July 29, 2006

Meat Cutlet (Beef/Mutton)

Cutlet is such a common snack in India that almost anybody would know how to make it. But beef and mutton cutlets are familiar sight only in Kerala given the largely vegetarian population of other places in India.
Unlike the vegetable cutlets, the meat version I am used to have no chili powder, cumin, coriander powder etc and allows the flavor come through naturally. The garam masala adds a smoky flavor which appeals to some, while others find it overpowering.
I started making cutlets in the early days of experimental cooking after marriage, having had a lot of experience in shaping and frying them well. But getting the texture correct and not having them fall apart on me while frying took a lot of experience.

Most of the time, its the Potatoes that betray me.They would soak up so much water during boiling that the whole mix would become moist and break. The variety available here was also confusing.Red,Russet Idaho,White, Baking, Boiling...
Now, I stick to using Yukon gold, Russet Burbank or white round potatoes. They hold their shape while boiling and are hassle free if microwaved-baked.
This is my entry Revathi's FMR#7-Comfort Food..

You will need: (Makes 16 cutlets)
Lean Ground Beef or Mutton- 1/2 lb
White Potato-3 (Approx. 3 /4 lb)
Onions- 2 medium sized ones
Green chilies- 8
Turmeric- A pinch
Garlic- 2 cloves
Black pepper- 2 tsp
Biryani Masala/Garam masala- ½ tsp (optional)
Lemon juice- 2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves- 1 cup chopped finely
Canola Oil- ½ cup
Egg –1
Bread crumbs- 1 cup

Preparation:
1. Chop the onions, garlic and chilies finely and put in a shallow pan, without oil. Add the uncooked ground meat, turmeric, and mix .Let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes on high heat, uncovered. Stir to prevent any particles from sticking to the pan.
2. As the meat cooks, it lets out oil which in turns fries the onions. So there is no need to add oil. After 15mins, take the mixture off the flame and add the lemon juice, garam masala and pepper. Drain onto paper towels to remove excess oil.
3. Meanwhile, wash each of the potatoes, wipe them dry and cover with plastic wrap. Place them in the microwave and adjust the setting for the baked potatoes. All the potatoes can be cooked at the same time. Alternatively, the washed potatoes can be pressure cooked with ½ cup water for a single whistle.
4. Peel the potatoes and mash them with your hands/potato masher or the back of a spoon. There should be no lumps.
5. Add the meat mixture to the potato, and add the chopped coriander leaves and salt. Mix and taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed.
6. Make lemon sized balls of the mixture and shape it into an oval or round shape.
Beat the egg (You can use just egg whites too) with a pinch of salt. Keep a plate with bread crumbs also ready.
7. Dip each oval ball into the egg and then into the bread crumbs. Give it a final shaping.
8. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the cutlets till brown on either side.

26 comments:

Revathi said...

Wowwwww !!! I came to see your entry - but man what a blog you got going ... It is really superb !!! Such typical kerala recipes. It is really great.. Especially the chicken recipe is great !! Wow wow wow !!

I love your cutlet recipe... Thanks for participating in FMR. See you in the round up !

Shah cooks said...

Thanks revathi,
nice of you to stop by.Keep coming.:)

indianadoc said...

I too make mutton cutlet more or less the same way...bt I dont eat beef much ;)Good presentation shaheen.Happy to see that your blog is soon catching up and becoming quite popular...Let us make our Malabar food more global!!

Nabeela said...

The picture looks AMAZING Shaheen! I'm bookmarking your recipe.

Anonymous said...

whast is the secret to keeping it together meaning teh cutlet

Sumitha said...

I too love cutlets and your cutlets are mouthwatering!Hey no north or south when it comes to enjoying cutlets,I am from Kollam(Quilon) and it is very popular there too:)

Shah cooks said...

fellow malabari shynee,
i really appreciate your support and kind words.
Sumitha,
no offence meant at all.. i meant beef being more popular..good to know u love it too.
Nabeela, thanks for the capitals.. it does make my day.
as for keeping it together, its the mix..the drier it is , the better.

archana said...

Perfectly shaped, nicely presented, wonderful!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Looks very delicious. Good presentation too. It's very very tempting. I'm sure going to try this out. I've never tried meat cutlets before. thanks for sharing this recipe. :)

Shaheen, I've heard a lot abt the yummy taste of Malabar chicken biryani. Hope you'll post that recipe too in here.

thanks
Rg.

Shah cooks said...

thanks archana
rg, will post the chicken biryani soon. i just have to cook it...lazy about it.

Unknown said...

Yummy!!!

Anonymous said...

Shaheen, I tried this Beef cutlet recipe y/day. It was awesome. Tasted really really good and the color and texture everything was perfect. Myself and my hubby enjjjjjjjjjooooooooyed it. thanks to you shaheen for sharing this wonderful recipe. Can't wait to show this off in my next party. thanks again.

Rg.

Shah cooks said...

thanks rg for ur feedback..loved to hear that ur family like it.

Anonymous said...

Hi...new to ur blog...I've a doubt.Why do u add lemon juice to the cutlet mix..If we forego that step, any difference?thnx in advance

mallugirl said...

anon,
adding the lemong juice gives it a tangy taste as well as cuts down on salt.avoid it if u want but it tastes better with that.

Anonymous said...

thnx for the update on lemon juice...I tried with ur recipe and it was yummyy.....great going..

Anonymous said...

can I use chicken mince for the cutlets, I don't eat beef and don't get very good mutton near my place... thanks for the recipe, I'm not from Kerala but enjoy Malabar food anyway :-)

Shah cooks said...

yep, anon, u can use chicken mince for it too.

Sandy said...

Finally it stopped breaking.....
thanks for this wonderful dish....
my gf who doesn't eat beef ate 10 of the beef cutlets i made.....

Anonymous said...

Thanks! I tried Ur cutlet recipe and its was yummy & was relished by all in our family. Keep up the good work.

Unknown said...

I want to know how can I make the cutlet minus the dipping in egg part as my husband is allergic to eggs. I tried rolling the cutlet directly in bread crumbs and baking them. It was good but I felt that something was missing; so if you guys have any suggestion please do let me know.

Shah cooks said...

Minu, u could try dipping in milk and then rolling in a mix of flour and breadcrumbs to get the crunchy texture.

Anonymous said...

what cutlets!!!! i am just licking the screen...

Anonymous said...

Instead of bread crumbs - fry with Rava and eat hot - its more crisppier and holds itself.

Unknown said...

I am missing ginger in this recipe... Is it intentional? Does it make a difference?

Raji K said...

its excellent.
my mom used to make it for me.
now she is no more.
but I never learnt to make it when she was alive.
now i found it. will make me- thanks