Vegetable Cutlets

I’ve always talked about how Amma made food fun for us. Dinner on most weekends at home would be pasta, soup, vegetable upma, potato bonda, cutlets, stuffed parathas… you get the drift, don’t you? On days when there were too many leftovers or when she was held up at work, the lunch and dinner menu would be identical and we’d just make some fresh rice and make appalams. Although I never complained once about what was served, deep inside I’d cringe when it was rice. Now, much as I still don’t love rice the way S does, I find that it is the easiest thing to dish out, weekday or weekend. While I may prefer pasta or chapattis, I do relish rice.


But those snacks that became dinner will always have a special place in my heart. And cutlets would top the list. The mere thought of those dark brown beauties can make me go weak in the knees. It can make me long for a bite. And knowing this, Amma makes these little things for me almost every time I visit them. I haven’t made these myself in about 3 or 4 years now. And I’m desperately hoping that blogging about this today will help me get over this drought.


4 Potatoes, boiled, peeled and diced
1 Carrot, diced
½ cup Beans, diced
¼ cup Peas

2 slices Bread
2 Onions, chopped finely
2 tsp Chilli Paste
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Garlic Paste
Salt to Taste
1 tbsp Oil


¼ cup Bread Crumbs
2 tbsp Flour

Oil for frying

Pressure cook the carrot, beans and peas together.

Heat the tablespoon of oil. Add the onions and fry for about 3-4 minutes. Add the chilli, ginger and garlic pastes and fry again for about 2-3 minutes. Add the potatoes, carrot, beans and peas along with the bread slices. Season with salt and mash the mixture.

Allow the mixture to cool. Meanwhile, mix the flour with a little water to make a batter. Place the bread crumbs on a plate. Heat the oil for frying.

Make small balls of the vegetable mixture and flatten them. Coat them with the flour batter and then roll them in the bread crumbs until they are evenly covered. Slide each cutlet into the hot oil and fry on each side until slightly dark brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with tomato ketchup.

I’ve seen many variations of this, some with beetroot, some with mint leaves. I have not taken very kindly to the mint leaves version. I have no idea why. I do vary the vegetables in this as well, adding cauliflower at times. But the four vegetables that I’ve used in this recipe are standard. The combination of these vegetables remains a favourite. It still transports me back to my childhood… to the time when I didn’t have to worry so much about deep fried potatoes. Actually to a time when I had almost nothing to worry about.

I’ve had this in my drafts for ages now. And this is off to dear Sia at MonsoonSpice as she hosts the

Ode to Potato event and to Dhivya of Culinary Bazaar as she hosts the Potato Fest!