdered peanuts- 2 tbsp.

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients the lentil pulse cutlets.

2. In a mixing bowl combine together the boiled and mashed lentils and pulses, add in salt and all the masalas, and mix.

3. Add in the boiled mashed potato, peanuts, cornflour and little bread crumbs and get it all binding together.

4. Divide the cutlet mixture into 10-12 equal portions and shape each cutlet and chill for 20 mins.

5. Coat with cornflour/ dip in batter and coat with bread crumbs and shallow/ deep fry to a nice golden color remove excel oil on a kitchen paper and serve hot with assorted dips/ chutneys/ sauces.

Recipe-5] Hariyali Subzi Cutlets

Ingredients:

Oil- for frying as needed

Spinach blanched and chopped-1/2 cup

Boiled mashed potato-1 cup

Grated paneer-1/4 cup

Kasuri methi-1/2 tsp

Grated cheese-2 tbsp.

Salt and pepper to taste

Mixed herbs-1/2 tsp

Chili flakes-1/2 tsp

Oil-2 tbsp for cooking

Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

Ginger-garlic-chili paste-1 tsp mix

Chaat masala-1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

Coriander and mint leaves-2 tbsp. chopped

Maida/corn flour/ bread crumbs- as needed for binding/coating.

To serve with assorted dips/ chutneys/ sauces.

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the cutlets and keep them ready.

2. Heat oil in a pan add ginger garlic chili paste, cumin seeds, spinach, paneer, and potato, and mix it all well.

3. Add in salt, pepper all powdered spices, methi, herbs, chili flakes and cook for 3-4 mins on a medium flame.

4. Add in the coriander and mint leaves and mix well, remove from flame add in cheese, the bread crumbs/ corn flour as needed for binding the cutlets.

5. Divide the mixture into 10-12 equal portions for medium sized cutlets shape them well and coat with little dry corn flour and fry on a non-stick tava with little oil as well until a nice golden color is achieved.

6. Remove onto a kitchen paper drain excess oil and serve hot with assorted chutneys/sauces/dips.