Any day cutlets taste good…
Hope everyone had a wonderful Eid celebration with family and friends. Mine was a very quiet celebration. As always, for me Eid=Biryani so made a simple chicken biryani without spending much time in the kitchen. Honestly, it wasn’t the best tasting biryani. I made it just for the sake of making it, hence it didn’t taste great.
Anything that is done wholeheartedly would turn beautiful and vice versa. Also, clear mind is the key to creative mind. Lately, I do things without much passion and my mind is foggy, these explains why things don’t turn that well. I truly hope that these feelings are just temporary and I would be able to overcome it asap. Without hope life seems to be at a stand still.
When I think of making vegetarian appetizers, first thing that comes to my mind is cutlet. Cutlets tastes great even if it is made with veggies or meat. They can be had just as it is or wrapped in a pita bread or sandwiched between breads or topped over salad, Wow so many ways! You can have it as an appetizer, can be served for lunch or dinner. While making vegetarian cutlets, I like to add ground chickpeas to the mixed veggies. Ground chickpeas gives a meaty texture and better taste to the cutlets. In Middle Eastern cuisine, chickpea cutlets are called falafel, they are mostly wrapped in a pita bread.
Chickpea and Mixed veggie Cutlets
Ingredients
- Chickpeas, cooked- 1 large can
- Mixed veggies- 1 cup (carrot, beans, corn)
- Chili powder- 1 tsp
- Ground Cumin- 1 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- All purpose flour or gluten free flour- 2 tbsp
- Salt- to taste
- Cilantro, chopped- 2 handful
- Lemon juice- 2 tsp
Other ingredients:
- Oil- enough to shallow fry or deep fry
- Bread crumbs or gluten free flour
Instruction
- If you are using canned cooked chickpeas, drain the chickpeas and rinse under water.
- Place the drained/rinsed chickpeas in a saucepan, add 1/4 cup and cook covered for 10 minutes till chickpeas has cooked well.
- If you are using uncooked chickpeas, soak the chickpeas in water overnight.
- The next day, cook it in pressure cooker or in a saucepan with enough water till the chickpeas has cooked well.
- Drain the water, pat dry with kitchen paper towel, coarsely mash the chickpeas using a wooden spoon or in a food processor.
- Don’t mash the chickpeas into a paste, it should be coarsely mashed.
- To the coarsely mashed chickpeas, add mixed veggies.
- Add chili powder, ground cumin, coriander powder, all purpose flour or gluten free flour, salt, cilantro and lemon juice, combine well.
- If the mixture is too moist, add more flour till you can hold into round shape.
- Make medium sized balls out of the ground chickpea mixture, flatten it between the palm of your hands.
- Coat the cutlets evenly with bread crumbs or gluten free flour.
- Place a frying pan over medium heat, add oil to it. Place the cutlets without crowding.
- I shallow fried the cutlets to golden in color.
- If you prefer, you can deep fry it.
- Serve the cutlets with tomato ketchup or wrap it in a pita bread or sandwich between breads.
- Chickpeas, cooked- 1 large can
- Mixed veggies- 1 cup (carrot, beans, corn)
- Chili powder- 1 tsp
- Ground Cumin- 1 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- All purpose flour or gluten free flour- 2 tbsp
- Salt- to taste
- Cilantro, chopped- 2 handful
- Lemon juice- 2 tsp
- Oil- enough to shallow fry or deep fry
- Bread crumbs or gluten free flour
- If you are using canned cooked chickpeas, drain the chickpeas and rinse under water.
- Place the drained/rinsed chickpeas in a saucepan, add ¼ cup and cook covered for 10 minutes till chickpeas has cooked well.
- If you are using uncooked chickpeas, soak the chickpeas in water overnight.
- The next day, cook it in pressure cooker or in a saucepan with enough water till the chickpeas has cooked well.
- Drain the water, pat dry with kitchen paper towel, coarsely mash the chickpeas using a wooden spoon or in a food processor.
- Don't mash the chickpeas into a paste, it should be coarsely mashed.
- To the coarsely mashed chickpeas, add mixed veggies.
- Add chili powder, ground cumin, coriander powder, all purpose flour or gluten free flour, salt, cilantro and lemon juice, combine well.
- If the mixture is too moist, add more flour till you can hold into round shape.
- Make medium sized balls out of the ground chickpea mixture, flatten it between the palm of your hands.
- Coat the cutlets evenly with bread crumbs or gluten free flour.
- Place a frying pan over medium heat, add oil to it. Place the cutlets without crowding.
- I shallow fried the cutlets to golden in color.
- If you prefer, you can deep fry it.
- Serve the cutlets with tomato ketchup or wrap it in a pita bread or sandwich between breads.
