Crispy Veg Cutlet
Veg Cutlet is a lip-smacking, crispy, and delicious Indian snack recipe. This popular dish is made with mixed vegetables, poha, breadcrumbs, and some spices. These cutlets are crispy from the outside and soft from the inside.
Ingredients
- 3 Potatoes 500 grams
- 1 cup Green beans finely chopped
- 1 cup Carrot finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Green peas I used frozen
- 1/2 cup Corn I used frozen
- 1 medium Onion finely chopped
- 2 medium Green chillies crushed
- 1/2 inch Ginger finely chopped
- 3 large Garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Cilantro chopped
- 2 tsp Lime juice fresh
- 1/2 cup Poha thick
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs I used panko
- 1/3 cup All purpose flour
- 2 tsp Coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper powder freshly ground
- 2 tsp Salt or as required
- 2 tsp Oil for cooking
- 1.5 cup Oil for frying
Instructions
Boiled Potatoes
- Wash the potatoes very well and slightly cut them in the middle if they are very large.
- Add 1.5 cups of water to the bottom of a pressure cooker, place the potatoes in a steamer basket or steel container, close the lid of the pressure cooker, and cook the potatoes for 5-6 whistles. You can boil some water in a large pot, place the potatoes, and cook them until tender for about 20-25 minutes. Add enough water to cover the potatoes completely.
Soaking The Poha
- In a small bowl, soak the poha in ½ cup of water for about 10-15 minutes.
Cooking The Veggies
- Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan on medium heat. Add onions, ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Sauté until the onions turn light brown for 3 minutes.
- Add green beans, ¼ th tsp salt, turn the heat to medium high, and sauté them for 1 minute.
- Next, add some carrots, green peas, corn, and sauté the veggies for 3-4 minutes.
Preparing The Cutlet Mix
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the peels with your hands.
- In a large mixing bowl, grate or mash the potatoes.
- Transfer the soaked poha, sautéed veggies, cilantro, salt, spices, and lime juice.
- Combine everything well into a ball.
- Grease your hands with ½ tsp of oil and take some mixture and form into a round ball and then create an oblong shape. Make 21 cutlets out of this mixture and set aside.
Coating The Cutlet
- In a small bowl, add some flour, ½ cup water, and whisk together into a slurry without any lumps.
- Add 1 cup breadcrumbs on a plate.
- Dip the cutlet into a flour slurry, lift it with the help of a fork, and remove the excess slurry from it.
- Next, generously coat the cutlet with breadcrumbs and place into a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining cutlets.
- Place the cutlets in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. It will help the breadcrumbs to stick well to the cutlet before frying them.
Frying The Cutlets
- Line a plate with a paper towel to remove excess oil from the cutlets.
- Heat some oil in a kadhai (pan), on medium high heat. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a small ball of a mixture in the hot oil. If it rises immediately that means the oil is ready for frying.
- Once the oil is hot, lower the temperature to medium.
- In a kadhai, slowly drop the cutlet into the hot oil. Fry 4-6 cutlets depending upon the size of your pan. Do not overcrowd the kadhai while frying the cutlets.
- Flip the cutlets with a fork one at a time or with a slotted spatula once they turn golden brown for about 1 minute.
- Fry the cutlets until golden brown from the other side as well.
- Transfer the cutlets to a lined plate using a slotted spatula to drain off the excess oil.
- Repeat the same process with the rest of the cutlets and serve them hot.
Notes
- Cook the potatoes 1-2 days before making the cutlets to save time and they will be completely dry or moisture free.
- Finely chop or grate the carrots, beans, and onions so they will bind in the mixture well. Use a chopper or food processor for convenience.
- Cook the veggies on medium high heat. It helps them retain their color and turn tender and a bit crunchy.
- Soaked poha helps to keep the mixture moist free, dry, and a great binding agent. If you add more water while soaking them, make sure to remove all the water from them before mixing. Poha helps keep the cutlet soft and airy from inside.
- Cutlets are mildly spicy - do not make the mixture too spicy.
- Flour slurry helps the breadcrumbs stick to the cutlet and creates a beautiful crispy golden brown coating.
- After coating the breadcrumbs onto the cutlets, refrigerating helps to stick better before frying them. The breadcrumbs will not fall and burn in the oil while frying them.
- Keeping the oil temperature to medium is very important to make them perfectly crispy. If you fry the cutlets on high heat, they will fry quickly from the outside but not from the inside.