A Vegetable Cutlet is a spicy, crunchy, delicious and healthy Indian fritter made with a mish-mash of potatoes, carrots, peas, and green beans. It makes a perfect snack for kids and adults. A soy-free, nut-free and vegan recipe. Can be glutenfree.
The Vegetable Cutlet is a kitschy stalwart of India’s wonderful railway cafeterias. I remember these cutlets as flat patties, usually in the shape of a teardrop or a round, with specks of sooji or rava or farina. They were served up with ketchup and didn’t taste of any particular vegetable. Heck, they didn’t even taste particularly good. And they tasted the same no matter where you were in the country.
But they were usually available when you wanted something vegetarian and something hot, and sometimes that was good enough.
I have been on a mission to reduce the amount of sweets cooked in my kitchen and that means coming up with recipes to satisfy the snack-seeking Desi and Jay, of course. It’s either that or gobs of peanut butter and jelly on toast. Since that latter option doesn’t appeal to me as it does to them, I try when I can to come up with something different.
These vegetable cutlets are a great option because their lusciousness owes itself to the great spud and not fat. I’ve said this before and I’ll repeat it– potatoes are one of the best veggies around, and they appeal to almost anyone, child or adult. What usually gives potatoes a bad rep is the way they are prepared– deep-fried, or topped with tons of unhealthy cheese or sour cream. But find a healthy way to cook it, and you can have your potato and eat it too.
These are also great to sandwich in a burger bun, or add to a pita bread with a salad and some tahini, like you would falafel.
I’ll leave you with the recipe for these cutlets. They’re easy and they taste better than any vegetable cutlet I ever ate at a railway cafeteria. They’re also versatile– you could add to these squash, green peppers…use your imagination. The best part is that you’re eating veggies for a snack.
How great is that?
Vegetable Cutlets
Ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed. If using organic potatoes, you can leave the skins on
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 cup green beans, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika or cayenne or Kashmiri chili powder
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Juice of 1 lemon or lime
- 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- Oil to spray or coat the bottom of the skillet
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour mixed with 1/4 cup of water in a shallow dish
Instructions
- Boil the green beans and carrots until tender but not mushy. I do this by putting them in a bowl, adding about 1/4 cup of water, and zapping them, covered, in a microwave, about five minutes on high. Drain all water.
- Heat oil in a skillet. Add the cumin seeds, and, once they sputter, add the onions and ginger.
- Stir-fry the onions for about a couple of minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the chilli and turmeric powders, stir into the oil, then add the peas, carrots, and green beans. Cook for another two or three minutes until they are quite tender. Stir in the coriander leaves. Place the cooked veggie mixture in a food processor and pulse three to four times for five seconds each. You don't want a paste. Some bits of the veggies should still be visible.
- Add the veggies to the mashed potatoes and stir well together. Add salt to taste, and lemon juice.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the flour.
- Heat a cast-iron or non-stick skillet.
- Spray or spread on a film of oil.
- Take a 1-inch ball of the potato-veggie mixture and flatten it into a disc.
- Dip the cutlets in the chickpea-water mixture to coat on both sides. Then dredge them in the bread crumbs crumbs so you have a fairly even coating on both sides.
- Place the cutlets one by one in the hot skillet, without overcrowding. Cook on each side until golden-brown.
- Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.
Notes
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Spicy Indian Snacks:
Sharmila says
June 23, 2010 atJust too good Vaish! That cutlet is just waiting for a bite to sink into it.
And Bunny is so cute .. you are so lucky. 🙂
Hope Lucy is doing great.
Jaya Wagle says
June 23, 2010 atVaishali, I was looking for a cutlet recipe, just because we buy the frozen ones at the Indian store but they are expensive. These are a good alternative when I don’t want to cook just for me. I sandwich them between bread spread with some pesto and melted cheese. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Happy Cook says
June 23, 2010 atI love vegetable cutlets it always reminds me of the afternnon spend in the Indian coffee house. This looks yumm.
Nithya says
June 23, 2010 atGreat looking cutlets 🙂 I always like them so much.
The bunny looks sooooo cute 🙂
BangaloreBaker says
June 23, 2010 atBunny picture is so cute. I have a bunny visitor too and he/she isn’t letting a single zucchini get big. I am not really happy about it, but can’t help. Cool cutlets.
KALVA says
June 23, 2010 atnice cutlets recipes. would love to have them when raining!!
Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) says
June 23, 2010 atlove to hv cutlets specially veg on rainy romatic evening with a cups of coffee…looks delcious
Priya says
June 23, 2010 atBunny looks cute…cutlets looks super delicious..
Carrie says
June 23, 2010 atSounds delicious! I’ve never had these before but I would love to give them a try.
Zengirl @ Heart and Mind says
June 23, 2010 atVaishali,
I love cutlets and your pictures are so yummy. I love to cook but wish you were my neighbor so I could sneak and do taste test 🙂
I love the picture of bunny, we recently had our neighbor bunny visit our yard and eat our baby plants but we did not mind at all. Kids had fun seeing rabbit in our own home garden.
By the way, I finally revealed my name on my blog today 🙂 FYI.
Sanjeeta kk says
June 23, 2010 atAn all time favorite for my kids, this version is interesting. A good change from the usual tikias, to try this weekend. Thanks for sharing.
Mints! says
June 24, 2010 atI love cutlets too. And I think its a good idea to make them as snack instead of something sweet 🙂
Bunny is so cute!!!!
Mihl says
June 24, 2010 atThese sound really great! I love patties made with potatoes. Yours look so special!
Nupur says
June 24, 2010 atI never can resist cutlets, and your version looks delicious. They are a great vehicle for all sorts of leftovers 😉
Usha says
June 24, 2010 atCutlets are always a welcome snack in my home and your version looks seriously tempting ! The bunny looks real cute…
Rachana says
June 26, 2010 atThese Cutlets look lovely and delicious 🙂 The Bunny is cute 🙂
T says
June 28, 2010 atYum, these look awesome! I love patties and pancakes of all sort. And that bunny is adorable.
Jessica says
June 28, 2010 atThese look delicious and easy to prepare. I’ve been looking for an alternative to my delicious black bean burgers, just for a change, and this looks like a winner! Thanks for sharing.
jessyburke@gmail.com
Anonymous says
June 29, 2010 atGreat recipie;I did not understand how to dredge them thru bread crumbles.
Skay says
June 29, 2010 atwonderful, Vaishali! I was looking for an appetizer to take to a party and here is your recipe! Thank you!
I bet these freeze well too, ya?
Divya Vikram says
July 1, 2010 atLove the green hue in the cutlets. Looks really pretty Vaishali.
Ameya says
July 5, 2010 atYou’re right, this is a great way to get in more veggies. I love cutlets!!
Miri says
July 13, 2010 atI can have cutlets in any shape or form (there is even a raw banana cutlet on my blog!)As a toddler I was christened Cutlet Mary by my Anglo Indian neighbours for my voracous appetite when it came to gobbling down cutlets…
I am going back home and making this! 🙂
Anonymous says
November 17, 2010 atHi, when do you add the 2 tbsp of flour? Is it added at the end to thicken the mixture perhaps? Thanks!
Vaishali says
November 17, 2010 atAnon, yes, add them when you put the mixture together.
Anonymous says
November 17, 2010 atThanks for the reply Vaishali. I made them last night without the flour as I wasn’t sure what to do with it–felt it was safer to leave it out. They were yummy although a bit delicate to handle. Another batch is on the stove as I type, I’ll be using the flour this time. In Sri Lanka we deep fry cutlets but since I became vegan they always fall apart in the oil without the egg that is traditionally used to bind them. Your spray-fry version is just as good, and healthier. Ammas restaurant in Vienna sells deep fried cutlets, I wonder what they use to bind them… Anyway, I digress, thanks for writing an awesome blog! I love this recipe!
Vaishali says
November 18, 2010 atAnonymous, Thanks for the feedback. You’re right, the flour does help them bind. Glad you enjoyed the cutlets. 🙂
ben moretti says
July 29, 2012 atthat looks great, i can’t wait to try it myself
Carmen says
June 15, 2017 atHi Vaishali,
The cutlets look yum! You are right about how they taste, even in Sree Mithai!!
Also since you are adding all purpose flour and bread crumbs, the gluten free tag threw me off track!
Maybe I’ll try it with GF flour and GF breadcrumbs?
Have a wonderful rest of the week!
C
Vaishali says
June 16, 2017 atSorry about that, it was a silly error. Corrected now! You could make these glutenfree though by using rice flour instead of APF and glutenfree breadcrumbs. I will add that in the notes.
Gia Bowens says
July 22, 2017 atCould you please tell me how much garlic to use.
Vaishali says
July 22, 2017 atGia, it’s ginger, not garlic. Thanks!