Boiled mashed potatoes combined with vegetables of choice and deep fried to perfection, vegetable cutlets are an all-time favorite tea time snack. They can also be served for breakfast along with toasted bread and butter. It is a fried snack but can be made by shallow frying using less oil too.

Ingredients

• Potatoes, boiled and peeled                           3 – 4 medium
• Peas, boiled                                                  1/3 cup
• Carrots, grated                                             1/3 cup
• Sandwich / Brown Bread slices                     1 – 2
• Green Chilies, chopped                                 1 – 2 small
• Salt                                                             To Taste
• Red Chili Powder                                          1/4 teaspoon
• Dried Mango Powder (Amchur)                     1/3 teaspoon
• Semolina (Sooji)                                           2 teaspoons
• Cooking Oil                                                  3 – 4 teaspoons

Procedure

1. Place boiled and peeled potatoes in a mixing bowl and then add grated carrots and chopped green chilies to it.
2. Add salt, red chili powder and dried mango powder to the bowl.
3. Soak the bread slices in a bowl of water and then squeeze them within your hands. Then crumble them and add them to the bowl.

Tip: The soaked bread slices act as a binder for the cutlet mixture. You can use corn-flour or even soaked and drained poha (beaten rice) for this purpose.

4. Clean your hands and mash everything. Ensure that no potato lumps remain.
5. Finally add the boiled peas and lightly mix within the potato mixture.

Note: Mix the boiled peas with the potatoes lightly else the peas will get completely squashed.

6. Pour the cooking oil in a deep frying pan and place it over high heat. While the oil heats, give the potato mixture cutlet shape using oil-greased hands. Also spread out the sooji (semolina) in a plate.
7. When the oil heats up, roll the cutlets in the sooji and carefully slide them into the hot oil.

Tip: Rolling the cutlets in sooji gives them a crunchy crust.

8. Deep fry the cutlets in hot oil for a few minutes on both sides till they become brown in color.

Tip: Fry a very small portion of cutlet mixture in hot oil first. If it breaks and spreads in the oil it means the mixture is not bound properly. Mash all cutlets together with one more soaked bread slice and then reshape them.

9. Line a plate with paper towels and transfer the fried cutlets to it using a slotted spoon to drain the excess oil.
10. Serve hot with potato chips and tomato ketchup for evening tea or with toasted bread slices and butter for breakfast!

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 2 – 3