Vegetable Chop (Vegetable Cutlet – Bengali Style)

Vegetable cutlet or most popularly known as vegetable chop is an instant hit among all bongs especially during the winters. Vegetable cutlets usually contain all type of boiled vegetables however; this version contains Beetroot as the mail ingredient along with potato, carrot & green peas. The veggies are grated and mixed with local spices and then deep fried.

My memory of Vegetable chops goes back to mid-90s. Those years, the winters used to be really cold in Kolkata. I remember, each time we used to go for a picnic or a long drive, these Chops (cutlets) were always prepared by my Dad. He was an ace in preparing them. Thinking of those crispy yet fresh cutlets still makes me salivate. The juicy cutlets are not only enjoyed in winters but are now a popular snack in Kolkata round the year.

In Mumbai, one would either not get these Cutlets at all or will have to shell out good amount of money to buy a plate of these and still not get the original flavor. In turn I decided to make them at home and believe me, they were an instant hit in the family. So here I share the recipe with you.

Ingredients

1 medium sized Potato

2 small carrots

1 medium Beetroot

Fresh Green peas

3 Green chilies, fine chopped

Dry roasted spices (Bhaja Moshla): 1tsp each of Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, 3-4 cloves, 1-2 cinnamon sticks and 2 red chilies.

Finely chopped coconut

Peanuts

Bread crumbs

Cracker biscuits - Powdered

Salt

Sugar

Oil for deep frying

Method

• Peel the skins of Potato, carrots and Beetroot. Now grate each of them and keep aside.

• In a pan, dry roast the following: Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon and dry red chillies. Coarsely grind them and keep aside.
• Add 1 tsp of oil in a pan and fry the peanuts. Now add the finely chopped coconut and fry well. Keep this aside.
• To the same pan, add 2 tsp of oil and then add the grated potato, carrots, beetroot, green peas and fine chopped green chillies. Mix well. Add salt and sugar (as per taste) and stir well till the veggies are half done. Now add the dry roasted spices and mix well. Simultaneously add the fried coconut and peanuts. Cook till the veggies are done.

• Allow the mixture to cool down. Now take small portions from this mixture and give them an oval shape or a shape of your choice. You can also add some Maida (all-purpose flour) or corn flour as a binding agent.
• In a plate, mix the breadcrumbs and powdered biscuits together.
• Take each of the oval shaped cutlets, coat them well with the breadcrumb mixture and refrigerate them for an hour.

• In a wok, heat oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the cutlets till the outer coat is crispy and golden.

Server the cutlets with onion rings and tomato sauce.