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Kolkata vegetable chop
Crumbed vegetable croquettes
ভেজিটেবল চপ: crumbed beetroot, carrot and potato croquettes fried crisp, the pandal-side snack
Walk between Kolkata's Durga Puja pandals in the evening and the smell that follows you is of telebhaja stalls frying vegetable chop. These are oval croquettes of mashed potato with grated beetroot, carrot and roasted peanuts, spiced with ginger, chilli and bhaja moshla, coated in a flour-water batter and breadcrumbs and fried until shatteringly crisp; inside they are soft, sweet and a vivid pink. They are eaten hot with kasundi, ketchup or sliced cucumber and onion. Common mistake: leaving the filling wet, which makes the chops split in the oil; cook the beetroot mix until it is dry enough to roll without sticking. Chef's tip: coat the chops twice (batter, crumbs, batter, crumbs) and chill them for 20 minutes before frying; the double coat is what gives the pandal crunch.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
- 14 oz floury potatoesboiled, peeled and mashed
- 9 oz beetrootpeeled and grated
- 1 carrotgrated
- 1 ⅜ oz roasted peanutscoarsely crushed
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tbsp fresh gingergrated
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
For the coating
- 2 ⅛ oz plain flour
- ½ cup water
- 4 oz dry breadcrumbs
- 3 cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
To serve
- 4 tbsp kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce) (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a kadhai over a medium heat. Add 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 2 green chillies and fry for 30 seconds, then add 9 oz beetroot and 1 carrot.
1 minStep 2: Cook, stirring often, for 10–12 minutes until the beetroot is soft and the pan looks dry with no liquid pooling.
12 minStep 3: Add 14 oz floury potatoes, 1 ⅜ oz roasted peanuts, 2 tsp bhaja moshla (roasted cumin, coriander and chilli powder), 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt and mix over a low heat for 3 minutes until it comes together as a thick, dry mash. Stir in 2 tbsp fresh coriander and leave until cool enough to handle.
3 minStep 4: Shape into 12 ovals about 7 cm long, pressing firmly so there are no cracks.
10 minStep 5: Whisk 2 ⅛ oz plain flour and ½ cup water into a smooth, thin batter. Dip each chop in batter, roll in 4 oz dry breadcrumbs, then repeat for a second coat. Chill for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 6: Heat 3 cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F (a crumb sizzles and rises in 2–3 seconds). Fry 4 chops at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp. Drain on paper.
12 minStep 7: Serve hot with 4 tbsp kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce).
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kolkata vegetable chop take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of floury potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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