I would eat these deliciously crispy balls every day,
would I live in Sri Lanka. There, you can buy this popular traditional snack at many take-away places, and in great variety. Even as a child, I loved cutlets so much that they were often prepared for us children.
The very best cutlets I ever had the pleasure of eating were prepared by my Aunty Cokila and in great quantities. For this reason, my sister and I renamed her "Cutlet Aunty" - a high praise we thought.
Today I would like to introduce you to my cutlet recipe, which is not too spicy, but still spicy and, above all, can be varied. Whether vegetarian, with different fish or even with meat, everything is possible and allowed.
Ingredients as a starter (or side dish) for 4 people:
- 600 gr floury potatoes
- 1 medium onion, cut into fine rings
- 300 gr canned mackerel fillets and/or tuna fillets, please make sure they are of good quality (in their own juice, not pickled in oil)
- or optionally with the fish: 300gr vegetable mix (peas, finely chopped carrot strips, leek strips, spring onions, finely chopped green beans ... etc.)
- Handful of fresh curry leaves (or dried)
- 2 tsp curry mix, for example from "Lebensbaum", or make your own from coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek seeds, cardamom, black pepper, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp salt (or more, please season to taste)
- optional for more spiciness: fresh chillis
- 1 large egg, beaten
- breadcrumbs for breading
- 600 ml frying oil for deep-frying
Preparation:
First wash the potatoes and cook them whole with their skins.
In the meantime, fry the onion rings and, if using, the fresh curry leaves in a little oil. Reduce the heat slightly and add the spices after about 5 min. Fry for another 1-2 minutes. (If you are preparing vegetable cutlets, add the cut vegetables and fry them for another 5-6 min, seasoning them with a little salt while they are still in the pan).
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Now drain the fish and leave to drain. Once the potatoes are cooked, peel them and immediately mash them with a fork. Make sure that not all the potatoes are completely mashed. There should still be some pieces left. Now mix the potatoes with approx. 1 tsp salt and add the onion and spice mixture and the fish. Mix everything together by hand (be careful to let the mixture cool down a bit) and combine into a rough dough. Although the dough is soft, it should now be easy to roll into balls and not fall apart. If the mixture is too "watery", you can help it along with a little flour.
Whisk the egg in a soup bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Put the breadcrumbs on a flat plate and start breading. First roll the cutlets in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs, see picture below:
Put the breaded cutlets in the fridge for approx. 30 min. Cooling them makes them more stable and easier to fry later. Otherwise they may burst open during frying.
Before frying, however, they should be at room temperature again. Simply take them out of the fridge 15 minutes before frying.
Heat the oil in a shallow pan (170 degrees - best measured with a kitchen thermometer) or in a deep fryer to fry the cutlets until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and either eat straight away or keep warm in a preheated oven at 50 degrees until you are ready to eat. Cutlets are a wonderful appetiser, but in Sri Lanka they are also served with a big meal. They go with just about everything!
Comments