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Sri Lankan fish cutlets
මාළු කට්ලට් (malu cutlis): spicy tuna and potato balls, crumbed and fried
No Sri Lankan party table, from Colombo office leaving-dos to village weddings, is complete without a tray of fish cutlets. These are small, round balls of tinned or fresh tuna mashed with potato, onion, green chilli and black pepper, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried until crisp. They're also a go-to teatime short eat, eaten with a cup of plain tea or tucked into a lunch box. Serve them with chilli sauce or a squeeze of lime. Chef's tip: fry the onion and spices with the fish before mixing in the potato; it dries the filling and makes the cutlets far tastier than mixing everything raw.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the filling
- 14 oz floury potatoespeeled and cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onionfinely chopped
- 3 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- ¾ in gingergrated
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 10 curry leavesfinely chopped
- 2 tins tinned tuna in brine, drainedabout 280 g drained, or 300 g fresh tuna, poached
- 1 ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp salt
For coating and frying
- 2 eggsbeaten
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Boil 14 oz floury potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes until soft. Drain well, let them steam dry for 5 minutes, then mash until smooth.
20 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 1 red onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add 3 cloves garlic, ¾ in ginger, 2 green chillies and 10 curry leaves and stir for 2 minutes.
7 minStep 3: Add 2 tins tinned tuna in brine, drained, 1 ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground and 1 tsp chilli flakes and stir for 3–4 minutes, breaking up the fish, until dry and fragrant. If you use fresh tuna, poach it first until it is opaque and flakes easily.
4 minStep 4: Mix the tuna into the mashed potato with 1 tbsp lime juice and ½ tsp salt. Taste: it should be quite peppery. Cool for 10 minutes so it is easy to handle.
10 minStep 5: Roll the mixture into balls the size of a walnut, about 30 g each. You should get around 24.
10 minStep 6: Dip each ball in 2 eggs, then roll in 4 oz fine dried breadcrumbs. For an extra-crisp shell, dip in egg and crumbs a second time. You can chill the crumbed cutlets in the fridge for up to 24 hours at this point.
10 minStep 7: Heat 3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry 6–8 cutlets at a time for 2–3 minutes, turning, until deep golden all over. A common mistake is frying cold-from-the-fridge cutlets in oil that's not hot enough; they soak up oil and split. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sri Lankan fish cutlets take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of floury potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
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