When we were in Texas for Thanksgiving with Raf’s family, his aunt Minoo made these delicious veggie cutlets (or kotlets if you’re Persian).  They were so good and had such a nice texture that I had to ask several times if she was sure there wasn’t any meat in them.  Well she generously shared her recipe with me and I finally got around to making them.  Mine didn’t turn out quite as good as hers did but that’s probably because I was a bit liberal with my proportions, nonetheless they were still a hit.  Some of the ingredients may be a bit tricky to track down, but I was able to find everything I needed at my local Asian super market.  This recipe isn’t hard to make but there are a few food prep steps involved so a food processor will be your best friend.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Medium potato, cooked and mashed

1 carrot (shredded)

1/2 cup mashed peas

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 serrano chili minced or 1 1/2 tsp chili sauce

1 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)

2 tsp chaat masala (I didn’t have any so, I used garam masala instead)

3 tbsp roasted chick pea flour (besan)

1 cup ground cashews and almonds (I didn’t have almonds, so I used walnuts instead, improvise people!)

Salt and Pepper to taste

olive oil for cooking – if using the frying method

Directions:

Sautee the garlic and ginger pastes in a skillet with a bit of olive oil.  Add the mashed potato, carrot, mashed peas and cabbage and stir fry until soft.  Add the mango powder, chaat masala, chili and chick pea flour and stir until combined.  Stir in the ground nuts and add the salt and pepper.  Allow the mixture the cook for a few minutes stirring gently (it will have a very thick consistency).  Remove the mixture from heat and allow to cool, until it is safe to handle with bare hands.

Once the mixture has cooled, scoop out small amounts and shape into oval patties.  You can either fry or bake the patties.

Frying:  Heat olive oil in a skillet, and cook patties on medium heat (turning often) until they are golden brown.

Baking:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, place patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes. Make sure to flip the patties half way through.