Vegetable Cutlet

Vegetable Cutlet - favourite evening snack for many of us. There was a time we had this vegetable cutlets whenever we visit our Rema aunt's house. She is an expert in preparing this vegetable cutlets and many kid's friendly dishes. Her native place is Nagercoil, so all of her dishes taste good with a touch of Kerala cuisine. Soon I will post many of her traditional dishes in my blog. It was  a long time interest for me to prepare perfect vegetable cutlets like my aunt's cutlets. She taught me to prepare perfect vegetable cutlets with important techniques. Preparing these types of appetizers will take around an hour or more to spend in your kitchen. But once in a month you can spend time for these kind of snacks for your kids so that they can enjoy restaurant style snacks in our home itself. Before proceeding with the recipe we will see some important tips and techniques.

Important tips for perfect Vegetable Cutlets

1. Try to use medium or small potatoes for cutlets as it cooks easily. In addition to potatoes, carrots, green peas and beetroots are added. Don't overcook the vegetables because mushy vegetable mixture give in a bad shape.
   Flavour the vegetable mixture with a good amount of spices like ginger, green chillies, chilly powder and garamasala powder. When you form the cutlets, the vegetable mixture should not stick to your palm. If it sticks, you need to add more bread crumbs. 
2. If the vegetable mixture is too dry, then your cutlets will break while frying. You can use a potato masher or a tumbler to mash the cooked vegetables or with your palm. Use your palms to shape the cutlets. After shaping the cutlets, dip them in the maida paste. While dipping the cutlets in the maida paste, if it loses its shape add some dry ingredients like bread crumbs or maida to the vegetable mixture. 
3. Use breadcrumbs or rusk powder for dusting the cutlets. Cutlets can be deep fried, cooked in a pan or baked in the oven. I usually deep fry the cutlets in a deep kadai with very less oil. And I prefer to add only 1 or 2 cutlets and deep fry them on medium heat. This method helps to cook the cutlets quickly and perfectly with less oil. My aunt gave me this tip for deep frying and it works good for me. As we have already cooked the vegetables, it will take 2 to 4 minutes to cook crispy cutlets. Always remember, don’t crowd the cutlets while deep frying because the cutlets will break down. If you are cooking in a pan, place the cutlets and don’t flip them quickly. Now we will see the recipe in detail with step by step instructions.

Similar Evening Snacks 

• Sabudana Vada
• Corn Cheese Balls
• Sweet potato Smileys

Vegetable Cutlet Recipe Details

Prep time : 1 hour
Cook time : 15 minutes
Yields : 12 to 15 cutlets
Category : snacks / appetizers
Author : Muthulakshmi Madhavakrishnan

Ingredients

• 4 medium potato
• 1 medium carrot
• small piece beetroot
• 1/3 cup green peas
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 onion
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp garamasala powder
• 1/2 cup maida
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs or rusk powder
• 3 bread slices
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• 300 ml oil
• salt to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Take a small pressure cooker or pan and add the vegetables and green peas. Add 1/2 cup water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
2. Open the cooker and transfer the vegetables in the mixing bowl or plate.
3. Use a potato masher or tumbler to mash the vegetables. Mash them well without any solid parts.
4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai and add the chopped ginger and green chillies. Saute them well.Next, add the onions and saute it for a few minutes and add the red chilly powder, turmeric powder and garamasala powder.
5. Mix them well and add the mashed vegetables. Add the required salt and mix them well.Add the coriander leaves and turn off the heat.
6. Powder the bread slices in a mixer jar. Add it to the vegetable mixture and mix them well. If it sticks to your palm, add some bread crumbs.
7. In another bowl, mix 1/2 cup maida with 3/4 cup of water and prepare a thick paste without any lumps. In another wide plate, add the bread crumbs and keep it ready for dusting.
8. Now take the vegetable mixture and divide into equal balls. Roll each ball and gently press to flatten it. Repeat the process for the all the balls. You can also roll it like cylindrical balls.
9. Dip each circle in the maida paste on both sides and immediately dust it on the bread crumbs. Dust it again and again for 2 times or until uniformly coated.
10. Repeat the process for all the remaining cutlets and keep it in a plate.
11. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a deep kadai on medium heat. Carefully add 1 cutlet and deep fry them on medium heat. After a minute, gently flip the cutlet with a ladle and deep fry them until crisp.

Vegetable Cutlet with step by step photos

Peel the potatoes well and cut them into half. Peel the carrot and beetroot and cut them into big chunks. Add the green peas. (do not add the dried green peas)

Take a small pressure cooker or pan and add the vegetables and green peas. Add 1/2 cup water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. You can also steam the vegetables in a steamer. Do not overcook the vegetables.

 

Open the cooker and transfer the vegetables in the mixing bowl or plate.

Use a potato masher or tumbler to mash the vegetables. Mash them well without any solid parts.

 

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai and add the chopped ginger and green chillies. Saute them well.

 

Next, add the onions and saute it for a few minutes and add the red chilly powder, turmeric powder and garamasala powder.

Mix them well and add the mashed vegetables. Add the required salt and mix them well.

When it gets dry, add the coriander leaves and turn off the heat. Check for the seasonings and add if anything required.

  

Allow it to cool down completely and transfer it to the bowl. In the meantime, powder the bread slices in a mixer jar. Add it to the vegetable mixture and mix them well. If it sticks to your palm, add some bread crumbs.

In another bowl, mix 1/2 cup maida with 3/4 cup of water and prepare a thick paste without any lumps.

Now take the vegetable mixture and divide into equal balls. Roll each ball and gently press to flatten it. Repeat the process for the all the balls. You can also roll it like cylindrical balls.

Dip each circle in the maida paste on both sides. If the paste appears thin, add some more flour and make it thick.

Dust it immediately on the bread crumbs. Dust it again and again for 2 times or until uniformly coated.

Repeat the process for all the remaining cutlets and keep it in plate.

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a deep kadai on medium heat. 

Carefully add 1 cutlet and deep fry them on low heat. Fry them on low heat as we do for adhirasam.

After a minute, gently flip the cutlet with a ladle and deep fry them until crisp. Place it in a oil absorbent paper to absorb the excess oil.

After frying 3 to 4 cutlets, turn off the heat for a few minutes and again heat 1/4 cup of and deep fry the cutlets.  If you find it difficult to fry each cutlet in a deep frying pan, place the cutlets in a heavy dosa iron pan and shallow fry the cutlets until crisp on both sides. Serve it immediately with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.

Click here to view the recipe in Tamil வெஜிடபிள் கட்லெட் தமிழில்