Beef cutlet: Detailed recipe guide to Kerala's popular tea-time snack

There's no snack table in Kerala, which is spread without featuring a few cutlets. These palm-sized fritters are deep fried and are usually made by combining meat, vegetables, or fish with other ingredients to form an oval shape. The brown, crispy exterior of the cutlet is made by dipping the cutlet in beaten egg, which is then coated with bread crumbs.

When compared to other forms of cutlets, the beef cutlet (or beef croquette, or beef fritters) are the most popular in Kerala, and is often accompanied with a salad or spicy ketchup, as sides. What's more? No meat lover has ever stopped with just one cutlet....

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 30

Ingredients:

1 kg beef

500 gms potatoes

1 ½ tsp black pepper powder

2 tsp salt

½ tsp turmeric powder

250 gms onion

100 gms shallots

6 green chillies

2 tbsp ginger

3 sprigs of curry leaves

2 tbsp coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped

2 sticks of cinnamon

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 cardamom

3 cloves

250 gms bread crumbs

3 eggs

Method:

Step 1: Cut the beef in medium-sized pieces and after washing it thoroughly, strain the excess water from the beef.

Step 2: Using a pressure cooker, cook the beef with black pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt. Let it cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, till the beef is is tender. Keep it aside for cooling.

Step 3: Cook the potatoes till it becomes soft enough to mash it. Once the potatoes are cooked, peel off the skin and then mash it nicely with a masher. Keep it aside.

Step 4: Finely chop the onions, shallots, green chillies and ginger. You can also use a chopper to speed up the process.

Step 5: Using a food processor or mixer grinder, mince the cooked beef once it has been completely cooled. 

Step 6: Grind cinnamon, fennel seeds, cardamom and cloves into a powder and keep it aside.

Step 7: In a kadai or any heavy-bottomed pan, add refined oil and sauté the chopped onion, shallots, green chillies, and chopped ginger – once heated – on a low flame.

Step 8: Add salt to speed up the sautéeing process and stir it around for another 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 9: Add the minced beef into the kadai/pan and sauté the entire mix for another 3 minutes. Add the masala in and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Step 10: Add the mashed potatoes and chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). Mix it well with the beef and then keep it aside for cooling.

Step 11: Once cooled, roll the mix into small oval shapes with lightly greased palms.

Step 12: Take the eggs and beat it nicely in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt as well.

Step 13: Dip each cutlet into the beaten egg and then roll it in bread crumbs (You can also keep these cutlet patties in the fridge for up to a week).

Step 14: Heat oil in a pan and flash fry the cutlets till they become golden brown. Strain the excess oil out by placing it on a tissue, after frying.

Note: You can also shallow fry the cutlets, if you don't want to use too much oil for frying. 

Step 15: Serve hot with tomato ketchup and (or) with sliced onions.