One of our favorite traditions on Christmas Eve:  Mom’s Red & Green Christmas Cutlets

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Big Apple Curry wishes you and your family a wonderful holiday season! Each year, we spend Christmas either in the United States or Canada. Wherever we are, our family has an Indian feast on Christmas Eve, followed by a traditional turkey dinner on Christmas Day. The menu varies from year to year, but like in all families, some menu items are sacred and always remain the same. It’s tradition. Each year, my mom makes a wonderful appetizer that is perfect for Christmas Eve: Red & Green Christmas Cutlets.

Gently mashed potatoes are combined with grated carrots and beets that are sauteed with spices like cumin powder and sundried mango powder, then dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and pan-fried. These little croquettes are so tasty that you don’t even need a chutney or condiment to go with them! Most vegetable cutlets we’ve tasted, whether homemade or in an Indian restaurant, don’t typically include beets. My mom can’t remember when or why she added beets to her recipe, but whatever the reason, the rich red hue comes from the beets and the deep green comes from the specks of fresh cilantro. We can hardly wait for these cutlets to come out of the skillet on Christmas Eve, and hang around the kitchen until mom tells us to go kick back in front of the television and that she’ll  bring them to us.

I just love looking at these cutlets on the holiday table amidst the piles of presents wrapped tightly in red, green and gold paper and the seemingly neverending parade of platters of homemade cookies and cakes coming out of mom’s kitchen. It’s so nice to be home for the holidays.

Red & Green Christmas Cutlets

Makes 12 cutlets

Ingredients

• 3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 2 medium beets, peeled and grated
• 3 carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder or cayenne powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon amchur powder (sundried mango powder)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs

Preparation

1. Peel and boil potatoes until fork tender, around 15 minutes. Drain immediately until there is no excess moisture. Transfer potatoes to a dish and mash. Set aside and let cool.
2. Peel and grate  carrots and beets (you can also use a food processor).
3. Heat 2-3 tablespoons canola oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add carrots and beets and saute.
4. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, and continue to saute on medium low, mix well.
5. Add 1/2 teaspoon amchur powder, continue to mix well.
6. Add 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro, and mix well until carrots and beets are soft (about 5-7 minutes).
7. Remove from heat and let cool, uncovered, until cool to the touch.
8. Once cooled, mix carrots and beets with the potatoes until well mixed. Make sure you are mixing an equal quantity of vegetables and potatoes – this will help the patties hold together, otherwise they fall apart easily.
9. Taste and adjust for salt and spices.
10. Put mixture in fridge to chill for at least a few hours; overnight is ideal.
11. After the mixture has chilled in the fridge, form it into small patties.
12. Heat 1/2 cup canola oil on medium-high heat in a wide non-stick skillet.
13. When the oil is hot, dip each patty in egg and breadcrumbs, then shallow fry in a skillet on medium-high heat, approximately 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer cutlets to a large platter lined with paper towel to cool slightly.

Potatoes are key to binding the cutlets together with beets and carrots

Two large beets and three carrots are all you need

Grate the carrots and beets by hand or in a food processor

After sauteeing the shreeded carrots and beets with spices, combine with mashed potatoes and form into patties

Lightly beat 2 eggs

You will need about 1 cup of breadcrumbs

After dipping each patty in beaten egg, coat gently with breadcrumbs

Heat canola oil on medium-high flame and when it starts to sizzle add cutlets

Each patty should be easy to flip with a thin spatula after a nice crust has formed on the bottom; if it’s sticking to the pan, leave it for a few more seconds

Transfer each cutlet to a platter lined with paper towel

Most vegetable cutlets don’t have beets in them; the addition here lends a deep red hue