Over the holidays, I experimented with lots of dishes using various ingredients and vegetables. One of the pending tasks on my list was to use the recipes that my mom had left for me when she visitited us 2 years ago. There were quite a few recipes as she used to teach cooking classes in India. As I was going through them, I realized the measurements and instructions were very confusing. Also, what made it more complicated was the measurements were in metric. But it is not the metric system that confused me (since metric units are much simpler) but the directions and quantities used. I had to make quite a few adjustments to the recipe in order for it to come out tasting the way it is supposed to taste. Even after that I messed up quite a few dishes. One of the ones that I messed up was a dish that used Tapioca.
One of the steps in cooking Tapioca is to soak in just enough water for a few hours so it expands. I even called my mom to confirm the directions. Even after that, when all was said and done, the dish came out looking like a sticky, gluey mess. I tasted it and it did taste good as far as the spices were concerned but did not look anything like how it should be. This is one ingredient and recipe that is still confounding me. I cooked it twice with a few variations and it still came out a gooey mess. Agggghhhh. Well, if any one of you readers have any tips in how to soak Tapioca so it does not come out sticky, please leave me a comment. Having said that, I am going to try it again and not repeat my previous mistakes and see if it comes out.
Moving on to the cutlet recipe, I believe, this is another dish that originated from the street vendors in India. It is very easy to make and tastes really good with either ketchup or tamarind chutney. I will post the Tamarind chutney recipe soon. It is a quick and easy dish too.
Spicy Vegetable Cutlet
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed, boiled and mashed
1/2 cup green beans, cut in 1/2 inch pieces, blanched
1/2 cup green peas, blanched
2 carrots, grated
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 serrano green chilies, finely chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
juice of half lemon
*NOTE: Make sure to use the Indian coriander powder that tastes very different from the non-Indian ones. You can either order it online (the link is provided above) or buy it from an Indian store.
Directions:
Heat the oil in a pan on medium-heat. Add the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds are slightly browned, add the onions and fry them till they are translucent, 2-3 minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix the mashed potatoes, blanched beans and peas, grated carrots, fried onions, chopped green chilies, cilantro and bread crumbs. Add coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and juice of half a lemon. Mix well either with your hands or a spoon. I prefer to mix with my hands to make sure it is mixed well.
Taste and adjust for salt. Divide the mixture into 8 – 10 portions and form balls and then form patties by flattening them in the shape of a burger on your hand.
Heat a non-stick pan and fry 4-5 patties in a tablespoon of oil. Brown them on both sides. Eat them with either tomato ketchup or tamarind chutney.
Enough for 4 people
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This looks really tasty! Can’t wait to try it… And yes, we need a tamarind chutney recipe to go with it. Until then, is there a brand of chutney you prefer to buy?
Hi. Wish you a very happy new year. The cutlet looks good and I would not mind this with some bread and butter. I have never cooked tapioca so far and have no clue to that, in case I find something will surely let u know, till then keep cooking…
I love the fact that this is not deep fried. so much gulit free
Hi Pari, wishing you a happy new year as well. Thanks for the compliment and yes, the cutlet should go well with bread and butter too.
Hi Karen, I usually never use store bought chutneys and hence I do not know what to recommend to you. Until I post the recipe for Tamarind Chutney, here is the recipe: Boil 1 cup water and shut off the stove. Add a few scoops of the tamarind pulp to 1/2 cup of hot water. After 10 minutes or so, filter out with a sieve. Resoak the same tamarind in another batch of hot water (1/2 cup) and sieve again. Then add some jaggery (or dark brown sugar) and adjust for sweetness and then roast a teaspoon of cumin seeds, cool and grind. Add some salt to taste. Add it to the tamarind. Enjoy!
Hi Deesha, Yes, I did not want to deep fry since it would just soak up the oil. And after all the food we have eaten over the holidays, nice not to add more fat to our diets!
These look good. Will have to try them. I also really like the fact that they are not deep fried
Diane, It is a easy recipe that is not only healthy, tasty but also quick. Make sure to buy the Indian coriander powder. I have tried other and it tastes very different. I am going to research and see why that would be the case.
Cutlets look delicious!!
I have the darnedest time with tapioca too (am guessing you mean the pearls or sabudana?). My friend swears that this works – wash the tapioca pearls, then soak in just enough water to cover them all. Soak for 5-6 hours or overnight. Then drain thoroughly. Apparently, roasted and coarsely ground nuts are used in khichdi to keep them from getting mushy. Also, the smaller variety works better than the larger pearls.
I have to confess though that this still did not work for me. Maybe I used the larger pearls. Hope you have better luck
I’m eating these at this very moment. They are excellent. I didn’t buy any special coriander for them. I just used what I normally get from World Market/Cost Plus and it seemed to work for me
Hi Shaida
Finally you got to try the recipe and you had all the ingredients for it. That’s fantastic
Hi Vani
I have the hardest time with Tapioca recipes, no matter which recipe I make. This last weekend I tried to make tapioca croquettes and they were a disaster again. I guess Tapioca and I do not get along.
Sanjay